Nora St. Laurent runs two book clubs near the Atlanta area and is the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Book Club Coordinator. She currently writes a Book Club Column for Christian Fiction Online Magazine. You can read author interviews on her Finding Hope Through Fiction blog, located at http://www.psalm516.blogspot.com, and reviews around the web at The Christian Pulse Mag, Title Trakk, Novel Reviews, and Suspense Zone. Nora and her husband run The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org

I’m thrilled that authors, book club leaders, and readers are catching the vision of the Book Fun we can have at The Book Club Network. Normally we have one giveaway a month, but in September we had two big giveaways. Many of our members were hit by the hurricanes on the East Coast and were without power. We didn’t want them to miss out, so we postponed August’s contest to September 12 and then had another giveaway on the 26th. Thanks to Pelican Group for giving away a Kindle on September 12 and a huge thanks to Bethany House for giving away ten copies of Elizabeth Musser’s book The Sweetest Thing. Other authors who gave away books and added to the book fun were Pamela Ewen, Ace Collins, Alison Strobel, Kathi Macias, Vicki Hinze, Miranda Parker, Christa Allan, Susan K. Earl, Cynthia A. Patterson, Saundra Dalton Smith, M.D., and Cynthia D.Toliver. We gave away twenty-seven books in one night!

Big Thanks to Kathi Macias for giving away a Nook on September 26 along with her two new books Deliver Me from Evil and A Christmas Journey. Big Thanks to B & H for giving away five copies of The Pirate of My Heart by Jamie Carie. Other authors giving away books were David Householder, who gave away three signed copies of his new book The Blackberry Bush; Anne Mateer gave away two signed copies of Wings of a Dream; Alison Strobel gave away a signed copy of Composing Amelia and a book club journal; Ginny Yttrup gave away two copies of Words; and Ann H. Gabhart gave away one copy each Angel Sister and The Blessed. We had over five hundred participants.

It’s exciting to see authors posting their book signings and other book events on the calendar at The Book Club Network, which makes it easier for book clubs and readers to find them. Check out the Book Event page on the bottom of our front page at TBCN, where you’ll meet authors like Ann H. Gabhart, Pamela Ewen, Ann Mateer, and Alice Wisler, in addition to Tosca Lee and Ted Dekker promoting their new book Forbidden.

All authors and readers are welcome to join TBCN. It’s free. And it’s not like keeping up with another social network. Being part of TBCN takes very little of your time. It is a place to check in for events and giveaways.

Authors register their book events so that book club members can meet them in their travels, and they can participate in a monthly giveaway event at the site. E-mail me privately to set up the arrangements for book giveaways on our site. The Book Club Network is meant for book club leaders and readers to find you!

Book Club leaders use the site to inform their groups of books being read by other book clubs and various special events. Leaders can invite authors to participate in book club meetings via the

phone, Skype, or right there at TBCN. The sky is the limit. Be creative as to how you use the site. I hope you take advantage of the monthly giveaways, author interviews, and author events.

I’m thrilled to have Debra Larson from Bethany House Publishers set up a page at The Book Club Network. She is our number one book club cheerleader. She asks weekly questions of book club members and readers, engaging them in book club discussions. She’s has tons of book club experience and knows the meaning of Book Fun!!!

This month we will be promoting House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson. It’s a powerful novel written in the POV of a nonbeliever struggling with how to do life and dealing with family secrets. Bethany House will have a big giveaway at The Book Club Network on Monday, October 17 at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard time.

B & H will be participating also, giving away copies of The Chair by James L. Rubart. This is not only a suspenseful, action adventure story, but this author digs deep into the heart of relationships. What would happen if someone stopped in your store one day and gave you a chair made by Jesus, and said it had magic powers? Would you guard it with your life? Would you believe them? Would your life be in danger? It was a thrill to read this book and talk to Jim about it. You can catch all this and so much more at The Book Club Network and on my blog Finding Hope Through Fiction!

Hope to see you soon at The Book Club Network.

Until next time.

Nora St.Laurent