Boo Walker's Blog, page 2

Who was your favorite teacher and how did they leave their mark on you?Did any events from your youth affect the rest of your life? Do you have wounds that need healing?Do you go to your high school reunions? Did you feel like you had something to prove?Are you still in touch with your best friend from high school?Do you know anyone who married their high school sweetheart? Did it last? Does it take a unique couple to make that work?Did Mary Beth remind you of Mrs. Cartwright? Did they play similar roles in Carver’s life?How did Carver’s experience on the Cartwright farm affect his life?Can a couple survive infidelity?Discuss Elliot, his life, and his impact on Carver. Carver’s father suggested the two previous best friends reconnect. Was he pushing it so Carver could see that happiness is not defined by accomplishments?One of the themes is that you are perfect as you are. Discuss.How far away from your hometown do you live? How often do you return? Do you feel hesitation in doing so? Why?Do you have or have you had pets in your life? How much of an effect have they had on you?When was the last time you looked up to the stars?When you need inspiration, where do you go and why?What, if any, misconceptions did you have about your parents? Have your opinions about them changed over the years?If you were to write a letter to your seventeen-year-old self, what would it say?Carver Livingston has worked hard to overcome his past. He is a success in his field of veterinary medicine, yet he still seems to need emotional approval on all levels, especially his own. Have you ever felt this way? Why do you think we are most often our own worst critics?

The post Book Club Questions – The Stars Don’t Lie appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

This novel is deeply personal. Can I tell you why? About ten years ago, I had the great pleasure of connecting with the fabulous author, proud Texan, and supremely talented English teacher, Leila Meacham. For some reason, she decided to take me on as her student, and we established a lovely relationship, communicating via the phone and email for many years. Early on, I told her my ambitions and that I was thinking about writing something other than thrillers. I said that I had these wild characters in my head who lived in wine country in eastern Washington state and that I felt pulled to tell their stories. The thing was, unlike my thrillers, the story wouldn't have the added horsepower of unsolved crimes, loaded guns, and car chases to propel the plot. Though colorful, these were just everyday people trying to figure their way in the world. Leila read some of my stuff and encouraged me to follow my heart and switch genres. I'm so thankful I listened to her. She also told me that despite how much work I had ahead of me to hone my craft—and she assured me that in my case it was daunting—I had the thing even she couldn't teach: talent. Her words were all the validation I needed and continue to motivate me to this day. All the way until she was issued her wings, Leila pushed my development as a novelist and coached my writing career. She had this extraordinary ability to critique me heavily while at the same time firing me up to keep chasing my dream. Even into her final months of life, even while she recovered from seemingly endless radiation treatments, she continued to share her writing wisdom with me, long emails on topics such as honing one's style, zapping qualifiers, finding the exact word, building the perfect character arc, limiting passive voice, and avoiding clichés. That, my friends, is what being a teacher is all about. In our last exchange, I mentioned that I was going to write a novel inspired by her. At that time, the title was We Love You, Mrs. Cartwright. I told her that, for drama's sake, I'd have to give flaws to the character representing her, so that I would have somewhere to go with her arc. I would have been hard pressed to find a flaw with the real-life Leila. Of course, being an author herself, she understood, and I think she was even tickled by the idea. I'm sad she's not here to read what I did with the story. Then again, maybe she is. She will certainly always and forever be in my heart. May we all live such a rich, graceful, giving, and beautiful life as my friend, mentor, and sage. We love you, Mrs. Meacham. This one's for you and every other teacher that has dedicated their life to making the world a better place, one student at a time.

The post My Inspiration for The Stars Don’t Lie appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

If you like Boo Walker books, what else should you read?

I reached out to the readers of my newsletter and asked for their favorite books of recent years. Below are the ones that came up time and time again. Reader beware: If you go any further, you’ll get pulled into a book-shopping spree of dangerous proportions. Have you read any of these? What are we missing? Please feel free to add your faves in the comments below.

If you’re interested in more book recommendations, here is a list of my personal favorites.

The post Book Recommendations: If you like Boo Walker… appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

I’m pretty much an open book, and if you pay attention, you can follow me as I work my way through life. I don’t pick random flaws and challenges for my characters to experience. I choose those in which I’m dealing with myself. So if you want to know me, all the good and bad, then just read my books. Or anything I write. Or don’t write…

You haven’t heard from me in a while, which says something too. Yes, I have been working on a new book, and I’m quite sure it’s the best I’ve ever written, but there’s more to it than that. I’ve had my head down because the shit hit the fan for me. I’ll abuse another worn-out cliche: when it rains, it pours.

