Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 05-24-12

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 at the book clubs. Be sure to enter this week's Rattlesnake Eggs Giveaway. No, I'm not sending you real rattlesnake eggs, but if you're one of the winners, you will have the time of your life when you share them with your friends and family. My grandson, Paul is proof of that. Paul took a printed picture of the snakes, from the sign-up page of the giveaway, and a package of rattlesnake eggs to school to show his teacher. First he showed her the picture of the big, long, snake hanging down from the tree in their backyard, then he handed her the package of rattlesnake eggs, and told her to look inside. When his teacher opened the package, instantly she heard a loud and quick rattling sound, which caused her to start screaming--rattling and screaming and spoofing your teacher, it was a child's delight.

So, don't be afraid to enter, you'll have a lot of fun with your rattlesnake eggs. (A key to catching someone off guard and hearing a squeal, is to show them a picture of a snake first, then have them open the package of rattlesnake eggs.) Have fun!

To enter this week's Rattlesnake Egg giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/snake052212.html

Love is in the air--literally.

Nineteen years ago, when my husband and I moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Sarasota, Florida, bugs were one of my biggest concerns. I envisioned creepy crawlers that had grown to B-movie proportions, "The Killer-Bugs that ate Sarasota."

But other than an alligator taking a dip in my neighbor's swimming pool, lizards scurrying back and forth across the sidewalk, and occasional black snakes (which are harmless), the two most annoying natives are invisible biting flies--appropriately called no-see-ums--and love bugs.

Twice a year it's mating season for love bugs. Thousands of females emerge from their larvae looking for an acceptable male suitor and when they find one, they latch on to each other in mid-air, but instead of rolling over and going to sleep afterwards, the two lovers fall to the ground in the heat of passion. Frequently they fall into the path of a moving vehicle. Splat, splat. (What a price to pay for love.)

My windshield, everybody else's windshield and sometimes the entire front-end of every single car in Sarasota is covered with a sticky adhesive-like love bug mess. Superglue should be so strong. And the worst part is, if the aftermath doesn't get cleaned off immediately, the love bug leftovers will eat right through the paint on your car.

Yes, at this very moment love is in the air, hanging in the trees, attached to storefront windows, on my car, and inside of my car (because even love bugs appreciate a little backseat romance).

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
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

AUTHORBUZZ: WHAT HAPPENED IN GRANITE CREEK (Fiction) by Robyn Bradley

When a married woman with three children falls in love with a quadruple amputee injured in Iraq, nothing is ever the same for her or her family again. A journey of unexpected twists that reminds us, nothing is ever what it seems.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on WHAT HAPPENED IN GRANITE CREEK to find out more about the book and the author, Robyn Bradley. 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)
INTO THIS WORLD by Sybil Baker

(Fiction)
LOVE IS MURDER edited by Sandra Brown

BUZZ BOOKS by Michael Cader

(Fiction)
WHAT HAPPENED IN GRANITE CREEK by Robyn Bradley

(YA Fiction)
THE PROTECTORS by Steven Shreridan

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

* 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

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 05-23-12

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,

Suzanne's on holiday today. 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

Geckos run rampant in Florida (where I live), but that's okay because they're kind of cute. Well, maybe they have a face only a mother could love, but they eat bugs. So I'd be happy to make up the guest room for them, if it weren't for my cat Abby. She's a hunter, who loves to chase geckos and do things to them. By the time I spot a gecko in the house, it's still alive, but minus a tail. (Not to worry, their tails grow back.) I can understand Abby's attraction for geckos, because they're constantly on the move.

When my husband and I first moved to Florida, from (gecko-less) Wisconsin, it was a bit scary seeing lizards scurrying back and forth on the sidewalk, especially when I was out for an early morning walk. But then one morning when I reached for a shirt in my closet, and a gecko (who I've since named Fred) was sitting on top of the hanger, smiling back at me--it was love at first sight. So that's why now I do whatever I can to look after geckos, but sometimes I get a little carried away.

