Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 06-01-12

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,

Writing inspiration comes from anywhere, can be any little thing--even an avocado. Enjoy reading today's note from book club reader, Debbie, enter the writing journal giveaway, and then try my new recipe.

From my Email Bag:

"Dear Suzanne, just a little note to say how much I'm enjoying your daily columns. I love reading with you, as well as about you. I also wanted to letcha know your advice on writing has helped me to just sit down and write randomly, each day. For instance, I had a dream about an avocado, I've never tasted one, didn't even know whether its a fruit or vegetable till I looked it up on the Internet. Since my dream I've done some research, and in my dream I was cutting one up and adding sugar. (Ha-ha) I plan to follow through with my dream and document what I discover about this fruity vegetable."--Debbie

Debbie, lately I've been thinking about avocados, too, because there are hundreds of teeny-tiny avocados on the tree in my yard. And as soon as they get bigger and ripen, I'll be making my favorite avocado dip. Can't wait.

Enter today's writing journal giveaway, (I have 5 journals for readers) and to see my avocado dip recipe. Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/journals060112.html

Congratulations to recent book winners:

Winners of A SIMPLE MURDER, by author and Guest Columnist, Eleanor Kuhns: Ardice Kuehner, Rita Pierini, Vicki Huber, Norma J. Sundberg, Carol Royce, Kathleen Fannon, Marti Hill, Beth Ford, Nancy Reynolds, Vicky Kellen, Dee Stillings, Lynda Harrison, Joyce Bartley, Pat Harmer and Marge OLeary.

And the winners of NO BIKING IN THE HOUSE WITHOUT A HELMET, by last week's Guest Columnist Melissa Fay Greene: Mary Rodriguez, Mildred West, Laura E A Brack, Carol Szymanski and Flo Kropilak.

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 latest teen fiction featured books from Jennifer Estep, DARK FROST; Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER; and Ursula Poznanski, EREBOS. For a chance to win free copies, say hello to the authors, and more, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

AUTHORBUZZ: SKELETON WOMAN (Fiction) by Mingmei Yip

Left in an orphanage after her parents are killed, Camilla is happy to be adopted. Then she discovers she will be trained as a singer to cover her deadly mission as a spy--eliminating Shanghai's most powerful gangster. Her life is made even more difficult by two other femmes fatales--"Skeleton Women"--a mysterious magician and a cross-dressing gossip columnist.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SKELETON WOMAN to read more and to email author Mingmei Yip, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 05-30-12

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,

I'm not a doctor, but I play one when I Goggle symptoms on the Internet. Self-diagnosis, it's as insane as reading through an 8-page list of possible prescription side affects--discovered in clinical trials--that could possibly attack my mind and body after ingesting the medicine. (If I wasn't feeling sick enough before taking the prescription, now for sure there's "No hope, no hope!")

When I'm not feeling well, instead of letting real medical tests and real doctors diagnosis the problem, first I go online. After checking boxes on the Symptom Checker: fatigue, headache, constantly thinking about eating Dove chocolate (the new raspberry swirl flavor), excessive sweating, lower back pain and occasional disorientation, I was presented with three choices: insomnia, obesity, or an aortic dissection.

Worry-wart me, "I'll take aortic dissection for $500, Alex."

How silly is that? But I'm not the only one. In the midst of telling a friend about my self-diagnosing, "Me too, me too," she confessed, "I did the same thing, just last week." (My friend's a nurse.) And if I stay plugged into the Internet long enough agonizing over ghastly possibilities, eventually, to quote Mark Twain, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

Yes, the possible outcomes I can dream up are frightening. My legs and feet might become numb, I could be constipated for the rest of my life, my index finger could suddenly turn purple and fall off, or face it, Suzanne, it's time to prepare a list for my dear husband. How to do laundry, the passwords to all of my online accounts, be sure to rub Papa (the stray cat who comes in for dinner every evening) until he burps, and don't make a fuss, simply cremate me, throw my ashes on the garden and turn on the bubble machine.

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free (signed!) copy of the latest teen fiction featured books from Jennifer Estep, DARK FROST; Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER; and Ursula Poznanski, EREBOS. For a chance to win free copies, say hello to the authors, and more, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

* 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: LOVE IS MURDER (Fiction) edited by Sandra Brown

An anthology of short stories penned by some of our most popular romantic suspense authors, LOVE IS MURDER also features stories by writers better known for their thrillers, but who often incorporate into their books the relationship layering that is the trademark of traditional romantic suspense.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on LOVE IS MURDER to read more and to email author Sandra Brown, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 05-28-12

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 am enjoying the Memorial Day holiday with my family. Tomorrow, Guest Columnist, Dan Seidman, author of THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF INFLUENCE will be stopping by the book clubs, so be sure to welcome him.

