Spoiled ... Rotten?

Opportunities to spoil my grandsons are few, so when Rascal Number Three slept over recently, I served food he liked, took him shopping for new swim trunks and then to the splash pad, bought him an ice cream cone “even though we had some at home,” and let him watch too much TV.

 

Every once in a while, I feel as though God spoils me like that. I experienced one of those days last month.

Oh, it didn’t begin so promising. With a major thunderstorm and three inches of rain overnight, I couldn’t wear the summer dress I’d planned (I know, boo hoo.) Then I needed to detour around a couple of lakes on Lorne Avenue to make my nine-a.m. optometrist’s appointment. His bill was more than I wanted to pay, too. But his news almost made it worthwhile—no change in my eyesight, and no need to return for two years.

Then the fun part began. I picked up my friend Amanda and we headed down the highway to Winnipeg. When you get out of town as infrequently as I do, this alone is special. We yackety-yacked for the 75 minutes it took us to reach the restaurant. Her mother-in-law had invited me as a guest author at her book club’s monthly meeting. They’d just read my novel, Bleak Landing.

I met six delightful new friends who asked brilliant questions, listened intently while I yammered on about my work, and purchased six of my books! They paid for my delicious lunch, reimbursed my mileage, and gifted me with a Chapters gift card. Is it any wonder I left the restaurant feeling spoiled?

I dropped Amanda off at her mother’s for an hour’s visit while I bummed around in Grant Park Shopping Center. At Winner’s, I treated myself to a new scented candle (Vanilla Bean!) and a package of Crayola’s “Colors of the World” pencil crayons. When I was a kid, any crayon box with 16 or more crayons included a pinky-peach one labeled “flesh.” A few years ago, Crayola came out with their “Colors of the World,” helping kids understand skin comes in many colors, all of them beautiful. My 24-pack ranges from “Extra Light Rose” to “Very Deep Almond.” Now I need pictures of people to color, or better yet, a visit from my youngest grandsons so they can join me. I’m proud of Crayola for making these available. 

But I digress.

I left McNally-Robinson for last, knowing that once I entered a bookstore, my remaining 45 minutes would pass in five. There, I found a copy of Genevieve Graham’s newest book. Graham writes excellent Canadian historical fiction.

Amanda and I yackety-yacked all the way to Portage. Later that evening, her hubby dropped by my house with a potted flower for our yard! Could this day get any better?

Apparently, it could. God had not yet iced the cake.

While I’d been out, The Word Guild announced the shortlist for the 2022 Word Awards. I felt so honored to learn that both novels I released in 2021 made the list: The Last Piece short-listed for Contemporary Fiction. Rose Among Thornes short-listed in three categories: Historical Fiction, Best Cover, and Social Justice! They’ll announce the winners next month.

It was still July, but I felt like a spoiled grandkid on Christmas Day.

Which do you enjoy more—being spoiled or spoiling others? May both happen for you this week

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My Guest Appearance

As an author, I occasionally receive an invitation to visit a book club whose members are reading and discussing one of my novels. I know it’s an honor, but I also find these events nerve-wracking. What if they don’t like my book? What if they ask questions I can’t answer or spot errors I can’t defend?

My most recent invitation, however, presented an entirely new problem. The group was reading my debut novel, The Silver Suitcase. Yikes. I’ve penned six other books since that one. While the story would be fresh in their minds, I could barely remember the characters’ names. They sent out a quiz on the book to members ahead of time and included me in the email. At least one of their questions stumped me.

So, with two weeks remaining before the scheduled Zoom meeting, I decided to listen to the audio version of The Silver Suitcase. That way, I could refresh my memory while working around my kitchen. I confess I experienced a few cringe-worthy moments as I listened, which is not all bad. It means I’ve honed a few writing skills since composing that story.

At least I felt better prepared to chat with these readers who also enjoy public speaking. And that’s what makes this group unique. It’s a Toastmasters Club called “Talking Books.” My curiosity about how this combination might work was certainly piqued.

I learned that a requirement of joining this book club is that you must also belong to at least one “regular” Toastmasters club. Eighteen participants logged in on Saturday afternoon. After the general welcome, the Grammarian presented our word of the day: “departure.” The idea is to use the word as often as possible throughout the meeting when called upon to speak. I was well familiar with this practice.

But when it came time for Table Topics, I discovered they conduct theirs differently. Instead of having a random question thrown at you and having to speak for one and a half to two minutes with no preparation, this club divides into groups of four. Each group has ten minutes to discuss a different question about the book and select their spokesperson. When the larger group reconvenes, each spokesperson then addresses the question, summarizing the thoughts of the sub-group.

With the author present at this meeting, they replaced what would normally be a prepared speech with a panel discussion, giving the moderator an opportunity to practice a new skill. She appointed me to the panel along with three others and we took turns answering her well-thought-out questions. This was followed by an opportunity for me to speak for five minutes and answer more questions. Naturally, I used the chance to promote my other books because no author in their right mind would not.

After receiving the answers to the ten-question quiz (which I aced, thanks to having just listened to the book), hearing the Grammarian’s report, the General Evaluator’s report, and the Timer’s report, the Toastmaster gave closing comments and adjourned the meeting two hours after it began—twice the length of my club’s meetings!

Clearly, this group served to remind me that while each club is unique in its formatting, pace, and purpose, Toastmasters clubs across the globe provide a wonderful place to learn, grow, and have fun together. If you want to improve your public speaking skills in a safe environment, join Toastmasters. You can find a group near you HERE. You won’t regret it.

I forgot to take a screen shot of my guest appearance!