My husband and I had only driven a few feet to the first stop light in our neighborhood, and while we were waiting for the light to turn green, I noticed a gecko on the windshield--hanging on for dear life! The poor guy must have been sun bathing, fell asleep and didn't hear us start the engine. But now, wide awake and petrified, two people were staring at him through the windshield, noisy traffic surrounded him on all sides, and I imagined him screaming, "Yikes! How did I get here and how can I get off of this car?"

My husband's first thought was to turn on the wipers, so they'd push the gecko off. I pointed out that our new friend might get squished, or whisked off into on-coming traffic, so no solution there. But we needed to come up with an idea quickly, because any minute the light would turn green and I doubted if our gecko could hang on even if we drove slowly. I've never been fond of this particular traffic light, because it has to be the longest light in the entire city of Sarasota. But today, I was thankful. Because it gave us time to open the sunroof, then I stood up, leaned over and yelled, "Jump off the windshield and over to the grassy part of the curb--and hurry!" He was one smart gecko, because he did exactly what I told him to do.

Whew! What an adventure, our gecko friend was safe and secure, the light turned green and my husband and I continued on down the road. But then I got to thinking, (which isn't always a good thing for me to do). Even though the gecko was safely on the ground, maybe he was too far from home. Could he find his way back? Would his family come looking for him?

"Maybe we should turn around, dear?"

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
http://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: BUZZ BOOKS by Michael Cader

Start reading some of the fall's biggest books--from top authors and bestsellers including Junot Díaz, Mark Helprin, Rhoda Janzen, Barbara Kingsolver, Dennis Lehane and J.R. Moehringer--and discover the first novels from Shani Boianjiu, Peter Heller, M.L. Stedman, Amanda Coplin, Kevin Powers, Scott Hutchins, John Kenney and others before they hit the market. Plus you'll enjoy samples from major young adult authors, including Jessica Khoury, Libby Bray, David Levithan, and Ned Vizzini. Download this FREE collection of exciting excerpts now.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on BUZZ BOOKS to read more.

 

Dear Reader Column 05-21-12

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,

Not only can you find a great book at the library, you might even find out how to get engaged, too. Welcome to author Melissa Fay Greene, today's guest columnist. Melissa would love to "meet" you. Be sure to drop her a line at: mfgreene1@gmail.com and she'll personally reply, and your name will be entered in a drawing for one of 5 copies of her book No Biking in the House Without a Helmet (previously featured in our NonFiction Book Club).

Take it away, Melissa...

One evening in 1978, I called home long-distance from Savannah, Georgia, to tell my mother, Roz Greene, in Dayton, Ohio, that I was planning to move to Athens, Georgia, where my boyfriend was in law school at the University of Georgia.

"Oh, sweetheart," she said wistfully. "Couldn't you get married first?"

"Married?!' I scoffed. "Mom! This is the seventies! No one gets 'married' anymore!"

"Oh," she said sadly, and then offered: "Couldn't you at least get engaged?"

This caught me so off-guard--"engagement" a concept that had eluded my consciousness completely during the consciousness-raising years--that I didn't instantly dismiss it.

"Engaged?" I asked. "Well, what does that involve?"

"I don't know!" she cried with happiness. "But I'll go to the library first thing tomorrow morning and look it up!"

This was typical of my mother, a lifelong lover of books and of libraries. She was a young mother; she'd only attended one semester of college at the University of Georgia before dropping out to get married in 1948 at 19; and she never took another class or studied another subject. But she held books and libraries in reverence. I grew up within a wonderland of children's literature, first in Macon, Georgia, where I was born; and later in Dayton, Ohio, to which we moved when I was six. My mother read to me at bedtime; and she sat on the closed toilet-lid and read to me as I splashed in the bathtub; and she read aloud to me and my brother on family trips, turning around in the passenger seat as my father drove; and when I was sick, she sat by my bed and read herself hoarse in long marathons: The Five Little Peppers, The Wind in the Willows; Winnie-the-Pooh; Peter Pan Raggedy Ann & Andy, The Velveteen Rabbit magical worlds coming to life along with the steam curling towards my ceiling from the humidifier that she plugged in whenever I was sick. My first job (urged upon me by my mother) was at the Montgomery County Public Library in Dayton; at 16, I became a "page."

"Are you still a Page?!" roared my father in high humor every night. "Are you ever going to be promoted to Chapter?!" He laughed, but my mother glowed with pride that I worked at a library.

