Bookclub Penguins - Final chapter party with author Q&A 📚

 

This July, the Bookclub Penguins gathered in our shop for another fantastic final chapter party to discuss our latest read, Olivia Muenter's Such a Bad Influence. Our meeting was made extra special by the guest appearance of Olivia herself for an exclusive zoom Q&A! The novel follows Hazel, the older sister of extremely prominent social media influencer Evie Davis, as she attempts to uncover the reasons behind her sister's sudden and mysterious disappearance. The sisters were thrust into the spotlight at an early age, having been born into an 'influencer family', and the novel grapples with the challenges and ethics surrounding their exposure to this world from such an early age.

Over cheese, wine, and Ellie's gorgeous Rosypenguin-themed homemade cupcakes (which were red velvet to go with the theme of the novel - somewhere between thriller, crime, and mystery), the Penguins began their own discussion of the novel's major themes before being joined by the Olivia herself. The bookclub penguins discussed themes such as social media, familial relationships, the ethics around influencer families, body image for young women in the age of social media, online safety, misogyny, and the ethics of true crime. I think it's safe to say we collectively picked a novel with extremely rich themes to unpack.

After a little bit of trial-and-error with technology, we managed to get hold of Olivia, who was joining us all the way from the States. Ellie skilfully led the discussion by asking some excellent questions which led to a very illuminating discussion. 

To give you an idea, here is a little snippet from the Q&A:

Q: There are, of course, so many interesting themes in the book. Is there one thing you hope your readers will take away when they finish reading, if you could pick just one thing?

A: It's hard because I never wanted anyone to read the book and think there was only one way to be on the internet and that I was telling them how to do it. I think all I would like in an ideal world is for people to pause when it comes to their relationship with social media and be willing to take a step back to think about how there are a lot of things at work that make social media an extremely difficult place to navigate. If you haven't quite figured it out yet, especially in terms of how to navigate it with your own kids, that's okay. There's time to step back, reframe things, and try something else. 

Q: What advice do you have for any of the budding creative writers among us who might want to start their own projects?

A: It's kind of simple advice but I always say - just do it. Just get started - don't spend ages trying to figure out the exact 'right' way to do it. You know, my Mum always says, 'before I die, I'm going to write a book', and I think - well, what are you waiting for? You have to just start, you don't need the perfect course, the perfect degree, or the perfect agent and editor. The first thing you have to do is just start writing! When I first started writing fiction, I had no specific book in mind and I had no real plot. I just thought, 'I'm just going to start writing and see what happens.' And here we are!

Q: Do you have a five star book recommendation for us? What's the last great thing you read?

A: I have a couple for you. I just finished the book Piglet by Lottie Hazel. It's about a woman who is about to get married and she discovers a massive secret about her fiancee. If you like scarier things, I would recommend Night Watching by Tracy Sierra. I'm so obsessed with it at the moment. It's about a mother who is home alone with her two children and she thinks there's an intruder in the house. It's un-put-downable! I mean, it's terrifying!

 

 

Olivia really gave us all some food for thought with these answers. Her recommendation, Piglet, roused our interest in particular, and it has just been voted in as our next bookclub read! Please feel free to sign up and order your copy from us, and maybe we'll see you at our next final chapter party. Remember, we order our books through our local Edinburgh Bookshop, which is extremely important to us as a fellow independent business. We strive to secure virtual author Q&A's wherever possible, so remember to write down any burning questions you might have as you go! 

Happy reading, 

Georgie x