Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 05-17-10

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to:

http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I'm baking cookies for Mrs. Gladys Kiptum-Yegon in Nairobi, Kenya and I'm ready to bake for you, too. It's the May Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, please be sure to enter.

"Dear Suzanne,

I am so excited about your new book, Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life. Congratulations! Deep down in my heart I look forward to seeing my first book published someday and seeing your dream come alive keeps my dreams alive too. I have been an avid reader of your columns from 2006. I live in Nairobi, Kenya. I will be visiting the states next week for a work conference, then will go visit my friend in Kansas. Is there a chance that you might have an extra batch of cookies you can send for me and my friend that we can enjoy?"

Kind regards,
Mrs. Gladys Kiptum-Yegon

(Suzanne replies: Gladys, email a street address in the states where you'll be staying and cookies are on the way! All you need to do is get some milk for dunking, eat cookies (yum, yum) and send photos.)

To enter the May Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, go to: http://tinyurl.com/38h9ext

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Gina Holmes, Crossing Oceans; Bo Hoefinger, Bad To The Bone: Memoir of A Rebel Doggie Blogger; Mel Starr, A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel, The Second Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon; Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot, Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction; and Nate Kenyon, Sparrow Rock. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. To start reading and enter for your chance to win a Penguin totebag go to: http://tinyurl.com/May10Classics

Dear Reader Column 05-14-10

 

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Bookclub reader, Ann Smith, informed me that today is National Chocolate Chip Day.

"Suzanne, I just read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Friday is National Chocolate Chip Day, so of course I thought of you. You bake so many cookies for others that I wonder if you take any time to treat yourself. Perhaps this Friday would be a great time for you and Paul to whip up a batch of your famous chocolate chip cookies. I may need to do that with my children here in north Texas."

Have a lovely day,
Ann Smith

(Suzanne replies:) Thank you Ann, I'm going to call my grandson Paul and see if he would like to bake and then I think we'll take a walk downtown and give the cookies to one of the shopkeepers. Business slows down this time of year, so I bet they could use a tasty chocolate boost. I can't ever just bake one batch of cookies, (why even get out the mixer for one lonely batch) so Paul and I will bake for readers, too. This coming Monday watch for the May Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway and smiling faces of last month's satisfied cookie winners.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Baking! While you're waiting for the cookies to brown in the oven, read a sneak peek from my upcoming book, Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life go to: http://tinyurl.com/2cpofek

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for child and teen readers about summer camp and making friends, mystery and adventure, following (and breaking) rules, and zombies (!) from Brenda Fraser, Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire; Amy Gordon, Twenty Gold Falcons; E. D. Baker, The Wide-Awake Princess; Beth Fantaskey, Jekel Loves Hyde; and Larry McMurtry, Zombie Pen Pal. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. To start reading and enter for your chance to win a Penguin totebag go to: http://tinyurl.com/May10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 05-13-10

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Today's special read is Penguin's Classic, Kokoro by Natsume Soseki and I have five Penguin book bags (just like mine) to give away to readers.

CHAPTER ONE

I always called him Sensei, and so I shall do in these pages, rather than reveal his name. It is not that I wish to shield him from public scrutiny--simply that it feels more natural. "Sensei" springs to my lips whenever I summon memories of this man, and I write of him now with the same reverence and respect. It would also feel wrong to use some conventional initial to substitute for his name and thereby distance him.

I first met Sensei in Kamakura, in the days when I was still a young student. A friend had gone there during summer vacation for sea bathing and urged me to join him, so I set about organizing enough money to cover the trip. This took me two or three days. Less than three days after I arrived, my friend received a sudden telegram from home demanding that he return. His mother was ill, it seemed.

He did not believe it. For some time his parents had been trying to force him into an unwanted marriage. By present-day standards he was far too young for marriage, and besides he did not care for the girl in question. That was why he had chosen not to return home for the vacation, as he normally would have, but to go off to a local seaside resort to enjoy himself.

He showed me the telegram and asked what I thought he should do. I did not know what to advise. But if his mother really was ill, he clearly should go home, so in the end he decided to leave. Having come to Kamakura to be with my friend, I now found myself alone.

