Tuesday Morning Coffee Club Ladies Become Authors
Have you wanted to write a novel but didn’t know how to start? The following is a story of a group of women led into the realm of writing a book by an accomplished author. Lucky bunch!
The Tuesday Morning Coffee Club is a church group in Angel Fire, New Mexico who meet on Tuesday morning for, you guessed it – Coffee. Actually, everyone orders a breakfast of sorts, from toast to the full western breakfast spread. The group calls themselves the JULIETs, Just Us Ladies Indulgently Eating Together. It was during one of these gatherings that Rosalie Turner, author of her award-winning book, March with Me, addressed her friends, the coffee ladies.
She said she had always wanted to write a mystery, and she told us she wanted us to help her. You can imagine the excitement that spread around that table in that tiny mountain café. She told us what she wanted from us so she could write the story. She had the plot already in her mind, but we got to help with the characters, the setting, and the how the story would unfold. During those breakfast meetings, we would gush on about descriptions, sub plots and character names. Rosalie took notes. The next week when we met, a draft of what we had discussed had been molded into chapters. She sent the drafts to us in emails, and we would offer suggestions and additions. So, the story developed over the summer and throughout the following year. The novel was written and edited and eventually published. We all felt ownership, but of course we had a professional putting the ideas together. It was a fabulous project. We all voted and agreed on the name of the book, The Winding Road. The story is a fun and interesting mystery whose characters amazingly resemble the ladies in the Tuesday Breakfast Group.
The following summer, we sponsored a book signing. Of course, we had Rosalie front and center and plenty of eager and excited helpers. We posted signs, put articles in the local newspapers, and did what church ladies do best, provided the best refreshments ever! The turnout was marvelous, and profits were donated to the local food bank. The biggest benefit, our camaraderie. Just imagine, we helped write a book. The experience was so special, the next year, we even helped write a second one called Murder on the Mountain. You can find them both under Rosalie Turner’s name. She was gracious enough to add the list of the Tuesday Breakfast Group in the books.
Try it yourself. Maybe you are a member of a group interested in writing. Maybe a novel, short story or even memoirs. We all have those. One of you can put it to paper or the computer. The rest can offer ideas, and I’ll bet you have an editor in the bunch. Good luck out there, coffee klatches, book clubs, friends.
Sylvia Hornback