Back in February, Chapter Chats launched and it’s been so much fun! Currently, there are 84 people who read along with us – and respond to various prompts. Chapter Chats is different than the blog: while I have posted a few of the prompts on the site so that others can get a feel of the type of discussions we have, most are not posted to the blog. Instead, the conversations happen through email. This allows Storytimers to feel safe enough to share without worrying about privacy. It also helps to build a community.

There are interactive components like quizzes, Ask the Author virtual events, and a few games. We’ve also had exclusive videos that never get posted to the website. The prompts are not the same questions you will find at the end of each book.

The current cycle ends on July 26 and the next cycle will begin in August. We are currently taking votes on the next selection! Oh – and I almost forgot to mention – if you sign up to participate, you are entered into a raffle to win one of ten printed copies of the book… for free!

Here are the current titles you can vote on. The Storyteller and Taramul Viselor have book trailers or video readings on their pages. Haven has several excerpts to read from.

Option One:   Taramul Viselor  

The link will take you to its page where you can view a trailer and find excepts and an overview.  This is a story about Communism, about Romania’s state-run orphanages behind the Iron Curtain, and about the power of friendship.  It delves into women’s rights, discussions on how much power should a government have, individual versus group freedoms, child abuse and the power of imagination. It has elements of fantasy and yet is richly researched.  The research included talking to the CEO of Voice for America Radio Program and reading the program transcripts by outspoken critics of Communism at the time. It also included talking to a former worker for one of the state run homes as well as a former child in one of the homes.  It’s a historical book with very relevant, current themes and some of my most complex characters to date.  

Option Two:  The Storyteller

The link will again take you to the page with the overview and a video reading of one of the chapters.  The idea for this story was the tradition of oral storytelling.  Initially, I wanted to base “the storyteller” off of Hans Christian Andersen but that morphed into something completely different. Instead, it became a book that talks through mental illness.  My father, you see, is a diagnosed sociopath with bipolar.  For many, many years I hated admitting that, and never told anyone that.  Because, deep down, I wondered: does that make it okay?  What role does mental illness play in abuse?  For those of you familiar with some of my other works, this is similar to Me  (in fact, Clayton makes an appearance!).  Daphne’s father abuses her in horrific ways – but she soon gets out and finds refuge in Cole.  Cole, though, has secrets of his own and their lives are connected by “the storyteller” – a much loved vagrant who traveled from town to town telling amazing stories in exchange for a hot meal.  How the storyteller connects their lives puts one of the greatest love stories in danger. 

Option Three:  Haven  

There is not (yet) a trailer for Haven but this link will take you to the overview page.  A stranger, someone I’ve never met, but who has read my works, left a review in which he said,  I don’t know you, and it may be presumptuous of me to say so but certainly if you or anyone close to you experienced the torment featured in this book, this is a striking example of art as redemption.  This review remains one of the most precious to me…. because of how true it is. Haven is the story I thought I would never write. It is the story of two sisters: Haven and Poppy. One of them is being abused; the other is not.  When they hatch a daring plan to escape, there’s only one catch: only one of them can go. 

To vote, you have several options: 

1.  Email me your choice!
2. Go to  https://www.menti.com/almgb6y4ppgn and vote! 

Voting will be open until June 27th.

In order to be entered to win a free copy of the book, you must sign up to be a part of the book club. To sign up, use the Let’s Chat form to let me know you’d like to be a part! It’s that easy!

I can’t wait to see what we’ll read next!