To continue reading and to enter the Penguin book bag giveaway, go to: http://tinyurl.com/May10Classics

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Patrick Robinson, Intercept; Janice Thompson, It Had to Be You; Penny Rudolph, Eye of the Mountain God; Marie Bostwick, A Thread So Thin; and Reece Hirsch, The Insider. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. To start reading and enter for your chance to win a Penguin totebag go to: http://tinyurl.com/May10Classics

Dear Reader Column 05-12-10

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Years ago I decided my job here on earth was to pay attention to the little things. Life's little "nothings" that don't seem all that important, when I think about them, or try to explain them to somebody else. But when I'm on the receiving end, when someone does one of the little things in life for me, it makes a huge difference in my day and how I feel about myself.

Frequently I'll send a spur of the moment email because the thought just popped into my head: "Just thinking about you this minute and wanted to say hello," or "I saw a gorgeous blue shirt when I was out shopping yesterday and it reminded me of the blue shirt you were wearing the last time we had lunch together. Blue is definitely your color--wear it more often!"

I admit I do feel a bit strange hitting the send key sometimes when I draft one of my "little nothing" emails, but the thought I'm writing down brings a smile to my face, and I'm hoping it will do the same for a friend. Most likely it does, because I was on the receiving end the other day and I'm still grinning...

"Hey, Suzanne, I just wanted to share this with you. I went to Target today, and as I was getting out of the car I noticed a woman coming out of the store pushing a basket. When she got to the edge of the walk where it dips into a ramp, she raised her hands and let her basket roll down ahead of her while she sort of skipped along behind it. She was obviously just enjoying herself with a little playful moment, and for a second I thought it was you. I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't, in fact, because she was small and cute and blonde. But her blonde was darker and her skin was tanner, so I don't think it was you, but a close twin.

I just thought you should know that when your friends see somebody who's able to enjoy a small moment by themselves like that, they think of you."

And then yesterday, I accidentally overheard a "little nothing" from a stranger. I was sitting in my screened-in front porch and a mother and her two young children were walking by on the sidewalk. They couldn't see me behind the screen, but I heard the mother talking to her kids.

"Oh, look! This is the house of the lady who sits outside and turns on her bubble machine. And look at her beautiful flowers. That lady is so cool."

Yes, sometimes I'm lucky enough to be out of sight and accidentally overhear, and other times I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who takes the time to do the little things.

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for child and teen readers about summer camp and making friends, mystery and adventure, following (and breaking) rules, and zombies (!) from Brenda Fraser, Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire; Amy Gordon, Twenty Gold Falcons; E. D. Baker, The Wide-Awake Princess; Beth Fantaskey, Jekel Loves Hyde; and Larry McMurtry, Zombie Pen Pal. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. To start reading and enter for your chance to win a Penguin totebag go to: http://tinyurl.com/May10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 05-11-10

 

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Who would've thunk-it? Monday's "just-wondering" column about squirrels inspired interesting ideas from readers. It's nice to know we still have time for the little things in life. I imagine we'll all be out in our yards later today looking up into the trees. I love watching squirrels, but this past weekend I met a man who traps any squirrels that show up in his yard, then he drives them over to the grounds surrounding his church yard and releases them.

"Why?" I asked the old man.

"Because I'm making Presbyterians out of them." (True story!)

Thanks for taking the time to email. And be sure to enter today's squirrel giveaway. If you missed Monday's column you'll find it at: http://tinyurl.com/2arovlt

From my Email Bag:

"Suzanne, I got a kick out of your column. Last year, when we were on our way to Columbus to see my son at OSU, I asked my husband a very odd question. Driving down I-71, you see a lot of squirrel nests in the trees by the side of the road. I asked if he thought those squirrels were sad because they lived right by the freeway instead of in the center of a forest, where it was peaceful and quiet. He looked at me like I was crazy, but it's a legitimate question, don't you think? If I were a squirrel, I'd rather live in a nice suburban backyard than right by a highway, no?"--Donna

"Hi Suzanne, you might consider writing a children's book about a family of squirrels. How about starting a collection of books (one or two a year) about a family of squirrels living in Florida? Of course, there would be a grandma squirrel wearing glasses and colorful aprons, a grandchild squirrel named Paul etc...of course, this means less time to relax in your lounge chair. I am looking forward to receiving my 'muffins...' [Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes from a Happy (if disorderly) Life] from Amazon Germany. Have a wonderful week under the squirrels' nests!"--Anne-Francoise

"Suzanne, you should have been reading the children's book, Miss Suzy while you were sitting in your chair! It fits perfectly with your thoughts about a squirrel setting up housekeeping!"--Rita Z.

