I opened my Email and there it was, the love letter every author hopes for in the form of a thoughtful review. Thank you Go On Girl Book Club for sharing the club’s thoughts about, Provenance.
And, to answer the question you asked—the sequel is just a few months away.
To: Donna Drew Sawyer, Author of Provenance: A Novel
Subject: “Provenance” has been selected for the Go On Girl Book Club reading list
It is our pleasure to inform you that your book, “Provenance” has been chosen as our May 2017 reading selection in our Novel category.
That email arrived last November, from the Reading List Chair and the Author Correspondent for the Go On Girl! Book Club. With over 30 chapters in 16 states from California to the Nation’s Capital, Go On Girl (GOG), is one of the largest national organizations dedicated to supporting African-American authors. Every year they choose just 12 authors to read, discuss, review and champion. This year I was honored to be one of them.
Throughout May and into June, I was lucky enough to sit in on GOG book club meetings with chapters from across the country, from California to Maryland/DC right in my backyard. College-educated African American women buy and read more books than any other demographic group and the women in GOG epitomize this audience of engaged and impressive women readers. It was such a joy to talk with them—as an author I gained insight into my writing and got to see firsthand how the characters and story I created resonates with readers. They all hated Charlotte, loved Hank and worried about Lance. They embraced the historical figures that I intertwined with my fictional characters and I was thrilled when several GOG readers told me they did additional research on Belle da Costa Greene and Eugene Bullard.
I thank all of the Go On Girl chapters across the country for reading my book and especially the chapters I was fortunate to talk with for sharing their enthusiasm about Provenance. A special thank you to everyone who wrote reviews on Amazon and Goodreads—those reviews are manna for an author.
My time as the Go On Girl Book Club reading selection has been an honor. Thank You!
Does your book club crave fiction that begs to be talked about? Well, have I got a book for you! My novel, Provenance, is perfect book club fiction—a page-turner that leads to lively discussions about race, family, love, lust, deception, history, heritage and destiny. The novel’s flawed and captivating characters will give you plenty to talk about and stay with you long after the book’s final page. As the author I’m more than a little biased in my opinion of Provenance, so here’s what other readers have said.
I’d love to join your book club, writer’s group, civic or social club, sorority or fraternity (yes – men like the book too!) for a discussion of Provenance. Read a full chapter Excerpt from Provenance then, contact me here and let’s find the best way to get together for some spirited conversation—in person, via Skype or an online chat.
Writers by nature seem to be a solitary bunch, much more comfortable face-to-face with a blank page than the prospect of talking to strangers. Authors on the other hand must be bold, engaging and engaged in order to bring an audience to their book. I am in the process of making the transition from writer to author and I took a bold step down that path this weekend.
After hearing Lalita Tademy, one of my favorite authors, gave a talk at the National Book Festival last Saturday, I went up to her to tell her how much I enjoyed her talk. After a couple of minutes of chatting I surprised myself and asked her if she would consider writing a blurb for my book. After she told me how to contact her, I thanked her and left wondering when I became that bold author I need to be to bring an audience to my book.
My audacity was further rewarded when a woman named Tina from a local book club, who overheard my conversation with Ms. Tademy, followed me out and asked me about the availability of my book so they could consider it their November selection. Wow!
Being bold is not so bad – I kinda like it.