On The Novel Spectrum

by Mark Zvonkovic

I think of novels on a spectrum, one end of which is Pop Entertainment and the other end being Art. The categories are not intended as criticism. They are only meant to help me choose what kind of book I want to read. And that will generally reflect how I’m feeling: pensive, distracted, studious, energetic, ­you get the picture. And, of course, an important consideration will be whether I am going to read or listen to the book.

Character development is what really interests me in a novel. Some readers may not find characters as engaging as fast and exciting plots, where the background of a protagonist is not as interesting as the action taking place. These novels would include thrillers and romance, generally, although there are plenty of genre blended novels with very well developed characters. Readers who want to make deep personal connections with a story often enjoy novels with mixed genres and complex characters. In E.M. Forester’s words, one must “only connect” to find meaning in relationships, and how wonderful can it be for a reader to make a strong connection with a protagonist. In my writing I work hard to put myself into the heart and soul of the characters and then create a plot around them to make an observation about life.

In my third novel, Belinda, I took a lot of time putting myself in the place of the protagonist Lyn Larkin. Of course, this was particularly difficult for me for no other reason than that Lyn was a woman and I a man. But I had the advantage of working for almost forty years in a law firm, where a lot of the novel’s action occurs, and I was very lucky to have mentored a number of young women associates during those years. It made a tremendous impression on me that these women in a professional setting always had to overcome the fact that the prevailing ethos around them was so male slanted. It wasn’t the blatant misogynistic attitudes, like the ones displayed so prominently in my novel by the antagonist, Patrick Brashner. The more difficult obstacles grew out of subtle attitudes and proclivities of many men, which often made the women feel as if their bodies were being evaluated as much as their brains, if not more. And for me this is what Belinda is about, how dedicated this woman was to her profession and how elegantly she managed to make herself a success despite the male ethos she encountered daily.

My novel Belinda is written from several points of view, all but Lyn’s being those of men. I know that a good writer shows, doesn’t dictate. It was hard for me to learn this after so many years of drafting contracts, but I’m making progress. It was the men’s points of view that I used to display the male ethos in Belinda, particularly the subtle attitudes that some of the men were barely conscious of. It was the character Will Baines, a decent young partner in fact, who displayed how a man’s actions and thoughts can create an uncomfortable environment for women. Through Will’s thoughts the reader sees how his unmanageable, even adolescent, observations about two women colored his attitude toward them. Of course, sexuality can have tremendous power in social settings, particularly those arising in a professional context, where it is combined with competition and ambition. And, as Lyn demonstrated in several of her actions, the repercussions are not all on the male side.

For me, women characters are some of the most enjoyable people in fiction. And some writers are very adept at creating them. One such writer is Erika Robuck, who writes about women in historical settings. She is brilliant at casting an engaging picture of a historical event by creating deep, complex women, as she did in Sisters of Night and Fog, her most recent novel. Would that she’d been my creative writing teacher before I started writing. My novel A Lion In The Grass is a historical novel that includes World War II events and I know how much work it takes to make a character fit into an earlier time and place.

Readers often ask me, What next? I don’t have a ready answer. I’m a recovering lawyer and I have no intention of ever again filling out a time sheet. Whatever the next story, it will of course focus around a complex protagonist. One of my favorite characters is Larry Brown in my novel The Narrows. In that story Larry is a young man who deals with difficult personal circumstances in the early 1970s. A lot has happened in the world since those years. Perhaps it would be interesting to see how Larry has made his way to the present day.

Mark Zvonkovic is a writer who lives in Rosarito Beach, Baja California Mexico with his wife Nancy and their two dogs. Finn and Cooper. He has written three novels, and he also writes book reviews and essays that appear in online publications. Before retiring to Mexico, Mark practiced law for thirty-five years at three multinational law firms in Houston, Texas and New York City. He attended college at Southern Methodist University and Boston University, and his law degree is from SMU School of Law. Mark grew up as an oil company brat and lived in Latin America, Texas and New York.

Karen Docherty on Writing An Inspirational Children's Book

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

 Today’s guest for the WHAT is Kerry Docherty, author of Somewhere, Right Now.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?  

The idea for the book came during the start to COVID. My kids, husband, and I drove to my parent’s house in South Carolina for support, and all of us were just inside most the day having hard feelings. What of the things that kept me sane was visualizing that no matter what was happening in the confines in our home, or even collectively across the world, somewhere, right now, in nature something beautiful was still unfolding. And that was the crux of the book.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?  

I wanted it anchored in a family who had hard feelings and so each character had a moment to express that feeling but also support family members’ who were having big feelings

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

This time (for once!) it was firmly in place.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Ideas are always coming to me. I probably have 100 notes on my phone of essays, poems, or stories just waiting to be birthed,

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

They usually speak to me. I’ll start one and then another will beg for more attention. I feel like each poem or story has it’s own personality and the louder they yell at me, the more I listen!

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

OMG 8 Cats! I love this. I actually hid a cat on almost page with the family J See if you can find it!  My writing buddy is SOLITUDE and emo music. Anything else distracts me!

How to Create a Book Club Kit for Your Readers

by Audry Fryer

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, a book club kit download is a great way to provide extra content and fun experiences for your readers. And it can be an innovative marketing tool to help you reach a new audience and create a loyal fanbase. 