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: BIG SKY COUNTRY (Fiction) by Linda Lael Miller

The illegitimate Sheriff Slade Barlow wasn't acknowledged by his father until the land baron willed Slade half his ranch, stirring up the old man's "real" son. Joslyn Kirk, once the queen of everything, has returned to repay everyone her stepfather cheated. Joslyn needs to learn she's responsible only for her actions, such as her effect on the lawman's heart.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on BIG SKY COUNTRY to find out more about the book and the author, Linda Lael Miller. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

 

 

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 05-18-12

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,

I'm not the only one who feels like being "bad" every now-and-then. Readers wrote in and confessed, many were quite amusing. If you missed my column, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DRcol514

From one bad "girl" to another, enjoy this book club reader's confession...

"Dear Suzanne, as a middle-aged, long-married librarian, I lead a pretty tame life. When I feel like being 'bad' I take a personal day and go to the nearest multiplex movie theater. Before leaving home, I go on Theatertag.com to plan my schedule, so as to fit in as many movies as possible. I load up my largest purse with lunch, snacks and bottled water. Then I buy a ticket to the bargain matinee. Once in the theater, I go from auditorium to ladies room to auditorium until I run out of movies, or I get tired. (So far my record is three and I have never been caught!:-) None of this "wickedness" is illegal. If you do get caught, the ushers can ask you to leave and might not let you back in for awhile, but as long as you bought one ticket that day, they can't have you arrested. Enjoy!" --(Of course I've omitted the name, bad girls stick together.)

* Congratulations to the winners of Guest Columnist Barbara Bradford Taylor's new book LETTER FROM A STRANGER: Bernita Madott, Ann Younger, Carol Conerly, Mary Garrett, Barbara Lamb, Jan Tindall, Carol Milton and Louise Hulsey.

* And Congratulations to the winners of Guest Columnist Sandra Dallas' new book, TRUE SISTERS (There were so many people who emailed Sandra ended up choosing 15 winners instead of 8): Dennis A. Riggs, June Venable, Lisa Porter-Burt, Ann Boles, Nancy H. Reynolds, Krista Weis, Vicky Kellen, Brenda Logan, Mari Rusk, Rita Pierini, Linda Shafer, Susan Daniels, Linda Hitchcock, Ramona Young and Jim Simm.

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: MURDER ONE (Fiction) by Robert Dugoni

Thirteen months after witnessing the murder of his wife, Sloane is back in court amidst a swirling media frenzy to defend Seattle attorney Barclay Reid, once his adversary. Reid, accused of the murder of a Russian drug dealer, proclaims her innocence, but as Sloane and his investigative team dig deeper, they find Barclay is a woman of many secrets that could jeopardize not only her case, but Sloane's life.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on MURDER ONE to read more and to email author Robert Dugoni, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 05-17-12

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,

The other day when I was looking for something on the Internet I discovered Luigi Pirandello. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934, but that wasn't what impressed me about him (though granted that's impressive). I was more taken with the title of a play he'd written, "It is so! If you think so!" It was one of his first three plays, and since it took him less than one week to write it, instantly--I was a believer.

"It is so! If you think so!" (And the best part is, it happens in less than one week's time!)

You betcha. So I latched right on to that idea and decided to give it a whirl. Ooh, this was exciting, felt just like Christmas or my birthday. Okay, so what would I like to change in my life? I'd been avoiding a lot of little dicey situations lately, fearing they might turn into confrontations. Wouldn't it be grand if I had a Fix-It Fairy to take care of them for me? I know, I know, a Fix-it Fairy sounds like a kid's fairy tale, but Luigi Pirandello assures me that "It is so! (Suzanne) If you think so!" And by golly Pirandello was right. My Fix-It Fairy started out with a bang--she fixed one of my problems instantly. I was very impressed. But that was over a week ago, and ever since then I've been patiently waiting for my Fix-It Fairy to fly by and finish-up the job, to sprinkle her fairy dust on the rest of my problems, so poof!--they'll magically disappear. But she hasn't, and they haven't--disappeared.

