Book Club Appearances
Christina is delighted to hear that you are reading her novel, THE EXILES, and so appreciates your invitation to attend your book club! Due to the volume of requests she receives, she can only say yes to groups of 25 or more whose members have all agreed to purchase the book. However, there’s plenty of helpful information for bookclubs on this page. You can learn more about the genesis of the book here, about the character Mathinna here, and see a list of interviews with Christina here.
If your group consist of 25 or more, please send requests to Christina’s assistant, Kat, at bakerklinebooks@gmail.com. She asks that every member of the book club read the book in advance — and come to the event with questions!
Women’s National Book Association
In large groups people should mute themselves unless they’re talking/asking a question or else the background noise can get distracting or create an echo.
It’s a good idea to pick a discussion leader who is a facilitator for the conversation. Everyone can chime in, but it’s helpful to have a point person to keep things on track.
We’ve found that it’s best for Christina to show up 20-30 minutes into the Zoom call, after members have had a chance to discuss the book. She’ll stay for 20 – 30 minutes.
Some book clubs that Christina is visiting include: the UVA Book Club, the Soho House Miami Book Club, the Duke University Parents’ Committee Book Club, the Kauai Writers Conference Book Club, the Denver Bookclub, the Books ‘n Birdies Book Club, the Blue Door Books Adult Book Club, the Bookish Book Club, and the Willoughby Public Library Book Club, among others.
Click here for some questions to discuss with your reading group.
With thanks to Books On the Brain’s “Book Tips for Author Chats,” here are some good questions to ask any author:
Ask about the writing process. How long did their book take to write? To get published?
Does the author sit down at a desk to write for 8 hours a day, for example, or do they wait until the mood strikes?
Do they have an office? What is it like? Do they write in longhand? On a laptop?
Who are their favorite authors? Who inspires them?
When did the author know he/she was a “real” writer? At what point were they able to quit their day job? Was their family supportive?
Ask about the cover. Did the author have any say in the design? Is there more than one cover?
Ask about character development. How is this done? Are characters based on real people? Are events based on actual events?
Had the author ever considered a different ending to the story? If possible, would they go back and change anything?
Is a movie in the works?
If they had a choice, what actor would they cast in the leading role?
And the question we usually ask last is: What are you working on now?
Be sure to check out Christina’s Q&A page for THE EXILES
Book Club Beverage: THE EXILES Dark and Stormy
The perfect drink to accompany THE EXILES is a Dark and Stormy – because, let’s face it, female prisoners on the convict ships to Australia faced many a dark and stormy night! Here’s the story behind the drink:
British naval officers brewed ginger beer as a home remedy to combat seasickness. When a group of them were stationed in Bermuda after World War I, they mixed ginger beer with aged black rum from a local distillery. One sailor, looking at the swirl of ginger beer and rum in his glass, said that it looked like “the color of a cloud only a fool or a dead man would sail under.” And hence the Dark and Stormy was born.
Ingredients
2 oz. dark rum
3 oz. ginger beer
1/2 oz. lime juice (optional)
Directions
Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add rum.
Pour in ginger beer and lime juice.
Stir with a spoon.
Garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy!
Book Club Beverage #2: Paula McLain’s THE EXILES Dark and Mysterious
Enjoy this video of Christina and her dear friend, Paula McLain, preparing a traditional Dark and Stormy and Paula’s twist on the famous drink, a Dark and Mysterious. Which will you sip?
And the perfect video to get you in the mood, with a dark and stormy score by my son, Hayden Kline:
Other Beverage & Food Ideas
The right wine? Try 19 Crimes, named for the 19 crimes that would get you sentenced to transportation to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries.
At the end of THE EXILES, Hazel climbs Mount Wellington with a picnic basket and gazes out at the city of Hobart far below. Some of my favorite recipes for a picnic, wherever you are, include:
Heirloom Tomato Tart
White Bean and Avocado Salad with Garlic Oil
Lemon Kale Salad
The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies 