My mother and her beloved books and libraries are, without a doubt, the reason I became a writer. She didn't live, alas, to see my greatest library moment: last spring, I was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, housed in the magnificent University of Georgia library. Now my portrait hangs in their archives beside true giants of literature like W.E.B. Du Bois, Sidney Lanier, Joel Chandler Harris, Margaret Mitchell, and Alice Walker. My mother... well, I feel tears rising to my eyes at the thought...my mother would have been proud.

Meanwhile, on the night in 1978 that she promised to go to the library the next morning to look up the art of getting engaged, I called my boyfriend, Donny Samuel, and said, "I think we might be getting engaged."

"Really?" he asked in surprise. "Wait, don't I have anything to do with it?"

"No. My mother's going to the library tomorrow to look it up."

"Okay," he said cheerily. "Just let me know."

My mother went to the library the next morning, checked out Emily Post, called me back, and Donny and I not only got engaged by phone later that same day but were married five months later. We just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. Without my mother and the Montgomery County Public Library, it might never have happened.

--Melissa Fay Greene

Melissa is an award-winning author of five books of nonfiction, from serious literary journalism about the civil rights movement and the HIV/AIDS pandemic--Praying For Sheetrock, The Temple Bombing, Last Man Out, and There Is No Me Without You to her recent hilarious and touching family memoir, No Biking In The House Without a Helmet. Melissa and her husband live in Atlanta and are the parents of nine.

Send an email to Melissa, say hello, she will personally reply, and she'll enter you in her book giveaway. Email: mfgreene1@gmail.com

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

Warmest regards,
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: INTO THIS WORLD (Fiction) by Sybil Baker

Determined to discover the truth about Mina, her adopted sister, Allison flies to Seoul, yet Mina--and Korea--are nothing like Allison imagines. Over the next three months, Allison and Mina will unearth thirty years of family secrets--and Allison will discover in Mina the sister she never embraced and in herself, the stronger woman she can be.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on INTO THIS WORLD to read more and to email author Sybil Baker, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 05-15-12

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,

The journey of a beautiful, yellow, homemade apron, that used to belong to someone else, then they gave it to me and I used it for several months, and now I've passed it on to Aida, a member of our book club, and I think some day the apron just might be passed on to her niece. How far can an apron travel?

The aprons I love wearing the most, used to belong to somebody else, and I'm hoping that "somebody" was a fantastic cook, and that some of their tasty magic was passed on with the apron.

Aida was one of the winners of my recent apron giveaway and she was kind enough to send photos. A lovely tribute to the women in her family and what aprons mean to them.

To see Aida's photos and to enter today's apron giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/Apron051512.html

(Thanks for taking the time to send a photo when you win chocolate chip cookies, a book, an apron, or any of my giveaways. I really appreciate it, and readers do, too.)

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 FOOLS CROW by James Welch. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/May12Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: EATING FREE (Nonfiction) by Manuel Villacorta

Through many years of experience I have witnessed suffering, deprivation and the demonizing of food. I hope to put an end to that with EATING FREE. I want readers to love and celebrate food. Here's a big revelation: we don't need to cut out whole categories of foods and ingredients to lose weight. You can return to foods you love and celebrate eating again--all while losing one to three pounds a week.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on EATING FREE to find out more about the book and the author, Manuel Villacorta. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

 

Dear Reader Column 04-30-12

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,

What an honor to introduce today's guest columnist, Barbara Taylor Bradford, the author of 25 bestselling novels, published in over 90 countries in 40 languages with sales figures in excess of $82 million.

Ten of her novels have been adapted into television mini-series starring actors including Sir Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, Deborah Kerr and Elizabeth Hurley. She has been inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America, and in June 2007, Barbara was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to Literature.

Barbara was born in Leeds, England, and from an early age, she was a voracious reader: at age 12, she had already read all of Dickens and the Bronte sisters. By the age of twenty, she was an editor and columnist on Fleet Street. She published her first novel, A Woman of Substance, in 1979, and it has become an enduring bestseller.

