Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 03-15-12

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I took my car in for some minor repairs today and they gave me a free loaner while mine is in the shop. Usually they give me a car from the local rental company. But today, the guy who sold me my car offered me something different.

"Can you drive a stick?" he asked.

"No problem." I assured him. One of my dad's requirements for getting my driver's license was that the first car I learned to drive had to be a stick. He said if I could handle shifting on a manual, then I could drive anything. He was right and I've thanked him for it many times.

When the white BMW convertible pulled up in front of me and my salesperson got out and handed me the keys, the first thing I did was tell him not to hurry with the repairs on my car.

I'd never driven a convertible before and after driving for only one hour, I quickly learned that there are definite "do's" and "don'ts" when you're driving with the top down:

DON'T park under an oak tree. When you start driving, leaves will start flying out of your car.

DON'T look up when pelicans are flying low overhead; believe me it's frightening.

DON'T try to wave to people when you're shifting into 3rd gear, or any gear, for that matter.

DO secure any paper and light objects to something. I was eating a bag of those miniature carrots and when I finished the last one, the bag went airborne. (I caught it before it whirled out the back.)

DO wear sunglasses and roll up the side windows, or you could become a human bug shield.

And finally, if you like to sing along with the CD player when you drive, like I do...DON'T...people can definitely tell that your voice isn't the radio when you're driving with the top down.

Well, that's about everything that I've learned so far. The sun is out, (remember I'm in Florida), and it's getting late in the day. They may call and say that my car is finished soon, so...come to think of it, I really should do a few errands, cruising with the top down....of course!

* Congratulations to the winners of the new perfume that Joya Studio created after reading "The Book of Lost Fragrances," M.J. Rose's terrific new book: Jan, Joan B, Aleta, Nancy, Edie, Susan, Tami, Jane, Mary Anne, Elva, Sunshin and Kenneth.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.muffinsandmayhem.com

AUTHORBUZZ: LIVING FULLY: Finding Joy in Every Breath (Nonfiction) by Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche

In LIVING FULLY I share my understanding of Buddhist teachings and practices. It is my heartfelt wish that these sacred teachings help to lead us toward a more meaningful and fulfilling life. The more we can integrate with the essential richness of our being, the more fully we can live.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on LIVING FULLY to find out more about the book and the author, Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

*Fun, free books and meet authors. Ask questions, they'll reply and read samples from their books. Visit AuthorBuzz at: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

(Fiction)
CHASING THE SUN, Land of the Lone Star series by Tracie Peterson

(Fiction)
ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART by Jane Green

(Fiction)
DAWN COMES EARLY by Margaret Brownley

(Nonfiction)
LIVING FULLY: Finding Joy in Every Breath by Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche

(Nonfiction)
WISHES FULFILLED by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE LIFE OF JOHN THOMPSON, A FUGITIVE SLAVE by John Thompson. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/March12Classics

 

 

Dear Reader Column 01-09-12

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

The questions I'm afraid to ask, are the ones I need to ask. But what if they say "no"? What if they're upset? I'm afraid to ask because I'm afraid of the answer. Don't want to have to deal with the negativity. Don't know if I can survive the problems asking the question might stir up. "Stir the pot and the soup might not be tasty," as my grandmother used to warn. But is it really easier for me to pretend that everything is okay, when I know in my heart, and the other person knows, too, that things are not?

Some folks like to ignore that "feeling in the air" and figure that in time, things will work themselves out. And it's true, sometimes that approach works. But for me, when I let things stew in their own juices, in the midst of the stewing process I lose part of myself. When I'm afraid to speak up because I'm worried I might not be able to deal with the outcome, then I'm living in fear. And that's no good. It changes who I am. It steals the joy; sucks it right out of my heart and my life.

The questions I'm afraid to ask, are the ones I need to ask. Because as Joe Purdy reminds me in the song, "Good Days, It ain't the dark I'm afraid of, it's the light."

