I recently attended Denise Hassett's book club meeting at Heidi Rabinowitz's house when they discussed my AMSTERDAM ASCENDANT novel. We are wearing Dutch bonnets, complete with lace trim and golden braids, made by Denise. A Hoot!
It was gratifying to hear their positive comments about the book, especially its character development, and their lively discussion of favorite events and historical details, as well as sadness when admired characters were killed off. There were also questions about my writing process and how long it took me to write the book—a long time. I was relieved that Cindy Kalkwarf, the daughter of a Calvinist (Reformed Church) minister, said my handling of predestination was well done. Whew! I had been worried about presenting this complex religious tenet appropriately and without oversimplification or offense.