I'm beginning to think I should have been more specific in my "It is so" thinking, adding adjectives such as competent, reliable and timely. Because the Fix-It Fairy assigned to me is a slacker. "It is so, because I know it's so!" First-of-all, she never shows up on time, and if-and-when she finally does fly by, she simply waves, then punches in on the fairy time clock, affirming she took care of Suzanne's problems, when in fact, she didn't. Don't you hate it when fairies don't take pride in their work?

"It may have been so! If you thought so!" in Pirandello's time, but take my word for it--it ain't so anymore--at least when it comes to fairies.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: THE YEAR OF THE GADFLY (Fiction) by Jennifer Miller

Iris Dupont is a precocious teenage reporter reeling from tragedy. Jonah Kaplan is a science teacher haunted by his past. As each investigates a vicious secret society in their remote New England prep school, they begin to uncover deeply buried secrets about their school, their town, and each other.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE YEAR OF THE GADFLY to find out more about the book and the author, Jennifer Miller. 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)
TRAVELERS REST by Ann Tatlock

(Nonfiction)
EATING FREE by Manuel Villacorta

(Nonfiction)
THE CHANGE YOUR LIFE BOOK by Bill O'Hanlon

(Fiction)
THE YEAR OF THE GADFLY by Jennifer Miller

(Fiction)
MURDER ONE by Robert Dugoni

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 05-16-12

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,

Today's guest Dear Reader column is written by Eleanor Kuhns; librarian by day, author by night and furiously writing in any other spare moments she can eek out of her busy schedule. She's a creative gal, writing in the tub, waiting in line at Starbucks, in a closet with an itty-bitty night light, so as not wake up anyone else in the house, in the pew (when the minister thinks she's dutifully taking notes on his sermon). Okay, so I don't really know where Eleanor Kuhns found the time to write such a delightful book, but thank heavens she did. Enjoy Eleanor's column today and enter-to-win one of the 15 galleys of her book, A Simple Murder. Send Eleanor an email, say hello and she will personally reply--and she'll enter you in the drawing. You can reach Eleanor at: eleanor.kuhns@gmail.com

Take it away, Eleanor...

The Librarian/Writer Dilemma:

I regularly hear the question: how does it feel to be both a writer and a librarian, as though these two professions are adversaries. Well, sometimes they are. They are siblings in the book world and of course, like siblings everywhere, sometimes they disagree. E-books, for example. What to do with e-books? I don't think any of us know exactly how to handle this new format. The book family is having some heated discussions on pricing and regulation. But we agree on getting books into the hands of readers. We have more in common than not.

Many librarians are frustrated writers; librarians have an affinity for books just like writers do. Not necessarily for the printed format, although some of us will never relinquish the physical object, but the content: fiction, essays, poetry or nonfiction. Libraries nurture writers as well as readers. And libraries provide a home for those of us who work at both.

Like libraries, the death of the publishing industry is regularly forecast. In Rodney Dangerfield's immortal phrase, we don't get no respect. If I had a dime for every time someone asked me if, in my library job, I read all the time, I wouldn't have to work at all. And writing? Well, even my nearest and dearest think I sit down at the laptop and the plots and characters just come to me fully formed and perfect. No struggle at all.

But there is one huge difference between these two callings: solitude versus working with the public. A writer has to live inside her head and for that I need peace. When I was working on A Simple Murder I lived inside my head as Will Rees, traveling weaver, meeting the Shakers for the first time. I couldn't tolerate any interruptions.

A librarian, on the other hand, is out with people every day. My entire work life is interruptions. During my career I've worked with all the ages from 6 month-old children up to the seniors in the local residence. If one enjoys people, and I really do, the question I ask myself is this: as I throw myself headlong into my childhood dream of living as a writer, could I ever surrender my library job? Patrons come in all varieties; the good and the bad. But the wonderful ones really make the day shine.

Eleanor Kuhns

A little bit about Eleanor:

I've been a librarian all of my adult life. I come from a family of librarians (both my mother and former mother-in-law are librarians) and my two children are carrying on the tradition. I started working in a library at sixteen, only a few years after I wrote my first story at ten. By then I was already an avid reader. I knew I wanted to be a writer; I wanted to make other people love my stories with the same intensity I loved the books I read. My two careers have been part of me for almost the same length of time.

I'm married with two biological children and a host of foster children. At least half of them write, something I find very gratifying, although the types of literature produced range from poetry to science fiction to memoir. And yes, I'm still employed as a librarian.

