Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 04-30-13

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

Dear Reader,

Pjs on, snug-as-a-bug tucked in under the sheets, when my kids were little before I'd turn out the light I'd hear, "Tell me a story." Thankfully it seems we're never too old.

When Danny, my cousin, read my column about the time I baked Grandma Hale's Red Velvet Cake, and one side looked like a ski-hill when I took it out of the oven (I filled it in with frosting and served it to guests anyway), he emailed and told me this story...

I smiled when I read your column about the Red Velvet Cake. Don't take this the wrong way, but it reminded me of a cake disaster from a Cub Scout fundraiser. That's a compliment, really.

When I was a kid in the Cub Scouts, each of the scouts were supposed to bake a cake for a fundraiser. My parents were at work. But even if they had been around they probably wouldn't have helped much. Similar to doing your own homework, I would have been told it was my project.

I had a clear vision of how I wanted my cake to look, but...

The night of the fundraising event, when I looked at the other cakes--obviously not made by my fellow Cub Scouts--I was dreading having to hold my cake up to be auctioned, and then having to deliver it to the buyer.

After seeing other cakes go for more than fifteen dollars (what I considered at that time to be a lot of money), it was my turn. Bidding started very slow and stopped quickly when someone yelled, "Eight dollars!"

The auctioneer grabbed the bid, "Going once, going twice, sold to the lady in the back."

When I walked the cake towards the back of the room all I could see was a hand waving. When I was almost there, I saw Grandma Hale sitting with her arm up. We shared my cake with chocolate milk (probably in the frog mug--do you remember that? The mug with the frog inside.)

That being said, because you made the Red Velvet Cake and it was Grandma Hale's recipe, I wanted you to know if your lopsided cake was being auctioned-off, I would have bid on it, and got it!

"Tell Me a Story." I'd love to read your story. Email me at: Suzanne@EmailBookClub.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE MORELS (Fiction) by Christopher Hacker

Arthur Morel, husband and father living in New York City, publishes a book that rips his happy family apart. Why would he do such a thing? Arthur's old schoolmate, envious of everything Arthur has just thrown away, is fascinated with this very question as they become accidentally reacquainted. Where is the line between art and obscenity, between truth and fiction? Is it possible to escape the past? Can you save your family by destroying it?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE MORELS to find out more about the book and the author, Christopher Hacker. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 04-29-13

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

Dear Reader,

Today's guest columnist, author Susanna Calkins, has had a morbid curiosity about murder in seventeenth-century England ever since she was in grad school, when she was first working on her Ph.D. in history. The ephemera from the archives--tantalizing true accounts of the fantastic and the strange--inspired her historical mysteries, including A Murder at Rosamund's Gate. Susanna is a historian and academic, currently working at Northwestern University. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she lives outside Chicago now with her husband and two sons.

Susanna is touring this week and not available to answer email, but please send her a welcome note at: s.calkins.nu@gmail.com

I have five copies of Susanna's new book, A Murder at Rosamund's Gate to give away to lucky readers. To enter the drawing, send an email with your mailing address (in case you win) to: Cassandra.galante@stmartins.com

Take it away Susanna...

My life as a Pirate
Susanna Calkins

When I was a Pirate.

For a short time in the mid 1990s, I was a pirate.

Now, I was no Mary Read or Anne Bonny, two eighteenth-century women who disguised themselves as men in order to serve on a pirate ship.

But I did pull a short stint aboard the Golden Hinde, the museum replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship that circumnavigated the globe, currently dry-docked in the Thames, near London Bridge.

In doing so, I fulfilled a dream I'd had since I was a kid: to be a female pirate like the heroine in "Jade" by Sally Watson. I wanted to be Anne Bonny or Mary Read, plundering and stealing, and generally defying conventions for women. (Of course, I didn't want to be caught and publicly tried as a pirate, as they both were.)

During the week, I was a tour guide--ahem, costumed educator--for tourists and school groups, while on the weekends I ran pirate parties and living histories. I dressed in sixteenth-century sailor garb, which is not as glamorous as you might think. (In fact, once when I was taking my 'tea break' outside the nearby ruins of Winchester palace, a tourist offered me half a sandwich. Yup, she thought I was homeless.)

