Book Club Night!

Friday night was my first time visiting a book club that had read my book.  Well, okay, it was my first time outside of school book clubs.  With adults.  Even if the adults were my former students.
Hey, but they read Confessions of an Average Half-Vampire for their book club and invited me to speak. That counts for something, doesn't it?
I tried really hard not to turn into Teacher again, but all of us just sort of fell into our old roles from years and years ago.  Fortunately, no one actually raised their hand for permission to speak.  :)  But they did want me to do all the autographs in the traditional green pen.  :D
I got some interesting feedback, too.  Shane and his wife found my titles difficult.  (Fair enough.  I can see their point.)  Everyone liked the prologue with the M 'n' M costume.  One gal (who had never been my student) brought the candy as a snack.  Cute.  She also liked that Eric's best friend was a wheelchair user.  Erik (a former student, not Eric the half-vampire) felt that Patrick needed more development.  They were all interested in the sequel.
It was interesting to discuss the book with adults.  However, it may have been more enlightening if I could've been a fly on the wall and heard what they might have said without me obviously in their presence.  Still, I think they were pretty honest.
I gave out bookmarks to everyone and a tee shirt to the hostess.  Overall, it was pretty fun.
Hey, if anyone else in my general area decides to read the book for a book club, I'll be happy to show up!  Really!
Most of my photos didn't turn out too well, but here's the hostess of the event, her eyes accidentally turned vampire-red by the flash:

(Note: I know she LOOKS about 15, but she's not underage; I promise.  She has a son who's in 9th grade.)

And here's a former student with a probable future student:

A Book Club Is Now Featuring Confessions of an Average Half-Vampire

A former student of mine (now past 30 years of age), Heidi, just contacted me through Goodreads.  It seems she's got a book club going, and one of her former classmates, Richard, suggested they read Confessions of an Average Half-Vampire.  A few other former students from that same group or close to it in age, Amy, Erik, and David, are joining in to read my book.  And they invited me to join them.
(Hey, I guess having the author show up at your book club meeting is kind of interesting -- even when that author is really just your former English teacher.)
This is so cool.  I feel so famous.  It's still an honor, even though they're just doing it because they all know me.  (Okay, and because they know I used to make them laugh when they were kids, and I bet they're secretly hoping the book will still make them feel that way.)
Personal note to Richard: the book does indeed contain a reference to poodles.  I dare you to find it.  :)