Mixed Signals

Reader’s Guide

 

Choose an author as you choose a friend.

Wentworth Dillon, Earl of Roscommon

 

1. Mixed Signals features not one romantic couple, but two, as well as a large supporting cast. Which character most engages your sympathy? Which one amuses you? Whose life story most parallels yours? And who reminds you of someone you know?

 

2. Describe the following characters with just two words each: Belle O’Brien; Norah Silver-Smith; Patrick Reese; David Cahill; Sherry Robison. Do your two-word descriptions capture their appearance, personality, background, or vocation? What makes a character come alive for you?

 

3. In a novel filled with unexpected twists and turns, which moment in the story truly took you by surprise? What did you think might happen? And how did you feel when things went a different direction than you expected?

 

4. What have you discovered about life on the air and around a radio station that’s been interesting or eye-opening? Which aspects of a radio career appeal to you? What might be some of the drawbacks of a job in broadcasting?

 

5. The epigraphs that introduce each chapter are chosen with care, meant to hint at what’s to come. Is there one quotation in particular that makes you smile? Or makes you think? Choose one of your favorite epigraphs and explain why it suits the story.

 

6. Abingdon is a real town in the Virginia Highlands; the buildings and streets exist just as they appear in the novel. How does the use of a genuine setting affect your reading experience? Describe Abingdon as you see it in your mind’s eye. (Photos of various locations in Abingdon can be found at www.LizCurtisHiggs.com.)

 

7. The underlying theme of Mixed Signals is grace, demonstrated through acceptance, forgiveness, and unconditional love. In what ways does Norah extend grace, and to whom? Does Belle offer mercy to others? And what about David?

 

8. Does one particular scene stand out in your mind—perhaps the Christmas Day debacle, or the afternoon Norah pays a visit to the bank? Which scene from the novel is your favorite, and what makes it memorable?

 

9. Because of their personal histories, the main characters each have something to prove, either to themselves or to others. See if you can name what each person is determined to accomplish: Belle, Norah, Patrick, David, and Sherry. By story’s end, which character shows the most growth emotionally? And spiritually?

 

10. The title, Mixed Signals, refers not only to the broadcast signal a radio station emits. How do various “mixed signals” come into play in the novel? Do the characters learn anything in the process of untangling their crossed wires? What insights have you gained while turning the pages of Mixed Signals?