Shawna and Keifer entertaining the troops here at LHJ. Be sure to watch their performance clip, after the jump.

They may have just been crowned the Academy of Country Music’s Vocal Duo of the Year, but Thompson Square certainly flexed some potential Entertainer of the Year muscle when they visited us here at Ladies’ Home Journal a few weeks ago. Shawna and Keifer Thompson not only impressed the room with an intimate, stripped-down set of their hits (be sure to check out the video after the jump), but they also earned an instant, easy rapport with the staff and kept us all in stitches with their hilarious stories and banter. (One coworker enthusiastically emailed me her review after their performance: “It was like a 2-for-1 show—music and comedy!”)

Still, when the husband-wife act landed in Las Vegas last month for the ACMs, they were—to hear them tell it—feeling like long shots. “You’re going up against Sugarland and they’re kind of like the new Brooks & Dunn,” explains Keifer, giving props to the two acts that have dominated the Vocal Duo category since 1991. “We’ve been around a couple of years, but it’s really just been a year and a half that we’ve been in the thick of things. We figured it might take us four more years to even get close.” But luck proved to be a lady—and her husband—that fateful night: T2 hit the country music jackpot and became the first new act to take top honors in the duo category in 20 years.

“It’s hard to process all that’s happening. Just hearing you introduce us in there and saying we’re the Vocal Duo of the Year, it’s weird. It’s a strange feeling,” Shawna admits. “I kind of compare it to getting married,” Keifer adds. “You think you’re gonna have this amazing feeling come over you, like, ‘Oh, we’re married, and this is what it feels like when you’re married.’ But it doesn’t work that way. It probably took us 10 years for us to finally feel like a married couple. And that’s how all of this feels. None of it feels real. It’s truly a dream come true.”

While Keifer and Shawna remain incredibly humble, the award is far from being undeserved. Their breakthrough single “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” was the most played song on country radio in 2011 and they’ve taken home three American Country Award wins plus multiple Grammy and CMA nominations in the past year. And in a few weeks they’ll be vying for two CMT Music Awards, with a double nomination (for both “I Got You” and “Glass,” their latest release) in the Duo Video of the Year category.

“We don’t have any kids but I’d imagine it’d be harder to say that one’s better than the other,” says Shawna, finding it difficult to play favorites with her video creations. Keifer is equally as torn, but ultimately does reveal a preference. “I thought ‘I Got You’ was a brilliant video. [Director] Wes Edwards did a fantastic job of putting that whole thing together and it was so different,” he says. “ ‘Glass’ is our new single and you want that one to win, too, but from an aspect of what deserves to win? ‘I Got You.’ Hands down.”

Whether they come out on top at the awards show, a win is definitely headed fans’ way when the duo heads back into the studio later this month to work on new music for their next CD. “We actually got about 16 things demo’d and we’re going to start to put some tracks down in preproduction,” Keifer says, noting that there will be a more diverse range of material on the new album than on the first. “We’re gonna have some really beautiful ballads, which we don’t really have on the current album—except for ‘Glass.’ We were just really scared about being pigeonholed with that whole ‘hokey married couple’ thing on the first record.”

The CD will still be rockin’, though, Shawna promises, proving she’s learned some lessons on the road from all of the extensive touring T2 has done. (Currently, T2 is opening for the red-hot Lady Antebellum Own the Night tour.) “It’s hard when you’re a new artist to go out and play new songs for people that aren’t familiar with you,” Shawna explains, “so it’s important to have some energy. When fans come to our show, they’re going to hopefully have a good time and rock out with us.”

For now, you can rock out with Thompson Square by viewing their fun-filled LHJ performance after the jump. You’ll also find some highly entertaining bonus interview moments, in which I get their he said/she said take on everything from KISS-ing on the ACM red carpet, what drives them nuts about each other and why Keifer may start following Blake Shelton’s lead on Twitter.