Email Barbara, welcome her to the book clubs and enter-to-win one of the 8 copies of Letter From a Stranger that she's giving away today. Send your email to: BTBReaders@aol.com

Thanks for visiting the book clubs Barbara, take it away...

I'm Never Lonely When I'm Writing A Book

When I'm out on the road promoting my latest novel, it's amazing how many people say to me sympathetically, "You must lead a very lonely life writing your books."

I always answer that it's not lonely because I have all these wonderful characters dancing around in my head, not to mention in the room. I then usually add that it's more of a solitary existence, rather than a lonely one.

But that's not exactly true. The solitary part, I mean. Because I do have a marvelous companion, who's with me all day in my office in our Manhattan apartment.

Her name is Chammi, and she's a lovely little Bichon Frise who is now fifteen years old, but looks like a puppy, with her glossy white coat, and sleek cut that I teasingly say makes her look like a white velvet sausage, and sparkling black eyes.

Actually, Chammi and I had another companion for fifteen years, Chammi's cousin Beaji, who sadly died last year. The two of them spent all those years writing my many books with me, and we both miss Beaji at times.

Chammi usually joins me around seven every morning, when I've already been in my office for an hour. She takes up her position under my large French desk, where I have my computer, telephone and yellow pads and pens for writing in hand.

Underneath the desk is a double-size handmade wooden dog bed, painted green and bearing the initials B & C, for Beaji and Chammi. I do a lot of research at this desk, make phone calls, as well as handwriting the beginning of chapters, and Chammi settles down comfortable, knowing we'll be here for a while.

As I roll to my smaller typing desk and get settled, I am swiftly joined by Chammi, who slips under the desk and relaxes on baby cot duvets, one of which is appropriately patterned with small white dogs! She dozes for as long as I am at this desk, but the moment I leave she's aware of it, and follows me devotedly.

I must confess, Chammi is the best critic I know, because she's never critical if I happen to be reading dialogue aloud to myself. No barks of disapproval, just a loving look from those big brown eyes.

There is a comforting feeling about having a pet in a room with you, especially when you're working, because the dog (or cat) is an extremely viable presence. That's why I'm never lonely or solitary when I'm writing a book. I have a sweet companion to keep me company.

Barbara Bradford Taylor

Say hello to Barbara and enter-to-win one of her books, send your email to: BTBReaders@aol.com

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: A FATAL FLEECE (Seaside Knitters Mystery #6) by Sally Goldenbaum

A discovery of a precocious skeleton in a seaside knitter's closet, the murder of an old fisherman friend, and an unexpected inheritance plunge the knitters into a simmering summer of danger.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on A FATAL FLEECE to read more and to email author Sally Goldenbaum, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-25-12

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,

I've spent the better part of the day looking for patience, but I just can't find it anywhere.

The people around me today all seem determined to do things the long, drawn out way. Even their "yeas" and "nays" are long-winded. Patience, where is patience?

'Cut to the chase,' that's what I'm thinking. She tells me something once--I get the drift--but she continues on, "Let me explain what I mean." Oh, dear. I don't think I can take it much longer. Patience, can't you hear me calling you? I really need patience.

I hate it when I feel like this. Agitated, irritated. This is so unlike me. I listen with a smile, but inside I'm thinking, 'No, oh please, no. Don't explain, I got it the first time around.'

Patience, what happened to patience?

I don't understand. It was right by my side yesterday. Did it go on vacation--get a great rate on Orbitz? Or maybe patience took a personal day? (Have fun, wish I was there.)

So what does this leave me with?

No patience.

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

* Congratulations to the winners of CLOUDLAND by last week's Guest Columnist, Joseph Olshan: Pat Groshong, Lorraine Taylor, Bonny Conway, Sandi Hooks and Teresa Sopher

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

AUTHORBUZZ: NEVER LETTING GO (Nonfiction) by Mark Anthony

My bestselling book NEVER LETTING GO is a compelling, comforting and inspiring guide for anyone coping with the death of a loved one and provides evidence for the Afterlife. As both a criminal defense lawyer and psychic medium I understand the importance of evidence both in the courtroom, and from a spirit on the Other Side. That is part of what makes NEVER LETTING GO a page turner.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on NEVER LETTING GO to read more and to email author Mark Anthony, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-20-12

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,

"You're my angel today."

