Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 11-16-12

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,

"It's never too late," I told my friend who is celebrating two years of sobriety. My friend was troubled because even though she'd quit drinking, she felt it was too late to make a difference in her teenage children's lives. The damage had been done.

Yes, my friend still has a long road to travel, to put her life back together again. I couldn't deny her those feelings. But I told her with great conviction, "Believe me, it's never too late to make a difference in your children's lives."

I know, because my father was an alcoholic all of his life. His behavior and choices affected my childhood deeply. Yet I don't carry resentment and surprisingly, whenever I think about him now, I can experience feelings of love. You see my father apologized to me on his deathbed.

"I'm so sorry Suzanne, I never knew it would come to this."

They were the last words he ever said to me.

"No," I told my friend, "It's never too late."

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 signed copy of A MOMENT IN TIME by Jennifer Butenas; PRETTIEST DOLL by Gina Willner-Pardo and A SMIDGEN OF SKY by Dianna Winget. For a chance to win free books, say hello to the authors, and more, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

* This month's Penguin Classics book is AN AFRICAN MILLIONAIRE by Grant Allen. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/12NovClassics

AUTHORBUZZ: SHADOW DRAGON (Mystery) by Lance Horton

FBI victim specialist Kyle Andrews is sent to Montana to assist with the investigation of a series of brutal murders. There he meets grieving reporter Carrie Daniels, and the two suddenly find themselves caught between a frightening conspiracy and a mysterious, deadly presence. Someone--or something--is loose on Shadow Mountain.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SHADOW DRAGON to read more and to email author Lance Horton, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-15-12

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


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

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

Dear Reader,

Since I live in Florida, my flowers are in bloom all year long. Thanksgiving is a time for sharing and with that thought in mind, today I'm sharing photos from my garden, and photos of three "sweet-petuties" in my life; 2-month-old Hadley, 5-year-old Paul and the napkins he sewed for everyone in the family for Thanksgiving dinner, and 4-year-old James, showing off his new fishing pole and tackle box we gave him for his birthday.

To view my photos, go to: http://tinyurl.com/Novgarden

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: REFLECTED IN YOU (Fiction) by Sylvia Day

Reflected In You, the sequel to Bared To You takes us deeper into the tumultuous and erotic relationship between Gideon Cross and Eva Tramell, exploring more of the dark issues that define them. Their love faces tremendous obstacles, but both are fighters as well as survivors.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on REFLECTED IN YOU to find out more about the book and the author, Sylvia Day. 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)
THE BREATH OF DAWN by Kristen Heitzmann

(Fiction)
SEVERED THREAD by Kaylin McFarren

(Fantasy)
THE CODEX LACRIMAE The Mariner's Daughter & Doomed Knight by A. J. Carlisle

(Fiction)
REFLECTED IN YOU by Sylvia Day

(Mystery)
SHADOW DRAGON by Lance Horton

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is AN AFRICAN MILLIONAIRE by Grant Allen. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/12NovClassics

 

Dear Reader Column 11-14-12

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,

This Thanksgiving I'm having a family reunion at my home. My son, daughter, grandchildren and uncles are flying into celebrate. I want to make the reunion a memorable occasion, so I've planned a couple of group activities, but overall I want our time together to be casual. It's more important that we have the chance to get to know each other better, than my obsessing over formalities.

I'm still going to set a festive Thanksgiving table with my china turkey plates, real silverware, stemmed glasses, a Cornucopia for the centerpiece, a personalized napkin for everyone (sewn by my five-year-old grandson), and the menu will be extensive. But after my daughter-in-law did a Thanksgiving intervention over the phone, I reluctantly agreed to take short cuts with the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner presentation. My daughter-in-law insisted that instead of putting the turkey and dressing, shrimp salad, Skunk Beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cole slaw, deviled eggs, and desserts in fancy serving bowls, I have to leave each item in its original baking pan or mixing bowl, lined up on the kitchen counter, and folks will grab their plates and walk through the informal holiday kitchen buffet. And it gets worse...my daughter-in-law convinced me not to bake and sent me the number of a deli that makes great "homemade" pumpkin pies. (I can barely speak the words out loud). Yet now that I've had a chance to think about it, I'm glad to take her advice.