Despite being a certified landlubber, I learned about ratlines, scurvy, gun drills and barber surgery (so gross, but so cool), swabbing the deck (much less cool) and a little tiny bit of nautical stuff, like turning the capstan, moving the yardarm, and of course some random pirate ditties. I was even hoisted once along the yardarm by the master rigger, a nauseating experience that gave me nightmares for some time.

In my tours, I explained about weevils, "powder monkeys" (the boys who carried gun powder would sway with the listing ship, looking like monkeys), and the origins of such phrases as "loose cannons" (cannons had to be secured on gun deck), "batten down the hatches" and "freeze the balls of a brass monkey" (not a naughty term at all).

The best part? On ship watch, I got to sleep in Francis Drake's own captain's cabin, while St. Paul's Cathedral gleamed across the Thames. Easily one of the most gorgeous views in London. And Bankside--where the Golden Hinde and Shakespeare's Globe are located--came to feature prominently in A Murder at Rosamund's Gate.

Would I still be a pirate, if I could? To shun tradition, convention and stereotypes? To live freely on the seas? To live with rats, weevils, sickness? Probably not--but I think it would make a great story!

To enter the drawing, send an email with your mailing address (in case you win) to: Cassandra.galante@stmartins.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: DOUBLE TIME: How I Survived--and Mostly Thrived--Through the First Three Years Mothering Twins (NonFiction) by Jane Roper

I've always loved memoirs that make it feel like I'm having a heart-to-heart with the author. So I was thrilled when the San Francisco Chronicle said my memoir was "like sharing a bottle of wine with a friend." In Double Time I share the good, bad and funny of my first three years as a mother of twins, my quest for work-home balance, and my battle with depression.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on DOUBLE TIME to read more and to email author Jane Roper, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-26-13

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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, I know you're busy. I always appreciate hearing from readers.

From my Email Bag:

"Your morning post made me laugh so hard...when I was growing up, we had party lines also. Mine happened to be with a family whose son was in my grade at school and 'one of the bad boys,' so I got an earful--always with a towel to muffle my sounds. Such memories, thanks for a fun story to start my day."--Judy S.

* If you missed the column about party lines, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DR42513

"Hi Suzanne, Your column this morning about inheriting your grandmother's best dishes so resonated with me. In fact, I just had a discussion with my friends about my grandmother's crocheted linens that I have stored away in my hope chest. I worry about who I can give them to, who would cherish them the way I do. I have two daughters who are wonderful, but I am not sure they would love them as I do. I am not ready to 'depart' any time soon, but I may pass on some pieces now, and hope they will realize how much they mean to me, and to them eventually.

You are fortunate to have a granddaughter who is interested in the 'family'...I think that is wonderful. Many years on, she will be the one who will be able to recount what you have told her and be able to 'pass' it on!"

Regards, Cam G.

(Suzanne replies:)

It is tricky figuring out when to give a daughter/granddaughter something. My mother gave me a family ring when I was still in high school. I didn't have any appreciation for what the ring represented. I don't even remember what I did with it. But after my mother died I found the ring in her jewelry box. Thankfully she was wise enough to take the ring back. (Sadly I never even realized she had.) Now, I love the ring. In fact, it needs a small repair and I plan on taking it to the jeweler.

I would suggest sitting down with your daughters, showing them the crocheted pieces from their great-grandmother and sharing the stories behind them--the stories in your heart.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: NORTH OF HOPE (NonFiction) by Shannon Polson

How do you navigate the landscape of grief? When my parents were killed by a grizzly bear on a rafting trip in the Arctic, I asked that question. A year later, I went to the Arctic to retrace their trip: to grieve, but also to heal.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on NORTH OF HOPE to read more and to email author Shannon Polson, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-25-13

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

Dear Reader,

My daily life is email, but I still love talking on the phone. Maybe because when I was a kid we had a party line and sometimes--a party it was! Grab a bag of Cheetos, pick up the phone, cover the receiver with a dishtowel and listen in on other people's conversations. Three other households shared our party line. Lucky for me, some of those people led soap opera lives. Listening in was always more exciting and cheaper than a movie. (What can I say? I didn't know any better. I was just a kid.)

