The Safety of Secrets Article Challenge! Share...

So many of us are reading (and loving!) The Safety of Secrets by DeLaunÃ© Michel that I thought it might be fun to do a special challenge related to the book's themes and how they resonate in our own lives.

So far I've noticed that lifelong friendship, secrets and motherhood are some of the most common themes discussed in our discussions about Safety. In Sheila's review, she discusses everyday female friendship, secrets and courage. Kimber wrote about the boundaries of friendship and unconditional love. Tracy said forgiveness and motherhood are at the heart of the novel, and Isabel stressed the powerful bond between best friends. And while Gwen and Marge discussed a mix of these themes, they both lauded the book's sense of humor, saying the main character brought the laughs and that The Safety of Secrets offered up some hilarious situations.

As these themes couldn't be more relevant to our daily lives (umm secrets, anyone?), I'd love to keep discussing them. Down below in blue are some discussion questions that delve deeper into friendship, secrets & motherhood and tie into your own personal experiences. Write a short (or long) article about one of these topics and then submit your story to the Fiction Readers group. The story with the highest rating (based on the score and amount of votes) will win a mini-library of 15 must-have Avon A books!

Some Guidelines:
- Please include "The Safety of Secrets" in your Article Title
- Please indicate that your article is an entry for The Safety of Secrets Article Challenge
- And most importantly, if your article contains any spoilers for the book, be sure to post SPOILER ALERT up top! :)

- Last day to enter isÂ Monday, June 30!

Discussion Questions

1- Lifelong friendships are treasured for the great joy that they bring. But they also bring great pain. Did you find yourself choosing sides with either Fiona or Patricia? And why? Do you have a lifelong friend, and if so, how do they see you differently than other people in your life?

2- How does the punishment that Fiona's mother comes up with set Fiona up for what happens to her at the end of the summer? Or does it? How responsible are we for the ripple effects that our actions have?

3- Fiona struggles with how she sees herself once she is pregnant and motherhood is looming. How does her relationship with her mother play into that? How has motherhood affected your relationship with your own mother?

4- Patricia defends telling their secret by telling Fiona that "It came out. I didn't plan for it to, it just did. But it's not like anyone knew it was you." How much ownership did Patricia have of that secret? Was it her right to tell it when she wanted to? Â Have you ever told a secret that wasn't yours to tell? Has someone done that to you?

5- Patricia asks Fiona the one question that Fiona has never wanted to face since that eventful summer. "Why didn't you?" Was that the best thing for Fiona to hear or the worst? Is there anything from your past that you regret not doing?

(Note: these questions are all actually written by DeLaunÃ©, which is why they are so good!)