Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 05-25-12

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,

It's bug, slug, snake and other creepy crawler week. Be sure to enter this week's Rattlesnake Egg giveaway: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/snake052212.html

I couldn't see clearly because I didn't have my glasses on and it was in the middle of the night. But I was pretty sure that big, blotchy, mass running up the wall next to my bed wasn't there when I went to sleep.

Lights on! Yell at husband. (He's in charge of things that scurry in the night.) Pull covers over my head in case that thing goes airborne.

Yes, we have an exterminator. But every now and then a critter gets through the outside bug barrier. This roach--a really big roach--obviously maneuvered his way around it. He was bold all right. He knew we'd seen him; he could have retreated, but he chose to stay put and defend his wall. OK, this was war!

My husband's weapon of choice was a rolled up newspaper, but I quickly reminded him that squishing the enemy on the wall would make for a messy cleanup job, possibly even touch-up painting. I suggested the vacuum cleaner instead. And after a fleeting chase, the vacuum did indeed suck that roach right up through the hose.

Now safe and secure, I thought I'd drift right off to sleep, but I didn't. Did you ever watch the Mighty Mouse cartoon show when you were a kid? I did, and for some reason the image of Mighty Mouse with his chest puffed out, flexing the muscles in his arms was suddenly crystal clear in my mind. Now all I could think about was, 'What if that roach spends all night in that vacuum cleaner bag, munching on yesterday's toast crumbs, and in the morning he crawls down the vacuum hose and emerges as Mighty Roach?'

Lights on--again. Yell at husband--again. You hold the vacuum cleaner hose upright, Dear. I'll get the duct tape.

To enter the Rattlesnake Egg giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/snake052212.html

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

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is FOOLS CROW by James Welch. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/May12Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: THE PROTECTORS (YA Fiction) by Steven Shreridan

A space saga which takes us on a journey through the eyes of John Gordon, a 17 year old who, on the way back home from school, is abducted by an alien race. Totally disoriented, John finds out that he has been drafted as a soldier into an interstellar war that has been raging for centuries to which he holds the power to end.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE PROTECTORS to read more and to email author Steven Shreridan, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-17-12

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,

Tax day, this year, it was a no-brainer for me. Because I decided that since I freely open up and write about every little thing in my life, that every little thing in my life should be a tax write-off, even my underwear. (Remember the column I did about my Day-of-the-Week underwear when I was a kid?) Bags and bags of receipts marked 'Suzanne's Life in 2011' are neatly bundled up and stored in my closet, in case the taxman decides to visit and challenge my business write-offs.

Other writers do it, why not me? Travel authors book a flight to France, stay in a suite at the Ritz, order room service and visit the spa. I ask you, does a full body massage really feel different in France than it does in Detroit? Yet it's a research-for-their-book tax write-off. So since this girl writes about her life, my entire life is a write-off (but only in tax terminology). Hair curlers, heating pads, shoes, toilet paper, flowers and trees, that cute little black dress hanging in my closet, cats, bubble machines, the carpet I had installed in my family room, my new bathtub faucet--column number 1657, heck, even my husband should be a business write-off. Because frequently I write about my dear husband too; column number 557 when he was up at 3 a.m. filling hot water bottles for the stray cats we take care of because we were experiencing freezing temperatures here in Florida, and then there was column number 843, when my husband got a No U-Turn ticket and was reenacting the scene (incorrectly, I might add) on my kitchen counter when I needed to make my morning coffee.

It all sounds logical to me, but when I gave my tax return that one last look-see, just to make sure I didn't make any mistakes, before I filed it electronically--there may be a couple of items I might have forgotten to write about (strike-that). Let's just say, I might need to refresh your memory in case I need you to testify for me. You clearly remember the column about my new big flat screen TV and how nicely it fits on my fireplace mantle, don't you? And I'm sure, if an IRS agent questioned you, you'd also vividly recall reading about the hot tub I installed on my back patio, right?