Party lines are one of those back-in-the-day things, but I think they're making a comeback, with a newfangled twist. When I was in Target shopping, a woman had her cell phone turned on speaker. Obviously the volume was turned way up because the woman's voice on the other end of the line was coming through loud and clear. In her words, she was "having man trouble" and went on describing, in detail, her date the previous night. It was an amplified party line--no dishtowel needed!

The woman next to me in Target was gasping every few minutes, because the "man trouble" story on the other end of the line was really starting to heat up. I was thinking maybe I should ask my fellow shopper to turn the volume down, or change the subject, because we were getting near the children's section and the story had definitely become R, possibly even X-rated.

Okay, so I suppose you noticed that I said, "we" were getting near the children's section...(Yes, I am an adult and I know better than to listen in, but old habits are hard to break. What can I say?)

* Guest Columnist Tricia Goyer is sending copies of her new book, The Memory Jar to these lucky winners: Becky Altman, Sandi Hooks, Rita Rae Rogers, Pat Swaney, Suzanne Wheeler Thrasher, Lynn Demsky, Jennifer Willtrout, Beverly DeBenedictis, Dorine DeLutri, and Susan Mahaffrey. If you didn't include your mailing address with your entry, please send it now.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU (Fiction) by Joshua Henkin

The Frankel family is descending upon their beloved summer home in the Berkshires. But this is no ordinary holiday. Leo, the youngest of the four Frankel siblings, was killed a year ago on assignment in Iraq, and his family has gathered to memorialize him: his parents; his three sisters; and his widow, who has arrived from California bearing her own secret. Over the course of three days, the Frankels will contend with sibling rivalries and marital feuds, with volatile women and silent men, and, ultimately, with the true meaning of family.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU to read more and to email author Joshua Henkin, 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

(Fiction)
FLY AWAY by Kristin Hannah

(Thriller)
SAVING PARADISE by Mike Bond

(Fantasy)
DEATH'S SERVANT by C.J. Ellisson

(Fiction)
THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU by Joshua Henkin

(NonFiction)
NORTH OF HOPE by Shannon Polson

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

 

 

Dear Reader Column 04-24-13

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

Dear Reader,

My 18-year-old granddaughter, Bailey, wants to know everything about everyone in the family. I wish I would have been as inquisitive when I was her age. Bailey's also become a trusted keeper of family heirlooms. We don't own anything particularly valuable--except my Grandma Hale's china cabinet. Grandma owned it before I was born, so it's very old and in great shape. I imagine it would fetch quite a bit, but it's the memories that are valuable to me.

When I was growing up, every Sunday my parents and I would drive to Grandma and Grandpa Hale's house for noon dinner. I say noon dinner, because in the Midwest where I grew up, the noon meal was lunch, and the evening meal was supper. In our house, the term "dinner" was reserved for special occasions. Going to Grandma's for Sunday dinner always felt like a special occasion to me.

The china cabinet means a lot to me, because I set the table with Grandma's best dishes for Sunday dinner, and the dishes were kept in the china cabinet. Pink water glasses, a crystal cut sugar bowl with a silver spoon, cream colored plates with matching cups and saucers, a gravy boat, and the potatoes, corn, and coleslaw--each had a special serving bowl, too.

After Grandma died, the china cabinet went to my mother, and after my mother died, the china cabinet was passed on to me. And now I think Bailey should be next in line, (Not that I'm planning on leaving anytime soon.) I've kept some of Grandma Hale's "treasures" and added some of my own.

Finding a "home" inside the china cabinet has become a place of honor in our family. Even though I've never said much about it to my young grandsons, Paul and James, intuitively they realize the importance it holds for me. When Paul drew a picture the other day he asked, "Grandma, do you think you'd like to keep it on the shelf in the china cabinet?"

