TV APPEARANCE AT GRAND RAPIDS PBS AND THE BOOK NOOK AND JAVA SHOP

March 1st I participated in a lively round table discussion of “Family at Booknook” with Denise Pritchard, host of Take Five Book Club, WZZM 13, Bryan Uecker, owner of The Book Nook and Java Shop and Debra Lambers, consultant. Bryan had chosen the novel as book of the month for his Book Nook in Montague, Michigan. All had read and were enthusiastic about the novel.

Check out my four minutes of fame at this link:
Take Five Book Club Video

Later that day I visited The Book Nook and Java Shop, an inviting book store, a place to meet over a cup of coffee. The staff is friendly, helpful and excited about books. The shop hosts a monthly book club, at which we had another high energy discussion about “Family at Booknook” and about writing.

As the evening came to a close, Bryan handed me a stack of “Family at Booknook” to sign. The shop had already sold numerous novels and I wondered how many a small town could sell. As the books can be returned without charge, I asked, Why aren’t you sending them back to the distributer? Bryan smiled, “We’ll sell them. They’ll sell in the summer when the town fills up with tourists."

Indeed, Montague is a picturesque town on lake Michigan. An added bonus to our adventure, my husband Murray and I stayed at the Weather Vane, a lovely Inn. The room was heated by a fireplace, had a Jacuzzi and overlooked the frozen lake, a delightful late winter’s get-away.

EVENTS

FAMILY AT BOOKNOOK, is book of the month for February at The Book Nook and Java Shop in Montague, Michigan, where I will be talking about writing and publishing on Monday afternoon, March 1st, at 6:00pm

The area NPR Morning Show Host, Shelly Irwin will interview me February 26th at 9:30am.

I will appear on Take Five WZZM TV 13 for the 9:00am show with Debra Lambers and owner Bryan Uecker of The Book Nook and Java Shop.

Sunday, March 14th I will be at the Saline Library talking and signing at 2:pm.

Saturday, March 20th is Literacy day at the Adrian Mall.

STORY OF UNWED PREGNANCY IS UNIVERSAL

REAL PEOPLES STORIES:

Recently I spoke to a couple of people that made me appreciate that many people relate to Family at Booknook in a very personal way.

When I was signing novels at the Adrian Meijer, a gray haired woman, aged beyond her years, yet not old enough for social security asked me about Booknook. She smiled knowingly and stated that her teenage daughter had had a baby out of wedlock some twenty years ago. The woman had given her daughter two choices: give up the baby for adoption or keep her. If the daughter wanted to keep her child, she, the grandmother, would help. The daughter chose the latter. When I asked how it had turned out, the grandmother indicated that her daughter had married and had a happy life. Then came the sad part.

The woman that I was talking with had recently been abandoned by her husband and had lived in her car for four months. Although she now has a tiny apartment, she has only a part time job. While we visited, she ran her fingers down the spine of a book. I asked if she liked to read. She said, “Oh, yes.” I offered to give her a book. She demurred but I persisted.

I met the second person before Christmas. While buying crab at Meijer, I quizzed the seafood man on its preparation. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that his store was selling my novel. When he asked, I gave him the briefest synopsis.

Then he said, “That’s my story. My mother had me at sixteen in an unwed mothers’ home. She wasn’t going to keep me, but my grandmother talked her into it.” He stated that his grandmother had been instrumental in raising him and was like a mother to him. He was devastated when she died.

It was touching to connect with two people in such an intimate way. When they heard about Sparrow, Dave and Finch, it triggered memories of their own life shaping experiences. In each of these cases the grandmother was instrumental in helping her daughter keep and raise a child. And in Booknook it is Dave, the surrogate grandfather, who enables Sparrow to keep her baby.

Then when I was checking out Amazon Books, I ran across the following comment.

Sheila L. Wasung, “Nook Hooked” from Amazon Comments:
“This book brought back an era in which my own childhood and adolescence was spent. Sparrow endured what so many young women of this era experienced with the shame of unwed motherhood. I am so pleased that the author was able to capture the attitudes and climate of the '50s,'60's, and '70s in the USA. I found it somewhat nostalgic, even though the circumstances were less than desirable.”

DAILY TELEGRAM REVIEW OF FAMILY AT BOOKNOOK

Mark Lenz: Adrian provides backdrop for new novelBy Mark Lenz
Daily Telegram
Posted Jan 03, 2010

ADRIAN, Mich. —
“Dave Stanley had to get out of the house. With yesterday’s Adrian Daily Telegram tucked under his arm, he walked to his shop, Booknook.”

