Hi, Corinne! Welcome to our group, and thank you for sharing your book with us. It is always a joy to have the author join us for book discussions, and I hope you enjoy your time with us. I can't wait for the discussion to begin! 
Corinne-Demas wrote:I’m thrilled and honored that my novel The Writing Circle has been selected to be part of the Barnes and Noble First Look Book Club, and I’m excited about the literary adventure we’re about to embark upon together. You’re my first readers, and so quite important to me. You can imagine how eagerly I await hearing your thoughts about my book.
I’ve always been intrigued by the unexpected connections I discover between different people I know, and the way the things we do and say reverberate through the many threads that link us. In The Writing Circle I wanted to consider a group of people who are connected in more complex ways than they realize, and the unintended consequences that the actions of one person can have on someone else whom they may not even know.
I chose to center my story on a group of writers because they’re the people I understand best. I’ve been in several different writing groups in the past, and am currently a member of two. One is an informal gathering of writers that meets in a local café on Friday afternoons. The other is a critique group where we read aloud from our current manuscripts, and where I read my first draft of The Writing Circle. (No, none of them are models for characters in my book.)
The Writing Circle is about six writers—three men and three women—who call themselves The Leopardi Circle, and gather regularly to share their work-in-progress. There are two novelists (one unpublished), a well-known poet, a biographer, a historian (who was once married to the biographer), and a successful writer of thrillers—all of them feeling somewhat competitive as well as vulnerable (and yes, writers do feel vulnerable about their work!) In their group, as is often the case, there are unwritten rules, and I was interested in what happens when one member of the group does something that other members group see as a betrayal. I wanted to explore the moral struggle within the characters, as well as the struggles between them.
Although some of the characters in The writing Circle are more endearing than others, I came to have affection for all of them (even one whom I would definitely not be friends with if my story were real life.) When I finished the novel and turned it over to my editor I felt bereft, as if I had parted with close members of my family. It will be fun to talk about these characters with you, and to see whom you empathize with.
Thank you for being of our select circle. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Warm wishes,
Corinne
Corinne,
Thank you for allowing us to be the first to read your work, and for your participation with our group. As you can tell if you have read the other threads, we are very eager readers (WHERE IS MY DOWNLOAD!!!) 
As this is the inaugural electronic First Look, I was interested to hear your views on e-reading versus actual books. I have recently purchased a nook, and am surprised by how much I am enjoying it.
Thanks again for joining us. I look forward to the discussion.
