Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 10-31-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Three hundred and seven people signed up to receive one of my husband's spaghetti bibs. You should have seen the look on my dear husband's face when I told him he had to make 307 bibs! (If you missed the spaghetti column, go to: http://tinyurl.com/5rzg9z

Originally the plan was to choose five winners, but instead I'm sending these ten bookclub readers an autographed spaghetti bib: Delores Fisher, Donna Whitman, Lucy Munoz, Connie Brand, Pat Golding, Dee Mulqueen, Stanley Fox, Kayce Cawthon Stoker, Elise Devlin and Jennifer Scott.

Apparently I'm not the only one who needs a change of clothes when they eat spaghetti:

"OOOOH! My children refer to my 'problem' as the 'daily drop' or DD. Sadly, it is not just spaghetti that lands on my shirt!"--Donna Whitman

"I am such a mess! I wear my food well. I am sure the tide stick was invented for me! I have a red sweater with some strips on it. There is one very narrow strip of white, and I managed to hit it with spaghetti sauce! That takes talent!"--Pat Golding

"I had to laugh when I saw the photo. I was considering wearing an apron to work because I am constantly dropping something on my shirts. The bib your husband designed is a perfect solution. You guys should go into business and sell them."--Dee Mulqueen

"There is a long standing giggle amongst my family regarding food mishaps. My mom is notorious for wearing her meals upon her tops."--Jennifer Scott

"Does your husband make hats to go with that bib? My kids tease me about this, I even manage to get spaghetti on my hair. I would love to have Beecher original, which may be the answer to my spaghetti mishaps."--Lucy Munoz

The spaghetti bib is disposable and easy to make. You'll find step-by-step instructions (with photos) at: http://tinyurl.com/6ftsql

Make a bib for a spaghetti slurping friend or relative. Why not invite them over for a spaghetti dinner, complete with bibs? And be sure to tell them about the book club!

Monday I'll be launching our new bi-weekly THRILLER BOOK CLUB, along with the opportunity for you to appear as a character in two different author's upcoming books. If you'd like to sign up for the Thriller Book Club, go to your library's website, or go to www.DearReader.com type in your zip code and we'll sign you up through your local library. Do it today, so you'll be sure to get Monday's Thriller Book Club Read.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 10-30-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Two weeks ago, when I asked if some readers would like to become official Book Club Ambassadors I expected to hear from 200 readers. To my surprise, 3,000 people responded.

So I've decided to make the Book Club Ambassador a special component of the book club. If you were one of the 3,000 people who volunteered, I'll make you aware of different ways you could promote the book club and you can pick and choose which things work best for you. As a thank you, throughout the year I'll send you special perks.

One of the first promotional things I'm sending to Book Club Ambassadors is a box of books. Each book has a sticker inside the front cover that promotes the online book club. Give someone a free book, tell them about the book club and encourage them to sign up. (Feel free to read any of the books yourself, first.)

Because I received such an overwhelming and generous response from readers, there aren't enough books to send a box to every person right away. But I'll send out boxes of books, over the next few months, until everyone has received one. In the meantime, some Book Club Ambassadors have asked if I'd send them stickers that promote the book club, so they can put them in their own books, before they pass them on to friends and family.

There are other ways you can help promote the book club. For instance, in the next couple of weeks, I'll email a note about the book clubs that you could print and include in your holiday cards.

Thanks again for telling folks about the book club. I sure do appreciate it. If you have any promotional ideas of your own, please let me know.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Gratefully,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Win free copies of books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: Paul Elwork, The Tea House; Marie Bostwick, A Single Thread; Carla Neggers, Cold Pursuit; Robyn Carr, A Virgin River Christmas; and M.J. Rose, The Memorist. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 10-29-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

For me, it's the little things in life that make a big difference. Two phone calls made my day!

I sort of have a Meals on Wheels gig going with Francis, my 88 year old father in law. Francis lives in an apartment complex for seniors. He has his own kitchen and he can cook, thank you very much, but he prefers it when I drop off meals to him. He's a joy to cook for, the man eats anything and never complains about the food, even when something doesn't turn out quite right. So frequently when I'm cooking, I double the batch, ring Francis and then drive by his apartment. We swap, he hands me a grocery bag filled with empties and I hand him a bag of goodies to restock his refrigerator.

