Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 12-15-09

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Dear Reader,

There's a white fainting couch sitting in my living room. It was a mistake. My husband and I realize that now, but at the time, when we were answering the ad: "Fainting couch, priced to sell--today!" We felt like adventurers in search of an eclectic looking piece of furniture.

The address was a short drive away, and when we rang the front doorbell, instantly the garage door opened instead. A beanpole man and a muscular man--I mean muscles popping out all over the place--walked out of the garage. My husband jokingly commented, "Hey, did you know when you ring your doorbell it opens the garage door?"

But beanpole man breezed right past the joke, and sternly announced he had security cameras. "I don't trust anyone, I was kidnapped once." (A very strange greeting; too strange for me to pursue.)

The fainting couch was on display in the garage. "We're entertainers; illusionists, and we're moving to Las Vegas because we're going to be opening a show."

How intriguing, so of course I wanted to hear more. The muscle man, a very personable guy, said he used to be a trapeze artist. His family is circus folks. He grew up performing, flying high in the air, but when he injured a muscle in his arm, he had to leave the circus. Being in the "business" he'd had the opportunity to be introduced, and become friends with Siegfried and Roy, which I assumed had helped the two of them network their way into a show in Vegas.

The couch looked good, my husband gave me a nod, and I announced, "We'll take it. Can one of you help me carry it over to the trailer on the back of our car? My husband isn't supposed to lift something this heavy."

"That will cost you $25.00 more." Typical garage sale humor, I chuckled, but beanpole man's face looked unfriendly, no smile there, and no gesture on his part to lend a hand either.

"Well, how about if I give you a thank you and a smile?" I replied.

"I'm an entertainer, I see smiles all the time."

"Okay, how about if you pick up that end of the sofa, I'll pick up this end, then you can feel important, and we'll be on our way?" (I didn't actually say any of that, it's just one of the various thoughts that went through my mind.)

As we were loading the sofa on the trailer, other furniture buyers pulled up, so away we went. We'd driven almost a mile, when my husband started laughing hysterically. "Suzanne, I just realized we didn't pay those guys! The money is still in my front pocket. Now, that's some kind of illusion!"

But as we were turning the car around, I told my husband, "This is hilarious, but beanpole man isn't going to appreciate the ironic humor. In fact, I predict he'll probably be rude."

Unfortunately I could tell by the look on my husband's face as he was walking back to our car, that beanpole man hadn't found anything humorous about our "illusion." No "thank you," just a mumble that he had our phone number on his caller ID, so he would have tracked us down.

My husband looked a little sad, but I quickly reminded him, "It is funny and we don't have to let someone steal our joy." And we didn't--but we do have a fainting couch sitting in our living room. Yes, it was a mistake in judgment, but at least it turned out to be a humorous adventure, a fun story we'll be able to share with our friends.

In the meantime, "White Fainting Couch, priced to sell, and I'll help you load it in your car, with a smile--for free!"

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

* Find recipes for the holidays: http://tinyurl.com/yuf6aq

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

SEARCHING FOR YOUR NEXT BIG THRILL? Read the "Between the Lines" feature interview with Sandra Brown then read about great thrillers from: Vincent Zandri, Stephen Coonts, Gina Robinson, Bob Doerr, Al Roker & Dick Lochte, Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid, Patrick Woodrow, Linda O. Johnston, Richard Doetsch and Heather Graham. Go to: http://www.thrillerwriters.org

 

Dear Reader Column 12-07-09

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,

Once I buy a gift for someone I can't wait to give it to them. So if I shop early, then the folks on my Christmas list receive their presents in the mail two days after Thanksgiving (if the post office does its job). I'm worse than a little kid when it comes to giving gifts, because I can't wait to hear if someone loved what I picked out for them. But in my defense, I put a lot of thought into what might bring a little-kid-smile to each person on my list, and I have fun shopping with that picture in mind. So when I find the "perfect" gift, the anticipation has built over days of searching and the concept of storing the present until the big day--I can't bear the thought.

So this year, in an attempt to follow gift-giving protocol, I came up with an idea inspired by the "Twelve Days of Christmas." My version: Twelve Days of Christmas Gift Hints. (Same melody as the original tune, but with a new twist.) My plan was to email a gift hint to each of my friends on the twelve days before Christmas. Not only would it be fun, it would satisfy my need to give their gifts early.