One final note: if you happen to work for the IRS, my husband wants to assure you that we're not really married, and he'll be filing his taxes separately this year!

*Congratulations to the winners of THE EARTH MOVED by last week's guest columnist, Amy Stewart: Carol Custer, Linda Slusher, Chris Kline, Sheila Walman and Flo Kropilak.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: THE IGUANA TREE (Fiction) by Michel Stone

What would you risk if you believed your perfect existence lay just beyond the river? Would anything hold you back? What would you do if you were twenty years old, you loved your baby and your spouse in a way that caused your heart to ache, and you believed if you could just get your family across that line, none of you would ever want again?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE IGUANA TREE to find out more about the book and the author, Michel Stone. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 11-08-11

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 own three hot water bottles, most people don't even own one. That theory isn't based on any scientific study, but rather on a comment the minister made one Sunday morning from the pulpit. He was telling a story about his grandmother and when he mentioned Grandma's hot water bottle, he paused and reflected, "Who would even know what to do with a hot water bottle?"

People were laughing but I almost raised my hand. "Pick me, pick me. Not only do I own a collection of three hot water bottles, but I have compelling hot water bottle stories that would make everyone sitting in the pews want to buy one, too!"

I remember my very first purchase. I was packing for my second business trip to New York City. It was the middle of winter and memories of freezing my toes on my last visit, were still vivid in my mind. So I bought a hot water bottle and neatly rolled it up in my suitcase. Later that evening in my hotel room, after trudging through icy cold, slush filled streets all day long, I filled my red rubber bottle up with steaming hot water, and my toes stayed toasty warm all night long. Now I never leave home for an overnight stay without one.

Hot water bottles get a bad rap. Yes, I admit they're "only-a-mother-could-love-ugly," and the institutional colors red and gray, don't entice people to buy. But a hot water bottle is one of those practical, work-horse sort of products. When you need one, nothing else will do. Sprains, pains, freezing toes, too much gardening, cozy up to a hot water bottle and I'm good as new.

Even Mama and Papa, the stray outdoor cats my husband and I take care of, could provide marketing testimonials for the therapeutic benefits of hot water bottles. Four times last winter when the temperatures were "burr" freezing cold overnight here in Florida, my husband hopped out of bed at 3 a.m. to refresh the hot water bottles tucked away in the make-shift houses he'd made for Mama and Papa. "Mew, mew...we love our hot water bottles!"

But I'm an honest marketer, so I'll have to share that the only downside of a hot water bottle, I've personally experienced, is waking in the middle of the night thinking I've wet the bed, but then being relieved to discover it's only the hot water bottle that's sprung a leak.

Enter my hot water bottle giveaway, cozy up to one of your own. To enter, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/bottle.html

* And today I'm introducing the Penguin Classic Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb. Start reading today's Penguin Classic, get a discount if you'd like to purchase the book, or check out a copy from your local library, and be sure to enter-to-win one of the famous Penguin Classic book bags. I have one and I love it. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November11Classics

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

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

Dear Reader Column 09-07-11

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's always good to hear from you. Thanks for taking the time to write. I answer all of my mail.

From my Email Bag:

"Dear Suzanne, you wanted to know how things turn out when we try your recipes. Today I made your Skunk Beans for the second time. They are delicious. But I would like to know, and so would everyone who eats them, where the name originated? It's such a curious name for such a good bean recipe."--Nancy Austin

(Suzanne replies:) My Skunk Bean recipe is one of my all-time favorites, but the story behind it didn't make my book, because I didn't discover it until after the book was published. Looking through old recipes I'd found in my mother's kitchen cupboard after she passed away, I discovered a folded, yellowed piece of paper with the heading, "Beans for Skunk Party." Instantly I was smiling, because I realized how my favorite beans got their name.