Thinking about my granddaughter some day inheriting the cabinet isn't a morbid thought, but rather heart-warming. Bailey's the trusted keeper of family heirlooms, so I need not worry. The happy, sad, funny memories from my life, will all be safely snuggled and tucked away inside of Grandma's china cabinet.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: DEATH'S SERVANT (Fantasy) by C.J. Ellisson

I wrote Death's Servant at a reader's request. It's a prequel story from my bestselling vampire series, the V V Inn. This 140-page novella tells Jon's tale and how the young werewolf came to serve the deadly redheaded vampire, Dria. New readers to the series, as well as those who've read all the existing books, can enjoy this stand-alone adventure.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on DEATH'S SERVANT to read more and to email author C.J. Ellisson, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-23-13

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

Dear Reader,

Today's guest columnist is author Suzanne Rindell. I can't help but mention that with one small change--make the letter R on Rindell, a T, and you have Tindell. Suzanne Tindell, my maiden name. Perhaps we're cousins, 20xs removed, and someone in the family removed the T along the way, too?

Author Suzanne Rindell is a doctoral student in American modernist literature at Rice University. The Other Typist is her first novel. She lives in New York City and is currently working on a second novel. Please send Suzanne an email and welcome her to the book club, and enter her ARC book giveaway at the end of today's column. You can reach Suzanne at: suzannerindell@gmail.com

Thanks for visiting today Ms. Rindell . . .

People in New York live above all sorts of things: delicatessens, laundromats, Chinese food restaurants--you name it, someone here in the city has likely rented an apartment above it. Even the celebrities here do it; word on the street has it Katie Holmes lives in a high-rise above a Whole Foods. So you may not find it strange when I tell you I spent my first two years in Manhattan living above a small family-run business. You may find it unusual, however, that the small business in question was a funeral home. And you may find it even more unusual that I had to walk through the funeral home in order to get to the staircase that led to my front door. Perhaps "unusual" is the wrong word. Let's try "straight-up creepy."

Why did I do it, you ask? Well, for starters, the price was right. I was a graduate-student-turned-publishing-intern, which is really just code for "poor beyond belief." But I wanted to pursue my dreams in New York, and I was willing to pay my dues...which, in this case, meant occasionally walking by a deceased person laid out in his or her casket. The rent was reduced. And so was my dating life.

At first, seeing dead bodies on a regular basis was shocking, but in time, it transformed into something else. I began to accept that death was a natural part of life, while at the same time being reminded to treat my own time with great value. I'd always wanted to write a novel, and the funeral home had a very direct effect on this goal. When I came home from work tired, ready to put my feet up and watch some television, I'd catch a glimpse of a casket. And poof! Instead of watching television, I'd go upstairs, key into my apartment, and sit down to write. It became very clear to me: All we have is the here and now, so best to give it my all.

I've since moved on, and I don't live in that apartment anymore. But I'm glad I did, as the funeral home ended up being a source of steady motivation for me, and I hope to never forget what I learned while living there. That simple lesson resulted in a book, and to celebrate, my publisher is giving away 5 ARCs of "The Other Typist." To enter, send an e-mail to suzannerindell@gmail.com and tell me about the strangest place you've ever lived.

--Suzanne Rindell

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: SAVING PARADISE (Thriller) by Mike Bond

A surfer's determined battle to save the Hawaii he loves. Throbbing with the sights, sounds and history of Hawaii, a relentless thriller of politics, lies, environmental destruction, manhunts and remorseless murder.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SAVING PARADISE to find out more about the book and the author, Mike Bond. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 04-22-13

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

Dear Reader,

If I buy a gift for someone and I'm having second thoughts about giving it away (because I love it so much myself), I know it's a real winner.

So I love author MJ Rose's idea of giving a book as a gift, and getting a free copy for myself. When you pre-order the hardcover of her new book, Seduction and give it to friend, or maybe Mom (Mother's Day will be here soon), you'll receive a gift, too. A free ebook of Rose's novel, The Halo Effect.

Pre-order Seduction between April 22nd and May 5th, email a copy of the receipt to MJ Rose, and she will send you a free ebook of The Halo Effect. Send your receipt to: MJRoseAuthor@aol.com

You can sample MJ Rose's new book Seduction at: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=bryantestqqxqZ1FE5F42F5AF&c=SUZ&nocache&future

Have fun giving a gift, and giving yourself a gift, too.

