Mackinac Island Kisses & Mackinaw City Lifesavers by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Store Manager and Hostess with the Mostest - Tamara Tomac at The Island Bookstore on Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island Kisses & Mackinaw City Lifesavers
by Carrie Fancett Pagels

As my pastor, Rev. Larry Jones, said this morning to me -- having a book set on Mackinac Island, and being there, and doing signings -- how great is that? Yes, indeed, fellow author Larry fully understands how awesome that experience that was! Coming home to a bad RA flare didn't help transition me well back to reality, either!

Author Carrie Fancett Pagels with Grand Hotel Store Manager Mert Vartanian

I was made to feel so welcome at the book signing venues I visited -- The Island Bookstore (Manager Tamara Tomac and owner Mary Jane Barnwell were recently featured in Publishers Weekly!) on Mackinac Island (I signed on three separate occasions PTL!) and at their location in Mackinaw City (see my friend Pegg Thomas's picture below) and at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island (Mert Vartanian got me settled in with her staff, too! What a dream come true.

Author Pegg Thomas at The Island Bookstore in Mackinaw City

It was fun meeting up with family and with friends, like author Pegg Thomas who recently had a release in The Pony Express collection. Pegg is a member of Colonial Quills blog, also, and will have a novella in our 2018 release from Barbour -- the Backcountry Brides Romance collection from Barbour Publishing with nine colonial stories, including my "Shenandoah Hearts" too which I'm working on this month (prayers appreciated!)

My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude's Mooring was the only on-location romance released this year, so how cool is that? (I could be wrong though!)

Carrie Fancett Pagels with readers book signing at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

When I asked what I should bring for swag to my book signings I was advised that "candy is always good!" I found that the ones who most like candy were often teenage boys on the island for Boy Scout activities at the Fort (or with their parents!) I met some super nice people at my book signings, like the lovely ladies above and below who I got to chat with!

The Island Bookstore on Mackinac Island - Guest and Author Carrie Fancett Pagels

I brought more candies than these pictured below, though! I have an upcoming book signing at the College of William and Mary Barnes and Noble book store in Williamsburg, Virginia on Saturday, September 2nd, from 1-3 PM. There will be kisses and lifesavers there, too!

Question: If you could choose, would you want Hershey's kisses, Lifesavers, or a copy of my new RT Book Reviews Top Pick for July -- My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude's Mooring? And do you think Mackinac Island Kisses and Mackinaw City Lifesavers sound like great titles for a couple of books?

Nora St.Laurent The Book Club Network

As you went about setting up your book clubs and The Book Club Network what challenges did you encounter and what did you learn that particularly touched your heart?
When my boss called me into the office and asked me to sit down because he wanted to talk to me about a few changes being made in the office, I didn’t have warm fuzzy feelings inside! He then told me,” We want to start a book club at our store, and we want you to run it!”

This was the second person within six months to ask me to start a book club. Was this a conspiracy? Didn’t these people know I didn’t read unless I had to? Reading wasn’t fun for me; isn’t that a requirement for being a book club leader – having fun reading?

I was terrified at the prospect of getting up in front of people and discussing a book. Just the thought of reading out loud to the group brought up bad memories of when I was in school and got made fun of every time I tried to do this because I never read the words that were on the page correctly. I’m dyslexic and didn’t get diagnosed until I was 26 years old.

I had my heart to heart talk with God. I felt like Moses going before God and telling him he couldn’t do what he asked because he didn’t talk so well. I pleaded with God: “You know I’m dyslexic. You made me this way. Reading and I don’t get along…remember? This is not funny, God.”

I heard Him say to me gently, “Nora, don’t be afraid. Let me ask you this: Can you love the people I put in your life the way I have loved you?”

What did I just hear? Love people He puts in my life the way He’s loved me? Is that what this is all about? It’s not about how many books I can or didn’t read? What a relief!

“Yes, I can do that. If this whole book club thing is about relationships, then I’m all about it whole heartedly.”

I felt a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders. I told my boss what was on my heart and what I experienced. He wanted the book club to be a way of giving back to the community. I started on a book club journey what would later lead to me becoming the ACFW On-Line Book Club Coordinator and creating The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org with my husband, Fred. I’m not sure what the future holds but I do know who holds my future. All things are possible with Christ who strengthens me!


Great giveaways all month long at TBCN!  Leave a comment here, too, for a special surprise OTT-WGN giveaway this week in honor of Nora and Fred!