Shawna and Keifer on the recent two-year anniversary of the Nashville floods and how the city responded.
She says: Nashville just came together. Being a musician is almost like being part of a sorority or a fraternity: Everybody just kind of looks out for each other. I think that was a big part of Nashville getting back on its feet.
He says: It’s an extension of your family. It really is. That was definitely a test of its will and character, and Nashville definitely showed the world what it was made of. It wasn’t like, “Will you help us? Will you help us?” It was just, like, done. It just got done.

Shawna and Keifer on being a couple act in the world of country music.
He says: I love being in the duo category. When we do the Opry, they put us in the duets room so you’ve got pictures of Johnny Cash and June, and Porter and Dolly. Everybody. It’s awesome, man.
She says: The first time we performed at the Opry and they put us in there, we were both very emotional, seeing those pictures on the wall.

Shawna and Keifer on how the song “Glass” made it’s way to them.
She says: Somebody at the label played that for us and the demo was originally a male song. Keifer tried it, and we played around with it at the house to see if it would work for us. We have to do that with different keys and stuff like that, just because of the harmonies and everything. And it didn’t seem like it was flowing very well with him singing it so he was, like, “Why don’t you try it?”
He says: I liked it much better when we switched it.
She says: So we went into the studio and recorded it and we just felt like it’d be a really good way to introduce my voice. On the first two singles, it’s primarily Keifer. “Kiss Me or Not” is the Keifer show, as he likes to say, and “Glass” is the Shawna show …
He says: [teasing] Just like you like it.

Shawna and Keifer on why they shot two videos for their latest release “Glass.”
He says: We don’t agree on anything and she wanted to do a black-and-white one and I wanted to do a color one. So instead of fighting about it, we just shot two.
She says: It seemed like the easiest thing to do.
Keifer: They’re vastly different.
She says: Just the mood is different.
He says: I like the way that [director] Wes [Edwards] shot the color video. I just really like Wes. He’s such a great guy and he put so much effort into it. The other video I do like, too. It’s very intimate but one-dimensional to me.
She says: It’s very classic looking.

Shawna and Keifer on what real-life gripes about one another didn’t make it into their song “As Bad As It Gets.”
She says: Oh, there’s so many! There’s one I talk about onstage every night before we do that song: Keifer is notorious for leaving the cabinet doors in the kitchen open when he goes in for a bowl or a plate or something. And I have to go around and shut them. It’s not even just the cabinets, it’s the drawers. Like, he’ll go in for a spoon, so you walk in and it’s, like, “What is going on in here?”.
He says: (Sighs.) It’s such a terrible thing. (pauses) We didn’t talk about you being a slob.
She says: I’m pretty messy. I’m not going to argue with you on that.
He says: There’s just stuff everywhere, man. My side of the room, 99% of the time is very clean and you can see the floor. My bedside table is dusted and everything is where it should be. And in my closet, all the shoes are arranged a certain way, all my clothes are up. And you can’t even open the door of the closet because all of her crap is just, like, it’s just like … it’s like she’s a hoarder! It’s terrible. It drives me friggin’ nuts, man.
She says: Well, the problem is we don’t have enough room to store everything and be organized.
He says: No, no, no, no, no, no. The problem is you don’t pick up.
She says: I don’t. I go in the closet and I’ll find an outfit and then I’ll be, like, I don’t want to wear that. And then I’ll just kind of throw it.
He says: And it carries over to take out food.
She says: (big guilty laugh)
He says: You get something to go and you leave that crap out. Like, she had some spaghetti the other day and I was gonna see how long that bowl would sit there with spaghetti in it.
She says: Oh, Keif!
He says: It was! I pay attention to that—because I’m the one going around and cleaning up everything. But whatever, it is what it is. It could be worse.