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: FLY AWAY (Fiction) by Kristin Hannah

Fly Away is a novel about love, loss, friendship, and how difficult it can sometimes be to let go of the people we love. It is also the story of three women who find themselves at a crossroads in their lives and discover how very much they need each other. We women really need each other--it's a theme I often explore in my novels.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on FLY AWAY to read more and to email author Kristin Hannah, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-19-13

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

Dear Reader,

I've acquired a bad habit. Every night for the past three weeks, I've been indulging in a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. It's the absolute best ice cream I've ever eaten in my life--no exaggeration. So I guess the adjective "bad" in front of "habit" could be up for discussion.

The habit part, that's true. For certain this ritual has become a habit: (definition) "An acquired pattern of behavior that often occurs automatically." Cone to mouth, and I automatically take a big bite (how could I not? Oh my god, this ice cream is so good!)

But bad? (definition) "Of poor quality; inferior or defective." No way, because the first ingredient listed on the back of the sexy little container is: cream. Cream costs more than milk, so it has to be a superior product.

I'm in heaven and all is well with the world when I'm eating my mint ice cream cone. But I realize I need to rein it in. No doubt about it, my evening ritual has become a habit, some might even say an addiction. Because mind over ice cream isn't working. I tried "not" to eat an ice cream cone the other night, but I couldn't resist, and my failure surprised me. Because thirty-five years ago I woke up one morning, decided to quit smoking, and I did. But then again, as I recall, it wasn't my first attempt to quit. I had to ease into the idea.

So I decided to ease into breaking my ice cream habit, too. It may sound crazy, but for a few nights instead of eating a cone with ice cream in it, I just ate the cone. I closed my eyes and imagined that every bite of that cone was covered in mint chocolate chip ice cream. My husband thought I was crazy. Crazy. (definition) "Mentally deranged, esp. as manifested in a wild or aggressive way: 'Stella went crazy and smashed a mirror.'"

Okay, so maybe my idea isn't perfect. I did have a little set back last night.

"Suzanne went crazy and smashed an entire box of ice cream cones."

* The kitchen timer winners are Louise Hulsey who wants a Moo-Moo timer and Barbara Goettler who chose an owl.

And these lucky readers will be receiving a copy of Guest Columnist Whitney Otto's book, Eight Girls Taking Pictures: Jan Tindall, Linda Randig, Millie Malone Lill, Susan Morrell, Phoenix Vie, Linda Drummond and Kathleen Gerard.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: This week, enter to win free children's and teen books and meet the authors of PRECIOUS BONES by Mika Ashley-Hollinger and GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy. To read all about them and learn how to win free books, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

AUTHORBUZZ: IF HE'S TEMPTED (Fiction) by Hannah Howell

Lady Olympia Wherlocke is a strong-minded, strong-willed woman. She's used to living on her own and being her own woman. Then she finds herself dragged into the darkness of Lord Brant Mallam's life. He's an emotionally-scarred man who hasn't handled that scarring well. Just to make sure he couldn't avoid her, I threw both of them into a mess that really needed them to fix.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on IF HE'S TEMPTED to read more and to email author Hannah Howell, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 04-18-13

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

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

Dear Reader,

There's a quaint toy store, downtown on Main Street, here in Sarasota. It's a step back in time. The clerk behind the register is always playing with a toy when you walk through the door. Helicopters may be flying over-top of your head, or thing-a-mi-gigs are twirling on the counter. If you don't know how something works, "Here, let me show you," and the clerk demonstrates. See it in action before you buy, and if it can make a grown man smile like a little boy, for sure my grandchildren will love it.

They especially loved the Bingo game I bought at the toy store recently. I'd decided after this year's family Valentine dinner that we'd all play Bingo. To my surprise it was the first time my grandsons, Paul and James, had ever played Bingo--they had no idea what the game was about. And I had no idea my daughter-in-law was such an entertaining Bingo caller. "Bee is the best! And three is the rest! B-3. Watch those cards people!"

The Bingo game, complete with an old fashioned Bingo cage is definitely the best $19.99 I've ever spent. Candy hearts with sayings on them were our Bingo markers at our Valentine party, and after our Easter dinner, wrapped candy kisses marked our cards, which was a problem for some of the players in my family. (You can't ever win if you keep eating the Bingo markers off of your card.)

