The Book Club for Wilson Mooney

Last Thursday, a group of nine women met to talk about my young adult novel, Wilson Mooney. For the lack of a better term, let’s just call it a book club meeting. (He he he)


WOW~ talk about needed a couple of days to decompress. It was a real dynamic and informative group of people. It was amazing how each person had their own interpretation of Wilson and Max. The personal investment each reader wove into their analysis of Wilson was incredible.


I had women there who have read it so many times, they knew the story like the back of their hand, and I had people there that only had the opportunity to read it once through. My readers ran the gamut too. Some were ferocious readers of young adult, a couple that never cracked a YA novel ever, and some that never read fiction or young adult. But what was amazing was that they all liked the story, I could almost say they loved it. They agreed it was a page turner and they also agreed that the book held their attention up through the end. They also had some good constructive advice that would help make the novel a better read.


I asked specific questions and they answered them. I wanted to know what they really felt, and they told me. I asked them to be brutally honest, and I could say, I really think they were. It was important to me, and they knew how important it was, to give me the criticism that would drive me to polish my book and get it ready for submission.


I sat at the table listening to them talk about these fictional characters like they were their own teenagers, or their friends kids, even as family members. Protective, frustrated, happy and worried, I saw that they all were invested in the story. I can’t tell you how miraculous that experience was. It comes close to the euphoria you feel when seeing your new born baby for the first time and you realize, wow, I created that.


Thank you my beta book club readers. Thanks for the hours we sat and talked about my novel. Thanks for the kick in the pants to keep going and thanks for agreeing to meet with me again for the next book! 

One Week and Counting

In one week I will be sitting a Jack's Restaurant with ten women discussing the book, Wilson Mooney.  Yeah, that's right, my book.  It's a unique situation.  Most of the time when people have a book club meeting, the book they choose is usually published and the author isn't in attendance.  How lucky am I to have these ladies want to talk about my unpublished book and with me in the room?

A couple of weeks ago, one of my beta readers came to me and told me she thought we should have the first book club meeting for Wilson Mooney.  I won't lie to you.  I was totally excited and completely freaked out at the same time (I still am).  The thought of sitting at a table discussing what they think of my beloved Wilson and Max is a bit intimidating.   

When I wrote WM, it never really crossed my mind that I would have so many people who would want to read it in its infant stage.  And now, the fact that they want to sit down with me and talk about it blows me away.

I think I understand now that Wilson and Max might hold a special spot in their hearts too.  That my beta's feel just as protective of, Wilson, Max, Cindy, Nick and Wayne as I do.  Sometimes I wonder if the characters feel as real to them as they do to me?   

Maybe the book takes them back to that buried memory of what it felt like to fall in love for the first time.  The young love and the purity it seemed to have.  Or maybe it just gives them a place they can escape to for a short moment of their lives.  For whatever reason they keep reading and I am delighted.

The gratitude I feel for each and every one of these very special people, who honored me by taking time from their busy schedules, families, sleep, and evenings to read WM is immeasurable.  The fact that they not only read it once, but multiple times is incredible. 

So today I dedicate this post to you, my beta readers!  Here is my SHOUT-OUT to you who've got my back!   

I thank you my beta peeps! 

I wonder if Jack's sells a Skip and Go Naked?  

I guess we'll see next week!