Author Jessica Strawser posted on social media about her upcoming participation in The Back Room: Cocktails and Conversations with Your Favorite Authors, hosted by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Karen Dionne. Jessica is participating on November 3rd; however, I was intrigued when I saw the fall line-up of authors and decided to sign up for this one first. The structure of this author event is different from other events I’ve participated in the past over Zoom. There are four authors present, and the event begins with brief introductions by the hosts and authors. Next, they participate in a “get to know you” game before everyone is divided into breakout rooms. During the breakout rooms, attendees are able to see and interact with each author for about 15 minutes. 

I was drawn to this event for author Madeline Martin. I love historical fiction and that her novels have a bookish theme—a bookshop, library, or librarian. The other authors present were Rose Carlyle, Mansi Shah, and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. None of these authors were familiar to me, so it was a pleasure to be introduced to them and their work. I enjoyed the structure of The Back Room (TBR). Hank and Karen welcomed participants and shared the history of TBR and their bios. Karen primarily facilitated the author introductions and asked each author three questions, so participants could learn more about them. Lastly, each author shared a book they recently read and recommended it to participants. As a participant commented, TBR can become an expensive event, as readers want to buy both the authors’ books AND the books they recommend. I tend to agree! 

The breakout rooms were next. I was impressed that there were 77 total participants for this event. I was automatically placed in a breakout room with 35 people. The first breakout room was narrated by Karen and had authors Marybeth Mayhew Whalen and Madeline Martin. Each author was allotted 15 minutes to introduce their book and answer questions from participants. When the 30 minutes were up, authors Rose Carlyle and Mansi Shah joined our breakout room, following the same format. Karen did a great job keeping the conversation flowing and moderating participant questions. 

I loved this entire event! It reminded me of author panels I have attended at book festivals. The moderators and authors were extremely personable and engaging. I enjoyed learning about their current books, back lists, personal lives, and former careers. I appreciate that so many people participated and asked good questions. I’m a true introvert, so it was a challenge for me to be visible on the Zoom session. I am grateful I was able to observe and didn’t have to verbally interact. Now that I’ve experienced my first TBR, I know what to expect and would likely feel comfortable asking a question in the future. Time to add these authors’ books to my wishlist. 

The Back Room shares the initial portion of each session on YouTube. Below, I have linked the Riveting Stories video for your viewing pleasure.

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