Unlike a physical book kit, a download is easy to put together through any word processing program. Once you create the document, you can quickly deliver it to your readers. Also, you can update your download at any time to edit or add more content. 

For my book, Until Next Sunday, I offer a book club kit as a free PDF download for signing up for my newsletter. My welcome email has a link to download the kit. I love sharing fun ideas and fascinating facts about my book. Even if the reader isn’t in a book club, the kit is a great way to enhance the reader’s experience.

What Should a Book Club Kit Download Include?

Your book club kit download should contain exciting and interactive content unique to your book. You’ll want to showcase to your readers and book clubs why they should be excited about reading and celebrating your book. 

My book club kit download for Until Next Sunday includes a welcome letter from me plus a playlist, recipes, content about locations featured in the book, and custom discussion questions I created based on the story.

11 Ideas to Include in Your Book Club Kit

While you may not want to incorporate all 11 ideas in your book club kit download, choosing around five components is helpful. It’s easy and fun to create a download your readers and book clubs can enjoy.

Welcome Letter

A note from the author sets the tone for your book club kit. Don’t skip this opportunity to connect with your readers. In your letter, share a background story of how the book came to be, a personal story about your journey as an author, or any other behind-the-scenes tidbit. 

Also, explain what you’ve included in the kit to entice your reader to enjoy the full download. You can add a table of contents as a quick reference and visual. And finally, thank your reader for choosing to interact with your book further. 

Author Bio

Help your readers get to know you better. You can insert your official author bio. Or, even better, you can share background about yourself that readers won’t find anywhere else. Rather than a dull information dump, add a personal trivia section or a list of fun facts about you.

Interview or Author Q&A

Share fascinating content about you as the author and your book by including interviews posted on other platforms. Or add a section of frequently asked questions and their corresponding answers.

Discussion Questions

Book clubs love having ready-to-go discussion questions. Aside from eating, drinking, and socializing, the point of the book club is to talk about the book. In your kit, provide questions that directly relate to your book. Make sure you provide a variety of questions. Plus, offer topics that will spark lively conversations. If you need inspiration, check out my post on 77 Book Club Discussion Questions (For Any Book). 

Extra Content about the Book

You can provide exclusive content in your book club kit. Readers and book clubs enjoy having access to items not available to everyone. 

Get creative! There are so many opportunities to offer new and exciting pieces. For example, you could share a brief prequel or an unpublished epilogue to your book. You could feature a side story about a favorite character. Or you could reveal what happened to the characters or real-life people in your story after the book ends. 

Featured Locations

Often settings involve real-life locations. Readers tend to be curious about where the story took place. Offer insights or interesting facts about the areas featured in your book. Or provide information about traveling to the locations in your book. You can include maps, photos, or other images to help the reader feel like they’re there.

Playlist

I love the idea of putting together a soundtrack to accompany your book. The songs you choose can enhance the theme and vibe of your story. Book clubs can then play the songs in the background as they meet. 

For my book club kit, I created a list of songs with a romantic/Italian theme that matched a corresponding Spotify playlist.  Readers can either look up the songs on their music platform or access the more extended playlist I created on Spotify.

Recipes

Recipes for food or drinks can be a big hit with book clubs and individual readers. Choose recipes that relate to a food or drink featured in your story. Even if your book doesn’t mention food or beverages, you can still add a recipe that compliments your book’s theme. 

In the Until Next Sunday book club kit download, I shared a family recipe for gnocchi that had been passed down from generation to generation. Also, I added a signature cocktail recipe for making Bellinis. While Bellinis weren’t directly mentioned in the book, they fit with the Italian theme. In the kit, I share a link for a video on Tik Tok I created on how to make Bellinis.

Activities

Does your book lend itself to a real-world activity or craft? If so, add instructions or information on how to make your book come to life. For example, Until Next Sunday features writing love letters. Although it’s not in the kit I offer, I could have provided a tutorial on the art of letter writing. What unique activity would your readers enjoy?

Images 

Images are essential to your book club kit. They add interest and color to your download. Make sure you insert the cover of your book, your author photo, and any pictures to enhance your content. If you include a recipe, make sure you have images to accompany it. Or, if you discuss a featured location, add a picture of the place. Plus, you can add interesting photos of yourself or related historical photos.

Call-to-Action

Finally, make sure you add at least one call to action.Take advantage of this opportunity in which you have your readers’ attention. Since you’re marketing to book clubs, it’s a fantastic idea to make yourself accessible by offering to join a book club zoom. 

Also, you can add social media links to entice your readers to share your book or the recipes/activities. Ask for book reviews and provide links to where you’d like the reviews posted. Add a form for signing up for your email list. Or, provide links for purchasing your other books. And finally, you can work with other authors to cross-promote their books by providing other book recommendations your readers may enjoy.

Final Thoughts for Creating a Book Club Kit Download

Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to create a book club kit download for your book. It’s an excellent marketing tool. And, it’s so fun to offer extra content to your readers in book clubs or even to your individual readers. 

Audry Fryer is an author and professional freelance writer from Pennsylvania. Formerly a teacher, Audry wrote her first novel while her toddler son and twin babies napped. As her children have grown into teenagers, she has expanded her writing career. Audry lives with her family and two pugs in a quiet corner of Southeastern PA. To learn more about Audry, please visit her website at www.audryfryer.com.