jacki delecki
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How to start a summer book club
Welcome summer! The warm weather season is officially underway. For many people, summertime is an opportunity to slow down and enjoy life. If personal obligations like school, family, or work keep you too busy to participate with a book club during the rest of the year, consider setting up a summer book club. Not sure where to start? Here are some tips and suggestions.
Identify potential book club members. This can include friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. Consider the tone and theme of the club to help determine the best fit of members. Do you want a casual girls’ night out or something for a range of ages?
Determine when your book club will meet. This will depend on members’ availability. Are most people available during the day or in the evening? How about weekends? Where will the group meet? Decide on frequency and how long meetings will be. Don’t be intimidated by logistical details. Book clubs don’t have to be hours and hours long. How about an hour meet-up at the local coffee shop? The goal is to merge your love of reading and time with special folks.
Decide what book(s) members will read. Your book club can be any format you choose. Instead of everyone reading the same book, maybe members share recommendations and brief critiques of books they are reading independently. If you prefer a more traditional approach, where everyone reads the same book and shares a discussion, check a best-seller list or accept suggestions from members. Put the list of titles to a vote and go from there. Here is an article with the year’s most anticipated book club reads.
Recruit volunteers. Invite members of the group to help organize the book club:
- Someone to send out meeting reminders
- Discussion moderators
- Refreshments (if appropriate)
- Research, such as author bio, book club discussion notes/questions
Decide on ground rules/meeting format. Will the conversation be casual or is each person expected to contribute to the dialogue? How will the moderator/group handle interruptions, keep the conversation on topic and make sure every person has a chance to be heard? Develop a list of questions to facilitate the discussion.
Read, relax and enjoy!
Do you have tips for setting up a book club or book recommendations? Post your comments here!
Meet Surf Dog Ricochet
I love dogs. They are noble and heroic and worthy of being included in my romantic suspense stories. For many years, Gus and Talley, my two Golden Labs, were my constant companions; they inspired me to include four-legged characters in my books because of the unique relationships people and animals share.
When I was researching topics for today’s blog, I came across a website for an impressive canine–Surf Dog Ricochet (or Ricki, as she is called). The achievements of this very special SURFice dog® highlight the endearing qualities of all service dogs: loyalty, personality, dedication, steadfastness, comfort and unconditional love.
After “flunking out” of training as a service animal, Ricki’s owner wasn’t sure what to do with the puppy. She enjoyed surfing and, at fifteen months, took third place in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge surf competition. Ricki’s knack for surfing created a unique opportunity for her to work with special needs kids and peoples with disabilities on the water.
One of Ricki’s other talents is her ability to detect stress and anxiety in people. This is one reason therapy dogs are being used to treat service members with PTSD and children with autism. Read more on this on Ricochet’s website.
Over the course of Ricki’s career as a therapy dog and philanthropist, she has raised almost $500,000 for various causes, won top dog awards and become a media star. You can read her story in Ricochet: Riding a Wave of Hope with the Dog Who Inspires Millions and catch her in Super Power Dogs, which comes out in 2018.
Part of what is most inspiring about Ricki’s story is that her “pawsome” success as a surf therapy dog was not intentional. That’s a wonderful reminder that when life doesn’t go as planned or we fall short of our goals, there is still the potential to become or experience or achieve something amazing.
See Ricki’s incredible photos and learn more at her website: www.surfdogricochet.com.
Photos of Ricochet used with permission.
Happy Mother's Day to the Fur Baby Moms
I saw this adorable greeting card and it reminded me that Mother’s Day means different things to different people. The second Sunday in May has become a celebration of motherhood in many forms, an all-encompassing acknowledgement of the caring and nurturing contributions of all women in our society.
That includes all the fur baby moms.
Being a mother is all about dedication, unconditional love, teaching, tending, healing, inspiring and encouraging others. For all of those moms who love and adore their fur babies, have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
If you have a fur baby, share a photo and tell me how you’ll be celebrating your special day.
Supporting Military Working Dogs
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a dog lover. Grayce Walters, the lead character in my contemporary romantic suspense series is also a dog lover, and I’ve included several canine characters in the Grayce Walters series.
I have a special place in my heart for military working dogs. These four-legged service members contribute so much to their units. If you’d like to learn more about military service dogs, check out these organizations dedicated to honoring and assisting active and retired military dogs.
The United States War Dogs Association – features war dog history, information about the U.S. War Dogs Memorial, and how to participate with this organization.
Save a Vet – provides adoption and rescue support for military and law enforcement working dogs.
Operation Military Care K9 – collects and distributes care packages to military working dogs and their handlers.
Kevlar for K9s – works to provide bulletproof vests for working canines.
If you would like more stories or information about military working dogs, check out these sites or click HERE for a full listing of military working dog organizations/resources.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Soldier Dogs
Dogs of War: 23 Facts You Never Knew About Military Working Dogs
I'm in control...or do I just tell myself that?
Today is I’m in Control Day. This is one of those amusing, made-up “holidays” like National PB & Jelly Day (April 2) or Blah, Blah Blah Day (April 17). The idea of “control” struck me as a timely blog topic, since I struggle with this concept when it comes to my writing career. Is control reality or myth? Let’s see…
Yes, I am in control
As an author, I control many factors: what I write, release dates, marketing strategies, price point, distribution, cover art, social media content, newsletter outreach and participation at reader/author events. I also have complete creative control.
No, I am not in control
When I sit at my desk and make decisions about my books and publishing career, it feels like I’m in control. I ponder and plan, carefully considering each factor for maximum success.
And then I release my book and realize I have zero control.
I cannot control who buys my books, what reviewers say about my books or if my books will be bestsellers. It’s daunting to realize how much control other people have when it comes to my books–readers, reviewers, bloggers, advertisers and booksellers.
It’s really a collaboration
Absolute control is never a good thing. Relationship experts encourage people to learn how to compromise so that everyone walks away from a negotiation with something that matters to them. I think collaboration might be a better approach than struggling to control everything.
If I collaborate with my publishing partners (readers, reviewers, bloggers, advertisers, booksellers, editors, agents, other authors), then we all stand to benefit. My publishing career will grow and expand. Readers will enjoy well-crafted romantic suspense stories. Reviewers can write honest, positive reviews. Advertisers can trust they are promoting a quality product.
The only bad part about this? I’m going to need a new mug for my Starbucks passion/green tea.