Book Club Exchange: Mary Kay Andrews & Giveaway

I am extremely excited about today's guest blogger for Book Club Exchange -- it's Mary Kay Andrews. She's the author of many terrific books that I've read and loved including THE FIXER UPPER which is now available in paperback. I thought THE FIXER UPPER was so fun, and you can read my review here.

I just adore Ms. Andrews' guest post and I think you will too. I have a feeling that many of you who are members of a book club will certainly relate to it! She captures many of my feelings and I'm anxious to hear if she shares yours.

Opening Books—And Minds

A real letter I recently received:

Hi! I'm just starting a book club and I chose your book "Hissy Fit" to kick us off. I read about you in Southern Living, and I can't wait to get started!

One of the gals in my book club is rather prudish, and so I need to take care in the book I choose. I've not ready any of your other books so I don't know your style yet. I've read only the first chapter of Hissy Fit and and it's pretty racy - according to my friend's standards.

My question is: does the rest of this book run along the same lines? Or, is this it and it "calms down" a bit, so I can still recommend this book?

I was a little surprised when I got this query, and more than a little conflicted about how to answer it. My books are commercial fiction—meant to be fun beach reads with characters my readers can root for and stories they can relate to. I certainly don’t ever intend to offend, and in my own mind, my subject matter is rarely controversial.

Still. My protagonists are modern adult women. Sometimes, they use “racy” language. Sometimes, they engage in intimate—but always, committed, relationships. I want my fictional characters to be realistic and believable, not cardboard cutouts ready for sainthood. So the women of an MKA story get knocked down and betrayed. They lose jobs and husbands and lovers. Their families are complicated, nutty, dysfunctional. They make mistakes. They fall for rotten men and make terrible decisions. Sometimes, when they’re really provoked, they even drop “the F-bomb.” But in the end, because I believe in happy endings, the women in my books manage to pick themselves up and figure out how to reinvent themselves. Salvation! Redemption. A hot new love interest! Or at least a cool new place to live.

I don’t believe my books are smutty. But then, I don’t find language inherently objectionable, or offensive or obscene. What I find obscene is casual, gratuitous violence—towards women, children, animals, minorities, anybody or anything who can’t defend themselves. I find discrimination and intolerance offensive. But that’s just me.

I happen to be a member of two different book clubs in two different states. And what I love about my book clubs is the opportunity to be exposed to books and authors I never would have read on my own. I love that we come together to discuss books and ideas, and that we get educated and entertained all in the short span of the life of one book. Sometimes, the books we choose are ones I don’t care for. (See Eat, Pray, Love and Mrs. Dalloway.) So I don’t read them, or I start, but don’t finish them. Or I show up at book club ready to rail against that month’s pick.

Book clubs, to me, are not just about getting together and sipping wine and exchanging gossip. Although my clubs do a lot of that. Ultimately, the members of our clubs share our ideas, our attitudes, and our belief systems, all through the discussion of whatever book we’re reading that month. It doesn’t happen every month, or with every selection, but in the best of all worlds, we manage to open books and minds. And we have fun doing it, hopefully while respecting each other’s sensibilities.

So…what about you and your book club? Do you deliberately choose books meant to expand horizons and attitudes? Do you ever self-censor? Has a member of your book group ever felt so strongly about a book that she refused to read it, or threatened to quit? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic—and suggestions for how to answer such a question the next time it arises.

*****
Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of HISSY FIT, SAVANNAH BREEZE, DEEP DISH and THE FIXER UPPER. She loves discussing her books with book clubs—either in person or through phone chats. You can find her at www.MaryKayAndrews.com, and on Facebook.

GIVEAWAY ALERT: I am very excited that Tandem Literary has graciously offered to giveaway one copy of THE FIXER UPPER to one lucky Booking Mama reader. To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment with an email address telling me if you've ever read a Mary Kay Andrews' book. (If not, shame on you!) This contest is open until July 20th at 11:59 p.m., and I will notify the randomly-selected winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please. Good luck!

AND NOW FOR A BIGGER GIVEAWAY ALERT!: For a chance to win this beach-themed basket of goodies, write to meg@marykayandrews.com. In a short e-mail message tell MKA the most memorable experience you’ve had with your book club. Be sure to put BOOK CLUB BEACH BASKET in the subject field. MKA will share a collection of the best entries on her blog, choose her favorite entry, and ship the goods to the lucky winner. Good luck!

I am so grateful to Ms. Andrews for sharing this fabulous guest post with us. Make sure you also check out her terrific book club contest and enter to win! If you are interested in participating in a future Book Club Exchange, please contact me at bookingmama(at)gmail(dot)com.