This week I visited with a ladies' book club in Pine Mountain, Georgia, to discuss my novel, Iron Hoop. It was a classic Southern experience right out of "Midnight in the Garden..." The group were well-to-do retirees who lived in a very upscale neighborhood situated on Piedmont lake. Well dressed, genteel, and with Southern accents that flowed as sweetly and lazily as praline.
Needless to say, they all liked the character Grandmother Tillman--all being grandmothers themselves--and envied the relationship she has in the book with her grandson. The general conclusion was that they needed to tote guns as she did so they would be remembered for being more than just someone who said, "wash you hands" all the time.
The book deals with racism, and we had some interesting discussions about that common aspect of our Southern heritage.
And as many people are, they were interested in the process of creative writing. "Where did you get your ideas?"
It was a marvelous afternoon, sipping wine, having a light dinner, and being the center of attention in a room of gracious Southern ladies.
It's good to be a writer.
Just to poke some fun at myself, in my original post I said "gentile" when I meant "genteel." Ooops. Maybe they were gentile, subject never came up :-)
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