In the last few months, obstacles have come at me from every direction, and they’ve come at me hard. Outside of losing people I love and the years surrounding my diagnosis of focal dystonia, which stripped me of my music career, I can’t remember facing so much fear and pain and sadness.

Thankfully, I can always find solace in writing. I can put my head down and fall into this place where words pass through me. When I’m there, I’m safe and joyful and plugged into something far bigger than me—assuring me I’m doing something right.

I don’t need to get into the details of my own strife, but I’m sure you can imagine them, as I know you have hard times too. That’s why I’m reaching out today. Not to dump upon you my troubles but to connect, because you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not going through stuff at this exact moment, you probably have in the past.

I’m ahead of schedule on my book, so it’s allowing me some time to take a breather and recharge. I’m doing a lot of walking with my dogs, spending time with family, reading, meditating, and drinking tea (I have a budding tea problem)—all while sitting with and accepting and facing the challenges that have presented themselves. What I’m trying to do is embrace the storm as opposed to running or hiding from it, and I’m finding so many answers in the quiet spaces.

The truth is that I’ve been hiding and escaping. I’ve been overworking and overdoing a lot of other things too. I’ve been so focused on establishing and finding my inner safety—reconciling the imbalance in my nervous system and my tendency toward fight, flight, or freeze—that I’ve forgotten to lift up my head and open my heart. I’d forgotten that loving those around me and loving strangers and giving everyone in my life kindness and compassion is as important as focusing on my inward development. In fact, I can’t fully develop inwardly without sharing the peace and love that I have within.

As I come up for air, I am reminded of why I started writing. Not only because I had something to say, but because I wanted to help people, like books have helped me. I wanted to share the struggles that I face in hopes that maybe I can give a little hope to some of you who are going through similar things. Perhaps we can climb out of our difficulties together. I write because it is my strongest tool in doing my little part to make the world a brighter place.

Someone wrote me just yesterday and said The Singing Trees inspired them to start painting again, and that she is now passionately searching for her voice as an artist. Not too long ago, someone told me they had lost a tremendous amount of weight after being inspired by Margot in the Red Mountain stories. I get these emails quite often. This is why I write and I remember that today. No, I’m not a neurosurgeon. I’m just a halfway bright and lucky guy from Spartanburg, South Carolina who has had some great leaders in my life and who was fortunate enough to find what I’m meant to do. I can’t change the world, but maybe I can do a little something.

I’ve been trying to brainstorm my next few stories, to prepare to pitch to my publisher at some point this year, and the ideas have been a little hard to find. I think that’s because I lost my compass. I forgot that it’s in my heart, not my brain.

I’m talking more to myself than you now… It’s so important to work on the inner Boo. But it’s equally, if not more important, to open your heart to those around you. Not just your immediate family or even your extended family. Not only your friends. It’s important that you open your heart to your readers and the guy who cuts your hair and everyone at the chiropractor’s office and the sweet woman who served you and your son breakfast yesterday. Yes, you are having a tough go at it, but so many people have it much worse. Be grateful for what you have and put your eyes on them. Share your love with them.

What about the Ukrainians who slept in trees last night because of the flooding caused by the destroyed dam? What about the homeless people camped out in downtown Portland, Maine? What about the people who don’t have easy access to clean drinking water? What about my friend whose wife crushed him a few weeks ago when she told him an unbearable truth? Or the person in my life who lost their partner last week?

Boo, what you’re going through, it’s not that it doesn’t matter. It’s big to you. But take a step back and know that you’re not alone. Take a page from your forthcoming book and look up at the sky, listen to what the stars have to say, and wipe the smudges off the lenses through which you sometimes see life.

We’re all, even the worst of us, striving for happiness. We’re all in this together. Only by sharing in this human experience can we fully realize the potential.

I write to you today with an open heart.

I haven’t met all of you, but I’m so grateful to be a part of your life, and I extend to you my love. I hope that your struggles will not hold you back and that you will find a way through them. I hope that together we can lift our heads and open our hearts today, even if it’s for only a few minutes. May we think outside of ourselves and slip into the skin of those around us with open minds.