Shawna and Keifer on the one thing they would change about the other.
He says: I would like to have some help cleaning up your stuff all the time. That would be a really great improvement. That’s about it, though. You’re alright other than that.
She says: I’m trying to think of something.
He says: See, that’s how good I am. Next question, please …

Shawna and Keifer on the one trait of the other that they hope will never change.
He says: I think her innocence. When I met her, there was an innocence about her. And she still has it. There’s just something really cool about that. And the genuineness of how she is and what she believes in. She shoots me straight most of the time. And I like that.
She says: Keifer’s very supportive. I’ve had a pretty rough year, so far, with losing my dad and stuff, so just him being there for me. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

Shawna and Keifer on dealing with Twitter haters.
She says: It’s just weird because since we’re in the public eye, people feel like it’s okay to say whatever they want to say and they don’t think about you being a human being. I would never go up to a stranger on the sidewalk and say, “You look fat in that.”
He says: Or “Your hair looks awful. You need a stylist.”
She says: I would just never do that. I would never say anything that hurtful to somebody.
He says: People are very brave because they know I’ll never see them. We just turn our fans loose on them and they usually go away.
She says: For a while we had our “Twitter Hater of the Week” and we would repost tweets.
He says: We would take a picture of [their tweet] and—we didn’t tell our fans to do it, they just did it—but they’d see the Twitter name and go whoooop! And there’s actually people that shut their Twitter accounts down. They just kept getting pounded. It’s funny, man. If I could really be open on Twitter, I would have a blast with it. That’s what Blake [Shelton] does and I think that’s why he’s so big on Twitter. I mean, I would love to just tell these people exactly how I feel when they say something like that, you know. Maybe I’ll start doing it, I don’t know.

Shawna and Keifer on posing with KISS on the red carpet at the ACMs.
She says: That was an incredible night.
He says: I’ve been a fan of KISS since I was a little kid. My cousins turned me on to them when I was really small.
She says: I honestly grew up listening to pretty much nothing but country because my parents were country music fans. But I remember my cousin having a KISS record and I just thought it was so cool, the makeup and all that. And then after we got married, KISS came to Nashville and we went to the concert. I was so obsessed after that. And I watch Gene Simmons all the time on his TV show.
He says: I’ve seen them three times. It was weird because we were doing an interview and Gene was standing next to me and he put his arm around me and shocked my ear because the red carpet was very electric that night. He shocked my ear and he goes, “This one’s cute!” It was cool. It’s so intimidating because they’re so big in those boots. It’s crazy. It’s genius. I’d love to [tour with them]. I think it’d be awesome. We talked about doing a CMT Crossroads and having them sing “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not.”

Shawna and Keifer on Keifer’s odd cake-eating style.
He says: After the ACMs, Lady Antebellum had a cake made for us that said congratulations and had our picture on there, so I cut out Shawna’s face …
She says: Of course, the piece that he goes for …
He says: I was gonna eat her face. That’s me eating her face.
LHJ says: But why were you holding the fork like that?
He says: Because I’m gonna stab it. (They both crack up.) In a good way.
LHJ says: So who got the piece of cake with your face on it, Keifer?
He says: I don’t know. Some lucky soul. I’m sure it was the best tasting cake they ever had. Shawna looks like, “What are you doing?”
LHJ says: Well, it’s kind of sweet, actually. The wanting to have the piece with her on it part—not so much the stabbing part.
He says: It’s actually just how I eat cake. I get in there, man, and just dig it out.

Shawna and Keifer on perhaps the coolest headphones. Ever.
She says: Keifer actually forgot his earbuds that day and we were on the airplane, and I was, like, I have my Hello Kitty headphones if you’re brave enough to do it.
He says: I said, I’ll wear it.
She says: Yeah, these are mine. They were a Christmas gift from my brother last year. I’m a little obsessed with Hello Kitty.
LHJ says: How was the sound quality from them?
He says: They were okay. Not bad.
She says: They’re comfy.
LHJ says: So what were you listening to?
He says: It probably was Bruce [Springsteen].
She says: For Keifer’s birthday, I got tickets for us to go see Bruce in Jersey.
He says: Was that on the way? If that is on the way, I was definitely listening to Bruce. Yeah, that’s it! Good show …

Today’s post is by Neely Kennedy of Reading Group Choices, a leading online resource for book club tips and discussible selections. 