Say hello, receive a personal reply and enter-to-win a galley of her book, A SIMPLE MURDER. Email: eleanor.kuhns@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: THE CHANGE YOUR LIFE BOOK (Nonfiction) by Bill O'Hanlon

Tired of the same old issues? You could leave them behind and have a different and better life within a year by making one small change a week.

I'm Bill O'Hanlon, featured OPRAH guest, and I have written an easy-to-read book with one small easy-to-make change per week that will help dissolve old, persistent problems and move you into a new sense of aliveness and possibility. It's challenging to make big dramatic changes, but making small changes can bring about big changes gradually.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE CHANGE YOUR LIFE BOOK to read more and to email author Bill O'Hanlon, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 05-10-12

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,

Thanks for taking the time to write. If you have a question about writing or about the book clubs, I'm happy to reply.

Annette reads at the book clubs and she was wondering . . .

"Hi Suzanne,

May I ask you a couple of questions?
How many people work for you?
How many books do you try to read in a week/month?
Do you still bake/cook with your grandson, Paul?
How do you do everything?!!!

(Suzanne replies:)

Yes, Annette, I still bake with my grandson, Paul, every Friday afternoon. We've been baking together since he was three years old. Paul's brother, James (who is 3-years-old now), isn't ready for baking yet. James has a completely different kind of personality, maybe when he gets a little older he'll be interested in baking. Not only is Paul learning how to bake, he's also learning how much fun it is to give homemade baked goods away. Every Friday, after we finish baking, he takes some of his goodies to our neighbors next door.

Thirteen people, including myself, work at DearReader. My husband and I own the company, and in addition to working with libraries to produce online book clubs for them, we develop other software programs, too. Our newest program is Library WishList. I'm extremely excited about it, probably because for 11 years I ran my own nonprofit, Meals For Madison. Every Friday, we served a meal to 125 people. The WishList allows a library, or Friends of the Library group, to do fundraising and recruit volunteers in a fun and simple way. Here's a link to our website, http://www.dearreader.com/Services/ and if you click at the top of the page, on the ABOUT US link, you'll find out more about Dear Reader, and you'll see the photos of everyone on staff. Most of the people are part-time, and most of the part-time people enjoy the opportunity to be available for their children.

I don't set a goal for the number of books I want to read every month. Way back in June of 1999, when I started DearReader, there was only one book club, so I used to read all of the books myself. Of course that would be impossible now, so people on staff help preview books. You need to sample a lot of books to find ones that you think might be a good match for the book clubs. I seem to go on reading sprees. I'll read non-stop for weeks, and then I might not dig into a book for two weeks. Reading, writing, gardening, baking, blowing bubbles, spending time with my wonderful husband, life gets busy, doesn't it?

How do I do it all? Well, the truth is that often I "over-do." Being lazy has never been a problem for me. So actually, one of my challenges in life is to try to be lazy--more often. Slow down, do nothing, and be at peace with myself and my surroundings.

Thank you for taking the time to write, I'm so glad you asked.

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

AUTHORBUZZ: THE POWER OF GRACE BETWEEN NASTY AND NICE (Nonfiction) by John and Linda Friel

America suffers from an epidemic of incivility, pseudo-self-esteem, narcissism, entitlement, and victim-perpetrator cycles of behavior that run from the halls of Congress to our own back yards. We are some of the unhappiest, meanest, and unhealthiest people on earth.
But we don't have to be.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE POWER OF GRACE BETWEEN NASTY AND NICE to find out more about the book and the authors, John and Linda Friel. Send them an email, they'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

(Nonfiction)
MOONLIGHT ON LINOLEUM by Terry Helwig

(Mystery)
SUBMERGED by Dani Pettrey

(Fiction)
AFTER THE FOG by Kathleen Shoop

(Nonfiction)
THE POWER OF GRACE BETWEEN NASTY AND NICE by John and Linda Friel

(Fiction)
SALVAGE THE BONES by Jesmyn Ward

* 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 05-07-12

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,

Award-winning author Sandra Dallas is my guest columnist today and she's giving away eight copies of her latest book, TRUE SISTERS. Welcome Sandra, send an email to Sandradallas@msn.com and not only will she enter you in the drawing, she'll email a personal reply. Sandra's excited about visiting the book club today and hearing from readers, so don't be shy.

Take it away, Sandra...