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.muffinsandmayhem.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE CHINA GAMBIT (Thriller) by Allan Topol

In this first book of a new trilogy, Craig Page, a daring former CIA agent, learns that his daughter has been murdered while researching a story for her newspaper. In an effort to find out who killed her, Craig, joined by the good looking and resourceful Elizabeth Crowder, his daughther's editor, uncovers a plot by a rouge Chinese General Zhou and CIA Director Kirby.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader Click on THE CHINA GAMBIT to read more. Author Allan Topol would love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 12-21-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Every year I feel compelled to try to recreate the magical Christmas I experienced at my Grandma and Grandpa Hale's house. Every room in their home was decorated with Christmas delights; angels that twirled in a circle when candles were lit underneath them, squirrel figurines wearing mittens and singing Christmas carols, a Christmas cactus (that never failed to bloom every Christmas Eve), cards framing the stained glass door, a huge tree lit up the big picture window in the living room, a hand crocheted tablecloth covered the oval oak dining table, and Grandma's red and green holly dinner plates added the color. A turkey in the oven, homemade pies and candy, cut out Christmas cookies; it was like walking into the pages of a Christmas magazine.

I never thought about it when I was a kid, but looking back, I don't know how my grandmother pulled it off every December. Always on the go Grandma never looked tired, even though she worked a full-time job. So this year as I consider scaling back my Christmas decorations (because I'm still recovering from cooking for 20 on Thanksgiving), the thought makes me nervous and even a little ashamed, like I'm letting my grandmother down. If Grandma could work full time and still deliver such a memorable Christmas every year, I should be able to do the same, and I worry that if I break tradition, I might lose touch with those wonderful memories.

I felt special when I spent time with my grandparents and I want my own grandchildren to experience those feelings, too. But really, when I think about it, recreating those feelings for my grandchildren has nothing to do with angels that twirl or squirrels singing Christmas carols, making someone feel special--all it really takes is love.

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

* You'll find all of my favorite holiday recipes at: http://tinyurl.com/SuzanneRecipes

* Every day I'm giving away a free book to readers. It's my gift to you. Congratulations to the latest book winner, Robye Sue Parker. To enter today's drawing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DRbookaday

Warm wishes from your reading friend,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

AUTHORBUZZ: Laura Griffin, today's featured author of SNAPPED (Fiction), writes...

Life can change in an instant. My mother's did the day she was walking down the street, and the woman beside her was hit by a sniper's bullet.

People often ask where I get my ideas. In my new romantic suspense novel, SNAPPED, the inspiration was personal. The story opens on a college campus where the heroine, Sophie Barrett, is caught up in a deadly shooting. As details emerge, she realizes this wasn't the random act it appeared to be.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader Click on SNAPPED to read more. I would love to hear from you.--Laura Griffin

Dear Reader Column 12-12-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I'm a no-nonsense kind of person. I like to get right to the point and so does Judy Bridges, author of Shut Up & Write! I love the title of her book and it's great advice for aspiring writers. Talk, talk, talk, stop talking about your dream of writing a book and Shut Up & Write! instead.

Judy's book is a humorous, no-nonsense guide to finding your voice and getting your thoughts down on paper. She's a caring soul, who founded Redbird Studio writing center in 1993, where she offers writing workshops, and she also leads writing retreats at The Clearing in Door County, Wisconsin.

Judy is today's Guest Columnist. Take it away, Judy . . .

The Written Gift

"Snow, snow. Beautiful snow."

My mother stands at the window, smiling out at the flaky stuff. I am four years old and already I've acquired the habit from her. Our sing-song voices share the joy, and it's years before I give it any thought.

This small moment in my life got bigger a few years ago, when Mom died and I was going through her papers. I'd given her a three ring binder to make notes of things she remembered or would want me to know. The pages were filled with penciled memories of pressing her brothers' pants for a penny, of dressing up in her big sister's flapper clothes, and helping out the fancy lady who lived next door. And on one page, an entry about her dad standing at the window, singing, "Snow, snow. Beautiful snow."

Until I read that, I didn't know our snow love was a generational thing. If I got it from my mother, and she got it from her dad, did he get it from his mother or dad? And did they get it from their parents? For how many generations have my ancestors been welcoming snow?

