Welcome to our book club. We’d like to hear your thoughts on “Francesca of Lost Nation,” or “The Adventures of Baylard Bear – a story about being DIFFERENT,” please don’t forget to leave your comments.

Also we’d like to hear about your favorite authors and books. We will be updating our website periodically and want to include as much information about reading and writing as we can. In the meantime, please see our initial list of favorite authors.

Discuss Francesca of Lost Nation

My thoughts: There are moments in this narrative that flabbergast me. I still wonder how the hell I stumbled on this particular tapestry of color and sentiment or that burst of adjectival snapshots. How did I come to grasp this set of feelings or that complex train of motives – sometimes so at odds with my own experience?
I have no idea.

My Favorite Scenes:
I adore the scene where Francesca encounters the flock of WWII-hardened and tested pilots at the Clinton County Fair. As we follow her through the crowd, she touches them and is touched by them. They are stunned by the fact of her and the innate grace of her. Each time I read it yet again, my lungs expand of their own accord. I did try to write with an inkling of Mr. Spielberg’s sensibilities.

I picture the glinting wings of the planes, the glinting of the golden sand in the wind and the intimacy of Francesca’s understanding of these warriors of the air, these masters of flight.

The wedding scene fills me with joy and optimism. And laughter! Let’s not forget the laughter. I can always hear the Justice of the Peace – his inflection, his wry, dry observant, likable way of expressing himself. In fact, in my own life, there were a couple of men – my grandfather and my Uncle Earl – who spoke in wonderfully colorful phrases. Uniquely. I have fashioned my own spoken communication after their example.

The last chapter broke my heart when I first conceived it and again when I first put it on paper. It annihilated me each time I edited it. Its finality is the inescapable and logical resolution of the story and the relationship between Francesca and Sarah. A devastating truth about ALL relationships – they end one way or another.

What are some of your favorite scenes?

Did you like one character better than the other?

Did you identify with any character?

Discuss Baylard Bear

My thoughts: Being different can be a heavy burden at any age, but for a child? Who doesn’t remember getting picked last for Red Rover, messing up your book report in front of everyone or trying to ignore hurtful nicknames?

This book was designed to be shared by children and the adults who love them. It provides an inviting platform for discussions about the differences between us and a road map to better self-esteem, understanding and empathy … on both sides of any relationship.

Could you identify with the character in this book?

Have you ever felt like this in your life either as a child or an adult?

Did you like one character better than the other?

Do you think the story would be helpful to children in adoption or foster organizations or homes? Why or why not?