"Loved your column this morning, Suzanne. If you haven't already, you MUST get a copy of Miss Suzy, a children's book about a little squirrel that features a world much like you imagined. Our children loved that book when they were small."--Deborah Raney

Enter to win a copy of the children's book, Miss Suzy originally published in 1964 by Miriam Young and Arnold Lobel, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2esdr7l

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

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

 

Dear Reader Column 05-10-10

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to:

http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

The sun was shining, my chaise lounge looked inviting, and I'd been working nonstop for days, so I grabbed some sunscreen, dark glasses, a bottle of water and took an official "do-nothing" position in my yard. Three notches back on my lounge chair, and I was in the perfect reclined position. Ah, this is what I need--to relax--no thinking required. But then I looked up, and my mind began to wander...and unfortunately one thought led to another.

The treetops above me were filled with huge squirrel nests, which made me think of a book I was reading about birds. The author, an expert on ravens, said most people think birds live in their nests, but they don't. Once the eggs are hatched and the babies can fly, the nests are abandoned. Which led me to wondering about the squirrel nests? Which got me to thinking, 'Where do squirrels sleep?' I can't remember seeing any squirrels sound asleep, sitting upright clinging onto telephone wires.

After a quick search on the Internet, I discovered squirrels do set up housekeeping in their nests, and they sleep there, too. Sinking back into my lounge chair, I was determined to try again--to relax. But looking up at all those nests, I started envisioning a little squirrel community high up in the trees. I swear I could see squirrels sweeping out their nests, hanging the laundry out to dry in the sun, and I might be crazy, but I'm sure I saw a mom and dad, with three toddler squirrels in tow, all dressed up going to visit the neighbor's nest. And mother squirrel was carrying a casserole dish, so dinner must be potluck. Which got me to wondering if anyone was bringing dessert. Maybe they'd like some homemade chocolate chip cookies? Which made me realize that I just might need a longer "rest" than one afternoon in a chaise lounge.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Patrick Robinson, Intercept; Janice Thompson, It Had to Be You; Penny Rudolph, Eye of the Mountain God; Marie Bostwick, A Thread So Thin; and Reece Hirsch, The Insider. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 05-07-10

 

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I never realized how much traffic goes by on the street in front of my house. It's Wednesday morning, (as I'm writing this column) I'm sitting on my screened-in front porch, and I'm waiting, waiting, WAITING! My editor sent the tracking number for the boxes that are supposed to arrive today, and after a quick check on the UPS tracking site, I know for certain that four boxes, filled with finished copies of my upcoming book were loaded onto a UPS truck, here in Sarasota, at 5:36 a.m., this morning. It's 9:33 a.m., so where the heck is the driver? UPS, FEDEX, the yellow delivery trucks (with the name I can't ever remember) stop at my home several times daily delivering books from authors and publishers. I'm excited when I get those books, too, and I love promoting books for other authors. But today, I'm being selfish. I'm only interested in the four boxes traveling around Sarasota, in a big brown truck, with my name on them.

When I woke up this morning, I decided I was an adult, so I'd keep my cool. 'Be excited, Suzanne, but don't let yourself get carried away and turn into mush.' But when "mush" spotted her first UPS truck at 8:30 a.m., I'm not kidding, I had to brace myself on the front porch screen door--because I thought I was going to pass out! When the truck turned the corner and went the other way, my heart sank, and cool, calm, Suzanne, was yelling, "Come back! Come back!" I've now let go of any pretense that I'm an adult who can rein-in her emotions. But then why should I? There will only be one day in my life when my first book shows up at my front door, and I've decided to go with whatever feels good! So here I sit, on my porch, WAITING--with the necessary celebratory items alongside of me: a utility knife, (so I can immediately slice open the boxes) a camera, (my husband's promised to take a picture of me, my book, and the delivery person) and a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies to give to the UPS man or woman so they can join in the celebration! I used to be a Girl Scout--I'm prepared!

Writing a book is normally a lonely task, but I've been blessed to have hundreds of thousands of readers, who've become friends, encouraging me along the journey. Thank you so very much. For the past eleven years, every time you've sent an email commenting about this week's featured book, or shared a bit of your life, it's inspired my work. Which is why the book club and readers are part of the Acknowledgements page near the end of my book. Whoa... I think I hear a big truck slowing down for the speed bump in front of the house next door. Sounds like a brown, delivery truck, carrying four boxes with my name on them...maybe I should have added smelling salts to my list of celebratory items?