When I wake tomorrow and the days after, may I make plenty of room to consider the rest of you out there fighting it out with me. May I pluck my head out of my own arse long enough to remember that we’re in it together. May I live a life that not only fulfills me but will impact you as well.

Even if it’s just offering a smile, or drawing out a laugh. Seeing someone who hasn’t been seen in a while. Picking up something that someone dropped, opening a door for someone with their hands full. Paying the toll for someone behind you. Giving a gift for no reason at all.

Most importantly, may I put aside my own issues and biases and thoughts and daydreams to listen—to really listen—to someone when they talk to me.

This life I’m living is not about me. It’s about what I can do for the rest. It’s about connecting.

Here’s to open hearts, my friends.

The post An Open Heart appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

A few of my favorite photographs from my time on Red Mountain. I hope these visuals enhance your reading experience as you jump into the stories of The Red Mountain Chronicles. Revisiting these shots sure does make me miss out there. I wonder what Margot and Otis are up to…

(Click to enlarge the image)

The post Red Mountain in Pictures appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

I’m very lucky to be a part of a writer group called the Tiki Bar Pals. We started chatting via WhatsApp and Zoom during Covid and kept going after that, and it’s been awesome to have fellow writers to lean on. There’s so much positivity, support, laughter, writer geekdom… the whole thing. And very often lovely conversation that keeps me on my toes. We were recently chatting about the Law of Attraction, a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I talk about the idea in this blog post, where I summarise all kinds of self-development. Anyway, I realized I’d lost touch with it this year amidst the madness of buying a house and moving from Spain to Maine, adopting two new puppies, writing under deadline, and all the typical challenges of being human.
 
But I’m back… back to affirmations and visualization, taking control, manifesting, and designing my life. 
 
Those of you who have been reading my newsletters for years now might remember the time I wrote a word in the sand, only to watch it stoke the fire of my dreams.
 
I’ve wanted my stories turned into movies and television shows for as long as I’ve been writing. It is my ultimate desire with regard to my creative endeavors. More specifically, I want my novels to be turned into sensational movies and television shows, produced, directed, and acted by some of the best in the biz. HBO, are you listening? Knock, knock, Apple TV. Yoo hoo, Ridley Scott, I’m still here.
 
Years ago in St. Pete, FL, encouraged by my wife, who knows more than a thing or two about the Law of Attraction and manifestation, I wrote the word “Hollywood” in the sand. 
 
Within a week, the first of several producers reached out to me. And then another and another. Nothing felt right to me though, and I got into the habit of saying no. Let me tell you, stepping into the world of Hollywood and movie rights and entertainment lawyers is daunting stuff, especially when you feel as protective as I do over my books.
 
Then, Ridley Scott’s team called. Among a list of smash hits, he did Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, Alien, and one of my all-time faves: A Good Year. Needless to say, I thought I’d finally found the connection I’d been waiting for. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. 
 
In 2021, a fresh barrage of producers and actors reached out, including an actress that my seventeen-year-old self would have flipped out over had he known she and I chatted about a project together. Even the forty-three-year-old me had to work hard to play it cool on our Zoom call. Sadly, two new competing shows came out of nowhere, delaying our talks.
 
I’m waiting, especially apropos the Red Mountain series, for the perfect team, the perfect fit, and I won’t say yes until it feels right in my bones.
 
Sparked by the conversation in my Tiki group, I’ve rushed back into reconnecting with the idea that we create our own reality. What do I mean by that? You know that person who thinks the world is out to get them? They don’t trust people and think they’re being taken advantage of. They self-sabotage and have the worst luck, and it snowballs out of control at times. I believe that they are creating their own mess. I also think you can make use of this powerful tool in the opposite way, in a more positive way.

If you’re interested but unfamiliar, The Secret is the book that introduced so many to the idea. A couple of days ago, one of the Tiki Group members asked if I’d ever heard of Jerry and Esther Hicks. I had not. She warned me the ideas around Esther and her spiritual guide, Abraham, get a little woo-woo. Guess what, I love woo woo. I need woo-woo in my life. After listening to a podcast about her, I jumped into the main book capturing Esther’s experience: Ask and It Is Given. It’s beyond wild and woo, and I think, supremely valuable to read or listen to. (The audio version really shines here.) This wisdom is extraordinary and life-changing. 