Are writers born and not made? I always went with the 99 percent perspiration theory, although there are enough writers such as Truman Capote and Francoise Sagan, who wrote best-sellers not long after puberty, to cast doubt on that theory.

I was thinking about this when I came across a genealogy my aunt put together and decided to search my roots for writers. I discovered that I am descended from some pretty impressive folks. There was the ancestor who was eaten by a wolf and another who had his wife committed to an insane asylum so that he could get control of their son's Civil War pension. Admirable people, but no writers.

Still, there is my immediate family. My grandfather, who ran a switch engine for the Rock Island, sold a story to a railroad magazine and made enough to buy a typewriter. Little good it did him, since he never sold anything again. And my uncle, a former FBI agent, writes pretty good thrillers. But he married into the family, so he's not blood.

Closer to home, my brother is a novelist, and my sister could have had a career as a humor writer if she hadn't opted to sell real estate. How did Mom and Dad manage to produce three literary children? All I can say is it must have been a clashing of genes for both were enormously talented. Mom once wrote a poem that started:

"In our yard there is a tree
where birdies come and sing with glee."

Even better was my father's masterpiece, inspired by his boyhood on a Kansas farm:

"Out in the barn there was a sittin'
An old gray cat and a little kitten."

Poetry seems to have been a family trait, because that's how I started my literary career. In fourth grade, I won a pair of ice skates with a poem that began:

"Swimming is the sport for me
It's lots more fun than I thought any sport could be."

It was just a short jump to writing novels.

Sandra Dallas

Email Sandra, say hello and enter-to-win a copy of her latest book, TRUE SISTERS. Send your email to: Sandradallas@msn.com

Author Sandra Dallas was dubbed "a quintessential American voice" by Jane Smiley, in VOGUE MAGAZINE. She is the author of THE BRIDE'S HOUSE, WHITER THAN SNOW, PRAYERS for SALE and TALLGRASS, among others. Her novels have been translated into a dozen languages and optioned for films. She is the recipient of the Women Writing the West Willa Award and the two-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award. For 25 years, Dallas worked as a reporter covering the Rocky Mountain region for BUSINESS WEEK, and started writing fiction in 1990. She lives with her husband in Denver, Colorado.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: MOONLIGHT ON LINOLEUM (Nonfiction) by Terry Helwig

Even if others abandon you, you must never abandon yourself.

Living in a trailer in the American Southwest, I attended twelve schools in eleven years. My mom was a wild rose who struggled with marriage, motherhood and sobriety. She often put me in charge of my sisters while she sought solace in local watering holes. My memoir explores the landscapes of hope, despair and redemption.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on MOONLIGHT ON LINOLEUM to read more and to email author Terry Helwig, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 05-04-12

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,

Fifteen of my gently-used cookbooks are bagged, stamped and ready-to-go, except for a name and address. Can I put your name on one of the packages? This past weekend I cleared off my jammed cookbook shelf. In some of the books you'll find a notation about a recipe I really liked. (Don't worry, I have a copy of the recipe.) This is the last day to enter the Gently-Used Cookbook Giveaway, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DRclear

If you are the caregiver for a parent or other loved one, you will find inspiration in Strength for the Moment: Inspiration for Caregivers by Lori Hogan. I have two copies to giveaway. When you enter, please be sure to enter CAREGIVER along with your address. To enter, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DRclear

What's happening next week at the book clubs? Next Monday, award-winning author Sandra Dallas will be the guest columnist and she'll be giving away eight copies of her latest book, TRUE SISTERS. When you send an email to Sandra you'll receive a personal reply. She's excited about writing a guest column for the book club and she's excited about "meeting" us, so be sure to welcome her.

Watch for my monthly Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway. Munch, munch, dunk, dunk! And please email me a photo if you're a winner. I'd appreciate it.

I'm expecting! Read about that next week, too.

If you have a question about writing, send it to: Suzanne@EmailBookclub.com I'll answer writing questions readers have sent in.

Thank you for taking the time to send me an email. I absolutely love to hear from readers. You're the best!

Have a wonderful weekend. I'll be spending a few hours at Siesta Key Beach.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: RIDING FURY HOME (Nonfiction) by Chana Wilson

My memoir spans forty years of the intense, complex relationship between my mother and me--the story of my childhood growing up in the 50s, my mother's suicide attempts and the secret behind them, and the powerful bond that grew between my mother and myself.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on RIDING FURY HOME to read more and to email author Chana Wilson, you'll get a reply.