Almost every other Sunday evening the Tindell clan (including my dad, his four sisters, and Grandma and Grandpa Tindell) got together to play some serious Euchre. The kitchen in Grandma Tindell's house was so tiny, when the table was pulled open to seat everyone you had to hold your breath to walk around it. But that didn't matter, get out the blue and red chips, which represented pennies--it wasn't about the money--it was all about winning the game and could you "skunk" your opponents in the process.

Euchre isn't a complicated game, but until you've played awhile, the table talk can sound like a foreign language. "Fishing out, dead-set legend, the ribbit, farm hand or no ace/no face, follow suit, trump, and skunked--which means you and your partner lost the game without scoring one single point. Rumor has it that in some Euchre circles the partners that gets skunked, also get a "bum run." (If you and your partner get skunked you must run about a predetermined route--naked!)

I was just a kid, who sat in the living room watching The Wonderful World of Disney--alone, because none of my dad's sisters brought their children along. There was a wall between the kitchen and me, so as far as I know no one ever did a bum run, but I do remember my mother frequently taking Skunk Beans to the Sunday evening Euchre party.

So as it goes with life, out of something bad (constantly losing in Euchre) came something good--tasty Skunk Beans.

*To view my favorite recipes and recipes readers have submitted, go to: http://tinyurl.com/SuzanneRecipes

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: LOVE ADDICT, by Ethlie Ann Vare

If you've ever curled up on the floor in a fetal position, staring at a phone and willing it to ring...felt your heart leap into your throat because you saw HIS car drive down the street, or gone out of your way to drive past HER house...it's what therapists call love addiction and I call affection deficit disorder. That's the bad news. The good news is, we can recover, and we can even laugh at ourselves along the way.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader, click on LOVE ADDICT to read more. Author Ethlie Ann Vare would love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 08-29-11

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,

Flicking through television channels the other night, I bumped into a program on the educational station about Benjamin Franklin. It was inspiring to watch, and when it was over I decided that from now on, I'd like to spend more time learning new things.

I'm not suggesting I don't ever learn anything new, but somehow I've strayed away from allowing myself to spend time on things "just because." When I consider learning something new--something that demands a chunk of my time--I feel the need to justify it. How will this new thing further my career, or make me a better person? If it doesn't pass the test, I feel guilty about wasting time on such "nonsense" and I dismiss the idea.

But when I look back, it's the nonsensical times I've spent entertaining new ideas, with no particular goal in mind, that continue to bring me the most joy. Cutting squares and sewing them together; I didn't have a plan when I started, but I ended up with some beautiful, cherished quilts. Writing my thoughts down every day in a journal, led to a daily column, and my daily column led to writing a book, and now I've begun a second one. Turning on a bubble machine, just because, led to an entire neighborhood, including walkers, joggers and moms strolling with their children, all looking forward to walking past the "bubble lady's" house so they can play in the bubbles. When I turned on a bubble machine, that little bit of nonsense, inspired Patty Sullivan (whom I've never met) to send me a card. "Thanks for the bubbles, they make me smile every time I go through them!"

Quilts, a published book, bubbles floating through the air, and thank you cards from strangers, yes, I like how this nonsense learning approach is making me feel.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Laura Griffin, today's featured author, 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.

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

Dear Reader Column 07-28-11

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,

Once a week I'm answering questions about writing. Whether you'd like to publish a book, or if you're just writing for fun--go ahead--ask away! I'm looking forward to reading your question and publishing a reply in my column. Submit your questions to: Suzanne@Emailbookclub.com

"Dear Suzanne, I have the stories in my head, and can act them out in my mind, but I don't know how to do the dialogue between the characters, without going crazy with quote marks, when I go to write it all down. Do you have to put everything in quotes when two characters are talking, or is there another way to present the story?" -- Dorie

(Suzanne replies:) Reading your question reminded me of my "first time"--the first time I had to write dialogue and use quote marks. I'd just finished interviews for a magazine article I was working on, and when I started typing my notes, suddenly it dawned on me that I didn't know how to use quotation marks. What to do?