In June’s LHJ Book Club pick, Next to Love, author Ellen Feldman tells the heartbreaking, but hopeful story of three women’s lives during the paradigm shift of the Baby Boomer generation—1944-1964, spanning WWII and the war in Vietnam.

Babe, Grace and Millie are young wives whose husbands have been drafted to fight in WWII. When the trajectory of their future is forever changed by war’s tragic events, their imperfect, yet steadfast, friendships prove the only constant in their lives.

In the excerpts from the book below, Feldman illustrates a woman’s instinct for survival—the ability to adapt to whatever twists and turns life may present.

Work: Women are constantly breaking through the barriers of perceived gender inferiority, especially when taking on jobs traditionally (and stereotypically) held by men.

“…her father laughed at her for applying. Who did she think she was? He said the same thing when she went to work at Diamond’s rather than a five-and-dime. Who did she think she was? It was the refrain of her life.”

Marriage: In the thick of a long marriage, there often comes a point at which we recognize our original expectations were somewhat idealized.

“Babe thinks of Claude. It always comes back to Claude. Love may endure a lifetime, but it is less reliable on a day-to-day basis.”

Friendship: Long-lasting friendships are often our greatest source of support, but can also be complicated and painful.

“And here they are all these years later. They love one another with atavistic ferocity, though it occurs to Babe sitting in the sunporch, these days perhaps they do not much like one another.”

Motherhood: As we move from childhood into adulthood, we grow to know our mothers not only as mothers, but also as humans—flawed and imperfect.

“The scene is picture perfect, a spread in one of the women’s magazines she and Millie subscribe to. Except it can’t be because in the world of those glossy pictures, mothers do not ask their daughters to keep secrets.”

Society: Many women struggle to meet the expectations society places on us.

“She is ashamed of being a woman alone in the world without a man, unclaimed, unvalued, a reproach to the laws of society and nature. When she found Charlie, she thought she had taken care of all that for life.”

Book Club Bonus! Ask members to discuss expectations pertaining to each of the topics above: work, marriage, friendship, motherhood, society. What does it means to be in a relationship (romantic or platonic) without imposing your own expectations? How we can find more personal fulfillment through expectations we place on ourselves, instead of through our expectations of others?

Pressure Pointz from Foot Petals are one of my new favorites. They’re small thick adhesives you can stick  right on the area where your shoe is hurting to relieve any pressure — these definitely will be in my purse all summer. Dr Scholl’s massage gel insoles fit into any shoes and will keep you feeling like you’re walking on pillows all day. If you do get a blister, Nexcare has great waterproof bandages that will help you survive until they heal. And what about smelly feet (which can be painful to those around you)? I’m a big fan of baby powder, but then I end up tracking white footprints around my apartment. Summer Soles scented insoles keep your shoes and feet smelling fresh.

Stock up on these products and (some new shoes) and your feet will be forever grateful!

I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Angelou on the phone this week. There’s something about her booming voice and metered way of speaking that commands attention. From the moment she said hello, I felt like I was talking to my all-knowing grandmother, and I had better listen.

She told me she learned early on that putting yourself first is the best thing you can do for those around you. “It seems on the face of it that it’s selfish, but it’s the opposite,” she says. And she’s right: How can you take care of children and aging parents if you don’t take care of yourself first? In honor of National Women’s Health Week, Dr. Angelou is asking us all to take a good look at ourselves: What can we do better?

“Look in the mirror. You’ll know what to do,” she says, without any doubt.