Francis can be a sweetheart, like yesterday when he called to say he wanted to give me a compliment and that I could pay him the quarter later. (The quarter is a bit of Beecher humor--my husband has the same disease.) "Suzanne, I ate the homemade spaghetti you sent over and I have to tell you it was fantastic! Loved it, loved it! You also sent over a couple of cans of Chef Boyardee spaghetti. To fill in the last serving of your spaghetti, I opened one of the cans you sent along. Send more spaghetti--soon! But don't ever send Chef Boyardee again. You've ruined me, I can't ever eat canned spaghetti again."

And then Author Thomas Sullivan, a good friend of mine, phoned to play catch-up and in the middle of our conversation he said, "By the way, you've ruined me Suzanne. Went to the market, bought a bag of chocolate chip cookies, got home, took a bite and had to throw them out. Now that I've eaten your homemade chocolate chip cookies, store bought just doesn't compare."

This is why I love to cook, I ruin people.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

** Don't forget to enter the October Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/6ggzxl

Dear Reader Column 10-28-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Shame on me, I almost let the date slip by, Happy Birthday to AuthorBuzz!

For the past three years every Monday and Thursday, (in a link right after my column) five different authors have stopped by the book club to say hello and they always have gifts for us, too. Fifteen free books, phone calls to your book club, a series of book marks and quilt patterns, are waiting for lucky book club readers this week.

And to add to the birthday party celebration, visit the five authors at AuthorBuzz today, read about their latest book, sign up for their free gifts, then send me an email with a note about why you enjoy AuthorBuzz and I'll enter your name in my AuthorBuzz Birthday Giveaway. Have a latte, espresso or bakery treat on me! I have 10 Starbucks cards for readers.

Let's party! You'll find AuthorBuzz at: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Happy Birthday to AuthorBuzz!

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 10-27-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

A little bit of whimsy.

If it cost more to mail something than it did to buy it, in my mother's logical mind, it would be ridiculous to pay the postage. But I'm glad my friend Chellie Campbell doesn't think like that. Ever since I wrote a column about how I love to bring home the miniature soap, shampoo, and lotions housekeeping leaves for guests in the bathrooms of the fancy hotels, whenever Chellie's on the road--which is frequently, she saves the little bottles, boxes them up with fancy tissue and ships them to me. Yes the postage costs more than the contents, but when I see a package from Chellie in my mailbox, instantly I'm smiling.

A different kind of whimsy brought a spaghetti smile to my face the other day.

Black is my favorite color, at least when I'm eating spaghetti. Because no matter how careful I am, the red sauce ends up on my shirt, or my skirt, or if a noodle slips off my fork--I'm here to tell you spaghetti sauce does not come out of white ankle socks very easily. My husband teases me about my spaghetti mishaps, and rightly so, because I used to joke that if I wanted to know what he'd eaten for lunch, all I had to do was look at his shirt.

My homemade spaghetti was on the menu yesterday, but when I headed for my bedroom, to change into something more appropriate (anything black) my husband handed me a whimsical spaghetti eating solution. He'd made it himself, especially for me. I'm sure you'll want one, too. The postage will cost more than the materials did to make it, but my husband has volunteered to make five others to send to readers.

If you're afflicted with the same spaghetti eating problem as I am, take a look at what my husband made for me and enter to win one of your own. (I'll even sign it for you.) Go to: http://tinyurl.com/5zvetc

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Win free copies of books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: Paul Elwork, The Tea House; Marie Bostwick, A Single Thread; Carla Neggers, Cold Pursuit; Robyn Carr, A Virgin River Christmas; and M.J. Rose, The Memorist. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 10-24-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Today is the day to enter the October Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. But you better hurry, because I already received one entry, before I even had a chance to announce the cookie contest.

Remember Abigail, the second grader who sent Flat Stanley to vacation with me and my husband for two weeks? Abigail sent me the sweetest thank you letter yesterday and she also mentioned that her teacher Ms. Anderson told the kids that I bake cookies and give them away, so Abigail was wondering...

