Book Club Dos and Don'ts

Dos and don’ts for book club? Rules for book club? Really?

Well, I use the term “rules” loosely. But still, there has to be some understanding among members, right? You need a little structure. After all, someone has to bring the chocolate, and someone has to bring the wine. Munchies? Of course.

You’ve probably seen beverage napkins that joke about the wine and conversation being more important than reading a book, right? Oh, wait. Was that a joke?

In my book club, we actually do try to read a book every month. And often, it’s a book outside of my comfort zone – outside of my typical genre and possibly written by someone I’ve never even heard of. Our little group is made up of friends of friends, an eclectic assortment of women from different backgrounds, careers, socio-economic levels, life stages, etc. We take turns choosing a book that appeals to us personally. And that makes it interesting.

My favorite type of book is slice-of-life fiction. But some members prefer non-fiction. Some like mysteries, or classics, or historical fiction. Because we have diverse interests, I’ve read books I never would’ve picked up, books that never would’ve piqued my interest if left to my own devices. The funny thing is, I’ve liked many of them. Sure, there’ve been a few dogs. I admit, on more than one occasion I simply couldn’t slog through the book. Ahem, another glass of wine, please.

But overall, I love that we each enjoy different types of books, and that we all give them a try. That’s one of the rules. It makes us stretch. I’ve learned a thing or two. I don’t often read non-fiction, but I found myself completely absorbed in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” I had no idea that nearly all cancer research can be traced back to the cells of this one woman. One month we read “Silence” by Shusaku Endo, a book about the persecution of Christians in Japan during the early 1600s. Say what? Yep. Pass the chocolate, please.

Another rule? If you choose the book (which also involves some background, discussion questions and research on the author), then someone else hosts book club at their house. That spreads the work around. Of course, that brings me to yet another rule – no dusting required. We come. We chat. We eat and drink. We don’t mind a little dust. The important thing is, we’re talking books. And having fun.

Cheers to friends, books, wine and chocolate. Happy reading!

So Sad about Summer

Labor Day weekend. It’s generally accepted as the end of summer, even though the calendar officially says Sept. 21st.

The pools close, the boats are put away, cabins are closed, kids go back to school, and I get a little depressed. Because I know what’s coming. Some people look forward to the cool breezes and crisp air of autumn. Some of that is okay. It’s nice that the humidity subsides. But the real problem is that I know what’s coming after that. Fall is usually a short blip around here. And then Old Man Winter settles in for a long and tedious visit.

Winters can – and often do – last six months around here. Ugh.

I think I’ll say that again. Ugh. It gets cold and dark. It snows. We get ice storms. Did I mention the cold? I guess for me, winter just makes things more difficult: Keeping track of coats and scarves and gloves. Cleaning up after snow, the mud, the salt, the drips. It’s harder to see at night. Driving is more dangerous. People withdraw into their houses.

For six long months I wait for spring, for warmer temperatures and longer days – when a day really lasts all day, not just until 5 p.m.  People seem happier in the summer. Blue skies and sunny days have a way of cheering things up. The neighbors are out, patios are used, flowers color the landscape. There’s a sense of having more time. Summers don’t seem to slow down for us. There’s too much to do. But it’s easier to do those things. So much more pleasant to be able to step outside without coats and all the winter accessories. I so much prefer to be greeted by warm sunshine than arctic wind. As winter looms before me, I just hope I’ve soaked up enough sunshine to get me through the days ahead.

Sigh. It’s Labor Day weekend. Bye-bye, summer. You’ll be missed.

New Release!!

Very excited to announce that my new women's fiction novel, The Storm Within, is now available in both print and digital formats!
The Storm Within is a story about friends, family and community. It's about facing life's challenges, and moving forward even when you don't know where you're going.
Here's what reviewers are saying about The Storm Within:

-- "I started and finished it in one sitting because I could not stop reading...the story had me that engaged."

-- "I experienced so many emotions-- fear, anger, disappointment, anguish, happiness and triumph -- all in one book!"

-- "Never have I been so emotionally invested in a book before."

You can read the complete reviews at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18243319-the-storm-within#other_reviews



Introducing The Storm Within . . .

They say 'lightning doesn’t strike twice.' But they’re wrong.

Claire Stapleton is living proof. First, she loses her beloved son to war. Then, her husband to another woman. As the life she’s known implodes, she struggles to pick up the pieces – to fit in. And in a small community like Whitfield, that’s harder than she ever dreamed.

Overnight, Claire falls from toast of the town to talk of the town. Long-time friends rally around, but confused and off-balance, Claire finds herself traveling a lonely, unfamiliar road without a map. And there are no detour signs to help her get back on the right track. Spiraling on a self-destructive path, Claire fights to find her way – and a reason to start over.

They say, ‘what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’ Could they be right?