So begins “Family at Booknook,” a new novel I clearly couldn’t resist. It was written by Ann Arbor psychotherapist Brenda Humphrey Meisels and published in June. You may have seen it displayed under “Bestsellers” at both ends of Meijer’s book section, tucked below Stephanie Meyer’s “New Moon” and Michael Crichton’s “Pirate Latitudes.” Three photos of a young lady adorn the “Booknook” cover, sitting above a photo of what might be a French wine shop somewhere in Brittany.

Covers frequently don’t tell the tale, however, and “Family at Booknook” offers no clue that it’s actually set mostly in Adrian, between 1959 and 1981, at a fictional bookstore. My wife, Jill, discovered the book’s actual locale after she happened to check out a copy at the library. References to landmarks such as Bixby Hospital, Mr. Ed’s, Hammerman’s furniture and Frosty Boy pop up throughout its pages.

The story follows Sparrow Avery through her teen pregnancy in Milan and resettlement in Adrian, “where people don’t know her.” Single motherhood, education for her and her daughter and the growth of friends whose lives are connected with the book store make up Meisel’s tale. Sparrow lives in an apartment above Booknook, located at the corner of Winter and Maumee streets, and across the street from El Chapulin — a description that neatly fits the Jean Christopher Portraits building, even if the cover photo does not.

Meisels told me she came to Adrian in the 1970s and worked at Community Mental Health as a psychotherapist. She began Adrian Psychotherapy Associates and continued to work here until 1994, although she married and moved to Saline in 1979.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for Adrian,” Meisels related.

As a novel, the Author House publication is an interesting debut work. Meisels may have forgotten a few details (the spellings of old Drager Middle School and the Croswell, for example) but recalls enough others — Siena Heights College, the old A&W and the Holiday Inn lounge — to show some detailed familiarity with Adrian of the ’70s. Equally believable are the efforts to resolve old feelings and gritty circumstances. Neither Sparrow nor the rest escape unscathed, but Meisels’ main characters valiantly fight the various cycles of poverty, ignorance, abuse and loneliness.

In topic and temperament, “Booknook” reminded me of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” another unassuming novel I stumbled across last spring, which later went to No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Both offer a sense of place. It won’t be easy to pass the Jean Christopher building without imagining the fictional voice of Emily, Dave Stanley’s late wife and helper at Booknook, encouraging the old curmudgeon to act sensibly.

Meisels ran into difficulties of her own trying to market her book to Michigan stores. Many are going out of business. Book store chains have harsh return rules, and they’re also consolidating. Adrian will soon be without a Waldenbooks just months after losing Guided by Grace downtown.
Meisels developed a book Web site, familyatbooknook.blogspot.com, and contacted Meijer’s Ben Negron of Adrian and Georgette St. Amant of Ann Arbor, who arranged book signings and a concert. Meisels’ book is joined on Meijer’s shelves by those of two other local authors: marriage advocate and county judge Jim Sheridan’s “A Blessing for the Heart”; and Clinton Middle School teacher Laura (Schultz) Krzyzaniak’s two publications, “Honorable Mention” based loosely on her grandfather, Nathan Knowles, growing up in the early 1900s around Manitou Beach, and “Chasing a Dream, Riding to the Occasion” about Clinton rodeo cowboy Erik Wolford.

Publishing changes are opportunities for the determined. The Web and desktop editing have simplified writing in some ways, and even Kindle users need content to read, Hopefully, the shared Western culture of “Daisy Miller” and “Tess of d’Urbervilles” — both referred to in “Booknook” — will make the transition to reading’s future.

But it’s also fun to think of promoting Lenawee County as a literary setting. After all, the state’s film tax credit didn’t produce any jobs here. Maybe books can draw readers to visit, and to ensure Lenawee County locales such as book shops aren’t relegated to fiction.

Mark Lenz, editor of The Daily Telegram, can be contacted at 265-5111, ext. 230, or via e-mail at mlenz@lenconnect.com.

Miesels TV Chat About Writing and Publishing

December 23, 2009
Community Television Network, Access Ann Arbor, Channel 17 Presents:
Brenda Meisels, Author of Family at Booknookand, and Sally Seymour, business writer, as they chat about writing. (12/23, 10am & 2/pm) (12/26, 3& 5:30pm) (12/28, 11am) (1/6, 10am 5:30pm)(1/7, 11:30am) (1/9, 3pm)


TV Appearance and Recommendations for Novices:

My writer friend Sally Seymour and I taped an interview for Access Ann Arbor Channel 17. This was a first for me. I was nervous and insisted on arriving early; the crew was running late, and I subjected Sally to a long wait in the Green Room.

