From hecklers in sweater sets to near-death by sausage, the authors of The Twisted Women’s Book Club prove that when it comes to book events, anything can happen.
“I was once invited to speak at a book club while touring in Australia, and my driver got lost (which you never want to happen in a country where 99% of the animal/insect population can murder you), so I got to the luncheon a full hour late, and everyone was shitfaced and rowdy, which resulted in actual heckling during my speech,” said New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter. “We’re talking garden-club ladies in sweater sets with helmet hair just spitting out one-liners about my books and the preponderance of cat videos on my Facebook page and American politics, and honestly, it made me love Australians even more.”
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen had a book club visit that turned from literary discussion to emergency rescue. “I’d just begun to speak to a neighborhood book club about The Golden Couple when a woman leapt to her feet, panic flooding her face. She couldn’t speak. Within seconds, we realized she was choking on a round of summer sausage from the hors d’oeuvres platter. I knew there was a doctor in the group—then I remembered she was the doctor. I grabbed her and performed the Heimlich maneuver. Luckily, it worked!”
For Edgar Award-winning author Naomi Hirahara, a book club appearance paid off in produce—just not the kind everyone might appreciate. “As a Southern Californian writer, I’m often in my car, driving to book clubs and literary events in far-flung places, much to the chagrin of my husband, who is concerned about the gas money and labor spent on such unpaid excursions. After doing a book event in Ventura, home of lemon and avocado farms, I came home with good news. ‘I got paid!’ I said, revealing my remuneration. A huge, healthy fresh stalk of brussels sprouts. He was less than enthused. He hates brussels sprouts.”
New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf had a misadventure worthy of a thriller—complete with caves, a lost trail, and a muddy rescue. “My wildest book club experience was when a library invited me to speak at the entrance of the cave system that inspired my novel This is How I Lied. I thought it would be fun to take my dog, Lolo, on the remote, heavily wooded trails surrounding the caves before the event. BIG mistake. During our hike, I somehow wandered off the trail, got lost, and fell into a creek. By the grace of the navigation gods, Lolo and I stumbled out of the woods to the waiting book clubbers, just as the event was supposed to begin. I truly looked like someone out of a thriller novel—out of breath, sweaty, wet, and muddy. Everyone had a good laugh over my mishap, and we went on to have a fun, lively book club discussion.”
Want more twisted tales? Check out The Twisted Women’s Book Club, an Audible Original featuring stories from Karin Slaughter, Lee Child, B.A. Paris, Caroline Kepnes, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Sarah Pekkanen, Linwood Barclay, Naomi Hirahara, K. J. Howe, Robert Dugoni, Alison Gaylin, Heather Gudenkauf, Shari Lapena, Clare Mackintosh, and Stacy Willingham. This killer collection is one club you’ll want to join—no brussels sprouts required.