The Storm Within is available for purchase at
Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
Smashwords.com
Kobobooks.com
Apple.com
and . . .
Watermark Books, 4701 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS
Reader's World, 983 NE Rice Rd, Lee's Summit, MO

Find me other places

Hi everyone,
I started this blog back when I was just starting to write, and going it alone. I check it periodically, and still post items now and then. But my bigger online presence is on the blog/website I share with my critique partners and on Facebook. Hope you'll come say hello!

Website: http://www.threewritersofromance.com/all-about-darlene.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/darlene_deluca1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Darlene-Deluca/282385088481413?ref=ts&fref=ts

Would always love to have more friends, fans and followers!

Favorite Fictional Fathers

Hi everyone! In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, thought I’d take a few minutes to reflect on some fictitious dads. When I started thinking about it, I realized that dads play a key role in both of my published novels.

Can you imagine being introduced to parenting when your kid is sixteen? Talk about trial by fire! That’s exactly what happens to Matt in Unexpected Legacy. He learns he has a sixteen-year-old son after the kid is seriously injured in a car accident. The mom has long-since checked out, and the grandparents who raised the boy are overwhelmed. What Brady needs, they decide, is a dad. They turn to Matt for help. And what a guy – he steps up to the plate and gives it a shot without even knowing the rules of the game.

He may have missed his son’s first baby step, but he’s there for him when he takes his first step on an artificial limb. In admirable fashion, Matt takes on the challenge and turns the focus of his life to gaining his son’s trust and respect while helping him regain his self-esteem and recover from the trauma of the accident. You’ll be cheering along with Matt when he finally gets to hear that one word he’s been waiting for from Brady’s lips – Dad.
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Or how about suddenly having to worry that your dad is a chick magnet or the target of a scheme to invest in a local research project? That’s what happens to Megan, the heroine in Meetings of Chance, when her mother dies, and her grief-stricken father is befriended by a questionable new neighbor. And when Dad gets the flirtatious attentions of a bank employee? Well, that’s a little awkward.

Megan’s grieving, too. Plus she has the added stress of managing the household and the business without her mother who was also her biz partner. Trying to protect her father, Megan sees threat all around her. Sheesh. Who want to babysit their dad?

Do you have a favorite fictional father? Please share!

One of my favorite fictional dads is Mr. Bennet of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Love his humorous remarks! Are you not diverted?

Fashion frustration

So I finally broke down and bought a pair of “skinny” jeans (which, of course, means that baggy bell-bottoms will be all the rage next year, ladies).

I’ve resisted them because they look so, well, skinny. And tight. And uncomfortable. Something for teenagers, not middle-aged women.

But I’ve been seeing a some of my friends wearing them, fashionably tucked inside boots or with cute little mary-jane-type flats and no socks.

So, I took the plunge. Plunked down my credit card and brought a pair home.

Turns out, I actually kind of like them. They’re warm! And the fabric, even on the ones that look like jeans, is stretchy so they aren’t as restrictive as I thought they’d be. I’ve worn them tucked inside boots and with the ballet slipper flats. They’re cute. And here’s the big flash – when I’m wearing them I feel pretty stylish. Now that hasn’t happened in a while.

Sometime in the last few years, the styles have changed, and my body has changed so that shopping for new clothes is tedious and confusing. Seriously, there are days when I look through the racks of women’s garments and wonder, what the hell do you do with that? And more often than not, I walk (or run screaming) out of the store empty-handed. Or, just as likely, I end up buying something for my twenty-one-year-old daughter because all that cute clingy stuff might actually look good on her.

Okay, I’m over the skinny jeans, but really, does everything have to be skin-tight? I guess lace is in, and I’d love to have a few more lacey items in my wardrobe, but it seems that all the lace is stretched over some Spandex-type fabric. I tried on a darling shirt the other day, with a flower-like lace design on the front. Loved it. Until I turned around! The three-way mirror said it all. The back of the shirt had no lace – just a clingy layer of fabric so thin it was practically transparent. Sigh. Empty-handed again.

so peculiar

So I’m driving down the highway the other day, and there’s this town called Peculiar. And that got me to thinking about the word peculiar. Say peculiar a couple of times. It’s kind of funny. Well, that got me to thinking about the word funny.

In the English language we have several words that basically mean peculiar. There’s weird. There’s odd. There’s strange. Now wouldn’t you think with those four very capable descriptive words, we wouldn’t need to take another word and change its meaning so that it pretty much says the same thing as odd or strange or weird or peculiar?

But that’s what we’ve done with the word funny. How often do you say ‘that’s funny’ and not really mean that’s humorous? Funny is supposed to be about humor, about making you laugh. Now, granted some things that are funny are also weird or odd or peculiar. But generally, I’d say most things that are odd or weird are not also funny, and when we say, ‘that’s funny,’ we don’t mean humorous at all.

I suppose it’s one of the things that make learning the English language difficult for foreigners. It’s a little confusing. Perhaps, even, peculiar.