Almost two-thirds of American women are overweight or obese, and nearly 20 percent still smoke cigarettes. Both are major risk factors for heart disease, the number one killer of women in the United States. For African-American women, the stats are even scarier: four out of five are overweight or obese and they have the highest rate of death from heart disease, according to the CDC.

But it’s important not to focus just on getting down to a certain size, she says. Also listen to your body: “Sometimes women feel like they’re in competition with other women. They’ll never look like the model in the magazine, so they give up. The truth is you’re not in competition with other women. You’re in competition with bad health,” she says. “I encourage women to be present. Our bodies tell us when we’re well, and when we’re not well. Don’t be in denial.”

In honor of the opening of the Maya Angelou Center for Women’s Health and Wellness in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Dr. Angelou wants to know: What inspires you to be healthy? Share your story on the Maya Angelou Center for Women’s Health and Wellness Facebook page. A passage from the winning healthy inspirations submission will be featured inside the center, and runners-up will receive an autographed copy of Phenomenal Woman.

Jillian Harris

Another season of The Bachelorette kicked off last night with Emily Maynard, a single mom who competed on The Bachelor after she lost her fiancée in an accident several years ago, only to find out days later that she was pregnant with his child. If last night’s premiere was any indication, this season is the one to watch, and we’re excited to announce that we have Jillian Harris from season five of The Bachelorette recapping for us every week! Jillian currently runs her own interior design firm and hosts Canada’s Handyman Challenge on HGTV Canada. She’ll be here sharing her insight with us every Tuesday—be sure to check back all season long!

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be blogging for LHJ.com for the new season of The Bachelorette—I think it’s going to be a great one! First off, I have to say I think Emily is so, so beautiful. And I don’t mean to devalue the importance of my time on the show or anyone else’s, but I really think this season of The Bachelorette is the most important in terms of what it means for her. I wanted to find love, of course, but at the time I kind of looked at it like, whatever happens, happens. But I think because she’s a mom and she’s bringing her daughter along with her on this journey, the pressure is really on, and I hope this is it for her.

Emily Maynard

That being said, I also have to say that the show packed some major cheese last night, maybe more than ever. I loved Randy but seriously, what the heck was up with the granny get-up? It was so hard to take these guys seriously. I obviously loved Arie; he is so dreamy and I’m pretty sure he’s already a front-runner for Emily. Now as for Kalon, a.k.a. helicopter guy? I’m all for standing out, but in the least pretentious way possible, which in my opinion, helicopter guy didn’t achieve. At first I thought Jef the hipster was kind of a joke but he’s right, the other guys probably will underestimate him. I love what he stands for and I think his charity work is a huge turn on.

Overall there were definitely some good-looking men and I’m sure there are some solid guys in the group. I know that for me, that first night was such a blur (and no, not because of the champagne!). Emily is going to make some good decisions and some bad decisions, but at the end of the day I’m pretty sure she’ll pick the right guy. Whether it lasts or not has nothing to do with the show, and everything to do with their “real life” relationship. I know I picked the right guy and I actually believe that for a time, it was a successful relationship. I just hope that hers is a successful relationship that lasts longer than mine did.

Until next time,

Jillian

Hipswap also features some fashionable closets you can shop from, like Kyle Richards from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and other fashion “experts.” You might just recognize a familiar face (yep, that’s me).

Happy shopping/selling!

When Nicholas Penna Jr., owner of SalonCapri in the Boston-area, sent us the photo of this fancy-schmancy updo we flipped over his handy work, and then preceded to find out when he would be in our neck of the woods next so that he could give us the ‘do. Turns out, according to Penna, the style (he calls it “The Crown”) is simple enough for  any updo novice (US!) to do on themselves. Here’s how he told us to get the look…

STEP 1 If your hair is naturally straight, follow STEP 2 and STEP 3 below to curl the hair. If your hair already has a curl to it, skip to STEP 4.

STEP 2 Separate hair into top and bottom sections. Clip the top section up, leaving the bottom section to hang.

