Clubbing: Lightning’s Hand as a Book Club Selection—why it’s a good read.
I think every writer must imagine their book being attended to closely by a book club.
Here’s some discussion content/questions for Lightning’s Hand, the first book in the Endless Tempest series.
This is presently an exercise for me, to see if maybe my book has the chops to be a book club selection. Maybe if you have already consumed Lightning’s Hand, this post might draw you back to it—or farther into the series.
…or maybe you’re looking for a book club selection? (hint hint)
What would you see on a book cover or movie poster to represent what you just read? This would include words and images, maybe a cut line or blurb, maybe a song from the soundtrack. It’s good to think multi-media and it’s an easy onramp to the discussion.
Rory Reed likes quotations. He claims they guide his behavior. What quotes stand out, either those he cites or just things characters say? What makes these quotes valuable to you or to the story? What do Rory’s memorized quotes say about his character?
Many of the chapters end up in the air, some actual cliff hangers. When reviewing the ends of chapters, you may feel you’re viewing Horatio Caine’s sunglass-tipping quips (you know, the detective from CSI Miami). Pick a favorite chapter closure and share why it’s great or terrible.
What in the World? Lightning’s Hand is set in the future, a place/time that features weather machines as big as the sky. In this world, most people are “jacked in” streaming media all the time. Privacy is not a thing, except for those who live on the fringes of society. How would you adapt to living in such situations? What about it is good/bad…and why?
Keeping secrets is always a challenge. Rory Reed has a big one, that he’s an Extractor. Ashley Wilson has her secrets, too, namely that she’s actually Ashley Winston, next in line to manage the biggest corporation on the planet. How do secrets affect their lives? yours? How do we manage secrets? Are they always harmful? Why do you feel that way?
Which character would you want to spend more time with, say, take them to lunch for an honest conversation? What motivates you to pick this character as a person of interest, and what would predict the lunch conversation to include?
The world of Endless Tempest makes claims about corporate power. If business were to “step out from behind the puppets of governance” as it says in the series, how do you think things would go? Do you believe that government keeps corporations in check? Do they need to be kept in check? Is the world described credible? How would it differ in your mind?
Should readers wish to pick up my book as a series read, I can offer special perks from discounted group purchases to guest appearance and more. Contact me.