But things don't always go like I plan. Did you know that in the "Twelve Days of Christmas," they don't start giving those maids a-milking and geese a-laying until December 25th? Which means those 12 drummers drumming don't show up until January 6th? Who knew? It was news to me and certainly put a real wrench in my idea.

So next year I'm doing what I should have done years ago--hand the problem off to someone else. If I find a great gift for Aunt Alice at the big 4th of July sale, I'm wrapping it up in last year's holiday paper, and sending it to her early--way early. But I'm also pasting a "Do Not Open Until December 25th" sticker in plain view--so now it's her problem, not mine!

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 four that deserve your attention: Nina Bruhns, If Looks Could Chill; Dora Machado, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone; Laura Childs, Eggs Benedict Arnold; and Lisa Tucker, The Promised World. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 11-19-09

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,

Every few weeks my friend Linda and I do some bench sitting on St. Armand's Circle and then we do a little browsing in the shops. Last week when we were browsing, I couldn't resist buying a Tickle Monster Kit; a copy of the of the children's book Tickle Monster and big, blue, furry mitts with convenient holes for your fingers to slide through--so you're ready to tickle! The children's story is about a loveable monster with big puffy mitts who's just flown in from Planet Tickle. His mission is to bring joy and laughter to planet Earth. But the book's not just for children. "So, Suzanne, how about reading Tickle Monster out loud right now?" Linda asked as we were driving home.

Linda's request is one of the reasons I love her so much. Uninhibited, by who might be staring, or how grown women over 50 should be behaving, as the two of us bench sit and drink our coffee, we're also blowing bubbles, feeding the birds and having discussions that would rival any seasoned philosophy professor's lecture.

Read the book? Of course I couldn't refuse--what fun! I started out a little reserved, but soon I was reading aloud with as much enthusiasm as if I were reading to my grandchildren. Tickle, tickle, tickle, in my voice, we were laughing like two young girls, but unfortunately I couldn't use the big furry tickle mitts because Linda was driving.

But I did put on the big furry tickle mitts when I read the book to my grandson Paul. And then Paul put on the mitts and read the book to Grandma (in his own special 3-year-old way) and of course I was properly tickled!

It's a delightful book. I highly recommend it and so does Paul. To see photos and a slideshow of a grandson reading to Grandma--his facial expressions are priceless! Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yzyopw7

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: Barbara Pope, Cezanne's Quarry; Graham Garrison, Hero's Tribute; Shannon Van Roekel, Desert Fire; Jean Davies Okimoto, The Love Ceiling; and Tim Downs, Ends of the Earth. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader And check out KidsBuzz too! http://authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz/

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Under The Sea-Wind by Rachel Carson. To comment on the book and get some holiday recipes from Suzanne, go to: http://tinyurl.com/NovClassics

Dear Reader Column 11-09-09

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,

About every six years my husband and I buy tickets for a concert. Why only every six years? Because by the time I get around to actually purchasing tickets, the only seats left are the ones obstructed by a steel support beam in the second to the last row of the theatre. But when I saw an ad for an upcoming Jewel concert, (three months in advance) I stopped what I was doing and immediately bought seats online. Center seats, in aisle 13, not too close, not too far away. My husband and I were thrilled when the usher seated us.

Jewel is an amazing artist. Simply singing while playing guitar and telling a few personal stories in-between songs--her performance was outstanding! But the crowd was disgusting. By the time my husband and I got home later that evening, we felt like we'd been in an automobile accident or some other disaster.

Normally the theatre's bar is open before the performance and at intermission, but no food or drinks are allowed inside the concert hall. But for this performance, management allowed drinking and even posted a sign, encouraging people to bring their drinks in with them. One of Jewel's first stories was about how she started singing with her father in bars when she was in the fourth grade. And she added, "Singing in bars with my father is the reason I don't drink." But that didn't stop the people sitting around us from drinking--a lot.

A fight almost broke out two rows ahead of us, the man sitting next to me was totally wasted, yet he kept drinking and talking through the entire performance. The man sitting on the other side of my husband had also definitely crossed over the social drinking line. Drunks in stereo, competing with Jewel.