It's not the way I normally do things for a holiday dinner, but I'm determined 'not' to spend all my time cooking. In fact I love the idea of taking off my apron and spending more time with my family. I'm so thankful for my daughter-in-law's advice that I told her she should send me a bill for "holiday therapy." And my "to-do" list is shorter, because my daughter-in-law volunteered to make two of the Thanksgiving dishes, and she even "volunteered" her husband and his brother to make one of the desserts, even though they don't know it yet.

* There's still time to enter the Muffins and Mayhem cap giveaway. It's just like the cap I wear. I have four caps for readers. Send your entry to: Suzanne@EmailBookclub.com

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 signed copy of A MOMENT IN TIME by Jennifer Butenas; PRETTIEST DOLL by Gina Willner-Pardo and A SMIDGEN OF SKY by Dianna Winget. For a chance to win free books, say hello to the authors, and more, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

* This month's Penguin Classics book is AN AFRICAN MILLIONAIRE by Grant Allen. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/12NovClassics

AUTHORBUZZ: THE CODEX LACRIMAE: The Mariner's Daughter & Doomed Knight (Fantasy) by A. J. Carlisle

Clarinda's a beautiful Venetian sea merchant, on her way to becoming a Norn witch so that she can try to save her father. Ríg's a heartthrob Hospitaller knight, haunted by a past that will force him to choose between the path of priest or warrior. These two star-crossed teenagers might just find romance amidst fantastic creatures from Norse mythology, a besieged medieval castle, and the return of an ancient evil!

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE CODEX LACRIMAE to read more and to email author A. J. Carlisle, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 11-13-12

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


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

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

Dear Reader,

Author Rachael Herron, this week's guest columnist, lives in Oakland with many pens and assorted animals. (You can ask her to elaborate about the pens and animals when you email her.) Rachel writes the Cypress Hollow Yarns novels, and her recent memoir is A Life in Stitches. She loves to meet new readers, so be sure to email and say hello, and you could win a copy of her memoir, or her most recent novel (your choice), Wishes and Stitches. Email Rachel at: yarnagogo@gmail.com.

Enjoy Rachael Herron's guest column, "Now is Now."

Now is Now

The moments we try hardest to freeze are the small ones, aren't they? The big moments are automatically recorded in our brains. We don't have to work at that. I know exactly where I was when I learned an editor in New York wanted to publish my novel. When I turned the corner at the old lodge, about to walk down the aisle to get married: I didn't try to save that my brain's hard drive. I knew it would be there when I needed it to be.

But the moment I just had in the kitchen as the golden October light streamed sideways across the porch and through the kitchen's sliding glass door, illuminating my hands that suddenly looked like my mother's as I crushed and peeled garlic on our old cutting board--that moment was perfect and utterly forgettable. And I don't want to forget.

I've been thinking a lot about Now. Gretchen Rubin, who writes about happiness, says simply, "Now is now," and that perfect, small sentence has reminded me that I need to remember this every day.

Now is now.

And Now doesn't mean that I can't look forward to other moments when the light will again be this exact shade of amber, when the air is cooling, when I can smell rain coming. I love to look forward to things. But catching this moment of right now, storing it away to remembered later--there's true delight in that.

Now is when I'm sitting at my desk in Oakland, looking up to the hill where the clouds are forming. They're venomously dark underneath but still bright on top as the storm struggles to roll in across the low hills. Now is when my nose is rapturous with the smell of thyme and chicken and leather and Lush bath bombs and the first wood smoke of the season.

Waylon, a small shorthaired black cat with strange bald spots at his elbows and knee joints, sits uncomfortably on my lap, positioning himself with care. We both know he'll accidentally fall off in a moment. I'm listening to the dobro of a sad country song over the stereo. Outside a plane drones, a low white noise on its way to warmer climes. I hear a dog gnawing a Nylabone in the living room.

Now is now. This is the moment I want to remember forever.

--Rachel Herron

Email her for a chance to win her memoir, A LIFE IN STITCHES or her most recent novel, Wishes & Stitches (winner's choice!) Email: yarnagogo@gmail.com

* Don't miss this month's Penguin Classics book, AN AFRICAN MILLIONAIRE by Grant Allen. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/12NovClassics

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: SEVERED THREAD (Fiction) by Kaylin McFarren

Rachel Lyons must not only overcome her greatest fears, but also relive the circumstances that lead to her father's tragic death. The first installment in the new Threads series.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SEVERED THREAD to find out more about the book and the author, Kaylin McFarren. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 11-12-12

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 want to write a book, but how do I come up with an idea?"