No matter what level of woo-woo you need, or how you’d like to interpret the science behind it, the Law of Attraction is a thing I’ve seen work so many times in my life and in others. It’s not just about attempting to land material things, though it can be. It’s choosing to tune in to healthy and positive frequencies and reaping the benefits. What we send out into the universe, she returns in spades.

Yesterday, my family walked down to the beach to each write a word in the sand. It didn’t have to be a specific desire. It could be a word that you wanted to represent your coming year in any way, something you wanted to attract or tune in to.

You can see mine above. Among a specific list of my own desires for the future, I mostly want my books to find the screen, and I’ve reignited the fuse. Right before we wrote our words, a seal passed by. The first we’d seen since moving to Maine, and it felt like a sign that we were doing something right. And only a minute after I wrote “Hollywood” and spent some time imagining my little family sitting in plush seats watching the premier, the water rose up and washed it away. I can’t wait to share next year that a dream producer has optioned the rights to one of my books and that the project is moving forward. It is happening. I kind of suspect Red Mountain to be the first, but I welcome a surprise there.

We can call them prayers or wishes; some of you might call them coincidences. I’m not sure it matters. Being a lover of art, I think there are a million ways to describe or express the magic that is out there. Yo-Yo Ma comes to mind. What we must do is believe. Today, my friends, I believe. 

What is your word for 2023? I’m really asking. Just comment below; it might be the first step in creating the life you want.

You can see what my wife and son wrote below. Get this… my wife went to Yoga class today. Each spot for a mat is marked by a word written on masking tape. My wife unrolled her mat in one of the last available spots. Written on her bit of tape: Listen.

I hope I didn’t lose a few of you with this one. Like with my books, you’re gonna get all of me. What I hope is that maybe a few of you reading this note are getting it at the right time. Then it’s all worth it to me. Happy New Year, amigos. We made it.

The post Warning: Woo-woo Alert appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

The reading group should plan a tasting party. The menu should include olives, good olive oil (oliveoillovers.com), Marconi almonds, Spanish wines, crispy bread etc. Possibly a Fideuà or Paella.

Who has been to Spain? Which parts? What were your impressions?

Who were your favorite characters? Who were your least favorite characters?

Discuss the journey of grieving. How is it different and the same for all of us? Did the way Baxter handled grief drive you crazy?

Watching Mia grow and morph between a child and tiny adult throughout the book, how do you feel about how much Baxter should share with her? How do children handle tough situations?

Considering Ester’s struggles to do the right thing apropos her daughter’s love for the estate and her son’s struggles with it, have you ever had to make a difficult decision regarding the people you love? Can you relate to her having to make that decision; how do you think she handled it?

Would you do 23 and Me? Have you done it? Do you have any great stories about the process?

Do you believe that a person has only one great love?

Do you believe that a dead loved one comes back to touch you or guide you in the right direction? OR that someone you loved can reach through the beyond and touch your heart gently when you really need it?

Discuss Spanish family culture. How does it differ from American family culture? Have you or do you ever want to live abroad?

Have you ever been so moved by a concert or music that it brought you to tears? If so, what and where and who were you with?

How do you feel about siestas? Does anyone take them? What are the benefits?

A Spanish Sunrise puts you in Spain. The smells of the earth, the flowers, and herbs. Can you recall the earthy scents of places you have traveled?

Do you now have a different perspective regarding olive oil?

Let’s talk about duende, loosely translated as something having soul, almost otherworldly. What does this mean to you? Who or what do you know that has duende? Can wine or olive oil have duende?

Discuss Baxter’s change with accepting the Arroyos for himself and Mia.

Discuss how first impressions can be good or so wrong.

Discuss Booisms that we all love. Here are some favorites: “Mia inflated like an airbag in a fender bender.” or “His beard was as unkept as his lawn.”

The post Book Club Questions – A Spanish Sunrise appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

It was one of those travel days, dragging out of bed early on Bainbridge Island just west of Seattle, trying not to forget anything, racing to catch a ferry to catch a taxi to catch a plane. We landed in Boston in the afternoon, dragging and stiff. We took the shuttle to our car, and I packed up everything into the back. At least, I thought I had. Once we were buckled and I’d selected a good playlist to enjoy as we drove up to Maine, I put the car in reverse. And then I felt the right wheel rise high, a bump. We’d hit something.

As a sickness rose out of my core, I knew exactly what it was…

But we have to back up some, to my friend Kasia who we’d visited. And back before that, to one of my most profound lessons in finding perspective, a COVID-19 experience I wrote about here in my blog.