Most of my solutions to problems involve using common sense and I admire other people who use the same no-frills approach. For instance, NASA spent bundles of time and money developing a pen that would write upside down in space. The Russians sent their crew up with pencils. My kind of problem-solving.

Since my article was due the next day, I needed an immediate solution to my problem. So I decided to take a bubble bath and read through a Time magazine, carefully noting the various placement of quotation marks in sentences.

It worked. My final draft was barely touched by the editor's pen. And yes, you can "quote" me on that.

It's a cute story and it's true. But I realize that writing dialogue is tricky. A reader shouldn't be thinking about the "he said, she said" when they're reading. The conversation needs to flow naturally. There are books and classes, but my suggestion is to use one of your favorite books as a learning tool. You've read it once for enjoyment, now go back and study it for style and quotation marks. I do that with old sitcoms, like Frasier. The first-time through is for enjoyment and laughs, the second time around, I'm studying the setup of the jokes and admiring how talented the writer was.

Practice writing conversations between characters, then read your work aloud. Listen to the flow. If you stumble, so will the reader. But not to worry, I'm sure you can do it, and you can "quote" me on that, too!

Don't forget to enter this year's Write a Dear Reader Contest. It's simply writing for fun, and you could win an Amazon Kindle, $50 gift cards to your favorite bookstore, and the winning entries will be published in my Dear Reader column and at BookTrib. For all the details, goto: http://tinyurl.com/WADR2011

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: An invitation to meet authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus every author this week is giving away free autographed books. Click on the link below and say hello to this week's authors.

THE GRIEF OF OTHERS by Leah Hager Cohen

THICK AS THIEVES by Peter Spiegelman

COMMUNE OF WOMEN by Suzan Still

LOT'S RETURN TO SODOM by Sandra Brannan

KILLING KATE by Julie Kramer

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

* To read more about LOT'S RETURN TO SODOM, and to enter this author's signed book giveaway, click on the link below, then click on LOT'S RETURN TO SODOM.

Sandra Brannan, today's featured author, writes...

Liv Bergen returns home to the Black Hills of South Dakota to prove her brother's innocence--even when she herself becomes prey for those with murder on their minds. Things get a little gritty in this inside look at motorcycle gangs and their connection with the Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

To read more about LOT'S RETURN TO SODOM goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CELESTINA by Fernando De Rojas. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/July11Classics

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 06-28-11

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,

I'm on vacation today. Book club reader and author Carolyn Haines has kindly offered to fill in for me. Carolyn's column reminds me, "There's no place like home." Which is why my husband and I decided this year when our grandchildren, Seth and Bailey, came to visit, we would vacation in our own Sarasota, Florida backyard. Boating, fishing, lounging on the beach at Siesta Key, and of course baking chocolate chip cookies.

Thank you Carolyn for filling in for me. Carolyn would love to hear from you and she answers all of her mail. Her email address is at the end of her column.--Suzanne Beecher

Today's Guest Column by author Carolyn Haines...

Over the years, I've really enjoyed this column, and now I find myself "guest blogging." Because I love books and writing, this is a fun opportunity. I engage with readers all the time, and I also teach fiction writing at a university. This summer, I've spent a bit of time thinking--and talking with readers--about the difference between plot and story.

I teach my students that plot is what happens next in a book. These are the action (or in some cases emotional) moments that move a book forward. For instance, in THE WIZARD OF OZ, Dorothy gets caught in a tornado; crashes her house in Munchkinland and kills a witch; gets the ruby slippers; sets out to find a wizard, meets the scarecrow, tin man, and lion; escapes injury from Wicked Witch; is sent by the wizard to get a broomstick; melts the witch; escapes with broomstick; discovers the wizard is a fake; learns she can go back home by clicking her heels.