It's a frequently asked question. Writing a book sounds like a romantic adventure. Picture sitting in front of a computer screen, a big picture window is in front of you, you're looking out the window, the sun is shining and you're watching the people walk by, your creative juices are flowing, the words are pouring out of your soul. Ideas? There are too many choices. You are so inspired that it's difficult to choose. Reality is something different.

How do you come up with ideas? I try to add some ingredients to the recipe. I get out and about. Walk downtown, stop and talk to a couple of people, read books, sit outside and watch the squirrels run through the trees, or browse through catalogs.

I can't think of one time that my most creative ideas came from sitting in a chair and thinking real hard, and then suddenly a brilliant idea popped into my head. The ideas have to come to me, and they'll only come if they're invited and they like the invitation. Who wants to hang around someone who's stressed out and no fun? It's the same for ideas--at least for me. If I'm relaxed, having fun, I put out the welcome mat for ideas, and they are pleased as punch to visit.

You can see other writing questions and my answers at: http://tinyurl.com/WritingQ-A. If you have a writing question email me at Suzanne@EmailBookclub.com

* Congratulations to our Holiday Apron Giveaway winners: Natasha Brown, Amber Zygutis, Marlene Gillette, Sue Stoffel, Terry Bradley, Bunnie Baker, Janet Whitlatch and Marilyn Clement.

And Guest Columnist Laura Griffin is sending copies of her new book, Scorched to these lucky winners: Anne Rightler, Peggy Trittipo, Nancy Harvey, Ann Toggenburger and Mari Rusk.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Four years ago Quinn Reilly's brave testimony helped put a dangerous man behind bars. She has lived in fear and seclusion ever since. Now that man is getting out, just as Quinn begins to overcome those years of isolation. Quinn's worst fears are realized--her past will place those she loves in danger.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE BREATH OF DAWN to read more and to email author Kristen Heitzmann, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 11-09-12

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,

There's usually a story behind a family recipe, and book club reader, Mary Sickora wanted to know...

"Hey Suzanne, last week while sorting through some files, I came upon the laminated card that was sent with your Muffins and Mayhem book. The card was your recipe for Skunk Beans, so I thought I better give it a try. I made them this past Sunday and they were a huge hit. Everyone wanted the recipe, but even more they wanted to know why they were called 'skunk' beans. I know you gave an explanation in your book, but I just couldn't remember, so I went searching for my copy of your book, and I couldn't find it anywhere. Oh well, I guess I'll just order another!"--Mary Sickora

(Suzanne replies:) Mary, my Skunk Bean recipe is one of my all-time favorites (and it is included in my book), but I never knew the story behind the recipe until after my book was published. I was looking through some old recipes I'd found in my mother's kitchen cupboard after she passed away and one of the things I found was a folded piece of paper with the heading, "Beans for Skunk Party." Instantly I started smiling, because I realized how the Skunk Beans got their name.

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

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

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

The Skunk Beans recipe is in my book, Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life, thank you for purchasing it. And you can also find the recipe at: http://tinyurl.com/SkunkBeans

You can read a sample from Muffins and Mayhem (it's out in paperback now) http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/ And be sure to enter today's giveaway, a Muffins and Mayhem cap, just like the one I wear. I have four caps for readers. Send your entry to: Suzanne@EmailBookclub.com

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: THE SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER (Fiction) Ilie Ruby

What would you do if the mother you loved gave you a life of homelessness hidden behind a veil of magical stories? For sisters Ruthie and Dolly, the only way to cope is with their own creative myths. When they run wild at night, Ruthie meets a mysterious man who walks out of the sea, promising love.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER to read more and to email author Ilie Ruby, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 11-08-12

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 columnist, author Samantha Hoffman, wrote a column that I wish I would have written. Wishing I would have written...is one of the greatest compliments I can give to another author. Along with her column, Samantha included a personal note to me, "Suzanne, let readers know that I love hearing from them. Seriously...I respond to all my mail."

So don't be shy. You can reach Samantha at: samantha@samanthahoffman.com And she's giving away five copies of her debut novel, What More Could You Wish For.

From author Samantha Hoffman. . .

My father would be so proud that I never gave up on my dream of being a published author, and here I am, old enough to be a grandmother, and having just published my first book. I feel like a rock star. He was my biggest fan and greatest supporter. He taught me to finish what I started, and he always told me I could do whatever I put my mind to.