STEP 3 Using a 1 1/2 inch curling iron, curl all of the hair that is down. Alternate the curling direction between counterclockwise and clockwise. Repeat this step with the top section of hair.  Separate curls with your fingers to achieve a piece-y look.

STEP 4 Take a 1/2 inch to 2 inch piece of hair slightly above one ear and pull it across the head to the other side and let the section drape slightly so there will be enough room to pull hair pieces around it. Combine the draped section with a small piece of hair right behind the other ear and pin the joined hair pieces with a bobby pin.

STEP 5 Starting at the side of the head where the first hair section was taken from, select another piece of your hair from under the draped section. Lift it upwards, over, and then under the draped section, leaving it to fall underneath.

STEP 6 Next, grab another piece of hair from under the draped section a 1/2 inch to an inch over and follow the same step. Continue across the head by choosing random pieces and pulling them over and under the draped section until you reach the other side of the head.

STEP 7 For the last pinned piece, lift it over and under but let it wrap over the first bobby pin used to secure the draped hair section (to make the bobby pin less visible). Take a second bobby pin and secure the final wrapped piece where the draped section was first secured above one ear.

STEP 8  Finish with a light spray of medium hold hairspray, like Shu Uemura Sheer Lacquer.

Tell us about your experience as a mom so far.  I am so excited about my first Mother’s Day! Being a mom has been the best thing I have ever done with my life. It is such a healing and sweet love, and it inspires me to be a better person every day. It has also inspired my writing. I have written many poems and songs for [baby Kase] already. I play him guitar every day, so that if he wants to pick it up one day, he can, but I won’t push him into it.

What projects have you been working on recently? Have they been inspired by your son? I wrote my son an album while I was pregnant called “The Merry Goes ‘Round.”  I wanted to write a children’s album that was clever and well-produced so parents would enjoy it on one level, and kids on another. It was fun to write and produce, because I got to think of all the things I wanted to say to my son, and what stories I would want him to hear. I also wrote a children’s book called That’s What I’d Do, based on a song I wrote. The book will come out this September and is about all the things you would do for your child because you love them. A CD of the song will be sold along with the book, so everyone can sing along if they want.

How do you juggle being a mom with all the professional projects you’re working on? Have your priorities shifted? How do you balance everything? Aside from my commitment to Child Hunger Ends Here, I have put almost all my work on hold for the year. I wanted to dig in and enjoy being a new mom, and wasn’t sure if I would want to continue working at all. I have to find my own sense of balance and rhythm as a new mom and [balance that with] my work — just like all moms have to. Becoming a mom has given me a whole new respect for women and how we are so many things to so many people… and we get so much done!Who are the women who have inspired you: in life, in work and in motherhood? Many of my female heroes were authors whose books I read as a child, like Anaiis Nin, Charlotte Brontë, Maya Angelou and Flannery O’Connor. They taught me my mind was worth no less than a man’s, and that I was just as capable intellectually as a man — if I was willing to learn and put the work in.

Can you share the charity efforts you’re passionate about and how our readers can help? As a homeless teen, I experienced hunger first-hand, and as a new mother, it breaks my heart to know that more than 1 in 5 children in the U.S. don’t know when their next meal is coming. I’m honored to be able to help those in need through the Child Hunger Ends Here program. You can help by purchasing specially-marked packages ConAgra Foods brands and entering the 8-digit code at http://www.childhungerendshere.com/Html/Index.html. For each code entered, the equivalent of one meal will be donated to Feeding America. Afterward, you will be able to download a copy of “Here’s Hope,” an original song written specifically for this cause that I recorded with musicians Owl City and Jay Sean.

I started Project Clean water in 1997, after I had been homeless for a year and struggled to get clean drinking water. Since we started the project I’ve put 35 wells in 15 different countries! I recently partnered with Sir Richard Branson and his organization Virgin Unite and Voss waters initiative Give A Drop. For more info, visit giveadrop.com.