It was a funny little morning the other day. At seven-thirty when I walked outside to take another look at the flowers I'd planted the day before, I noticed a car stopped in the middle of the road. One of the tires was flat--completely flat. Zoom, zoom, beep, beep, drivers in the cars behind it were losing their patience. (The road in front of my house has been overworked for almost a year now. It's part of a detour around a bridge that's being replaced.) The car with the flat tire, the windows were tinted (it's common, here in Florida to help block out the sun), but I could see a woman in the driver's seat. Tap, tap, I knocked on the passenger window and the woman rolled it down, "This road is crazy-busy, if you'd like, why don't you drive your car into my driveway. It's one door down."

The woman was concerned about moving her car because the tire was so flat, and I agreed it was a concern, but the alternative was trying to change a tire on a busy road. So after a slow, wide turn into my driveway (with a little scrapping sound from the wheel rim) at least she was safely out of traffic. I could see by the woman's name tag that she worked at the hospital, which was only five blocks from my house, an easy walk, but I offered her a ride. "You can leave your car here and deal with it on your lunch hour, or after you finish work, I don't care. It's fine to leave it here all day. My husband could give you a ride to work right now, so you won't be late."

Immediately after I made the offer, I was reminded, by a look of uneasiness on the woman's face, that these days offering a ride to a stranger is a social fax paus, and accepting a ride from a stranger is a scary, definite, "no thank you, and then you run for your life." What a shame. I grew up in a small town, population 2,000, so offering help, even to strangers, it comes natural for me. Folks never locked their car doors or their front doors. Heck, some people who live there still don't. So what could I possibly say to this woman without having her fear I was secretly a bleach-blonde psycho killer? Probably nothing. So with my husband's assistance, we settled on changing her tire for her.

I was happy to help, real glad I could be of help, but I also felt sad. I miss being able to help someone without fear coming between us. I'm not trying to hang on to the "good old days" and live a fairytale life, but I'm also not willing to stop offering to lend a hand. Because every time I step out and take a chance, I believe it chips away at some of that fear and that's what happened between the woman and me.

"You're my angel today," the woman said before she drove away.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: ALL THE DIFFERENCE (Fiction) by Kaira Rouda

Would you go to extremes to live the life of your dreams? That's the question at the heart of my new novel, ALL THE DIFFERENCE, a story about three women whose lives become entangled by the choices they make and how, ultimately, one of them turns to murder to achieve her goals.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ALL THE DIFFERENCE to read more and to email author Kaira Rouda, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-18-12

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,

Traveling in style on a giant bus, emblazoned with massive book graphics on the side, four mystery writers, John Connolly, William Kent Krueger, Liza Marklund and M.J. Rose (our own personal Mystery Bus Tour reporter) are in the midst of an 8-day Mystery Bus Tour to meet readers, stopping in 11 cities across the country to meet readers in person.

What's it like riding a bus for eight days, traveling 2,375 miles? Enjoy today's Mystery Bus Tour update, from author M.J. Rose, and you can sample her newest release, The Book of Lost Fragrances.

Take it away M.J. Rose...

What Matters?

The wheels roll round and round. And round. And round. And the ride is bumpier than I imagined and the stretches between stores give you a lot of time to think since reading and writing are more difficult than I imagined.

I'd planned to be funny and glib and witty about the tour in this column and give you sparkling anecdotes about the stores and the crowds and the (wonderful) writers I'm traveling with and the (brave and strong) booksellers we're meeting.

But instead I want to tell you about Sarah.

On Friday night we were in the B&N in I forget where already--not really--we were in Framingham outside of Boston, and we spoke to a good-sized crowd of about thirty people.

After our talk, during the signing a lovely soft-spoken woman approached. Her young daughter beside her. The woman held out a copy of my book. I took it and asked for her name so I'd know what to write in the inscription.

"It's not for me," she put her arm gently around her daughter. "It's for Sarah."

My eyebrows must have gone up a bit. I looked back at Sarah, thinking maybe I'd glanced too quickly before and she was older than I'd thought. But no, the beautiful little girl with dirty blonde bangs, creamy skin, blue yes and a heart shaped mouth was indeed very young.