When we finally went to production, there was a lovely set, with a Family at Booknook poster as a backdrop. The lights were blinding, the crew out of sight in the darkened room. When Sally introduced me, I looked toward what I thought would be the audience and came face to face with this wrinkled older woman—me!

After recovering from seeing the wrinkled face intruder, we had a nice chat about writing and publishing. There was one complication; in the dark room Sally could not make out the hand signals that Dwayne, a crew member, was making denoting the time. Part way through the interview, while the camera was focused on me, I saw Sally’s eyes flitting back and forth. Thinking we were running out of time, I picked up the pace and tripped over a few words. Sally gathered her wits and asked the crew how much time we had and was signaled that we had sufficient time. However, I Could not see the signal and did not know this until the interview ended.

After the taping, Sally and I celebrated by taking our husbands out to dinner.

When Murray and I watched the first airing, I noticed every flaw but was pleasantly surprised about how well it had turned out.

Recommendation 1: If you’re over sixty, get a face lift or wear lots of makeup. And do not look in the monitor!

Recommendation 2: If you are concerned about time available, ask the crew.

Recommendation 3: Most importantly, have a good time.

BOOKNOOK SOLD AT MEIJER

COMING EVENTS: Tomorrow, 2:00pm, talk and signing at the Adrian library. Friday, 12/11/09, 3:00 to 5:00pm signing at the Adrian Meijer store.

MORE COMMENTS:

Elmo Morales: I finished the book and cried at the end. I can see this as a movie...Brenda describes scenes really well. I can picture them so clearly -- colorful and picturesque.

Maureen Knight: I just finished your lovely book. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. I am glad you added the last chapter. Still, I find myself wondering where Finch is working and who she married.

Ellen Toronto: Believable and fascinating characters are an essential part of a good book for me. From that perspective Family at Booknook definitely qualifies. Dave is a lovable curmudgeon. Sparrow is quietly spunky and devoted to her daughter. In spite of her own difficult background she is committed to making a good life for her. As with any family the fate of the characters becomes deeply intertwined. The reader is drawn in to their all-too-human frailities, sorrowing in their tragedies and rejoicing in their ultimate message of hope.

MARKETING FOR CHRISTMAS

I am delighted that Meijer is going to sell Booknook. It will be in the Adrian Meijer and the three Ann Arbor stores. Meijer supports local authors, and Georgette St Amant, has taken me under her corporate wing so to speak and is shepherding the book through corporate channels.

Ben Negron the director of Adrian Meijer is planning a signing event in December, which will feature three authors, Laura Krzyaniak, Judge Sheridan and myself. A popular local band, The Injured List, will be selling CD’s. Ben tells me the band took the name in high school, when they played football and spent more time on the injured list than in the games.

Today I took more novels to Nicola’s books and dropped off Christmas fliers at several shops. At Unique Hair Salon, Karen read the back cover and bought two novels for Christmas gifts. She made my day.

GOOD READS

I read novels like some people watch TV—every night. One of my top ten is Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout, about an adolescent daughter coming of age with a single, reclusive mother. Hmm, similar to Sparrow and Finch in Family at Booknook.

My favorite scene: Isabelle, the mother, is in a dither about entertaining her boss, whom she secretly loves. He and his wife do not show; Devastated, Isabelle dumps her gorgeous homemade chocolate cake into the trash. This is something that most of us can relate to. Inviting guests into our homes is anxiety producing. We worry, will the food turn out? Will there be enough? And, heaven forbid, what if our guests don’t come?

Strout's scene inspired me to write about entertaining. In Family at Booknook. Sparrow stumbles into uncharted territory, when she invites her friend Maria for dinner. Maria is late and Sparrow is fearful that Maria will not come. The dinner does not go as Sparrow has planned.

I was thrilled when Strout’s recent book of short stories, Olive Kitteridge, came out. Olive is featured in some stories and plays cameo roles in others. She is a tough appearing, no- nonsense sort of woman who estranges some people, including her son. A few readers think she is unlikeable. At times she made me cringe, but the nasty things that she says are often thoughts that we may have. In old age, we see her grow and regret her mistakes. Finally she is able to give up a bit of her rigidly and seize a moment.

I liked Olive. She reminded me a bit of crusty Dave Stanley in Family at Booknook. Sparks would fly if Olive met Dave. But I think they would be attracted to each other. Dave is mourning his sweet life Emily, and a feisty woman might bring him back to life.

Just musing. But I do recommend both books—good reads.