When authors come to dinner, hide the good silverware

I've been part of the same book club for 11 years now, and though we've been lucky enough to chat with a number of authors on the phone, we've only had two join us in person and live to talk about it.

Last night, we had the divine pleasure of having mystery author Bill Cameron make the seven-hour round trip journey to eat bacon chat with us about his most recent release, County Line.

I should start by saying I'm a huge Bill Cameron fan, and have read all his releases. For the rest of my book club, this was the first. Technically, County Line is the fourth in a series, though all the books stand alone just fine even if you haven't read the others. Because County Line has a strong female point of view I knew the group would enjoy – and because the book is so fabulous it makes me dizzy – it seemed like an excellent starting point for book club.

No one was disappointed (unless you count my dog, who felt she didn't get a fair share of the bacon-filled appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts we'd prepared in Bill's honor).

I was most fascinated by the kinds of questions the group members asked. Some wanted to know how certain characters were created. Others wanted more details on back-story. One member even challenged a part of the book that referenced female basketball players dunking (to which Bill responded with a surprising amount of research on the subject).

I knew I adored the book before our little Q&A, but I came away loving it a hundred times more after getting the inside scoop from the author himself. It's a good reminder to me as a newbie author contemplating how many guest blogs and interviews and book signings I should pack into my schedule. Does it really matter? Does anyone care what I have to say?

Toasting with bacon, in Bill's honor.

Speaking only as a reader who was tickled pink to chat and dine with an author whose books I enjoy, I can say the answer is yes.

Do you find your response to a book changes if you get a chance to interact with the author? If you got to ask one question of any author (dead or alive) who and what would you ask? Please share, I'm curious about this.

Oh, and please do yourself the favor of picking up one of Bill's books as soon as possible. Lost Dog is a natural starting point, but every single one of his books is packed with great mystery, fascinating characters, and a whole lot of wonderful Portland flavor.