Hey everyone! 👋 I’m Roger Hayden, an indie author and prepper enthusiast. I’ve published dozens of books through Amazon KDP, covering survival, post-apocalyptic, EMP, pandemic, and thriller fiction. I’m passionate about preparedness, self-reliance, and writing stories that keep readers on the edge of their seats. I’m excited to be here, connect with like-minded people, and share what I’ve learned from my journey as an indie author. Glad to be here!

Hi everyone, I'm AW [Art] Schade and glad to be a new member. I'm a Marine Vietnam veteran and a retired IBM executive, married, with three sons and 9 grandchildren. Somewhere along the way I became a novelist too. My book, The Shattered Mosaic, [Booklife editors pick] follows a veteran trial lawyer who loses someone close to him and ends up turning the same evidence-based mind he used in courtrooms toward something much bigger: the world's faith traditions, and whether any of them can hold up under real scrutiny when grief forces the question. It's really a story about what happens when the answers you were handed no longer fit, and what you build in their place. Glad to be here, and I'm looking forward to getting to know this group.

My book has been chosen by Halcyon Books as their pick of the month. https://halcyonliterary.com/

Happy Bastille Day. It’s Bastille Day (La Fête nationale or le 14 juillet) here today. We commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on 14 July 1789, an event that became the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution, with its national motto: Liberté, Égalité, et Fraternité. It’s only early summer, and I’ve already reached my reading goal. Today, since it's a public holiday, I’ll start turning pages of “Les éclats du passé” (Fragments of the Past). I got to the last page of “Born to be Wired”, John Malone’s memoir, on June 30. John Malone is an American billionaire businessman and one of the most influential people in the cable television and telecommunications industry. In this book, he shares lessons from decades of business leadership, deal-making, and innovation in media communication and technology. Xavier Romon’s novel, “Gratte-ciel” (Skyscraper), combines elements of a techno-thriller, political thriller, terrorism, and suspense story, set in Shanghai. Xavier and I were at the Fismes bookfair, and we exchanged books (fiction in French and non-fiction in English, respectively). I finished reading Marie Pierre’s short story, “La baby-sitter rose bonbon” (L’encier Francophonie, Hiver 2025-2026) two days ago. I like its last sentence: “Elle reste la seule baby-sitter de mes souvenirs; celle qui m’à appris à méfier du rose bonbon” (She is the only babysitter from my childhood I remember; the one who taught me to be wary of pink candy). This is another of its resonating sentences: “La vie n’est pas rose bonbon pour tout le monde” (Life isn't all rosy for everyone), which is close to the common English idiom, “Life isn't a bed of roses for everyone”. This summer, I’ve also decided to master the art of wholemeal bread making. Baking is a piece of cake for many people, but not for me. Measuring ingredients is not my cup of tea. Stepping away from routine and embracing the unexpected can bring fresh energy into both our professional and personal lives. Simply changing our habits can spark creativity, inspire new ideas, and help us see familiar situations from a new perspective. Small changes can break monotony, encourage growth, and remind us that some of the best experiences come from stepping outside our comfort zones.

I want to thank everyone for coming out today for the book club meeting! I think this was a great time to meet so going forward we will continue to meet at 2:00pm central. Next agenda is to start doing a second meeting at maybe 10:00 am central time on the last Sunday of the month. Kathy and I have to talk about it and reach out to our European members to see if they can join at that time. Have a prosperous month and we will see you next time around!