What happens in a library after dark?
That’s what Milton resident Debbie Lanting writes about in her new novel, Book Club. A pair of kids create the club only to find out that the books in their school library come to life at night.
When Town Council decides it might be best to shut down their aging school, Kat and Stew need to act fast.
The duo teams up with their eccentric librarian and a student from their rival school to save Oakmeadow Elementary, the magical library, and their brand new book club.
It’s been a long journey for Lanting. She first put pen to paper in 2013 after the idea popped into her head on her commute home from work. She says that every day, she’d drive past the Main Library branch in Milton, and every night, it would sit empty. She began to wonder “what goes on in there at night?” The idea was then pitched to her husband and he asked her, “why don’t you write it?”
It didn’t go smoothly at the beginning. Lanting gathered her rough draft and sought the help of the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers. They didn’t hold back any punches.
The criticism she received right out the gate with her book forced her to find ways to improve. She began reading books that covered the process of writing. She studied videos of authors breaking down their process. Eventually, she developed her story into what it is today.
Continuing to re-write her novel, Lanting began submitting it to publishers to get more reviews. She talks about what it was like to deal with publishers, saying that she’d always heard horror stories from other writers. She was pleasantly surprised with the interactions.
Now in 2021, Debbie Lanting has self-published her story.
With her teaching background, Lanting says that she has seen how a group of children react when you give them a reading assignment. It’s because of that experience that she hopes kids can find joy in reading her book.
There are ideas rolling around in her head about doing a three-book series in her own little universe. She’s also working on a YA novel that she had put aside to focus on this book.
You can find Book Club online. It’s available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover.