I thought maybe my family would think playing Bingo was old school, and they'd play only to be polite. But they loved it! Apparently Bingo has made a comeback. Last week the Wall Street Journal reported "How Do You Spell Hipster? Now, It Could Be B-I-N-G-O!"

So in honor of my birthday next month, this hip 58-year-old (soon to be 59) is planning a BINGO Birthday Party.

"You're invited to Suzanne's BINGO Birthday Party!

No need to bring a gift. But it is a BYOBCM party.

(Bring your own BINGO candy markers)

P.S. And from first-hand experience, if you plan on winning any games, it's best to choose candy you don't like to eat."

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@EmailBookClub.com

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

SUDDENLY BEAUTIFUL (Fiction) by Boone Brux

Nikki Triano has pined for her boss, billionaire, Toraos Stephanos, for the past six years. Unfortunately he's never shown her anything but professional respect--until he mistakenly drinks a bottle of Ambrosia. Yowza, things heat up when the world of the gods collide with Nikki's organized life! Love, laughs, and a little well-deserved revenge ensue.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SUDDENLY BEAUTIFUL to read more and to email author Boone Brux, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-17-13

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

Dear Reader,

USA Today best-selling author Tricia Goyer is today's guest columnist and she writes about a subject dear to my heart. What a difference it would have made if there had been a Tricia in my life years ago.

Please welcome Ms. Goyer to the book clubs and when you do, you'll be entered in her book giveaway. She has 10 copies of her latest book, The Memory Jar to send to readers. Email: Tricia@TriciaGoyer.com

Welcome to the book clubs Tricia...

Passing On A Little Encouragement

Every Thursday night I spend time in inner city Little Rock with a gathering of twenty teen girls. These young women are ethnically diverse: Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian. Most of them live in poverty. They struggle with parents, boyfriends, and school. They question if they can overcome the statistics that say they won't finish their high school education or go on to college. And add to these challenges, all of them are also moms. Young women ages 14, 16, 18 who are caring for children of their own.

For some, teen pregnancy is a political issue. For me it's simply a way to reach out to others going through similar parenting struggles. We talk about when to start our babies on solid foods, ideas for successful potty training, and the importance of reading to our children.

I started meeting with young moms twelve years ago because I remember being in their place. I had my son as a senior in high school. I was so embarrassed that I finished my credits through home study, and I spent many days sleeping in, and hiding out, until a group of women reached out to me, telling me I was important. Telling me that I could be a good mom.

We all need others cheer us on. I've had mentors who've encouraged my parenting, and later my writing. Having someone who believes in you is like sprinkling courage on your breakfast cereal. It fuels you. It feeds your soul.

I love sharing with these moms about my latest book, or research trip, or other life adventure. And after each escapade that I relate for their enjoyment I look each girl in the eyes. "You can do great things, for yourself and for your child," I tell each one.

It's a message that I want every mom to believe, and I will continue to repeat those words whenever I come across a young woman who needs a little hope--a young mom who needs to trust she can have a good future for herself and her child.

Instead of on breakfast cereal my goal is to sprinkle courage, hope, on their hearts.

--Tricia Goyer
Email: Tricia@TriciaGoyer.com
(Say hello and enter the book giveaway.)

Tricia's Amish novels, including The Memory Jar, are set in Northwest Montana where every year a group of bachelors embark upon a small Amish community for hunting and adventure. They go for the game, but often walk away with brides. Tricia's won numerous awards, but her greatest accomplishment is caring for her husband and six children, three of which joined her family through adoption.

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: This week, enter to win free children's and teen books and meet the authors of PRECIOUS BONES by Mika Ashley-Hollinger and GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy. To read all about them and learn how to win free books, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

AUTHORBUZZ: I GOT LAID OFF, TRAVELED AND WROTE THIS STORY (NonFiction) by Shari L. Hochberg

I am so thrilled to share my debut collection of real and humorous stories that I wrote following a semi-traumatic layoff and month long trip roaming the streets from Paris to Milan. You can read about my embarrassing childhood with a gynecologist father to fantasy visions of two celebrities in a mad chase for my affection through Lake Como.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on I GOT LAID OFF, TRAVELED AND WROTE THIS STORY to read more and to email author Shari L. Hochberg, you'll get a reply.