An announcement before the concert started reminded, "No flash or recordings" but there must have been at least twenty cell phones around us constantly flashing bright lights, beeping, and recording. And then after the concert, when my husband and I were walking out to the lobby, a man in front of us (who'd obviously had too much to drink) started yelling that someone had elbowed him. I thought the drunk was going to throw a punch. What an insane evening.

And then I'd forgotten about the bright lights before a show. Usually I bring my dark glasses because bright lights can give me a migraine headache. So when the house lights were up, I had to hold my program over my head to shield my eyes. I don't drink, but I looked like one of the drunks. So it will probably be another six years or more, before we try a concert again. We were both so very glad to get back home. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home."

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Steven Arterburn and Nancy Rue, Healing Sands; Charles Brokaw, The Atlantis Code; Jennie Shortridge, When She Flew; Anthony Flacco, The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders; Susan May Warren, The Great Christmas Bowl. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 11-05-09

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,

Anxious, anxious, when I'm feeling anxious, I pinch my ears. I've been seeing an acupuncturist lately to help calm my anxiety level. I seem to be the perfect acupuncturist patient--ping, ping, immediately after the needles are inserted a warm and fuzzy current flows through my body. Thirty minutes later when the doctor returns to remove the pins, she has to wake me up because I'm sleeping.
Anxiety put to rest.

But I can't lie on the acupuncturist's table 24/7 until my body learns how to monitor my anxiety level on its own. That's why there's acupuncture "to go!" Stick it in your ear--literally. Five little silver balls, covered with flesh colored tape, placed in each of my ears so if I'm feeling anxious, I pinch my ears and instantly I get a dose of calm. With my long hair hanging down over my ears, only my acupuncturist knows for sure!

But maybe I should've explained to the people around me at the supermarket the other day. Shoppers were staring at me, and rightfully so, because I did look a little weird pushing my cart with one hand and pinching my ears with the other. Grocery shopping used to be a pleasurable, anxiety-free stroll. Walking up and down the aisles visualizing the wonderful dinner I'd cook when I got home, but not anymore.

Now shopping is work. Comparing prices and ounces. You'd think the big economy size of pork n' beans would be the best deal, but it's not. Two smaller cans give you more and cost less. Then there's the hassle of forgetting what I came to the store to buy. The list of ingredients for my Hot n' Sour soup is still at home on the counter, right where I left it. (The cell phone salesperson was right, I should have bought the phone that connects to the Internet, then I could just log on and look up the recipe. But then again, I'd be paying three times more a month for my phone service and wouldn't that cancel out any savings from comparison price shopping?)

Anxious, anxious, I'll talk to you tomorrow, I need to start pinching my ears!

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 four that deserve your attention: Debbie Macomber, One Simple Act--Discovering the Power of Generosity; Nicole Seitz, Saving Cicadas; Richard Zwolinski, LMHC, CASAC, Therapy Revolution; and Helen Benedict, The Edge of Eden. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
And check out KidsBuzz too! http://authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz/

Dear Reader Column 10-12-09

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,

Author M.J. Rose had a great idea a few years ago, "Suzanne, you should give yourself a vacation every year and ask friends to fill in for you. Treat yourself to an annual vacation"...and from that ingenious idea the "Write a Dear Reader Contest" was born.

M.J. Rose is a good friend and a great writer. Send her an email and she'll reply, and she's giving away copies of her books. You can reach her at: MJRnewsletter@aol.com --Suzanne Beecher

From author M.J. Rose...

Instead of writing about reading books, I'm going to write about reading emails. And writing emails.

I've had wonderful friends my whole life. We'd have lunch, go shopping, see movies together, stay on the phone for hours and talk each other in and out of life's highs and lows. But then e-mail happened.

At first it seemed an even better way to keep in touch. Snippets of communication several times a day. Cheaper than the phone. Home, in bed, on my laptop, I could get work done. At work, I could e-mail friends or loved ones. Totally wonderful.

Except it isn't always, as this email exchange shows.