On other pages, Mom remembered sharing bowls of potato soup during the Depression, getting a job at the shoe factory, going to dances with her friends, and marching with the Gray Ladies on the Fourth of July. She told about the good looking guy who bought her a wedding dress, how he celebrated when I was born, and what it was like when he left. In her written memories, I found my younger mother, the one I was too little to understand.

It would not have been easy for my mother to write her memories. She was an avid reader, but having to quit school at thirteen left her self-conscious about her grammar and spelling. Words like 'ridiculous' turned into 'redicalus', and 'arthritis' into 'arthuritis.' On top of that, her hands weakened in those last days so that it was hard for her to hold a pencil. And yet she filled page after page with things she wanted me to know.

I think of Mom when I get tired of writing, when the words won't come and my fingers ache. I worry about grammar, vividness, point of view, accuracy, and grace, when I should be taking a tip from her and just getting the words on paper. I should write what I think, say what I want to say and fix it later--or not. Absolutely no one is going to die if the only thing I write today is a really awful first draft.

The heart of writing, the only thing that really matters, is that we communicate. For some things--a published work, for instance, we need to polish to perfection. But for the written gift, the messages written for children and spouses and friends, all we need is ourselves--our imperfect, word-scrambling, ordinary selves remembering a man looking out a window on a winter morning, singing, "Snow, snow. Beautiful snow!"

Judy Bridges

*Judy would love to hear from you. She answers all of her mail and she is giving away 5 copies of her book Shut Up & Write!. Email her at: jb@redbirdstudio.com

AUTHORBUZZ: (Fiction) THE ANGEL MAKERS by Jessica Gregson

When the men of a remote Hungarian village go off to war in 1916, the women left behind realize their lives are much better without them. Suddenly they are not being beaten; they have time for friendships; they even find romance with the injured Italian soldiers staying just outside of town. When the men return, the freedom the women have enjoyed is suddenly snatched away, and they realize they need to do whatever it takes to hold onto it.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader Click on THE ANGEL MAKERS to read more. Author Jessica Gregson would love to hear from you.

 

Dear Reader Column 10-28-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

It was a rockin' rolling, baking, chasing, coffee drinking night at my house last evening. The partying started some time after 8:30 p.m. (I went to bed early with a headache), the noise woke me up at 12:30 a.m., and at three o'clock I was wide awake in the kitchen, pouring myself a freshly brewed cup of coffee and mixing up a batch of my Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins. I didn't get to go back to sleep until 5 a.m. Thank heavens I had that four hour cat nap before the party kicked into high gear.

Night time is party time for cats and believe me, our cats know how to party and how to entertain guests. Barry had a friend sleep overnight. Barry's our tuxedo kitten and his friend, Dayla, is our son and daughter-in-law's kitten. Put two kittens together, along with our other two cats, Abby and Billee, and it's mayhem-craziness only cat owners could imagine. Barry chasing Dayla, two kittens leaping, side-by-side from the fireplace mantle onto the skinny window ledge, then racing into the bathroom, jumping up on the vanity and tipping over the huge sunflower arrangement, crash! It falls on the floor, but amazingly only slightly chips the vase. Cats sneaking into the cupboard as I pull out the flour for my muffins, and finally two kittens strategically stalking then pouncing on the pelican figurine, sitting in the middle of my dining room table, knocking it over and proudly standing on top of it looking at me, as if to say, "Look at what great hunters we are!"

What's a party without food? Turkey with gravy, fish and shrimp bits and nuggets; as I was assembling the buffet table for four hungry party animals, I noticed another critter looking to party, too. A white-faced, teenage possum (whose parents I'm sure didn't know he was out this late), was looking-in through the back screen door, "Hey, I'm ready to party. Is there room for one more?"

