Hi all, our February meeting was a new idea, a book launch for Virginia Pye's new book, Marriage and Other Monuments. Set in Richmond during the time that all the monuments came down, it hit close to home and so she had an enthusiastic crowd on hand to celebrate.
You likely remember that Ginnie Pye came to our book club long when she published her first book, River of Dust which is still a favorite of mine. She was just delightful and has continued to be in the years since when I am lucky enough to see her.
The moderator was just fantastic (I can't remember his name!) and did a great job of asking about how the book came to be and what caused her to use this setting. Interestingly, she had written a book in 2019 about the marriage part of the book and had never gotten it published. When all the activity around the monuments happened, she got new ideas, picked up the old manuscript and came up with this book.
At one point, she was asked whether she was someone who just wrote and the story unfolded or someone who plotted out the path and then wrote. It was interesting that she thinks she is both. Her process is to hang a string out like a clothesline in her office. She then puts the defining action of each chapter on an index card and hangs it on the line. As she gets to the chapter, she pulls down the index card, sees what she intended to happen and writes away. And of course that has the added benefit of visually seeing progress.Very ingenious.
And on to the next, more traditional meeting, which is March 16. The book is Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser. Did someone volunteer to host? I can't remember from all the excitement. Let me know!
See you then.
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