My e-mail kiss-off

From: RuthM To: MJRose Subject: Not having heard from you for three weeks Date: Sat, April 3, 2:34 PM

I haven't heard from you for three weeks and am saddened to know you have chosen to let go of our friendship. I had no idea you thought so little of me that you would treat me this way.--Ruth

From: MJRose To: RuthM RE: Subject: Not having heard from you for three weeks Date: Sat, April 3, 3:34 PM

I've been busy, traveling, crazy with nerves waiting to hear from my editor. Besides three weeks is not that long as far as my thinking goes. I don't know why you'd just jump to the conclusion that I have let go of our friendship nor did I realize you were clocking us.--MJ

From: RuthM To: MJRose RE:RE: Subject:Not having heard from you for three weeks Date: Sun, April 4, 9:04 AM

Obviously we just have a different view of friendship. I guess I like friends to be friends, not casual in and out acquaintances. So now we know. I wish you only the best but we can't be friends. Good luck with your new novel.--Ruth

The problem is, as a species, we're new at this e-mail thing. We've been learning how to communicate with each other face to face for millions of years and still can't get that right. E-mailing? We've only been at it five, ten, fifteen years at the most. We're not experts at it yet.

I hadn't ever thought about it before but when we rely on e-mail for important communications we miss out on a lot of what makes communication work. We don't get the cues in e-mail that we get looking at someone. We don't see eyes fill with tears, mouths break into grins, and frowns appear on foreheads.

In the mess of the e-mails that cost Ruth and I our friendship, what I didn't know was that her in-laws were getting divorced and that her husband--stressed over it--was taking it out on her. And what she didn't know was that a member of my family was in the hospital.

Had she told me that straight out, I'd have been more sympathetic. Had we spoken on the phone, I might have heard the worry in her voice. If we'd seen each other, she might have seen the circles under my eyes and asked what was wrong. But we missed all those clues.

The e-mail experience itself messes with our boundaries. Love letters, inter office messages, recipes from great Aunt Ida, and spam offering you very cheap vitamins or worse--they all come into the same box. And it's so easy to answer them all quickly and without taking the time to regroup, switch moods, and change our tone between responding to a relative and responding to a colleague.

Enamored with the ease and efficiency of the medium, we forget that not everything should be written down and sent off via the Internet. Some conversations need to be had in person or if that's not possible over the phone.

Once upon a time when the Internet was only a sci-fi writer's dream, communication in person or via letter was all we had. It's tempting to think that the only difference between e-mail and a letter is the way it gets delivered. But there are other, bigger differences.

So now I try to remember to think before I write and reread my message before sending and when I get an email that strikes me wrong I try not to jump to conclusions.

Feel free to tell me about your email issues--just email me at MJRnewsletter@aol.com. I promise to read your email slowly and write you back carefully. And the three best emailers will get a copy of one of my novels.

Thanks for reading with me--and Suzanne.

M.J. Rose
MJRnewsletter@aol.com
www.mjrose.com

M.J. Rose is the author of The Reincarnationist and The Memorist.

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Marilyn Brant, According to Jane; Stuart Neville, The Ghosts of Belfast; Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, LD, CDN, CPT, Lyssie Lakatos, RD, CDN, CFT, The Secret to Skinny: How Salt Makes You Fat and the 4-Week Plan to Drop a Size & Get Healthier with Simple Low-Sodium Swaps; Dora Machado, Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone; and Kat Martin, The Christmas Clock. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 09-23-09

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,

Flat Stanley is visiting me again this year. (In fact he's taking a nap in my guest room at this very moment.) Hailey, a student in Ms. Anderson's second grade class at North Liberty Elementary School sent Flat Stanley to live with my husband and me for two weeks. Our assignment is to take Hailey's Flat Stanley paper doll with us wherever we go. Unfortunately, Flat Stanley's first few days in Florida were spent in an envelope because my husband and I were in New York City when he arrived.

If you've never been introduced to Flat Stanley, he's the main character in Jeff Brown's book Flat Stanley. Stanley Lambchop becomes as flat as a piece of paper when his bulletin board falls on him in the middle of the night. But just as in our every day lives, if you look real hard--even in the midst of something bad--like being smished by a bulletin board, something good comes from it. The good news is when you're flat as a piece of paper, you can travel First Class to anywhere in the country for only 44 cents!