"Ms. Anderson said you make chocolate chip cookies to give away. How do you get signed up to get the cookies? I would love to win some of your cookies to share with my classmates. Your pal, Abigail"

So I already have one winning entry, cookies for Abigail, but I'd love to bake for four other book club readers. If you'd love to win some chocolate chip cookies to share with your classmates, or co-workers, send me an email. To enter and to see photos of past winners, go to: http://tinyurl.com/6ggzxl

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

SEARCHING FOR YOUR NEXT BIG THRILL? Win copies and read about this month's new thrillers from: Dave Zeltserman, Joshua Corin, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Warren Hammond, Ward Larsen, Stacy Dittrich, Karen Dionne, Alex Kava, S.L. Linnea, Jeremy Robinson, Kim Paffenroth, Raymond Benson, John Thompson, Eric Stone, Heather Graham, C.S. Graham, Francois Bloemhof, Ann Cleeves, Gregory Lamberson and Kathryn Lilley. Visit the October issue of the Big Thrill now! Go to: http://www.thrillerwriters.org

Dear Reader Column 10-23-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Be sure to visit AuthorBuzz today, go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Enter the Garage Sale Giveaway. Seven exciting, unusual items are looking for a good home, go to:  http://tinyurl.com/4k772d

And then take the Leblanc Literacy Challenge. Author Deborah Leblanc is a woman who wants to get people reading again. Two years ago, when Deborah was on a national book tour, she said she had the opportunity to visit numerous bookstores and chat with customers. "Unfortunately, it didn't take me long to realize that many of those customers were in the bookstore because of the coffee shop. Many of them would browse for a while, flip through a magazine or two, but left the store empty handed. Whenever I asked one of these coffee only browsers, 'Who's your favorite author?' or 'What do you enjoy reading?' the most common response I received was, 'Oh, I don't read much anymore.'"

So Deborah decided to do something about it and the Leblanc Literacy Challenge was born. Compete for prizes, and the possibility of winning a free, four-year college education. To read more about the Leblanc Literacy Challenge, including the contest rules, go to: http://www.theleblancchallenge.com

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Sherry Jones, The Jewel of Medina; Jonathan Javitt, Capitol Reflections; John Ryder, Ph.D., Positive Directions--Shifting Polarities to Escape Stress and Increase Happiness; Michelle Moran, The Heretic Queen: A Novel; and Kate Betterton, Where the Lake Becomes the River. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 10-22-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

They lived in Wisconsin most of the year, but spent the winter months in Florida. Every winter-warm Florida afternoon around three o'clock, my mom and her husband, Ron, would pull into my driveway, open up the back of their van and holler for me to come out and see their new "stuff." I don't think the two of them had ever stopped at one single garage sale when they were in Wisconsin, but when the snowbirds landed in Florida, they became garage sale junkies.

Every morning Ron would buy a copy of the local newspaper, circle the garage sale ads, and make a map based on "location" and then they'd hit the road--my mother, Ron and their dog, Brandy. And every afternoon, the garage sale trio would return with more "stuff." It wasn't that they needed any more "stuff"--the fun was the "story" behind the stuff.

"See that cooler," Ron said, "we were looking around at a sale in Venice and when the lady asked me if I saw anything I was interested in, I spotted this cooler sitting way back in her garage. It didn't look like it was with the garage sale items, so I asked if it was for sale."

At first the woman said no, but then she seemed to get caught up in her own buying and selling atmosphere, "What would you give me for it?"

Five bucks was Ron's offer.

"Sold! And it's even filled with my husband's beer," the woman was smiling, "You can take that along with you, too."

What a deal. Ron was beaming as he was showing me the blue cooler filled with ice and beer. He didn't really need a cooler, or the beer, but it wasn't the cooler or the beer that Ron was buying, it was the story. And Ron must have told four slightly different versions of the "cooler" story, before my mother and he left my house later that evening.

My mother isn't with us any longer, but in honor of the "love of his life" Ron still keeps the yearly bookclub/garage sale tradition going. Last year he found a very bizarre bottle, this year like a kid-in-a-candy shop, he couldn't decide on only one thing, so he sent seven garage sale treasures.

"There's someone for everyone," and there must be "someones" out there for this year's garage sale stuff, too! This week I'm looking for loving homes for Ron's latest garage sale finds.

Take a look, you'll find a photo at: http://tinyurl.com/4k772d If you fall in love with something and you're willing to give it a good home, send an email, tell me why and you'll be entered in the Garage Sale Giveaway Drawing.

Just imagine the great story you'll be able to tell your friends if you win!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 10-21-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

You don't always have to finish what you start. Sometimes just the act of beginning something is all that's required, and the rest will come later. I didn't grow up with that message, so I've had to teach myself that lesson along the way.