We can change our mindset in the blink of an eye, just as I described in the post. By looking at something from a different perspective, we can instantly wake ourselves up like a bucket of ice water dumped on our souls.

An extreme example: Imagine you’re having the worst day ever. No sleep, your child is cranky too. He missed the bus after breaking your favorite piece of pottery. You just tripped on the stairs, bloodied your knee, and dropped your cup of coffee, spilling it all over your newly painted walls. Whatever. The point is that nothing is going your way. Then you find out you won the lottery. In a flash, your entire mood changes.

What I’ve come to learn, at least in my case, is that I can change my mood without winning the lottery. Just by reframing, by changing my perspective.

My wife’s best friend, Kasia, is a master at it, and I was so impacted by simply being around her during our vacation in Washington State that I found myself wanting to write this post and share her wisdom with you.

Kasia and her husband, Michael, are very dear to us, and both live such a very easy-going and outgoing existence. Like my wife, Kasia is a psychotherapist, which always makes for super conversation when we’re all together. As you probably know by now, I delight in analyzing human emotions, so to listen to these two carry on their friendship is entertaining and educational.

Being around Kasia and Michael and their lovely energy is incredibly infectious. They went out of their way to travel all the way from Bainbridge to pick us up at the airport, not discouraged by the ferry lines or the bad traffic. In fact, the ferry line to Seattle had been so bad that they drove all the way around to Tacoma to come get us, a selfless act that didn’t seem to bother them at all. They are not only givers but are perfectly happy wherever they are—even in bumper-to-bumper traffic. There’s just no rush, because the destination is where you are in that moment.

Once they’d picked us up, we drove to the Seattle terminal to catch a ferry to Bainbridge. The lines were even worse, and we had to wait for a couple of hours. We both have adopted children who are the same age and from the same area of the country, and they absolutely love each other and hadn’t seen each other in a long time. They were going nuts, which made the car ride that much more interesting. (By interesting, I mean intense.)

Amidst the chaos, Kasia said in her wise, calming, Polish accent, “I always like to reframe moments like these.” My own definition of reframing is looking at a particular situation, especially a difficult one, from a different viewpoint. Though she said it much more eloquently than I can recall here, she said, “When I was growing up in Poland in the eighties, we constantly waited in lines, and I’ve came to enjoy them. Aren’t they such a beautiful break from the hustle of life? We don’t have to work; we don’t have to worry about chores. We can just be.”

Dammit, Kasia, why do you always make life sound so easy? It was by no means the first time I’d heard her reframe in such a way over the years, and I enjoyed watching her in action throughout the entire week, reminding me how a change in perspective can wake you up, and quite frankly, change the world.

I texted her to ask if she was okay with me mentioning her in this blog, and we chatted a bit. She sent me this message: With all the uncertainty and pain going on around us, I think the art of reframing is the new survival skill. It is different than denying reality and more about purposefully choosing what to focus on. There is always more than one truth out there.

Kasia, I’ll never forget the first time we hung out, when you found out your best friend had agreed to marry this crazy novelist banjo player from South Carolina after only knowing him a few weeks. We came to visit you, and you made sitting out on your back deck and drinking coffee the most beautiful experience in the world. Your presence makes me still inside.

There’s one more thing about Kasia. At least, the name. During the trip, I happened to be reading a wonderful novel called Lilac Girls that features a young polish woman named Kasia (coincidence?) and it details her experience in a camp in Nazi Germany after she was captured. Talk about perspective. Why in the world do I stress about anything with the knowledge of what the victims of World War II experienced? For that matter, what about the people of Ukraine? So many people are struggling more than I could ever fathom.

Let’s see if I can circle back to our return to Boston and that bump under the tire. I’ve been looking for a single-coil pickup guitar for a while now, having just sold one that wasn’t doing it for me. Having majored in music and played professionally, I have a little bit of an obsession with collecting banjos and guitars. As those of you who are musicians know, there is so much joy to be found in holding different instruments, the different tones, the change in feel and even attitude. In particular with fretted instruments, the way the neck fits and feels in your hands. Though I no longer play professionally, the joy that I experience playing my different instruments, choosing based on the mood I’m in, sparks insurmountable joy.

