In a bloodless coup, I managed to “take over” the Bookies Book Blog on Facebook on October 12, 2020. Host Beccie Weaver invited me to take over her blog site for two hours with full administrative powers. As far as I know, nobody got hurt in the peaceful transition. God bless America!
I decided to share my time with “Friends of Jamie McVay” by hosting interviews with a number of other writers and people who have helped me and my book. Especially since COVID conditions have halted much of the social interaction we have enjoyed, our Zoom conversations were a great pleasure. I have been fortunate to be part of a great writing community spanning the several writing groups I have worked with and the range of literary types in the Fox Valley. So it was natural to start with a Zoom session featuring the founders of Waterline Writers, former artistic directors Kevin Moriarity and Anne Veague.
It was also fun to reassemble the roster of guest artists who performed at my book launch, starting with a fun tune “Harlan Ellison” by the talented singer-songwriter Eric Peter Schwartz. I was able to corral the wonderful poet Donna Vorreyer, the multi-talented Lennart Lundh, and my friend and neighbor the fiction writer Laura Knapp.
Other writers I’ve been privileged to work with in the Naperville Writers Group are Greg Stolze and Wayne Turmel. It was fun also to chat with my “celebrity” guest, the award-winning novelist Joanne Zienty.
In addition to the interviews, I posted a few slides to make up a Trivia Contest with questions about the local history behind The Ghost of Jamie McVay. And a Virtual Tour of real-life scenes in the area finished off the two-hour session.
It was great to know I was reaching a wider audience, as Bookies claims some 10,000 adherents. Actual participation during my takeover was low, but I made a few new friends, and – who knows – maybe enticed a few new readers.
R. G. Ziemer 