murder.booklocker.com

Good news! I’ve just spoken with Jennifer Gervase at the Des Plaines Senior Center. She’s very excited about having me come to their book discussion group in January. One of the other program managers had taken my call yesterday. “When she told me about your book — the idea of pinochle players killing people off — I thought, ‘What a hoot!’” I warned her that the book has its humorous moments (including murder by banana) but that it definitely was not “light” reading. It didn’t bother her at all. She said that she couldn’t wait to read it this weekend.

What we’ve planned is for seniors (the public will also be invited) to purchase the book now and begin reading. Then in January, we’ll get together and use the Discussion Questions I’ve created to talk about the book. I will also be available to talk informally about writing and autograph books.

We had quite a chat about the writing classes I teach at Park Ridge: poetry, creative writing, memoirs, mysteries. That’s when she said that she thought PARK RIDGE would make a great play. “Funny you should say that,” I replied. Then I told her how the book had started life as a short story. I mentioned the murder-writing contest at the senior center and that the three winners had been adapted as plays that would be performed in January. She immediately asked if we were selling tickets!

The date for the book discussion is Tuesday, January 16.