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus every author/publisher this week is giving away free copies of their featured book. Learn about great books for kids and teens from Anna Celenza, DUKE ELLINGTON'S NUTCRACKER SUITE (book and CD); Chantal Grosleziat, SONGS FROM THE BAOBAB: African Lullabies & Nursery Rhymes (book and CD); and Max Lucado, HERMIE, A COMMON CATERPILLAR. For a chance to win free books, and say hello to the authors, and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

AUTHORBUZZ: Meet author Barry Eisler:

Author of THE DETACHMENT

John Rain is back! "The most charismatic assassin since James Bond" (San Francisco Chronicle) and he's up against the Oligarchy, his most formidable enemy yet. To survive, Rain is assisted by his partner Dox (a former Marine sniper), Ben Treven (a covert operator with conflicted loyalties), and Larison (a man with a hair-trigger temper and a secret he'll kill to protect.)

Sample author Barry Eisler's book and say hello to him. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader and click on THE DETACHMENT.

Dear Reader Column 09-15-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Today, Elisabeth Lee, one of the three runner-up winners in this year's Write a Dear Reader contest, is filling in for me. Just like her whimsical column, Elisabeth was both delightfully amusing and interesting, when I called to find out more about her. Back and forth, our conversation was entertaining and enlightening--at least for me, because Elisabeth enjoys Bollywood dancing and has written a book about Pre-Raphaelites, and I'd never heard of either one.

A native of New York ("My parents moved when I was 11 years old, so I had to pack up and move, too."), Elisabeth loves to travel and will be going back to Peru soon. She speaks Swedish, rents a plot in a community garden, growing vegetable and flowers, and she's been reading at the book clubs since 2001, but this is the first time she entered the writing contest, and I'm so glad she did.

Enjoy her column!

--Suzanne Beecher

Neighbors

Neighbors are one of those unknown variables in life. They are unpredictable like the weather and as incomprehensible as the universe. Some are quiet and unremarkable, some loud and obnoxious, and then there are the standout, unforgettable ones. I've lived in my building long enough to have experienced them all.

At 9:30 p.m. the man downstairs goes out to the carport to put his hand on his car. When he returns he will open and close his front door four times before he is satisfied and can retire for the evening. The couple next door has taken their dog for his nightly walk. When they return, their dog will lunge at the door to the apartment across the landing--wherein lives another dog--and scratch, and claw, and bark until the hapless door mat goes flying down the stairwell.

At 3 a.m., Aquaman, in the apartment directly underneath me, will turn on the water in his tub for fifteen minutes or so. I dared to ask him one day why he did this. His reply was because of the bacteria. I refrained from asking anymore questions, but having found an opening with me, he will occasionally follow me to the laundry room and tell me his life story. He is not expecting a reply, as he says he was told to talk more to people, but strangely not to converse with them. His narratives vary: some are amusing, some are sad, and some are just incredible. I nod and smile until he is finished and contented and goes away.

Monitor Man watches the comings and goings of everyone in the buildings. His sharp eye caught a married woman having an affair and a burglar stealing a flat-screen television. The Brady Bunch tried to squeeze four people, two dogs, and a cat into a one room apartment. Piano Girl played the piano and sang off-key operettas to the consternation of her immediate neighbors until she unintentionally set fire to her kitchen. The Frat Boy has parties in his little studio till the wee hours. I've caught glimpses of Monitor Man rushing across the lawn to join in the fun.

I chuckle, sigh, and ponder the state of humanity, but it is apparent that living so close together has put all of our private idiosyncrasies on show. I am suddenly struck by the fact that I don't know what my neighbors are saying about me. Have they nicknamed me Recycle Woman, as I habitually sort errant items from the bins, or the Lady Who Always Checks the Tire Pressure on Her Car? It's a disconcerting thought, and humbling. Luckily, none of my neighbors have been abusive, frightening, or threatening (except, perhaps, the married woman, who had a few choice words for Monitor Man). We're all just oddly different.

It's 9:30 p.m. again and I hear a tread on the stairs heading for the carport. The couple is returning with their dog. As I listen to the scratching and barking I know the man in the carport has put his hand gently on the trunk of the car and is heading back. I think tonight I'll hurry and move the doormat from the stairs so he doesn't have to.