When I'm writing, sometimes the lines come pouring out of me, and I can't get them down fast enough. But then the intense fanfare abruptly comes to an end. That's it. That's all I've got for the moment. The column's not finished, but apparently that's all I feel the need to say--for now. And so I put it aside.

Setting things aside will probably always be a little unsettling for me. If I start something and don't finish it within the illusory timetable I've set for myself, I feel like I'm being lazy. "There's no good reason why you shouldn't finish that right now, Suzanne." It's a voice from my past and I hear it each and every time.

But I'm beginning to understand that sometimes things need time to "noodle," as my friend puts it. Who knows, maybe the part that I need to wrap things up is on backorder, and it will be a couple of weeks before it shows up. But whatever the reason, the timing just isn't right today.

Learning how to set things aside requires me to trust myself. Do I trust myself enough to know that I'll finish it when the timing's right. Or on second thought, maybe the real creative genius is in what's left unfinished. Norman Rockwell started his painting, The Dugout in 1948, but he never finished it. It sold--unfinished--for $345,000 dollars.

Let's see, how many unfinished columns do I have sitting around? Where's my calculator?

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

SEARCHING FOR YOUR NEXT BIG THRILL? Win copies and read about this month's new thrillers from: Dave Zeltserman, Joshua Corin, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Warren Hammond, Ward Larsen, Stacy Dittrich, Karen Dionne, Alex Kava, S.L. Linnea, Jeremy Robinson, Kim Paffenroth, Raymond Benson, John Thompson, Eric Stone, Heather Graham, C.S. Graham, Francois Bloemhof, Ann Cleeves, Gregory Lamberson and Kathryn Lilley. Visit the October issue of the Big Thrill now! Go to: http://www.thrillerwriters.org

Dear Reader Column 10-20-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

They lived in Wisconsin most of the year, but spent the winter months in Florida. Every winter-warm Florida afternoon around three o'clock, my mom and her husband, Ron, would pull into my driveway, open up the back of their van and holler for me to come out and see their new "stuff." I don't think the two of them had ever stopped at one single garage sale when they were in Wisconsin, but when the snowbirds landed in Florida, they became garage sale junkies.

Every morning Ron would buy a copy of the local newspaper, circle the garage sale ads, and make a map based on "location" and then they'd hit the road--my mother, Ron and their dog, Brandy. And every afternoon, the garage sale trio would return with more "stuff." It wasn't that they needed any more "stuff"--the fun was the "story" behind the stuff.

"See that cooler," Ron said, "we were looking around at a sale in Venice and when the lady asked me if I saw anything I was interested in, I spotted this cooler sitting way back in her garage. It didn't look like it was with the garage sale items, so I asked if it was for sale."

At first the woman said no, but then she seemed to get caught up in her own buying and selling atmosphere, "What would you give me for it?"

Five bucks was Ron's offer.

"Sold! And it's even filled with my husband's beer," the woman was smiling, "You can take that along with you, too."

What a deal. Ron was beaming as he was showing me the blue cooler filled with ice and beer. He didn't really need a cooler, or the beer, but it wasn't the cooler or the beer that Ron was buying, it was the story. And Ron must have told four slightly different versions of the "cooler" story, before my mother and he left my house later that evening.

My mother isn't with us any longer, but in honor of the "love of his life" Ron still keeps the yearly bookclub/garage sale tradition going. Last year he found a very bizarre bottle, this year like a kid-in-a-candy shop, he couldn't decide on only one thing, so he sent seven garage sale treasures.

"There's someone for everyone," and there must be "someones" out there for this year's garage sale stuff, too! This week I'm looking for loving homes for Ron's latest garage sale finds.

Take a look, you'll find a photo at: http://tinyurl.com/4k772d If you fall in love with something and you're willing to give it a good home, send an email, tell me why and you'll be entered in the Garage Sale Giveaway Drawing.

Just imagine the great story you'll be able to tell your friends if you win!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Sherry Jones, The Jewel of Medina; Jonathan Javitt, Capitol Reflections; John Ryder, Ph.D., Positive Directions--Shifting Polarities to Escape Stress and Increase Happiness; Michelle Moran, The Heretic Queen: A Novel; and Kate Betterton, Where the Lake Becomes the River. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader