Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 11-16-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Friends, family and vegetarians are coming to Thanksgiving dinner this year. I didn't give it a second thought when I extended the invite, but the other day as I was picking out my 23-pound bird, reality set in. Thanksgiving, turkey, vegetarians--gobble, gobble--this could be a problem. Then again, my new vegetarian friends did accept my invitation and they even seemed quite pleased about it. Yet I wonder, 'What are their expectations?'

I want all of my guests to feel comfortable in my home, so I do my best to please everyone, but I know there isn't a recipe for Tofu Turkey in my recipe box (if there even is such a thing.) So what am I going to serve?

But when I reviewed my traditional Thanksgiving menu, I was relieved to discover most of the recipes are vegetarian friendly. And even the ones that aren't, like Skunk Beans and Shrimp Salad, can be easily altered. Before I add the bacon to the beans, or shrimp to the macaroni salad, I'll simply put some of each aside in separate dishes. Whew problem solved!

But what about Thanksgiving table talk? Folks sitting around after dinner patting their full tummies, and saying things like, "Hmm boy, I'm stuffed, that turkey really tasted good, especially the white meat!" Is this going to bother my vegetarian guests?

So I picked up the phone and called them. And just like usual, I worry way too much. "Don't worry Suzanne, we're fine with other people eating meat (and patting their full tummies) and we're so happy to be coming to dinner."

Everyone at your table will be happy if you serve this Green Beans Jazzed with Tomato side dish. It's easy to make and tastes divine and you can easily reheat leftovers (but you probably won't have any!)

Green Beans Jazzed with Tomato

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 medium tomatoes, cut up

Steam the green beans until crisp-tender, or boil in salted water for about 15 to 18 minutes.

While beans are cooking melt butter in skillet, add onion and garlic; cook and stir over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in brown sugar, lemon juice, salt, oregano and pepper. Add tomatoes. Heat thoroughly. Drain the green beans, then add the tomato mixture to them and gently toss.

Enjoy with friends and tell them about the book club!

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
www.muffinsandmayhem.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is PATHS OF GLORY by Humphrey Cobb. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November11Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: Meet Author James V. O'Connor and sample his book:

ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE (Fiction)

Happily married home organizer Ted McCormick, struggles to resist the charm and flirtations of a divorced client in need of a decent man. Will he surrender? While another client has him searching for riches, allegedly hidden in a mysterious Victorian mansion. Something--or someone--in the house is getting in his way.

You'll enjoy the read. Thanks for checking out my book.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader and click on ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-15-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I've assembled an emotional first aid kit that contains words and sentences I repeat to myself when my mind heads down a road to miserable thinking. Anxiety, fear, poor-me-pity-parties, or when I find myself in a bad mood for no particular reason, I open my medicine chest door hoping to find a cure.

Immune to soap and water and even antibacterial cream, that nasty bad-mood bug, he's a sly one. How he spreads from one person to another, if I only knew I could bottle the cure. In the meantime, my antidote is to swallow two heaping teaspoons full of just be nice.

"Just be nice, Suzanne. Exhale, don't beep the horn. Don't repeat to yourself the not-so-nice comment someone said today, because reviewing nasty encounters keeps nastiness alive. Don't roll your eyes when someone needs a price check in the check-out line. Just be nice Suzanne. Take a deep breath and think about the weekly baking sessions you have with your grandson Paul. Think of the last time little three-year-old James said, 'Grandma, I love you.' Picture your husband turning down the sheets at night and propping your pillow, so when you head into the bedroom, a comfy bed is waiting. Recall the warm words a book club reader sent to you about the column you wrote the other day. Be nice to others and don't forget to be nice to yourself.

Because maybe you didn't catch this bad-mood bug from anyone else, maybe it started with you."

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
www.muffinsandmayhem.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is PATHS OF GLORY by Humphrey Cobb. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November11Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: (Fiction) MODERN SORCERY by Gary Jonas

Jonathan Shade is a Denver PI with an immunity to magic who must protect his ex-lover from an ancient sorcerer. Unfortunately, he can't tell whose side she's on. Relationships are tough in the best of times, but when your life is on the line, they're downright deadly.

Please visit AuthorBuzz, at: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader Click on my book, MODERN SORCERY to read more and to "meet" me. Drop me a line. I'll reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-14-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

"I was born on a Tuesday morning. It was a difficult birth, because I was thirty-four years old."

After reading the first line from this week's bonus book, Me Again, by Keith Cronin, I was torn between spending a sunny Florida Saturday afternoon reading Keith's book, or "playing" in my flower gardens. Read a little, plant a few flowers, then read a little more, by late afternoon the book won my attention and I sent an email to Keith. "I am loving your book. The first line of the book grabs you, then the story takes over and never lets go. You should feel so proud of your debut novel."

Keith's resume is as engaging as his book. He's a former librarian who went on to become a corporate speechwriter and a professional rock drummer. Keith's performed and recorded with artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons and Pat Travers and now he's released his debut novel Me Again.

I invited Keith to write a guest column (below) and you can start reading his book at: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=bryantestqqxqN1FE32125A3E&c=SUZ&future

Introducing author Keith Cronin....

First I'd like to thank Suzanne for the opportunity to share a moment with you today. It's rare that you meet somebody with the kind of contagious positive energy Suzanne has--she absolutely glows with it, both when you speak with her, and in her writing.

We are just days away from Thanksgiving here in the U.S., which means my family will soon be organizing its grocery lists, pulling out the cookware and getting ready to prepare the traditional Thanksgiving lobster.

No, that's not some auto-correct spelling anomaly: I said lobster, not turkey. Let me explain.

When my daughter was around ten years old, she came home from school one November day and announced that lobster had been one of the main courses for the Pilgrims' original Thanksgiving meal. This made sense, she observed, when you took into account the nearby North Atlantic waters. So she proposed that this year we try something different, yet still in keeping with Pilgrim tradition.

We all liked lobster, and her plan made sense, so we cheerfully agreed to celebrate the holiday that year with "the traditional Thanksgiving lobster." We had guests coming, so we made sure to set their expectations for a turkeyless meal. Our proposed menu raised some eyebrows, but nobody objected, and Project Lobster was soon underway.

The meal got off to a great start, and the lobster was delicious. The conversation around the dinner table frequently came back to what a great idea this was, and to wondering why we had never explored this tradition before. But midway through the meal we began to notice my daughter smirking enigmatically.

Finally she made a confession. She had made up the entire thing, fabricating a plausible but undocumented "tradition," hoping to convince us to cook lobster instead of turkey. Her rationale? "I just really don't like turkey," she said with a guilty smile.

We couldn't even get angry. After all, we had been enjoying the meal immensely. And darn it, it really was pretty likely that there was a lobster or two on the original Thanksgiving dinner table, so it was hard to impugn her logic. We all had a good laugh, although I did make a mental note to rev up the horsepower on my internal lie detector if ever my daughter offered me a questionable excuse for getting home late.

That was some fifteen years ago. But in testament to the lasting merit of my daughter's ingenuity, we still serve "the traditional Thanksgiving lobster" every year, sometimes accompanied by a token turkey for any dinner guests whose sense of "tradition" might be more restrictive than our own.

I don't know about you, but after writing this, I'm suddenly very hungry. But I'm always glad to reply to emails, so I hope I hear from you. My email address is: [email protected] and I'm giving away 10 copies of my books to readers. Drop me a line.
--Keith Cronin

Please give Keith a warm book club welcome. Send an email and say hello, and here's the link to start reading his book:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=bryantestqqxqN1FE32125A3E&c=SUZ&future

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

* This month's Penguin Classics book is PATHS OF GLORY by Humphrey Cobb. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November11Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: Meet author Christine W. Hartmann...

My mother valued control above all else, yet one event appeared beyond her command: the timing of her own death. Not to be denied there either, two decades in advance she chose the date on which to end her life. And her next step was to tell me all about it. For twenty years, she maintained an unwavering goal, to commit suicide at age seventy, while I fought desperately against the decision.

I invite you to take a look at my nonfiction book: SO FAR AWAY: A DAUGHTER'S MEMOIR OF LIFE, LOSS, AND LOVE.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader Click on my book to read more and please send an email. I'd love to hear from you.--Author Christine W. Hartmann

 

Dear Reader Column 11-11-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily
column at: DearReader.com


Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

If you have a question about writing or publishing, send it my way. Email it to: [email protected]

Today's question is from Sean.

"Suzanne, I am so inspired by works of literature. Recently I have been reading through several works of Thoreau and I am in awe of his knowledge and insight into what he experiences. I have shared this with my sister and she tells me (over and over) that I should write. My issue is that with so many great authors, how do I rate at being in their shoes? Writing isn't just expression. It is expression with a vast history of thought and beauty. So I ask myself, can I express myself better than Thoreau or Homer? Will I add to the greatness of writing, or will I just add to the motion or act of writing? What are your thoughts?"--Sean

(Suzanne replies:)

Dear Sean,

Every once and a while I have a bad habit of comparing myself to other people, and you know, I can't think of one time that it's done me any good. Writing isn't about how I measure up to other authors. Look hard enough and you'll always be able to find someone who you think is more intelligent, better looking, or a more talented writer than yourself. I say this to you in kindness, Sean, I feel you're using the "how do I compare thinking" as a reason to not start writing. Almost every writer will confess there are familiar stumbling blocks they face when they begin a new writing project. In my case, there's a fear inside of me that I have to push through before I can begin. Beginning is scary to me. Where will it take me? How on earth am I going to get there? Hey, do I really know what the heck I'm doing? And yes, sometimes I fear, 'what if the words I write don't measure up?' But my writing only needs to answer to me.

Sure, it's nice when people tell me they enjoyed reading my daily column, or my book. I appreciate hearing it. But my real reason for writing is that I'm hoping when someone reads what I've written, they'll be a little easier on themselves. The reason I openly talk about my feelings, good and bad, is that I'm hoping my words will ease a pain in someone's heart, and allow them to recognize that it's okay to be themselves--whatever that might be at the moment.

Every author tells a story in their own unique voice. I suspect there's a reader patiently waiting to hear yours--start writing Sean.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
www.muffinsandmayhem.com

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus every author/publisher is giving away free copies of their featured book. Learn about great books for kids and teens from Melissa Sweet, BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade; David Farland, NIGHTINGALE; and Elizabeth Levy, PARROTS AND PIRATES: A MYSTERY AT SEA. For a chance to win free books, say hello to the authors, and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

* This month's Penguin Classics book is PATHS OF GLORY by Humphrey Cobb. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November11Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: Meet author Aimee Thurlo

(Fiction) WINTER HAWK'S LEGEND by Aimee Thurlo

When Holly Gates goes into hiding with Daniel Hawk, a fearless security expert sworn to protect her, she finds herself quickly falling in love with him. Though, unlike her, he craves no home or family--just the same freedom as the great hawk. I invite you to read a story about the power of family and the courage to defy the odds.

Click on my book, read more, find out about me, and please send me an email. I'd love to hear from you. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 11-10-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com

Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://www.authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

When I first started my writing career the thought of anyone seeing my notes or reading a first draft...I couldn't have imagined such a thing. Even today inviting someone to see something I've written before it's polished, I'm very choosy. There has to be a lot of trust in order for me to share my "not-cleaned-up" thoughts, because what I'm really allowing someone to do is take a look inside my heart. But it's a risk that must be taken. Because almost every writer needs to have someone they can get feedback from along the way. For certain this writer does, and I'm blessed because I have my very own writing muse.

The dictionary describes a muse this way: 'Muse...a source of inspiration, especially a guiding genius.' And I'd have to add the kind of person I can trust with my heart and soul. When something doesn't work, or even if it's down right terrible, my writing muse hardly even notices. Instead, she finds something good in what I've written and comments on that first, then works her way to bringing up what could be better. When I say, "I can't." My muse gently reminds me, I can. Having someone on your side, trusting them with your heart and your words, that's some kind of special person.

Today I'd like to introduce you to that special person, my writing muse, Valerie Farman. In addition to being a gifted writing muse, she's a detail person, too. When I forget, Valerie remembers. When I need a nudge or a cheerleader in the stands, Valerie knows the cheers by heart--choosing just the right words to inspire me--I bet she could still even do a cartwheel!

Life muses, writing muses, they are gifts; and when they reach out to us, we truly blessed. Thank you Valerie.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com

** Discover hidden gems at AUTHORBUZZ, titles you won't want to miss and authors who want to hear from you. You may even win a prize.

(Mystery) The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis

(Mystery) Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab

(Nonfiction) One Mush--Jamaica's Dogsled Team by John Firth

(Nonfiction) Everything I Know About Love, I Learned from Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell

(Fiction) Winter Hawk's Legend by Aimee Thurlo

Meet the authors, you can even send them an email and they'll reply. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

This month's Penguin Classics book is Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November11Classics

Dear Reader Column 11-09-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com

Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win:
Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

It's one of the my family's traditional Thanksgiving recipes, Crock Pot Dressing. And it's become a classic recipe at the book clubs, too. Every year readers email asking for the recipe (some in a panic the night before Thanksgiving), because they've misplaced their copy, so I'm happy to share it with you, early. But if you happen to misplace it again--not to worry. I'll be checking my email late in the evening November 23rd!