You can imagine the feeling I got when I happened into Emerald City Guitars in Seattle, one of the premier shops in the world, and found the guitar I’d been seeking. Every great musician in the Pacific Northwest has spent time gawking at the store’s collection of mostly vintage instruments, some going back more than a century. Among that collection, I found the one, the guitar that I’d been missing. It wasn’t nearly as expensive as the others. It wasn’t flashy at all. And yet, it spoke to me. I’ll resist the urge to elaborate too much, but this guitar was hand-built by a brilliant luthier who does only a few a year out of his workshop in Idaho, and he’d created an instrument that brought out the best in me. It should be said that he also relics his guitars, meaning he artfully ages them, making them look like they came from the 1950s. In other words, he purposefully puts scratches and marks and prematurely ages the metal components. Not wanting to put her down, I needed this guitar in my life. (Her name is Tabitha, by the way, as the luthier had named her, and as he’d written on the headstock.)

On the plane, I started having second thoughts. I’d only gotten to play her for twenty minutes as the shop was closing. Was she really the one? There was another I’d been eyeing down in Connecticut. I had a week to decide, as the shop offered me a chance to return it if I decided she wasn’t right for me.

By now, you’ve figured it out. In case you’re wondering, it only came with a soft gig bag, not a hard shell case.

That gig bag was the same color black as the pavement where our car was parked, and when I loaded up everything, I didn’t notice that I’d left her lying there. Not until I felt the bump.

I wish I could say I had already let settle the lessons I’d learned from Kasia. I wish I could say that I’d instantly reframed my loss. But it took me a day. As I write this, my guitar just arrived at the luthier’s shop in Idaho to get a new neck, new knobs, and new who-knows-what-else. That ride home was difficult, maybe more so for my wife and son than for me. I can be a bit of a grouch sometimes. It’s okay. I will have plenty of opportunities to try reframing again. That’s what living is all about, right?

Though my wife had said this quickly, as she’s enlightened in a way that I’ll never be, I finally realized the next morning that this guitar was supposed to be in my possession. The new neck will be better than the one I cracked. She will always have the additional marks on her body of being run over, but those marks will be a beautiful reminder. How interesting that the guitar already had a few marks of her own.

What I learned was that she didn’t want to be returned. At least, that’s the way I’ve reframed my debacle. Ultimately, I need to get over the little things—perhaps quicker than I did after this heartbreaking mistake. I want to be more graceful in experiencing bumps in the road, and I’m quite sure I’ll get more practice at it. So what, she has this huge gash from where the tremolo bar was pressed down into the body. So what, it’s costing me a tremendous amount of money to have her fixed. Before I even got her home and plugged her in, for gracious sakes!

My life is good. I have my friends and family, who care about me even when I am not the best at reciprocating. They are there for me, even though I’m so (soooooooooooo) far from perfect. I get to write for a living. I wake to the smell of the sea. I have my health. I have a wife and son and two puppies filling my home with endless love and joy and laughter.

There you go, Boo. It’s all about perspective and reframing. Thank you, Kasia, for always teaching me.

Much love to all,

Boo

P.S. Is it a coincidence that I’m currently writing a novel with the theme of gaining perspective?

The post My Friend Kasia and the Art of Reframing appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

Read Boo’s blog post (click here) on how he came to tell the story of The Singing Trees and discuss.

How do you feel about Annalisa’s desire to be out of her hometown and away from Nonna?

Talk about how the relationship between Nonna and Annalisa. Talk about Annalisa’s growth in these ways:


- her feelings toward her parents


- her feeling toward Nonna

– her sense of familiga

Who she is as a woman and a budding artist?


Talk about Italian culture and the love and sharing and the food.


An artist friend says that Annalisa’s talent would never evolve so quickly. Could she have found her voice so young?

Discuss how much impact Annalisa’s mother, and conversely, her father had on her drive to create art.


Discuss the growth of love and her fight to remain independent. How does she eventually find balance between love and art? 


Discuss the dynamics of women and men in the professional world, then and now.


Does anyone remember the draft lottery? Talk about those memories.


Talk about the Vietnam War and its effect on our men and women.

What music spoke to you back then?


Talk about the ability to forgive.


Talk about the magic of death and where the spirit goes.


The homemade wind chimes were important to the story. What items do you cherish for similar reasons?

The post Book Club Questions – The Singing Trees appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.

Watch my August 2021 Launch Party here. You can buy the book here.

The post The Singing Trees Launch Party appeared first on Bestselling author Boo Walker.