When I was fifty my father was nearly ninety, still vital and healthy. But one day I went to see him and he'd been having hallucinations during the night--he said men had come into his room and written on the walls. There was no writing, of course, and I feared he'd had a stroke so I took him to the emergency room. While we waited for the doctor I took his hand and said, "Daddy, do you know how much I love you?" and he said, "However much that is, honey, I love you a hundred times more."

He passed away less than a month later, shortly after his 90th birthday. I know how lucky I am to have had him for so long but it wasn't long enough. It never is, is it? It was hard to fathom a world without my dad in it.

Ask any psychologist and they'll tell you not to make major life decisions for at least a year after a loss or trauma. Well, I'm the poster child for what not to do when you're grieving: I sold my house, quit my job, moved, and got married. I wasn't even dating anyone. I married a friend, someone I had known for about ten years and someone I loved dearly, though I had never been in love with him. But after losing my father it seemed like the right thing to do and so we were married within the year on my father's birthday. It doesn't take Freud to understand what was going on there but I didn't see it at the time. I probably don't have to tell you how that marriage turned out, and when it ended I regretted deeply how much I hurt my husband.

That year of my life, that experience, is the jumping off point for my novel. It's not by any means a memoir--it's fiction, inspired by reality.

Sometimes we wish there was a replay button in life. Well, writing is sort of my replay button--it's a wonderful opportunity to rewrite history and fashion things to turn out the way you wish they had.

Samantha Hoffman What More Could You Wish For (I'd love to hear from you.) email: samantha@samanthahoffman.com

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: A SUCCESSFUL FAILURE: AGAINST ALL ODDS (Fiction) by Okisha Jackson

Shauna Jackson is a bored, lonely, and single Army soldier. She is a habitual backslider and struggles turning fully over to the call that God has on her life. What will it take for her to stop running like Jonah and get her life right with Christ? To get her full attention, God gives her many dreams and visions to let her know of the danger that's up ahead. Will she take heed?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on A SUCCESSFUL FAILURE to read more and to email author Okisha Jackson, you'll get a reply.

*Fun, free books and meet authors. Ask questions, they'll reply and read samples from their books. Visit AuthorBuzz at: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

(Mystery)
STAKE & EGGS, A CACKLEBERRY CLUB MYSTERY by Laura Childs

(NonFiction)
HILL OF BEANS, COMING OF AGE IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE OLD SOUTH by John Snyder

(Fiction)
I, NEMO by J. Dharma & Deanna Windham

(Fiction)
A SUCCESSFUL FAILURE: AGAINST ALL ODDS by Okisha Jackson

(Fiction)
THE SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER Ilie Ruby

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

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-07-12

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,

Today is the last day to enter my second Holiday Apron Giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/Foot-Prints-110612.html

Thank you for taking the time to write. Reading your emails is the best part of my day.

From my Email Bag:

After reading my column about using a fountain pen when I write, book club reader Kathy Cuthbert wrote:

"Dear Suzanne: I can really relate to your pen-to-paper start. I am a big fan of writing out longhand. My late husband knew how much writing my ideas out meant to me and the last Christmas before he departed, he arranged for a friend to go and get a fancy writing set for me: pencils, ballpoint pens, cartridge pen, even extra cartridges. I cherish it today and when I am writing something meaningful to me, I get out my set.

I am working on a journal of sorts for my grandchildren. I have found that they don't seem to know much about the part of the family that lives in the Chicago area as they live much closer to their father's family in West Virginia. Their mother doesn't tell them stories because they will never meet many of these people. So I write down stories and tell them about my grandparents and my parents, the cousins and all. We are a large family, if we just got together more they would be astonished.

It has dawned on me that the stories may go away now that I am the 'older generation' When did that happen?"

--Kathleen "Kathy" Cuthbert

(Suzanne replies:) Kathy, keep writing. Good for you. I'm an only child, everyone else in my family has passed on and oh how I wish my grandparents, or my parents would have written down some history and stories about our family. I guess maybe that's why for my first book I chose to write a memoir, filled with stories about my childhood.

"Hi, Suzanne: Ever since I first saw your [crock pot] dressing recipe, I have made it for Thanksgiving. I tweak it though. I put in a pound of Jimmy Dean hot sausage that I've browned and put in the food processor, so it's really finely chopped up. I love your crock pot dressing because it's so moist and because it can be cooked anywhere. One year the kitchen was so cramped we put the crock pot on a TV tray in a bedroom, and let it do its thing there. This year I am giving the recipe to my hair dresser. She is going to cook a turkey for the first time and I told her about your dressing recipe.