AUTHORBUZZ: Email this week's authors for a chance to win free books, meet a Gypsy author and enter to win one of five free 'love' tarot card readings over e-mail! Click on the link below.

EVERYONE BUT YOU by Sandra Novack

UNDER THE DOG STAR by Sandra Parshall

THE RONIN'S MISTRESS by Laura Joh Rowland

DEADLY PURSUIT, GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE by Irene Hannon

LOVE AT ABSOLUTE ZERO by Christopher Meeks

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE REAL STORY OF AH-Q AND OTHER TALES OF CHINA by Lu Xun. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/September11Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: DEADLY PURSUIT, GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE by Irene Hannon

When a stalker with deadly intent puts Children's Service Worker Alison Taylor in his sights, her police-detective brother and his ex-Navy-SEAL partner make her safety their top priority.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader Click on DEADLY PURSUIT, GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE to read more. Author Irene Hannon would love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 08-18-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com



Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I've started working on my second book, so I've moved into my bedroom closet. It's a roomy little number; plenty of space for a wooden card table, laptop, my petite red swivel chair, and my Bose music docking station. I listen to music when I write--very loud music--except when I'm doing rewrites.

Writing in my walk-in closet, it's not the strangest place where I've found inspiration. Sometimes I write in the bathroom. I live in a historical home and my bathroom is quite nice: a claw-footed bathtub, a wedding dress, a curious toilet that first-timers have a difficult time figuring out how to flush, an antique wash basin, and a big inviting white tile floor with a fluffy white throw rug to sit on. The bathroom is where you'll find me writing when I'm having trouble getting in the groove. "You can do it, Suzanne!" (Isn't that everyone's bathroom cheer at one time or another?) But when I got serious about starting another book, my walk-in closet seemed to be "calling," promising inspiration, and so I moved in.

My closet hasn't let me down, but I did have to do a little housekeeping on the second day of writing, because I couldn't concentrate. The skirts and dresses displayed on antique racks, it felt like they were surrounding me with a big, warm and fuzzy hug. But the fifty-two pairs of shoes displayed in racks on my wall, they were causing the stink--well, two pair to be exact. My favorites, the ones I reach for almost every day.

The saying goes, you never really know someone until you've walked in their shoes. I guess you never really know your shoes until you've shared a closet with them.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.muffinsandmayhem.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Meet authors, send them an email and they'll reply. And enter-to-win one of the Thierry Mugler's Angel perfume line products, and signed books. Click on the link below to meet this week's authors.

HARD WHISPERS by Pamela Martin & Carl Henegan

THE BREATH OF GOD by Jeffrey Small

THE WHOLE PACKAGE by Cynthia Ellingsen

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 08-17-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs
and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com

Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win:
Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

One day each week I'm answering questions about writing. I won't be able to send everyone a personal reply, but you may see your question answered in my column. Many of you emailed with a great idea, "Suzanne, can you put all of the writing questions and answers on a web page?"

Yes, indeed! Below is the link to a webpage that includes all of the questions and answers so far, and I'll update it every week.

The writing question and answer webpage is at:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/writer-questions.html

When you submit your question to: Suzanne@DearReader.com I'll enter your name in this week's drawing for a cute writing journal.

Today's question and reply:

"Dear Suzanne, I am writing a novel (hopefully my first trilogy) and am having a writers block. How do you overcome this?"--Laryssa

(Suzanne replies:) When the writing isn't flowing and I've convinced myself, "I can't write today," since I write a daily column "not" writing isn't an option for me. But the discipline and experience of writing every day, for the past 13 years, gives me the confidence that if I keep my fingers moving over the keyboard, even if I'm typing junk, eventually a column will appear.

So my first suggestion would be to make sure you write every day, even if it's only for 15 minutes. Your body's a quick study. When you sit down in front of your computer and put your fingers on the keys, your mind knows what it's supposed to do, because it's been in training every single day. "Hey, this feels familiar, Laryssa's ready to write, so I better do my part."

Listening to loud music is relaxing and makes me forget that writing is hard work. But loud music doesn't work for everyone. My friend, author Blaize Clement, couldn't understand how I could possibly get any work done while listening to Christopher Cross, or the Indigo Girls, because she had to have complete silence when she was writing.

