Book Clubs That Travel: When Robins Appear

Guest post by Densie Webb

Greetings, past and future readers! My women’s fiction novel, WHEN ROBINS APPEAR, follows the lives of the Earle family, Deb, Richard, and their teenage daughter, Amanda. The narrative delves into young love, past love, keeping secrets, and the agonizing decisions women must sometimes make about forming families. In the end, it’s about how dual health crises challenge a loving, stable family and how, in the end, they are forced to recreate themselves in unexpected, bittersweet ways.

The story is set in Austin, TX, where I just happen to live. Summer lasts about nine months here, so the heat of summer plays a role in the story. But Austin also has freezing rain and the occasional snow in winter—especially this past winter. This much white stuff was an extremely rate event for Austin.

If you plan on visiting Austin, I would suggest you hold off until the months of June, July, and August have passed, as they are the hottest months of the year. While October and November are usually milder, there can still be ninety-degree days in October. The Texas Book Festival takes place in October in Austin in the Capitol Building and along Congress Avenue. It is fabulous! If you plan to visit then, just bring sweaters for the evenings and short sleeves for the days. 

Take a stroll down South Congress (SoCo) for funky shops, great restaurants, and some premium people watching. Check out Lady Bird Lake downtown (formerly known as Town Lake). Lots of walking and running trails and paddle boats, and kayaks. The Whole Foods flagship store is downtown (Whole Foods originated in Austin) and just across the street you’ll find Book People, our awesome independent bookstore.

It’s one of my favorite places to browse and stop in the coffee shop for a latte. The coffee shop, Coffee People, was shut down during the pandemic, but is up and running again. And if you’re here between spring and summer, you can’t miss the largest urban colony of bats in North America that have made their summer home under the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin. Have a seat and be patient. Sometime between 7:30 pm and 9:45 pm, more than 1 million bats come out for “dinner.” No need to be frightened. These are bug-eating bats. It’s quite a sight.

Have a to-die-for breakfast at Magnolia Café and, check out Zilker Park and the Zilker Park Butterfly Garden and take a rest on a butterfly bench, like two of my characters do. And don’t forget to visit Central Market on Lamar Avenue. It’s a huge gourmet store with a café and a major outdoor area to sit in the sun and enjoy coffee or lunch. Just be careful to avoid the bird bombs from the trees above. If you want to venture outside the hustle bustle of the city, check out the local greenbelts for hiking, trails for cycling, and Travis Lake, where there are boats for renting. And wherever you go, there is Tex-Mex food galore!

Austin is a wonderful green city. But if you’re not used to the heat, choose the dates of your visit wisely.

Planning on reading WHEN ROBINS APPEAR? Here are a few Book Club questions to ponder and discuss:

1. The chance meeting of Amanda and Graham at a concert changes their lives and the lives of everyone around them. Have you had chance meetings that sent your life in a totally different direction?
2. In the beginning of the book, Deb’s sister, Merritt, asks her if she were pregnant and she knew the child was going to die early like their brother, Ray, would she still want to have the baby? What would be your answer to that question? 
3. Did you feel that Deb was a “helicopter mom” or was her concern for Amanda’s welfare understandable, given her personal history?
4. What do you think of Deb’s reasons to have only Amanda? And what is your take on Richard’s reaction to her wanting to have another child at that stage of their lives?
5. What was your impression of Deb and Richard’s relationship?
6. Did you agree with or understand Deb’s decision not to ever tell Richard about her past?
7. Did you feel like Amanda’s and Graham’s love was deep and real or just an adolescent infatuation?
8. How did you react to Richard’s diagnosis and its resolution?
9. How did you feel about the novel’s ending? Would you have preferred a different ending?
10. Do you think Deb will ever be truly happy again?

Densie Webb (not Denise) has spent a long career as a freelance nonfiction writer and editor, specializing in health and nutrition, and has published several books on the topic. She grew up in Louisiana, spent 13 years in New York City, and settled in Austin, TX. She is an avid walker (not of the dead variety, though she adores zombies, vampires and apocalyptic stories), drinks too much coffee, and has a small “devil dog” that keeps her on her toes. She has two novels, her debut women’s fiction novel, When Robins Appear, published by Red Adept Publishing and has signed a contract with Red Adept for a second novel, tentatively titled Shooting Stars. Her piece, The Prank, was in the top ten finalists for Women on Writing’s Summer 2019 Flash Fiction contest.