To see the UPS driver, Suzanne, cookies, a finished copy of my book Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life, and happy faces, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2fw8um3

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

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

 

Dear Reader Column 05-06-10

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

The invitation read:

A Prelude to the Classics
Piano Recital
May 2, at 4:30 p.m.
Reception to follow

My husband and I have been sponsoring piano lessons for Paul, our three-year-old grandson. Not because we think he's gifted, nor are we trying to steer him in any direction. Paul just seems to love music, and when he started playing notes on my husband's keyboard, we asked if he'd like to take piano lessons. At the time, I recall thinking that a three-year-old probably didn't even really understand what a piano lesson was. But at the end of his first private lesson, with his teacher Ms. Marcy, Paul was in tears because he didn't want the lesson to end.

So every Tuesday for the past six months, Paul's been studying with Ms. Marcy, and now our family was getting ready for his first piano recital--at a private country club--no less. I'd promised Paul if he ever played in a recital I'd buy him a suit: shirt, tie, vest, pinstriped pants and brand new black, shiny shoes. He looked so adorable, my daughter-in-law and I were trying hard not to cry.

Fourteen students, dressed in Sunday best, sitting in a row of chairs behind a partition near the stage. Music books in their laps; fingers playing notes on imaginary pianos. The older students were scheduled to play first, and Paul and two other little kids his age, were playing This Old Man on miniature baby grands, late in the program. But since Paul had been too excited to take a nap earlier in the day, by the time he was supposed to go on stage... Ms. Marcy, a seasoned piano teacher, found a delicate way to explain why one of the baby grand piano seats was empty. "Paul Beecher has been taking piano lessons for six months, and he really plays quite well, but unfortunately at the moment, he's taking a nap."

Well, maybe next time! (But he did look cute--even sleeping!) *If you'd like to see a photo, go to: http://tinyurl.com/23uamgt

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Vanessa Kelly, Sex and the Single Earl; Nancy Bachrach, The Center of the Universe: A Memoir; Eva Marie Everson, This Fine Life; David Downing, Stettin Station; and Tim Daniel, The Pursuit of Nobility: Living a Life That Matters. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 05-05-10

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Publishing a book is supposed to be an exhilarating, romantic experience. You'd think I'd be walking around with a smile on my face 24/7, but I seem to be spending a lot of time tearing up, and feeling nervous and afraid. Write a book, get an agent, meet editors, sell the book, rewrites, cover designs, 1st, 2nd and even 3rd pass pages, finally the book went to press, and I was an author-in-waiting. But yesterday my editor emailed, "Suzanne, a box of finished books will show up on your doorstep this week! How exciting!"

Yes, it is exciting! So why do I feel like I might have an attack any minute? Where's the paper bag? Bend over and breathe, Suzanne, breathe! I should feel happy and excited, so what's wrong with me? But a friend of mine, who was a therapist for years, assures me that excitement and fear--the feelings mimic each other. The only difference between fear and excitement is the way you think about it. So even though my heart is racing, the tears are flowing, butterflies have metamorphosed into stinging bees, I feel lightheaded and my flight-or-fight response has kicked in--it's really not fear--it's excitement...and I'm having the time of my life!

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

Warmest regards from an author, who's waiting by her door,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 05-04-10

June 1st is the release date, but you can preorder "Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life" and request a free autographed bookplate, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

It's Spring cleaning at the book clubs. My shelves are overflowing, so please lend a hand by entering today's Odds and Ends Giveaway. There's a lot of fun stuff!

"Ta-da! The following items need a new home!" To enter the drawing and to see past book club twin, baseball winners, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/Baseball050410.html

The Giveaways...

7 Baseballs--autographed
2 Colored bubble kits, you supply the air lung power
1 Fancy potato peeler
2 Chocolate chip cookie droppers
12 Books
1 String of purple Christmas lights (I love them and still have a string hanging over the door in my bedroom.)
1 Pig dip and spreader set

Congratulations to last week's bubble machine winners: Clare Kroeger, Ann Infantado, and Ed Sizemore. And if you were an April Chocolate Chip Cookie winner, your cookies will arrive at your home today. Enjoy! It was a pleasure to bake for you.

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

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

SHOUTOUT: A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White. After their parents are killed in a plane crash, half sisters Ruthie, thirteen, and Julia, sixteen, are shocked to learn of the instructions left in the will. Learn more about the book: http://tinyurl.com/ASoftPlacetoLand