Take a walk, do some gardening, sit in a coffee house and people watch--sometimes a change of scenery helps. But my all-time, never fail, way to jump start my writing is to answer a simple question. Because if I can trick myself into thinking I'm not really writing, then I can write. Sometimes I answer a friend's email, "How's it been going lately?" When I'm writing a reply, my brain thinks I'm simply answering a question, not "really" writing. And when I'm finished, I can't explain it, but my brain never catches on to the ruse, and my writing is flowing again.

Or sometimes I simply ask myself the question, "What is it that I'm trying to write about today?" and in the process of answering the question, I get back in the writing groove.

I hope this helps. Let me know if any of my tricks work for you.

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

Happy Writing,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@EmailBookClub.com
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Cynthia Ellingsen, today's featured author, writes...

When life doesn't go according to plan, three best friends put their heads together and come up with an ingenious idea. Jackie, Doris and Cheryl open The Whole Package, the world's first restaurant staffed exclusively by scantily clad men.

To read more about The Whole Package goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 07-05-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com



Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I am on vacation today with Seth and Bailey, my two teenage grandchildren from Wisconsin. They only get to visit for 10 days once a year, so I wanted to spend every minute with them. Author Beth Kephart has graciously offered to fill in for me today. Welcome Beth, send her an email. She answers all of her mail and she is giving away six books. Her email is after today's guest column. Thanks Beth.--Suzanne Beecher

Today's Guest Column...

I wish you could meet them. I wish you could come to know them as I have come to know them--through words and over time. When I was asked six years ago if I would consider writing novels for young adults, I didn't know precisely whom I'd be writing for. I thought of the young writers who had gathered with me in a garden to write villanelles, short stories, cartoon strips. I remembered myself as a young, word-hungry teen. But I didn't imagine just how graced I would be by the young women and, occasionally, young men who have reached out to me following the publication of my novels about teens on the brink of finding themselves, or reckoning with loss, or searching for a reason to keep living.

Younger readers are just like the rest of us. They read to understand. They read to know beyond themselves. They read with an explicit hunger for adventure, wisdom, surprise, escape. Younger readers are in the midst of deciding who they might be, what risks they might take, what is worth loving, and what can finally be forsaken. It is a profound privilege to write books that young people might read, but it is an even greater privilege to come to know them--to be the recipient of the poems they write, the photographs they take, the comments they post on my Facebook page and blog, the videos they film in their dorm rooms with friends. "I heart you," they say, and I heart them right back.

"This is where I am," young readers write to tell me. "This is where I'm going." And I follow their stories, from middle school to high school, through the college application process, and on through college. In between they send me treasures from their travels or songs they like to sing. They offer a tour of their own college campuses to my niece. They send me course descriptions or beginnings of papers. They send me, as I have said, those poems. And oh, I love their poems.

There are too many broken things in this world. The earth shatters. A tree falls. The rain refuses to come, or it comes in a drowning hurry. Young people are our bedrock; they are our future. I marvel at them, and I learn from them. I wait for their next crazy colorful "I am here," and I wonder what in the world I did to deserve it. It is a marvelous thing, I think, that here at Dear Reader, a special room has been crafted for these very special people. I'm honored and delighted to share that space with you today.

Beth Kephart

Beth would love to hear from you. She is giving away 6 of her books, and she answers all of her mail. Contact her at: kephartblog@comcast.net

ABOUT Beth Kephart...

Beth is an award-winning author of a dozen books, including the young adult novels Undercover, House of Dance, Nothing but Ghosts, The Heart Is Not a Size, and Dangerous Neighbors. You Are My Only, a young adult novel about a terrible kidnapping and its consequences, is due out in October 2011. Beth blogs about the reading and writing life at http://beth-kephart.blogspot.com/

Enter Beth's Six Book Giveaway! You could win a copy of one of these wonderful books: Dangerous Neighbors, The Heart Is Not a Size, Nothing but Ghosts, House, Undercover, or a galley copy of the upcoming release, You Are My Only. For a chance to win, email Beth at kephartblog@comcast.net

AUTHORBUZZ:

* To read more about SUNSET BRIDGE, and to enter this author's signed book and Key lime cookies giveaway, click on the link below, then click on SUNSET BRIDGE.