Carrie Fancett Pagels interviews Nora St.Laurent, TBCN ANNIVERSARY

NORA ST.LAURENT – CEO of THE BOOK CLUB NETWORK

Nora is a column writer for Book Club Corner in the Christian-Fiction On-Line Magazine, also Book Club Talk for Novel Rocket and is featured in the Christian Retailers Magazine in a column she writes with her husband Fred St.Laurent called Join the Club, which featured book pick favorites that have been voted on through TBCN community and the book won the vote for Fiction or Non-fiction.

I met Nora through some online groups, including ACFW as she was the book club assistant for 2 ½ years and then became the ACFW On-Line Book Club Coordinator for 2 ½ years. She recently resigned her position as the Coordinator in March of this year as The Book Club Network has exploded book club giveaways and has over 2, 200 members.

Nora, welcome.  Can you share a way God has worked in your life?

I know God has a plan for us. We are wonderfully made. No part of us is a mistake. In our weakness He is strong. He’s made us to fit in a place where we can make beautiful music and sing His praises. I have to remember that as I face my own challenges in doing what the Lord has called me to do. He’s called me to run book clubs. Not hard you say? True, a piece of cake if you’re a reader and aren’t dyslexic.

I remember the first time someone asked me to run a small book club at church. I couldn’t believe my ears. Did I give this person the impression that I read? This person said I needed to pray about the calling. She felt I was the one for the task.  I went to the Lord. I got the strangest peace about leading this small group. I did work at a book store. It seemed a natural challenge to take on.

It was natural until my boss sat me down one day and said the whole staff was talking about me and that they wanted me to run a book club at the Christian book store I work at. I was petrified. I was reminded of Moses. God had asked him to go to Pharaoh and talk to him about His people. Moses didn’t speak well. He was asking me to run a book club and I didn’t read.

I was reminded of how God asks us to come to Him as small children. I was reminded of Isaac and his joy of facing the challenges before him. He knew God was with him so he ran on full steam ahead at the challenges in life. I on the other hand I reminded God that I was dyslexic and didn’t have much need for reading in my life. I had spent most of my life avoiding it. I read what I had to, but for me watching movies was a lot more fun.

The Lord told me to Fear Not He would be with me. He asked me this, “Nora can you love the ladies I put in your life the way I have loved you?”

“Is that was this is about God? If that’s the case and it had nothing to do with what I’ve read or haven’t read then count me in.”

“Yes, that’s all I’m asking you to do. I’m asking you to show the love of Jesus to the people I bring in your life.”

I went to my boss and shared the message I felt God was telling me. My boss affirmed me. He said that he saw it as an outreach to the community and a way of giving back to the customers. It was then that a book club was born.

Currently I’m running two face-to-face book clubs one at the Christian store where I work and one at my church. My husband and I also started The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org on line, connecting authors with book clubs and leaders.

We want The Book Club Network to be the place to find Christian Book events, book signings and other book fun. I’d never thought in my wildest dreams I’d be mixed up in all this. But I can see that if we walk in what He’s called us to do. He does far more than we could imagine. I’m still dyslexic and still face challenges like my son. But God has restored the bad memories of my past and brought amazing fun to reading and writing. I’ve learned that in my weakness He is strong and gets all the Glory!

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

"He said to me, "'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'

"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said to them, “…….do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Thank you Nora for agreeing to this interview and sharing your writing experience with us.  

It’s been a Pleasure being here Carrie!! Thanks for asking me to share. I’m excited about The Book Club Network’s second year Birthday party in August where we’ll be giving away 10 books a day. Thanks for letting your readers know about this!!

Blessings

Nora St.Laurent

The Book Club Netowork

www.bookfun.org

Great giveaways all month long at TBCN! Leave a comment here, too, for a special OTT-WGH giveaway this week in honor of Nora and Fred!

One Little Bookcase!

Our local Christian Fiction writers group met at the Barnes and Noble in Chesapeake VA this Saturday. While there I checked out the titles. In this huge bookstore they had only one TINY narrow bookshelf of Christian fiction! ONE!!! I could not believe only one little bookcase of Christian fiction, most of it Amish. A local published writer, Christy Barritt, from Chesapeake, was there with us. They were able to get two copies of Kit Wilkinson's newest book and Laura Frantz's, but not Christy's (which is in my CBD basket right now). The unbelievable thing is that Regent University is just up the road from this place, one of the biggest Christian universities in the region. Only about two dozen authors were represented, total. This just reaffirms why I normally stick with CBD. Their catalogs come and they do such a great job of describing the books and also have author interviews online.