"How old are you?" I asked Sarah.

"Eight," she said shyly.

I looked back at her mom. "You know there's some stuff in this book that isn't..."

She interrupted. "It's not for now. It's for when she grows up. We were here shopping for books and saw the poster that you were all here. Sarah wants to be a writer when she grows up and she thought the title of your book was beautiful and wanted to meet a real writer."

I looked back at Sarah who was nodding vehemently. I thanked her so much for liking my title. Then I asked her what books she liked we talked about how much fun reading was. Then she told me that she's taking a writing workshop and how much fun it was.

Everything about the Department of Justice lawsuit and e-book price wars and the lack of discovery and the other millions of things that are wrong with publishing faded into the background.

Sarah was so excited as she took the book from me. As she read the inscription I'd written, her eyes got wider.

Suddenly I was on her side of the table being her age falling in love with books and thinking they were some kind of magic and dreaming about one day being able to make that kind of magic. I never met a writer until I was seventeen and met Ayn Rand (Amazing first writer to meet, right?)

And I remembered how in awe I was and how gracious and kind she was when I told her I wanted to be a writer too.

The book world is living through a publishing revolution right now. But as I watched Sarah clutching my book and waving goodbye I was 100% sure of what one thing that's not changing. That's not even being questioned. Readers and writers. Writers and readers. We need each other. And I believe that one way or another we're always going to find each other and inspire each other.

And I can't wait for the day Sarah sends me a copy of her first book.

Sample M.J. Rose's new book, The Book of Lost Fragrances:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=%%list.name%%qqxqR1FE5F42F3A3&c=SUZ

Send her an email and you'll receive a personal reply: LostFragrances@gmail.com

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: IN LEAH'S WAKE (Fiction) by Terri Giuliano Long

The Tylers have a perfect life--until 16-year-old Leah falls for a high school dropout and roadie for a rock band. As Leah's parents fight to save their daughter from a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties, 12-year-old Justine is left to observe her sister's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family. Can this family survive in Leah's wake? What happens when love just isn't enough?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on IN LEAH'S WAKE to read more and to email author Terri Giuliano Long, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-13-12

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,

Digital books and fancy reading devices may be all the rage, but nothing beats the old fashioned way of personally meeting and greeting readers. Traveling in style on a giant bus, emblazoned with massive book graphics on the side, yesterday (April 12th) four mystery writers, John Connolly, William Kent Krueger, Liza Marklund and M.J. Rose began an 8-day Mystery Bus Tour to meet readers in person.

What's it like to ride a bus for eight days, traveling 2,375 miles? Author M.J. Rose is our own personal Mystery Bus Tour reporter. Enjoy today's guest column about the tour, and watch for her next Mystery Bus Tour update next week and you'll also be able to sample her new book, The Book of Lost Fragrances.

Take it away M.J. Rose...

The Secret Tale of The Mystery Bus Tour Real Fake Bag

What's authentic? What's false? Real? Fake? Questions authors struggle with all the time. But not necessarily like this.

Yesterday, April 12, Liza Marklund, John Conolly, Wiliam Kent Krueger and I set off on Atria's Mystery Bus tour. Four suspense writers traveling by bus through 12 states stopping at 12 book stores to meet booksellers and readers.

There are a lot of things to plan before you set off for a week-long bus tour that starts off in New York City and ends up in Chesterfield, MO. Stock the house with food for your husband and dog, make notes on what to talk about to entice readers to buy your book, fill lots of little bottles with shampoo and conditioner.

But what I did was go shopping for a bag.

I'm a New Yorker. I'm Jewish. I shop to celebrate. I shop to relax. I shop as a bonding experience with friends. So believe me, I have bags. I even had the perfect bag for this trip. One big enough for my laptop, my make-up, my wallet, and a book or two but not so big it would be cumbersome. A bag that doubles as a pocketbook and a tote so I could take it from the bus to the bookstore to Starbucks without any trouble.

The bag I have is a Louis Vuitton Lockit Voyage. If it were real it would retail for (gasp!) $5000. But it's not real. It's a fake that a friend of mine gave me. It cost her $130.