Flat Stanley is an annual project for Ms. Anderson's second grade class. Last year Abigail sent Flat Stanley to me and I must admit I became emotionally involved. At the end of Flat Stanley's, visit when it was time to mail him back to Abigail, I was truly sad to see him go.

So this year when Ms. Anderson asked if I wanted to participate in the project again I said yes. But surprisingly, I admit, my heart wasn't in the "yes" like it was the first time around. My life felt extremely busy at the time, even a little out of control, so I guess I said yes more out of guilt than desire. Because an excited second grader would be sending her Flat Stanley out into the world and anxiously waiting for a reply, 'Come on Suzanne--you can certainly do your part.' So I welcomed Flat Stanley, but still not exactly with open arms, until this past Saturday.

My husband and I got up early to go to the Farmer's Market. We'd walked about two blocks when I made the comment that I really should have brought Flat Stanley along. So we dutifully turned around, walked back home and invited Flat Stanley to join us.

Walking to the Farmer's Market and holding Flat Stanley in my left hand so he could get some fresh air (he'd been in that envelope for too many days while we were in New York City) something magical happened. Suddenly I felt a responsibility for someone. I had agreed to show Flat Stanley a good time, so that's what I started doing. Looking for photo opportunities, Flat Stanley pushed the Walk button so we could cross the busy street, Flat Stanley went wading in the fountain, he sampled a Wisconsin cheese curd for the very first time, and he loved the brightly colored cut flowers at the market, so I brought some home for him. Of course it's child's play, of course it's make believe, but suddenly Flat Stanley wasn't just a paper doll, colored with crayons by a second grader. Suddenly Flat Stanley was making me smile and I was having fun. Ah, the wonder of make-believe!

To see some Flat Stanley photos, go to: http://tinyurl.com/nxkfv6

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: New authors, longtime favorites, all wonderful children's and teen books to enjoy (and possibly win): Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains; Amy Hest, Little Chick; Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith; and G. Neri, Surf Mules. Go to: http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

* This month's Penguin Classics book is The Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley. To comment on the book and enter the Penguin Classics Drawing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/SeptClassics

Dear Reader Column 08-31-09

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,

Telling a story is easy when you're sitting across from a friend, "You won't believe the funny thing that happened to my Aunt Nellie last weekend." But sometimes when you sit down to write that same story--suddenly facing a blank computer screen makes it feel frightening and the words get all jumbled up.

Today's column is made up of notes I wrote to myself on a day when I was thinking, 'Suzanne, you'll never be able to write again.' I'm sharing this glimpse of a writer's bad day, in case you haven't entered this year's "Write a Dear Reader Contest." Perhaps you haven't entered yet because you're experiencing writer's block, or maybe you're just plain scared to even try? But don't worry. If that's what you've been feeling your fears are completely normal, and after you finish reading "Notes from a bad writing day," you'll be inspired to begin. Because even though I write for a living there are days when that blank computer screen frightens the bejeebers out of me, too.

Notes from a bad writing day...

Can't seem to write anything. I start writing, running with an idea and then I fall off the cliff. Can't remember what I intended to do with it. Maybe it just sounded better when I first thought of it, like the dress that looked so cute on the hanger, but when I tried it on, what a mess!

Usually when I sort through things I recognize the difficult part I'm facing, but I always face that part, that's nothing new. I wade through the hard part of writing, but today I can't find my way. I want to write, want to feel the high of being in the groove, but it's just not anywhere that I can grab a hold of it.

There isn't any other option but to continue on until something becomes clear to me. I have a daily column that's due, so unless I want to post a sign, "Writer Temporarily Out to Lunch" or "Writer Temporarily Lost her Mind" I'm going to have to churn out a column. I used to tell myself if I sit in the chair long enough "IT" will come. And IT always does show up eventually, but right now my Mojo isn't within reach.

What do you do when IT won't come to you? Well if IT isn't going to come to me, then maybe I'm going to have to go looking for it. Maybe it's hiding out down by the water, I could walk down there and take a look. Maybe it's hiding out in my cookbook? Instead of "Where's Waldo?" Where's Suzanne's IT that allows her to write? Perhaps I'd find IT in the fingertips of a massage therapist, or shopping for shoes?