Emilie Richards, today's featured author, writes...

Former socialite Tracy Deloche has nothing to her name but five ramshackle beach cottages on Florida's Gulf Coast and the unlikely friendships she's formed with her tenants. Now, just as she's adjusting to her changed circumstances, she discovers she's pregnant, but the man in her life hasn't mentioned love or commitment.

To read more about SUNSET BRIDGE goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 05-20-11

 Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com



Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

I'd love to meet you in person. I'll be blowing bubbles, sharing some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies and reading from my book, Muffins and Mayhem at Bookstore 1 Sarasota. Can you make it? I hope it's a date...See you at
6 p.m., on May 24th.

Dear Reader,

It's giveaway week at the book clubs. Congratulations to Trish Loucks, the winner of Monday's Bowl of Balls Giveaway. There's an interesting story behind the Bowl of Balls that have been sitting on my dining room table. If you missed Monday's column, you'll find it at: http://tinyurl.com/3trc8nx

Congratulations to Tuesday's winner, bubble machine tester, Carolyn Weatherly, branch manager at the Clute Library in Texas, and a personal friend of the man who invented the bubble machine for "The Lawrence Welk Show."

"Dear Suzanne, My experience with bubbles goes back to when I lived in Gardena, California in the late fifties. Our next door neighbor, Mr. Angelotti, was an incredible inventor. His Christmas yard displays were huge, like a huge rocket with a life-size Santa and all the toys. The displays were always animated, and so incredible to a little girl whose nose was usually firmly in a book, reading about amazing things.

Mr. Angelotti's other claim to fame was that he had invented the bubble machine for 'The Lawrence Welk Show'--my mother's favorite show on our black and white console TV.

As a librarian in a small Texas library, I am fortunate to do a little of everything. I love to do our children's programs and my Bubble Storytime is a favorite. I have a secret bubble recipe that I share with all of the families. (Secret ingredient = Glycerin--but, I'm not good at keeping secrets.) I also have an experimental team--my grandsons Sebastian, almost 6, and Enzo age 4.

I would love to try out the bubble machine both at the library, and at home. I would enjoy taking the pictures and would give you a full report of our bubble blowout, bubble bash, and beautiful bubbles as we go bubble berserk. I believe we can breeze through a batch of boundless, bouncing bubbles with the bubble machine."--Carolyn

Did you enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway yet? Wednesday's Dear Reader Column tells you all about it. I'm ready to bake, are you ready to dunk and munch on chocolate chip cookies? If you're a winner, all you need to do is promise to send a photo. It's as simple as that. You can still enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway and see past winner photos, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookies051711.html

And finally today's fun giveaway. A big, yellow, smiley face spatula. Originally I purchased it for the kids cooking classes I'll be teaching this summer. But I think the spatula has an even more important job to do in this life, and my husband and I experienced it first-hand.

It was a gloomy day in Sarasota, Florida. My husband and I were both working hard, but everything was a struggle. It's rare for us to "bark" at each other, but for some unknown reason, tension and grumpy energy filled the room, until I picked up the yellow, smiley spatula. I held it up in front of my face, walked into my husband's office, stood in front of his desk and said, "Hello, I'm happy Suzanne." We both started laughing and instantly our moods changed. A big, yellow smiley faced spatula--one of life's simple little pleasures and today I'm passing it on to a lucky reader. To enter today's drawing and to see a photo, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/contest-051911.html

* I'd love to meet you in person. I'll be blowing bubbles, sharing some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies and reading from my book, Muffins and Mayhem at Bookstore 1 Sarasota (941-365-7900). Can you make it? I hope it's a date...See you at 6 p.m., on May 24th.

Have a delightful weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

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

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is IOLA LEROY by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/May11Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader