I Love Book Clubs!
And I love talking to book clubs. They are truly the lifeblood of an author. I would love to come to yours if you live close to Washougal, WA., or via a phone call, FaceTime, or Zoom (love to see faces).
SCHEDULING: Contact me at conniemorganwriter@comcast.net to schedule a time for a discussion.
Book Club Discussion Ideas – also in the back of the book.
- Is there a place that provides you with comfort and inspiration similar to what Lora found at Orca Park?
- How did Lora’s and Rebecca’s relationship change throughout the story?
- Could you identify with any of the characters? If so, who and why?
- Did you learn anything of value from the characters in this story?
- What was your take on Cooper’s relationship with his daughter, Emma?
- What do you think contributed to the special bond between Emma and Ivy? Between Lora and Emma, and between Lora and Ivy?
- Were the descriptions of the traumatic events too troubling for you, or were they necessary to the story?
- Did Lora’s emotional and behavioral reaction to the death of her daughter and the collapse of her marriage seem realistic to you?
- What was your experience of being with Lora during her therapy session with Wendy?
- After Cooper asked for a second chance, did you agree with Lora on wanting to take the relationship slowly?
- Ivy kept hidden a great deal of what she went through, and her life could have gone in a different direction. What kept her from going down the wrong path?
- Who was your favorite secondary character? Why?
- Did you cry or laugh at any point in the story?
- Was there anything that stuck with you after reading this book?
Recently More Than Luck Required was highlighted in Janis Robinson Daly’s newsletter for book clubs. I am thrilled with her article.
| Recommended Book Club Choice MORE THAN LUCK REQUIRED |
| Hope blossoms in unexpected places. If Lora Hamilton was ever going to live a normal life and love again, she will have to follow through on her father’s dying request to put her tragic past behind her. For four years, Lora used work to isolate herself from others, to hide the guilt and shame she’s carried. Now she’s trapped in a lonely, meaningless life. Though it feels like an impossible task, Lora heads to the Pacific Northwest beach of her childhood to create a plan for moving forward. There she meets a closed-hearted widower and an artistically talented teen from a troubled family. Though both capture her heart, Lora returns home, knowing she must face the events of her past in order to heal and change how she lives her life. After all, luck alone most likely won’t provide the second chance she hopes for. My Review In More Than Luck Required, author Connie Morgan gives her readers a deeply compassionate and emotionally intelligent story about grief, self-forgiveness, and the courage it takes to step toward love again. Drawing on her expertise as a trained mental health counselor, she offers not only an intimate look at healing after loss but also provides some of the tools to use on that road to recovery. Yet, the novel doesn’t shy away from capturing the idea that recovery is never a straight line. “Her trauma had kept her stuck in black and white thinking. She evaluated herself to be more unworthy than worthy. By doing so, she deemed herself undeserving of anything good.” And later: “Whenever a bit of lightness came into her life, guilt and bitterness fought for dominance. That deep bitterness was a poison, killing the person she had once known herself to be.” These lines speak not only to the main character, Lora’s internal struggle, but to the universal challenge of learning to accept both our flaws and our capacity for joy. The subtle inclusion of daisies, threading through the story like a delicate chain, reminds of resilience and bright, new beginnings as they mirror Lora’s slow return, letting life and love root once more in soil she thought barren. More Than Luck Required is ultimately a story about taking chances on happiness, that it isn’t luck that brings us back to life, but rather the power of rediscovering the beauty of human connection, and about learning that acceptance—of oneself and of others—is the truest kind of healing. This novel offers rich terrain for discussion—grief and guilt, the psychology of self-worth, second chances at love, and the tension between forgiveness and self-protection. Readers will find themselves asking: How do we move forward when the past refuses to let go? What does it truly mean to accept joy again? With its layered characters and therapeutic wisdom, More Than Luck Required promises heartfelt conversation and meaningful connection among readers. What others are saying… “Morgan’s writing is clean and crisp, catching her readers unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of finding love again, only to ponder the risk of heartbreak.” – Barbara Conrey, USA Today’s best-selling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye “The plot is superbly written, and there is a hint of a thriller aspect brought in by a secondary character who nicely tied up the story.” – Maalin Ogaja for Reader’s Favorite Book ReviewMaxy Awards 2025 Winner: Romance & Women’s FictionLiterary Titan 2025 Award WinnerGlobal Book Awards for Small Town Romance – Silver |
| Book Club Discussion StartersIs there a place that provides you with comfort and inspiration similar to what Lora found at Orca Park?What was your experience of being with Lora during her therapy session with Wendy?Who was your favorite secondary character? Why? Book Club Tips for a Read of MORE THAN LUCK REQUIRED: Place bouquets of daisies throughout your meeting space. Allow each attendee to take a few stems home. Can you bake as well as Emma? Serve up a plate of lemon-flavored sugar cookies, decorated with icing to look like daisies. (Recipe: Priya Maha, Decorated Treats:) or “cowboy cookies” – Ivy’s favorite and made popular by First Lady Laura Bush. |