Fun in Lake Havasu

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to meet with a book club in Lake Havasu. The book club is called Spicy Viewpoints and was the brainchild of Teresa Noval, owner of Jersey's Grill in Lake Havasu. It's a great bunch of ladies who love books, wine and enthusiastic discussions. I was happy to accept their invitation as they were reading my book, Stone's Ghost, for their October meeting, and I knew it would be fun to discuss the book.

Little did I know that the club was really pulling out all the stops. Not only did they book me a room at the Nautical Inn on the lake, but they also arranged for a boat cruise around the lake for our meeting. What fun! They all brought lots of good finger food and wine, and we had a terrific time seeing the sites and getting to know each other. 

It was really fun and interesting to hear their questions about the book and their thoughts on where the story might have gone. They brought up some scenarios I had never imagined, although I could see where those possibilities came from. And, like my husband, they all wanted a sequel. Hm... What was really awesome in a goosebumpy way was the fact that when we cruised underneath the London Bridge, the ladies all waved to Janie, the ghost in my book. We could almost see her standing up there.

We finished off the evening with gratitude on my part, and I held two raffles and gave away some freebies to everyone. It was definitely a win/win celebration of reading for me and for the ladies in the club.

My next stop the following day was at the Book Exchange, a lovely used book store in town. Ryan Lowe took care of all the preparations for my book signing and had a place all set up for me when I arrived. Not only that, there were readers there waiting for me! It was wonderful to have so many people stop by to buy a book, to chat, to get to know each other, even if only for a short time. I found everyone in Lake Havasu to be warm, welcoming and enjoyable. 

Before the end of my allotted time, Brandon Messick of the Lake Havasu News-Herald showed up to take some pictures for an article in the paper. We did a brief interview where he asked some insightful questions and again, I was impressed by everyone's interest and openness, and their love of this book that celebrates their city and their bridge. Embracing this book as their own has given me opportunities I would not otherwise have, and I do believe there's a strong mutual affection between me and the readers of Lake Havasu City. Great town, great bridge, great stories!