This week I’m hosting Mary Connealy with Over the Edge, Debby Giusti with The Colonel’s Daughter, Deborah Piccurelli with Hush, Little Baby and Deanna Klingel with Bread Upon the Water. I also have a special guest on Saturday–Nora St. Laurent who runs The Book Club Network. If you want to enter the drawings for the books, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (August 12th) evening.
JOIN THE FUN @ THE BOOK CLUB NETWORK
How did The Book Club Network develop? It grew out of a passion for Christian Fiction and the impact I saw it have on people’s lives, including my own. Faith-based fiction impacts the reader in an unexpected way. Jesus was the greatest story teller. His stories were simple and had, and still have, an important message everyone could relate to. For example, I read Redeeming Love, a novel by Francine Rivers. Her story showed God’s love for us in a very tangible way, a way I hadn’t fully grasped until reading this book. It’s a story that touched my heart to the core and had me look at my love relationship with Jesus in a whole new way.
I’m dyslexic and was a non-reader (of novels) until about six years ago. In my wildest dreams, I never expected to be leading three book clubs and have a bio wrapped around almost every aspect of the book club experience – this was never my plan. I felt like Moses when he was asked to go help set the Israelites free. He said he couldn’t talk well, so he asked God to send someone else. When my friend, and then my boss, asked me to run a book club, I told them both I wasn’t book club material and they might consider someone else who had been reading all their lives. Reading and I didn’t get along and I avoided it at all cost. Why read the book when I could watch the movie was my motto!
But, both of these people told me I was the one and that I should pray about it. I knew that in my weakness God would be strong. He is also the ultimate gentleman. He wouldn’t force me to do anything but would gently lead me one step at a time; He would be the lamp unto my feet. So, with that settled in my spirit, I started a blog and signed up for blog tours so I could read more Christian Fiction. I searched to find the stories that touched the heart; stories that were fun and had a strong spiritual thread.
As I continued to read Christian Fiction, the list of amazing books grew and I had the women in my group vote on our book selections. I wanted to share with other book club leaders, who have limited reading time, and customers that came into the book store, the treasures I found. I didn’t have time to read every book so I thought we could be an encouragement and resource to one another.
So, I started to write book reviews and do author interviews. I hoped to be a resource to book clubs in their search for the right book for their group. I hoped to brainstorm with other book leaders about creative ways we could do book clubs and have fun in the process.
Thus, The Book Club Network was born. I wanted a place for authors and book clubs to meet, and for leaders to learn more about authors and their books. I wanted a place where book club leaders and fans could learn not only of the Christian author’s books but of their book signings and speaking events, in hopes that they could meet and encourage the authors in what they were writing. Authors are on the front line and it’s hard getting the word out about these events. It’s also overwhelming for the book club leader to find out about these events.
Bookstores only have so much shelf space to hold existing books and very little room for the new ones. Buying books on Amazon can be an overwhelming task. If you want to read Christian Fiction, how do you know what authors write it? If you don’t have a lot of time for research and time to read lots of books, like I do, choosing just one book can seem unrealistic.
Now The Book Club Network is over 2,000 members and is celebrating our second birthday. We are having a big birthday bash celebration in AUGUST. We will be giving away 10 books a day. Yes, 10 books a day by out sponsored publishers Bethany House and Revell. We’ll be giving books away by well known authors like Irene Hannon, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Lorena McCourtney, Alice Wisler, Ruth Axtel, Murray Pura, Mindy Starns Clark, Mary Ellis, Leslie Gould, Don Hoesel, Susan Page Davis, Travis Thrasher, Pamela Binnings Ewen just to make a few.
MARK YOUR CALENDERS
Starting August join THE BOOK CLUB NETWORK and join in the book fun!! You’ll be glad you did. It’s Free JOIN TODAY www.bookfun.org .
THANKS Margaret for having me here and letting me share about TBCN with your readers!
Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network
