I am a member of the Women’s Institute (WI) and was delighted to join the Kingston branch to talk about my journey to becoming a published author. Here I am with the audience waiting for my session to be introduced.
Although I planned the talk carefully and rehearsed it twice, I was still nervous. Thankfully, the audience were very kind and receptive… and it turned out to be a lot of fun. There were many questions at the end of my thirty-five minutes of delivery and I was pleased to share my inspiration and approaches to writing with such an interested and responsive group.
The KWI book group will be discussing The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell in August and asked me to devise a few questions. I thought followers of this blog might also be interested so I’ve pasted them below:
- What was one thing in the book you liked? Were there parts you would change?
- How did you enjoy the structure of the novel with its two timelines and different viewpoints?
- What about the writing style? Did it take you long to get into the book?
- Which was your favourite character and why?
- Stephanie’s character shows how it’s possible to overcome barriers in middle age whereas Carolyn never grows up. Some readers find Carolyn unlikable. Do you think her early life experiences explain her behaviour?
- What did you think of the West Country setting? Did it add to the mood and tone of the story?
- Did your knowledge of life in the 1970s enhance the reading experience?
- Were you able to predict the ending? If so, which clues did you pick up along the way? How did this affect your enjoyment of the story?
- In life, many people remember the same experiences differently. Do you think some of the characters in this story have unreliable memories?
- What did you think of supporting characters such as Robert and Doug?
- How did you feel about the relationship between Beth and Mrs Walker? This was included to illustrate the experience of racism in rural areas. Is it different from racism in urban areas?
- If the novel was made into a film, who would you cast in the leading roles?
- What do you think happens to the main characters after the novel ends?
- Were there any scenes that stay in your memory?
- What did you take away from the novel?
Are there any reading group members amongst my followers at The Writer is a Lonely Hunter? Would you like to share some titles you’ve enjoyed recently? If so, please jot your recommendations in the comments. Thanks!
the writer is a lonely hunter 
Well done Gail. Hope the tea and cakes were up to standard!
Baking is not on the agenda at the Kingston group – but the mug of tea was very welcome.
Glad it went well, Gail.
I run a library book group and we always get a wide range of opinions, there’s always someone who hates the book, someone who loves it and lots on a scale inbetween. It’s taught me that books are extremely subjective and it’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time!
That’s a good way of looking at things!
well done, Gail. Great questions below too.
Thanks, Carol.