Those notes (and I confess, a new pair of shoes) helped me find my missing Mojo. So if you've been having problems getting started on your Write a Dear Reader Story, you've now been given permission to get a massage or buy some new shoes. What a deal! But don't forget about the actual writing part--because there's only 13 days left to send your entry and I'm looking forward to reading your story.

To see the prizes, read last year's winning entries and to get the details about the "Write a Dear Reader Contest," go to: http://tinyurl.com/55n995

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: John Shors, Dragon House; Michelle Moran, The Heretic Queen: A Novel; Jane Velez-Mitchell, iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life; James R. Benn, Evil for Evil; Maureen Lang, Look to the East. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 08-25-09

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,

The world seems to be speeding up, but I want to slow down. In fact, currently, slowing down is at the top of my daily "to-do" list. I actually write it down in the number one spot every morning. I can keep up with the best of them, and in the past I have, but I've decided that I enjoy life more and my body seems to function better at a slower speed.

Slowing down is actually more difficult than speeding up. Folks who manage to find joy and success in the slow lane should get a gold star, or a plaque to hang on their wall. Not only is it a challenge to move at a slower pace, there's always "somebody" who gets tense when I do.

For instance, yesterday when my husband and I were driving back home from the nursery, we couldn't go over 25 miles per hour. We were pulling a trailer behind our car filled with plants for my garden, and if we drove any faster the wind would have shredded the leaves. My husband commented, "This is what it must have been like riding somewhere in a Model T." Then he sat back and enjoyed the scenery, pulling over every now-and-then as a courtesy when a string of cars formed behind us.

But then "somebody" got tense and ruined the moment. It would be much less humiliating to report that the "somebody" who got tense about us moving so slowly were the folks behind us. But I must confess, that the scenario of angry motorists grumbling about how slow we were moving--it was all in my mind--an imaginary tale because I'm still learning the art of slowing down.

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? Read the "Between the Lines" feature interview with Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child then read about great thrillers from: Teresa Burrell, Liz Jensen, Carla Neggers, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Thomas Sawyer, Sophie Littlefield, Tim Maleeny, Bob Mayer and Brent Ghelfi. Go to: http://www.thrillerwriters.org

Dear Reader Column 08-19-09

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,

Yesterday's Mac distress column brought numerous cheerleading emails from readers assuring me that after a few miserable days, I'd fall in love with my new Apple laptop. Frustration with a new computer sounds like one of life's minor problems, and to be sure it is, but when your job is writing and suddenly technical stuff takes priority over creativity, it's very unsettling.

A few readers, like Deb Mann, were curious about why I decided to make the switch from a PC to an Apple in the first place. Initially switching wasn't the plan. My old HP laptop had been good to me, but I'd been limping along with numerous problems for months. The list of repairs was too long, so I decided it was time to go shopping for a new PC.

The feel of a laptop's keyboard is one of the main criteria in my buying decision, so I visited four different stores and typed on every laptop. Since I'm 5' 2" most of the displays were too high for me to reach, so I'd borrow a stepstool from another department in the store, climb up a couple of steps and start typing. I finally settled on a small laptop that I loved but when I took a closer look, there was a pattern of concentric circles on the cover and near the keyboard. I tried to ignore those circles, but now that I knew they were there, I hated them!

"It's only a design," my son was trying to convince me to buy the computer, because he'd just purchased the same model. But how a machine makes me feel is important, and since I'd be using it every day, I just couldn't get past those ugly circles.

Obviously people buy this machine, so somebody out there must like these circles. I figured it must be a generational thing, the manufacturer must be marketing to a younger demographic. But then I noticed that my son had left the manufacturers' plastic stickers overtop of the circle pattern on his own computer. "Oh, so they're just circles? But apparently you can't stand looking at them either." And then the next day, when I was testing more keyboards in an office supply store, I noticed a mother and daughter looking at the same laptop and I heard the daughter comment, "I don't want to buy that computer, I can't stand those circles." So just who 'is' the manufacturer marketing to? Because I'm 55, my son is 30 and the young woman in the store was 21 and we all hate those circles!

So Deb, that's the long answer to your question. The short answer is, ugly circles drove me to try an Apple computer. And even though I've been moaning the past couple of days about my decision, I must admit, I'm starting to love my Apple.

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

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

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