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Stone served as host at the annual benefit luncheon for Gilda’s Club in New York, and she brought her mom Krista, a breast-cancer survivor, with her. Named after comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989, Gilda’s Club opened in New York City in 1995 as a support and resource center for people living with cancer.

Who could forget Radner’s unforgettable characters from her days as one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, such as Roseanne Roseannadanna? Stone definitely hasn’t: her mom introduced her to Radner’s work years ago, including her memoir It’s Always Something, and Stone’s been a fan ever since. In fact, when Stone hosted SNL last November, she paid homage to Radner in a much-talked-about bumper that ran near the end of the show. “Gilda is my biggest hero. Doing that photo shoot was so amazing for me,” she says.

It all came full-circle for Stone when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and joined a Gilda’s Club support group in Phoenix. “You can’t underestimate the power of finding people who are empathetic instead of just sympathetic,” Stone says. “It was so helpful to her. I wanted to be involved.”

Three and a half years later, her mom is doing well. But Stone continues to lend her celebrity for causes in her honor. She’s also been involved with the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer, and last Saturday she participated in NYC’s EIF Revlon Run/Walk, a fundraiser for women’s cancers, with pal Olivia Wilde. “I’ll be beating this drum forever,” Stone says.

There are now 20 Gilda’s Club centers across the country, with many more in development. To find a support group or make a donation, contact your local Gilda’s Club via this directory.

Happy Mother’s Day from the LHJ Health Ladies!

Photo by Paul Frogatt / PR Photos

Everyone loves a good book club, and women from the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas really love this one! Meetings of the DWF Tea Readers sometimes attract as many as 50 members, and they plan such fun events that these ladies just keep coming back for more—don’t they look darling at their annual “Boas & Tiaras” meet-up? “We are all voracious readers,” says member Jill Hayden. “When we get together it’s a great opportunity to share what we’ve read and want to read next.”

Is there anything special you do for each meeting or on occasion?

“Our group meets several times during the month at a local book store and we have pot-luck dinners twice a month in the homes of our readers. Our dinners have a theme – Breakfast for Dinner, Tex-Mex Night or Summer Grillin’, to name a few.  We arrange for an author to call in to discuss their books, how they got started writing and what they enjoy reading.  This year we’ve spoken with authors Robyn Carr, Julie James, Shelly Laurenston and Shannon Butcher.  We also get together one Saturday afternoon a month at an area tea room for a bit more formal affair.  Once a year we have a very special tea with an equally special guest author in attendance.  We have had Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Meg Cabot as our guests in the past.” – Jill Hayden

What’s your favorite book you’ve read together and why?

“That’s the beauty of our group.  We don’t select a specific book to read and discuss.  Since we know who our call-in author will be prior to our dinner, we try to read some of the author’s work if we’re not familiar with her.  Often we find that even if the author does not write a genre we normally read, or if we haven’t previously read one of her books, by the end of the call, we’re hooked and we’ve whipped out our phones or notebooks to purchase the books on the spot.” – Jill Hayden

Everyone’s super busy these days.  Why is it important to you to make time to read and then get together?

“We have book club because it’s fun! We eat good food, laugh late into the night, and get to talk about our fictional friends. Finding friends who experience as much joy in reading as I do isn’t as easy as you might think. I love being in a room full of women who talk about plots and characters with curiosity, passion, and respect.” – Maria Munoz

“Sanity!  Seriously, I think the best reason to embrace hobbies and get together with people that share your love for them is sanity.  In these days of ‘go-go-go’, a hobby gives you a chance to escape all the realities for your life for just a little while.  I think that is why reading appeals to me and my book club friends.  We get to escape for awhile into our books and then come together to share out love of the stories we just read.  To me we truly have the best hobby in the world and our book club just gives us another way to celebrate it.”  – Felicia Sparks