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Where was I?

Ah, yes, having talked a bit about each of the main characters over the course of the week, it's time for the Sima's Undergarments for Women, wine pairing menu.

To backtrack briefly:  while on tour for the hardcover release of Sima last winter, I found myself reading at a boutique wine shop in a wealthy suburb of Toronto.  The wine store ran a program: for something like $50, customers got a light dinner, a talk by an author, and 3 drinks matched to the reading. They even threw in a copy of the novel.

I thought: where has this been all my life?

We began with a champagne cocktail. "Because the novel is set in a lingerie shop, and lingerie is from France," the sommelier explained.

Okay, I could buy this.

Next up was a Riesling. "From Alsace Lorraine," she explained, "a region that has suffered conflict between France and Germany, just as Sima herself is a deeply conflicted character."

I felt like I could see Sima rolling her eyes: "Did she just compare me to Alsace Lorraine?" I also wasn't sure what novel protagonist couldn't be described as "deeply conflicted"—isn't that a basic rule for plot development?

But I do a love a good Riesling.

Finally, we downed a Beaujolais.  "For Timna," she explained, "because, like Timna, Beaujolais goes well with everything."

She had me forever with that one.

That evening was the first time I'd had the chance to read to a group who'd read my novel, and responded to it with questions and comments. I couldn't get the grin off my face— it was such a high. (And I swear, it wasn't just the liquor talking.)

Since then I've had the chance to drop-in on lots of book clubs—from crowded living-rooms in Brooklyn to McMansions in rural British Columbia—and, as I've mentioned in my posts this week, my own understanding of my novel and of my characters has changed as I've listened to and learned from these readers.

Which is all to say: now that my novel is out in paperback, read it with your book club! (Here's the Reading Group Guide for extra incentive.) Was that conclusion not totally obvious? You'll forgive a debut novelist a hard-sell: trust me, in this economy...

So: thank you for (tuning in? reading? surfing?) this week. I do have my own website as well, and sometimes I even remember to update it. Come by anytime.