These are plot points (some are turning points) that happen in a logical way that brings drama to the story. Without action of some kind, a story becomes stagnant. But truly, this is a story about a young girl who learns the value of home and how powerful she truly is within herself.

Great books marry plot and story. Plot makes a reader turn the page, but story lassos the heart. I watched THE WIZARD OF OZ every fall with my family and the children who lived next door. It was a tradition that went on for years. Each October, when the movie was shown on TV, we gathered at my house.

My mother made pimento cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate as we all sat mesmerized on the floor of the den, spellbound by the terrifying apple trees that hurled apples at Dorothy. When the flying monkeys appeared, I would hide behind my mother, and there would be a massive shift in the room as all the children drew closer to us.

When Dorothy gets out of the hot air balloon basket to grab Toto (I always had bad dogs, too!) I felt sickening dread for her as the balloon takes off without her. Dorothy longs to go home, and she has lost her chance. She has risked so much to get back to Kansas, and now she is left behind.

Plot hooks us, but story captures our hearts.

When Glinda reappears and tells Dorothy she's always had the ability to go home, to simply click her heels--there's such power in that moment. All of the trials that Dorothy has suffered are validated in the emotion of her victory.

I watch this movie annually, even now. Of course I know what's going to happen. I know the plot. I watch because I love the story, the emotional impact and affirmation that Dorothy (and the rest of us) can change our destiny if we try hard enough. No matter if we mess up (as Dorothy did) we can still go home and be loved and forgiven.

Story includes thematic elements, or some writers would say, the bigger picture. Both story and plot are required for a masterpiece.

Carolyn Haines

Email Carolyn and say hello. She answers all of her mail. You can reach her at: carolynhaines21@yahoo.com

About Carolyn Haines

Carolyn is the author of the Sarah Booth Delaney Mississippi mystery series. The 11th book in the series, BONES OF A FEATHER, goes on sale June 21 at all book stores. She is an animal advocate and urges everyone to spay and neuter companion pets. www.carolynhaines.com

AUTHORBUZZ:

* To read more about FIVE DAYS IN SUMMER, and to enter this author's book giveaway, click on the link below, then click on FIVE DAYS IN SUMMER.

Katia Lief, today's featured author, writes...

Have you ever wondered how it would feel if someone you loved was in danger and you were powerless to help him? A notorious serial killer is bent on disabling Emily Parker so he can reach her son. Before returning home from a family vacation on Cape Cod, Emily makes a quick run to the grocery store--and vanishes.

To read more about FIVE DAYS IN SUMMER 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

 

Dear Reader Column 05-16-11

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,

There's unusual stuff in every room of my house and each thing tells another story about the quirky side of my personality. I think I have my grandparents to thank for this delightful personality trait.

When I was a kid Grandma and Grandpa Hale lived in a two-story house that had three bedrooms upstairs. Open a door on the first floor, climb the steep staircase, pass by a wall filled with huge ornately-framed photographs of relatives long gone, walk down the hall, turn to the left, open another door and there it was--the most interesting room in my grandparents' home. And lucky me, whenever I visited, it's the room I got to sleep in. It was a kid's dreamland, because the spare bedroom was overflowing with interesting stuff--stuff that needed a place when it wasn't being used. Grandma never had to tell me a bedtime story after she tucked me in, because all I had to do was look around the room and every single thing I saw told me a story.

The set of plaid suitcases over there in the corner, my grandparents and I used those suitcases when we went to visit Aunt Inez. Aunt Inez was my favorite aunt, she never forgot my birthday, even when I was 25. See those stacks of stained berry boxes? Grandma's back yard was filled with red and purple berry bushes and even gooseberries. Word got around and almost every day there was a steady stream of berry customers stopping by. Helping Grandma Hale pick raspberries, strawberries and grapes was one of my favorite things to do in the summer. And over there, that's Grandpa's brown rattan fishing basket. He'd sling it over his shoulder whenever we went fishing together, and we'd use that same basket in the fall to collect walnuts in the woods.