Crock Pot Dressing

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 cups mushrooms (if you use canned, drain them)
2 eggs beaten
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups chicken broth, or enough to moisten well
13 cups dried bread, cubed
1 1/2 tsp. Poultry seasoning
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Sage
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Pepper
1/2 tsp. Marjoram, (optional)

Melt butter in fry pan and saute onion and celery until soft. Mix with remaining ingredients and toss well. Pack in large crock pot. Cover. Cook on high for 45 minutes, then turn to low and continue cooking for 6-8 hours.

You'll find all of my family's favorite holiday recipes, including Crock Pot Dressing, in my book, Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life. If you're giving a copy of my book as a gift this year, I'm happy to sign an autographed book plate, and send along a book mark and recipe card for you to include with your gift. Visit: www.MuffinandMayhem.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus every author/publisher is giving away free copies of their featured book. Learn about great books for kids and teens from Melissa Sweet, Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade; David Farland, Nightingale; and Elizabeth Levy, Parrots and Pirates: A Mystery at Sea. For a chance to win free books, say hello to the authors, and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

This month's Penguin Classics book is Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November11Classics

Dear Reader Column 11-08-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com

Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

Dear Reader Column 11-7-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com

Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

"You never forget my birthday. You're so good at remembering birthdays, I'm not."

My friend was delighted with the chocolate covered strawberries I'd sent for her birthday, but she was letting a feeling of shame, that she doesn't remember friends' birthdays, steal her joy. "Devour another one of those chocolate covered strawberries," I told my friend, "and savor each bite with joy. Because if everyone remembered other people's birthdays, then it wouldn't be special that I remembered yours, would it?"

Everyone has a calling on this earth, things they're drawn to do because they seem like such a natural fit. Some of mine are baking chocolate chip cookies and handing them out to friends and strangers, turning on a bubble machine in my yard, inviting friends to a Thanksgiving dinner three or four times a year, bringing along a brainstorming hat--a fancy hat with lace and pearls--for each person to wear in a meeting at the library, displaying a wedding dress in my bathroom, writing a daily column about my personal feelings, the good stuff and the not so good, and remembering birthdays. Doing these things brings joy to my life, and who knows, maybe they're the main ingredient for my own happiness.

But like my friend, occasionally when I'm on the receiving end of "something special" that someone did for me, I start thinking the same thoughts, 'I should, but I'm not good at remembering to do that . . .' But if I did, if everyone remembered to do it, then it wouldn't feel special would it?

* If you'd like to be on the receiving end of some of my homemade cookies, there's still time to enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookies Giveaway. See past happy winners, munching and dunking and enter, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie-1111.html

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

Dead Reader Column 11-04-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive
her daily column at: DearReader.com

Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win:
Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Cookies, cookies, cookies!

My grandson Paul wants to bake chocolate chip cookies, so while we have all of the ingredients out, I thought we'd bake some extra batches for readers. Would you like some homemade chocolate chip cookies, delivered overnight to your door? Enter, dunk and munch and send me a photo to share with readers. To see happy cookie eaters, including the boy who stole the cookie bag, and to enter the Chocolate Chip Cookie drawing, go to:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie-1111.html

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

Dear Reader Column 11-03-11

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her
daily column at: DearReader.com

Sample Suzanne's book at:
Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, population 2000. Like most small town kids, I couldn't wait to move on to a bigger city. But after a few years, I realized that one of the things I came to miss about living in a small community was that people knew each other. They were friendly and they took the time to stop and say hello. If my mother was out in the yard, people walking by would stop and chat, or if they were in a hurry (yes, folks in small towns have busy agendas too), they would at least call out a cheerful "Hi Virginia, nice to see you." Rules of the road were lax in our community, they had to be. If you were driving by Miss Minnie's house and she was out trimming her rose bush, just pull your car over to the wrong side of the road, roll down your window and chat a bit. No honking horns. Other drivers would simply drive around you, and of course give Miss Minnie a wave as they drove by.

Now I live in Sarasota, Florida, population 52,715 and it dawned on me over the weekend, when I was out in my yard deadheading flowers, that I've created my own little piece of small town friendliness. The sidewalk in front of my house is a favorite path for walkers and joggers. I don't know these people, yet surprisingly they know me. Rarely does someone walk by without calling out to tell me how much they love my flowers, or "What happened to the rose bush you used to have here?" Or "Where's the bubble machine? If I come back this way on my walk home are you going to have it turned on?" Our conversation sounds like we're old friends, and I guess in a way we are. Yet it's never crossed my mind to ask anyone's name, where they live, or what they do for a living, because none of those things are important when the friends in my "small town" take a minute to stop and say hello.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/