Questions for Week Two of The Twenty Dollar Bill book club

[Elmore Hammes]

Wow, this is going quickly - hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am.

Thanks so much for joining me in my first ever book club. There have been over 150 downloads of the book from Smashwords now - I hope a few more of the readers will join us along the way in the book club.

Here's the second set of questions - and please note #10, just like last week, it is an open invitation to ask me your own questions, whether it is about specific scene from this week's readings, about writing, or anything else that you might be curious about.

1) Trevor makes a bet he can’t cover. Are you rooting for him to win or lose?
2) Darrell comes into the story at the end of Jerome’s scene. How did your perception of him change from his encounter with Jerome to when he had his own scene?
3) Why didn’t Cat stay with Darrell?
4) What do you think the most important thing in Jay-23’s life is?
5) Would you have claimed Jay-23 as your brother, or remained silent as David did?
6) What is Eddie trying to find in the Akitachi Assassin movie?
7) Does Jeanie come off as sincer, or do you think she is faking her positive attitude and beliefs?
8) Which of the ten scenes was your favorite (and why)?
9) Was there a scene – or character - that you could have done without?
10) Any other comment you would like to make, or question you would like to ask the author!

Thanks again, I look forward to reading your posts.
Elmore Hammes
Author, The Twenty Dollar Bill (and other novels of various natures)

[Paul]

Well, here goes week 2:

1) Trevor makes a bet he can’t cover. Are you rooting for him to win or lose? Heck yea I want him to win, he's one of the good guys! But, unfortunately, being as he bet against Donald who had insider information, he will probably lose, that's normally how life goes!

2) Darrell comes into the story at the end of Jerome’s scene. How did your perception of him change from his encounter with Jerome to when he had his own scene? He went from a hard @$$ to a soft caring individual! I liked the Darrell that was clearly falling for Cat!

3) Why didn’t Cat stay with Darrell? She wanted more from the relationship than just a one night stand. I feel she felt taking it slow and getting to know one another would lead to a more meaningful relationship, thus put on the brakes that evening. Darrell, being the Teddy Bear that that he is, was a true gentleman. I hope it works out for those two!

4) What do you think the most important thing in Jay-23’s life is? David, his little brother. It's a shame he's into what he's into, but I think he's into it because that's his way of filling in as sole provider for the family. A sad reality in to many societies!

5) Would you have claimed Jay-23 as your brother, or remained silent as David did? Tough call... I think David did what he felt was right, but giving up Mickey D's was a huge sacrifice! I think David really looks up to Jay, he just wishes he could provide for the family in a legal way...

6) What is Eddie trying to find in the Akitachi Ass movie? The frame with the missing finger!

7) Does Jeanie come off as sincere, or do you think she is faking her positive attitude and beliefs? I found her totally believable, but then I'm married to a woman with a perpetual positive outlook on life! There are days...

8) Which of the ten scenes was your favorite (and why)? I enjoyed the scene where Trevor was trying to mentor Jerome. I feel some of what Trevor said did sink in and will help Jerome in the future, even it it didn't that evening... Trevor is basically one of the good guys who is trying to make an honest living, despite being a runner for a bookie!

9) Was there a scene – or character - that you could have done without? Not this go round, I still don't care much for Donald, aka Gee, and all that he stands for, but he does play a vital role to the story! Society today would be much better off with fewer Donalds...

10) Any other comment you would like to make, or question you would like to ask the author! Does Trevor still have his knee caps? Does it work out between Cat and Darrell? Will there be a sequel to answer all this questions?

As always, I couldn't stop where I was supposed to! Actually, I forgot who the last character was supposed to be and by time I looked at how far I was supposed to go, I was already reading about Anna-Marie! Oh well, I'm ready to dive into next weeks reading!

[Roxie]

1) Trevor makes a bet he can’t cover. Are you rooting for him to win or lose?
I’m rooting for him to win. He seems like a nice guy who is trying to make some money.

2) Darrell comes into the story at the end of Jerome’s scene. How did your perception of him change from his encounter with Jerome to when he had his own scene?
Darrell is very tough at the end of Jerome's scene. When he meets Cat he melts. I found it very romantic.

3) Why didn’t Cat stay with Darrell?
Cat is interested in more than a one night stand. She feels very connected to him and wants to see if they could start a relationship.

4) What do you think the most important thing in Jay-23’s life is?
I think that most important thing in his life is his siblings. He seems to really care about them and their well-being.

5) Would you have claimed Jay-23 as your brother, or remained silent as David did?
I probably would have claimed him as my brother. Then I wouldn’t be harassed anymore. I would hate to be bullied and robbed by my peers and would try to find a way to avoid that.

6) What is Eddie trying to find in the Akitachi Assassin movie?
Eddie read that there is a frame in the movie where Akitachi only has three fingers. On his thirteenth viewing of the film, he watches it frame by frame and finds the one with the missing pinkie finger.

7) Does Jeanie come off as sincere, or do you think she is faking her positive attitude and beliefs?
I think she comes across as sincere. I think the sincerity comes from the prayers she does for people who she thinks needs them.

8) Which of the ten scenes was your favorite (and why)?
I think the scene with Cat was my favorite. It ended up being sweet and romantic.

9) Was there a scene – or character - that you could have done without?
No. They were all good.

10) Any other comment you would like to make, or question you would like to ask the author!
I am really enjoying this book! I agree with Paul58. I want to know what happens to all these different characters!

Roxie

[Elmore Hammes]

Thanks, Paul and Roxie, for asking that.

I've been asked that before - about a sequel / finding out what happens next to the characters. I have to say I'm considering it more now than I have in the past, but I am still not sure I want to do that. Part of the attraction in writing this book for me, besides exploring how people see each other and situations differently, was to not expose the whole story. I wanted the reader to speculate on their own about what happened after the twenty dollar bill had moved on.

I do think that one or more of the characters will get their own short stories if not become part of more traditional novel someday.

I will keep checking the book club throughout the week for any additional questions or comments.

Thanks again!
Elmore