Grandma and Grandpa grew popcorn, too. Once a year the entire bedroom floor--the guest bedroom I slept in--would be covered with rows and rows of popcorn cobs drying on top of newspapers, which was pretty entertaining for a kid, except at night when I tip-toed barefoot through the popcorn to get to the bathroom.

I loved sleeping in the guest room filled with "stuff" at my grandparents' home, and those memories and stories are probably why I feel right at home with the odd and interesting stuff in my own home today.

There's a fish and fishing pole hanging from my ceiling, a wedding gown in my bathroom, a huge circus tent mallet in my living room, and more. Let me show you some of my "stuff". Go to:
http://tinyurl.com/2o7jbc

And while you're looking at my stuff, you'll discover today's giveaway. Read the story behind it and enter the random giveaway drawing. I'm looking for a good home for one of the interesting things in my house.

* 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.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@EmailBookClub.com
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Lorna Seilstad, today's featured author, writes...

When you think of summer what comes to mind? For me, it means baseball, lemonade, beaches and fun. Travel back to 1901 and meet the Bloomer Girls baseball teams. It's hard to imagine the great crowds that turned out to see the "spectacle" of women ball players.

To read more about A GREAT CATCH (Book two in the Lake Manawa Summers Series) goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

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

Dear Reader Column 04-15-11

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

Dear Reader,

I've actually been looking forward to April 15th this year. Yes, tax day for me this time around is a no-brainer. Because I've decided that since I freely open up and write about every little thing in my life, that every little thing in my life should be a tax write-off--even my underwear. Remember the column I did about Day-of-the-Week underwear?

Bags and bags of receipts marked 'Suzanne's Life in 2010' are bundled up and stored in my closet, in case the taxman decides to visit and challenge me. Travel authors book a flight to France, stay in a suite at the Ritz, order room service and visit the spa. I ask you, does a full body massage really feel different in France than it does in Detroit? Yet it's a research-for-their-book, tax write-off. So since this girl writes about her life, my entire life is a write-off (but only in tax terminology). Hair curlers, heating pads, shoes, toilet paper, flowers and trees, that cute little black dress hanging in my closet, cats, bubble machines, the carpet I had installed in my family room, my new bathtub faucet--column number 1657, heck, even my husband should be a business write-off. Frequently I write about him, too; column number 557 when he was up at 3 a.m., filling hot water bottles for the stray cats we take care of because we had freezing temperatures here in Florida, and then there was column number 843, when my husband got a No U-Turn ticket and was reenacting the scene (incorrectly, I might add) on my kitchen counter when I needed to make my morning coffee.

It all sounds logical to me, but when I gave my tax return that one last look-see, just to make sure I didn't make any mistakes, before I filed it electronically--there may be a couple of items I might have forgotten to write about, (strike-that). Let's just say, I might need to refresh your memory in case I need you to testify for me. You clearly remember the column about my new big flat screen TV and how nicely it fits on my fireplace mantle, don't you? And I'm sure, if an IRS agent questioned you, you'd also vividly recall reading about the hot tub I installed on my back patio, right?

One final note: if you happen to work for the IRS, my husband wants to assure you that we're not really married, and he'll be filing his taxes separately this year!

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

** If you're giving my book to Mom for Mother's Day or to a friend for a birthday gift, be sure to let me know. I'll send an autographed book plate, bookmark, recipe card and letter you can put inside the book. You can make your request at: www.MUFFINSANDMAYHEM.COM

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com

KIDSBUZZ: Email an author, sign up for their giveaway, and learn about great books for kids and teens from incredibly talented and compelling writers (two of them have won the prestigious Newbery Honor award!): Grace Lin, WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON; Gary Schmidt, OKAY FOR NOW; Joanne Rocklin, ONE DAY AND ONE AMAZING MORNING ON ORANGE STREET; and Parker Blue, FANG ME. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

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