I'm not proud that I sometimes use a fake but it's a great bag and I love it. It doesn't look fake. In fact on a dare I once took it into the flagship Vuitton store on Fifth Avenue with a question about how to care for the material and the saleswoman thought it was real.

So if it's the perfect bag why not take it? Because it doesn't look fake. Which means if anyone notices it they might think it's real and I don't want anyone to think that I'm showing off by schlepping around the country with a bag that cost more than most people spend on their monthly mortgage.

Which is why in the days before the tour I went shopping for a real bag that cost more than the fake bag but didn't shout or scream that I'm an accessory obsessed, spendthrift writer.

Did I find another bag, dear reader?

Yes.

Did it cost more than the fake bag?

Of course. But nowhere near as much as the fake bag would cost if it were real.

The new bag has no logo or label to give away its maker or give the wrong impression. Because, to borrow a phrase from the great ad man Peter Rogers, sometimes your own initials are enough. (A phrase he created by the way to advertise Bottega Veneta who makes--what else--bags?)

Please come and check out my bag and meet me, Liza Marklund, John Connolly and William Kent Kruger. Here's the schedule: http://mjrose.com/fragrances/tour.asp for stops in NYC, Madison, CT; Framingham, MA; Brattleboro, VT; Albany, NY; Dayton, OH; Forest Park, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Madison, WI; Fairway, KS and Chesterfield, MO.

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free (signed!) copy of the featured books from Jerel Law, SPIRIT FIGHTER and Erik Daniel Shein & Dennis M. Lowery, SERPENTAURIA: ARK OF EXTINCTION. For a chance to win free copies, say hello to the authors, and more, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

AUTHORBUZZ: SHOOTING HOLLYWOOD (Fiction) by Melodie Johnson Howe

Diana Poole, after the death of her husband, returns to the only career she knows--acting. But Hollywood can be a brutal place for an actress in her early forties trying to make a comeback, especially when she discovers betrayal and murder in the world of glitz, glamour, and greed.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SHOOTING HOLLYWOOD to read more and to email author Melodie Johnson Howe, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-04-12

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 met the Easter Bunny yesterday in Red Bug Slough Preserve here in Sarasota, Florida. Not only is the Easter Bunny a professional basket and egg hider, he's an environmentalist, touting a master's degree in Environmental Science. So in case you're wondering what a slough is, the big white bunny explained it to me this way, "A slough, pronounced 'sloo,' is simply a creek that runs through a marsh."

My husband and I have decided that this particular slough with its creek, picnic tables, a wooded area with trails, a playground, and plenty of parking and brand new bathrooms, is the perfect place to celebrate Easter with our family this year. Normally a few days before Easter, I'm focused on what to serve for the holiday dinner, but this year I'm planning an elaborate egg hunt in the woods, for our two young grandsons, complete with clues on pink and green signs--"This Way! Turn Left! Go Back, You Missed Some Eggs!" My husband and I are hiding 40 eggs in groups of five, keeping track of all the eggs on a map, so we don't leave any behind. The big hunt ends with a hidden Easter basket filled with goodies.

This isn't the first time my husband and I have organized a big egg hunt. When Bailey, our granddaughter (who's now 17 years old), came to visit for Easter vacation when she was seven, instead of searching for Easter eggs in our yard, we took her on a treasure hunt. Eggs were hidden on the beach, in trees, behind statues, and Bailey and Grandpa paddled to an island to retrieve some hidden eggs, too.

My husband put together a memory book with pictures for Bailey to remember her Easter Treasure Hunt. If you'd like to see it, go to: www.dearreader.com/print/easter-2002.pdf

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: RED WEATHER (Fiction) by Janet Mcadams

Imagine being absent in your own life. Imagine how an unresolved mystery could keep you from committing to anything--a marriage, a culture, an identity. When Neva Greene was fifteen, her parents disappeared. She thought they would soon return for her, but it's been over a decade.

Discovering a long-overlooked clue to their disappearance, Neva follows their trail to Central America. As violence and unrest grow around her, Neva meets a man whose tenderness toward her seems to contradict his shadowy political connections.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on RED WEATHER to read more and to email author Janet Mcadams, you'll get a reply.