Also, I did something for the first time last year that I had read about on the Internet. It said to cook the turkey breast-side DOWN so all the juices drain to the breast. I did it and the turkey was moister than anything you've ever eaten. So this year it's going to be Suzanne's dressing and upside down turkey."--Mary Britton

(Suzanne replies) Mary, mentioning sausage in the dressing brought back memories for me. My mother always added sausage to her stuffing. I remember it clearly, because I was the one who chopped up the sausage by hand. (We didn't have a food processor--heck, I don't even know if there were food processors when I was a kid.)

Congratulations to Heather Wojcik the winner of last week's TP giveaway.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: I, NEMO (Fiction) by J. Dharma & Deanna Windham

A blend of historical fiction and steam punk, this is the turbulent, exciting origin story of Captain Nemo. Nemo's own words alternate with a reciprocating plot line in modern day by the researches that find his wrecked submarine.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on I, NEMO to read more and to email authors J. Dharma & Deanna Windham, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 11-06-12

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,

Living in the moment is a good match for me, otherwise I'd constantly be looking down the road, waiting to "get" somewhere, and I'd miss the joys of life that are here--right now--this very minute. The exception to that personal adage, is when I'm feeling burdened and trying to solve a problem. Then, thinking about something in the future is my "magic pill." Before I tackle the problem, I think about something I'm looking forward to, and then it makes problem solving a lot easier to bear. My current "magic pill" is envisioning the upcoming Thanksgiving family reunion at my home. Everyone is flying in; it will be the first time we've all been together, and I've planned two activities that I hope will be memorable.

I've assigned everyone in the family a cooking partner, even Paul (age 5) and 4-year-old James have partners. The "teams" each have to make something for the Thanksgiving dinner--their choice. They don't even have to tell me what they're making, because I assured everyone that I'd be cooking my usual Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potato casserole, sauteed fresh green beans, skunk beans, shrimp salad, deviled eggs and pumpkin and apple pies. When I told my daughter about the cooking partner idea, her first reaction was, "I don't want someone else making the Thanksgiving meal, they might mess it up."

Seventeen-year-old Bailey is excited to be teamed with Paul, and they're making a pecan pie. Paul knows how to roll pie crust (from his weekly baking class with me) and Bailey says she'll make the filling from scratch.

The other activity I've planned might take a little coaxing to get the adults to participate. I bought six different colors of poster paint, along with a long roll of heavy white paper. My idea is to roll the paper out in our driveway, everybody takes off their shoes--kids, adults and even great-grandpa (who's 94), dip their bare feet in the poster paint, and we'll make a family reunion foot poster to hang up. The paint is supposed to wash off with soap and water, but just to be sure, I did a practice run. To see my footprints and to enter my second holiday apron giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/Foot-Prints-110612.html

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: HILL OF BEANS, COMING OF AGE IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE OLD SOUTH by (NonFiction) John Snyder

Hill of Beans is my memoir of a southern boyhood...stories about a brilliant eccentric father, already 53 at my birth, a catastrophic life-changing fire, a scary aunt firing her pistol into the night, and bizarre farm projects such as overturning a concrete silo.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on HILL OF BEANS to find out more about the book and the author, John Snyder. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 11-05-12

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


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

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

Dear Reader,

It's one of 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.

And be sure to enter today's apron giveaway, just in time for the holidays, see photos of the aprons and enter the giveaway at: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/Apron-110212.html

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 teas. Poultry seasoning
2 teas. Salt
2 teas. Sage
1 teas. Thyme
1 teas. Pepper
1/2 teas. 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.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: STAKE & EGGS, A CACKLEBERRY CLUB MYSTERY by Laura Childs

A snowstorm rolls through the Midwest, flash-freezing everything like a package of Mrs. Paul's fish sticks. Tucked inside the cozy Cackleberry Club cafe, Suzanne and her two partners hear the crash of a snowmobile and nervously investigate. But a foray into the raging storm reveals a headless rider and a wire stretched between two stakes! Suzanne and Sheriff Doogie investigate, turning up more than a few nasty suspects--even as the temperature drops and Suzanne's romance with the local doctor heats up.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on STAKE & EGGS to read more and to email author Laura Childs, you'll get a reply.