Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 06/28/13

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,

Every year when I was a kid, I went to visit my grandparents. I think a lot of other readers did, too. If you missed the original column about shoes, cemeteries and my grandparents, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DR061813

(If I used your email in today's column send me your mailing address and I'll send you a free book as a thank you.)

From my Email Bag:

"When I read about [you] visiting cemeteries with grandparents, I had to respond. I have wonderful memories of spending time on my grandparents farm which adjoined a large cemetery. In the evening after milking and supper was over, my grandmother would fill pails with water and we'd head over to the cemetery. Once there we would water the pots of flowers by the family graves. As we walked through, she would tell us stories of the persons buried there.
Their lives became special to us, and I've been able to share their stories with my children when we have been to the cemetery. After the flowers were all watered, and it was near dark, my siblings and cousins would play hide-and-go-seek. We loved going to the cemetery with my grandmother."--Sandy

"Your story today could have been about me and my grandma Ward. She was a farmer's wife [in] Covington, Indiana. She had all the same fruits and berries you mentioned and the gooseberries were off limits to us kids. She hoped to have enough to make pies but that never stopped me from snitching a pocketful when I got the chance...and I never remember seeing any gooseberry pies. Plenty of apple, peach and pumpkin though. I visited during summer and spring vacations and those weeks were some of the best in my life.

My grandma and grandpa were modest people and the gift of her love is one I'll never forget. Oh and Suzanne, she always wore a work dress with an apron that she made from her chicken feed sacks. Only on Sundays did Grandma shed her apron. I could go on and on...you've stirred up so many memories for me today...thank you so much for sharing your life Suzanne. I love reading your stories! A big hug to you."--Donna

"Your story about your grandparents brought back wonderful memories that I have of my own grandparents. They were Italian immigrants and both couldn't have been more than five feet two, but I thought they were as big as life. I would wake up on a Sunday morning in their little house to the sound of my grandmother singing in Italian while she was making her meatballs and fabulous tomato sauce. The smells coming out of that kitchen would drift into my room, and my mouth would water. Of course, she would always give me a few of those meatballs before breakfast,and let me dip bread into the pot of sauce for a tasty treat. When I think of my grandparents, I think of great smells and wonderful food. And of being so unconditionally loved. I'm so grateful I had them in my life, if only for a little while. Suzanne, it's so great to read with you." --Julie

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

THEIR VIRGIN HOSTAGE (MASTERS OF MENAGE, Book 5) by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

A sexy play on the classic romance hostage bride trope. Kinley is kidnapped minutes before her wedding. Law and Riley deliver her to Dominic, a man who blames her fiance for his sister's death. He's spent years plotting revenge, but one look at Kinley has him rethinking his plans because she might be the one woman who can please them all.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THEIR VIRGIN HOSTAGE to read more and to email authors.

Dear Reader Column 06-27-13

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,

Through wind, sleet, snow, rain, labor pains, or the flu, a writer never misses her deadline.

Send an email and welcome today's guest columnist, author Jen Lin-Liu. She has five Advanced Reading Copies of her brand new book On the Noodle Road to giveaway to readers. Email a hello and enter to win a copy of her book: [email protected]

Welcome author Jen Lim-Liu...

My upcoming book is about a six-month overland journey from Beijing to Rome that I took to research the connection between Chinese noodles and Italian pasta. With my husband along with me for much of the journey, the trip definitely was a test of our relationship. I believe we passed, plus we returned from the journey to a surprise: sometime in the last days of the journey, I'd gotten pregnant.

The pregnancy came not a moment too soon. Had I conceived any earlier, I would have been dealing with morning sickness--all while having to sample irresistible and off-limits foods like unpasteurized cheeses and raw sea urchins in Italy. But I did have to deal with being pregnant while writing the book, which came with quite a few challenges. For the first trimester, the mere thought of many foods made my stomach turn--a rather unfortunate feeling, given I was trying to write about the pleasure of eating my way from China to Italy. Things brightened in the second trimester, when I started feeling like a normal human again. I could write for hours and almost forget I was pregnant. But then third trimester crept up on me, and I could not shrug off the almost constant bouts of sleepiness. I resorted to taking naps at least a couple of times a day, in between languidly stringing together sentences at my computer.

I emailed my editor a rough manuscript of On the Noodle Road from my hospital bed about an hour after my water broke and before the labor pains began in earnest. And for the first few days, weeks, and months after my daughter's birth, I forgot about my book completely. Part of it was my sheer bedazzlement with my baby girl, but it was also the pure exhaustion that comes with tending a newborn.

I turned back to writing several months after my daughter's birth and wondered if I could do it. Surprisingly, I found that writing after becoming a mother was easy. I don't have to deal with the discomfort of being pregnant. I wrote more quickly, realizing that I need to be efficient during my hours away from my daughter--particularly because I pay a nanny by the hour. And I love that every so often, especially in my moments when I am struggling with a word or a sentence, my now one-and-a-half-year-old ambles into the room, smiles, and exuberantly dashes toward me with one of her favorite toys.

My daughter has been a constant companion through my writing process, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.

My publisher is offering five advance review copies of On the Noodle Road--To enter to win, please email me at [email protected] and tell me about an unexpected event in your life that continues to inspire you.

--Jen Lin-Liu

A little bit more about the author: Born in Chicago and raised in Southern California, Jen Lin-Liu attended Columbia University and went to China as a Fulbright fellow. The founder of Black Sesame Kitchen, a Beijing cooking school, she is the author Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey through China She has written about food, culture, and travel for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Saveur, Newsweek, Travel + Leisure, and other publications. She lives in Chengdu, China.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

*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) FINAL SENTENCE by Daryl Wood Gerber

(NonFiction) CONFESSIONS OF JOAN THE TALL by Joan Cusack Handler

(Fiction) FULL MOON by Mari Carr

(Fiction) THE BLESSINGS OF THE ANIMALS by Katrina Kittle

(Fiction) THEIR VIRGIN HOSTAGE (MASTERS OF MENAGE, Book 5) by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

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

Dear Reader Column 06-26-13

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,

I have house guests. I didn't invite them, but "Shh," please don't let them know, that I know, they're here. Invitation or not, I've decided to throw an impromptu party in their honor. I enjoy entertaining. And obviously the word is out about my fun parties, so I wouldn't want to disappoint my guests.

I'm getting the house spiffied up--company ready--organized and cleaned (even though company's already here), and in a couple of days I'll pitch a party tent, too. I don't have to worry about the menu, because my guests have been helping themselves to breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a couple of weeks now. They know their way around my kitchen.

Who are my guests? Wood termites have invaded my 1926 historical home.

Since I always try to find "good news" in "bad news," perhaps I should take it as a compliment that apparently 1926 was a very good year, and my aged, tasty wood, is at its best and ready to serve. So tomorrow (Thursday) I'm serving a tasty buffet underneath the big top (the red-and-black exterminator's 'circus' tent.)

"Come one, come all, step right-up and bring your termite friends."

* Congratulations to the winners of Restrike, by Guest Columnist Reba White Williams: Barbara Duncan, Allison C. Busby, James McDonald, Kimberly Welsh and Marybeth Anderson.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free copy of BABY WANTS MAMA by Nancy Loewen; PLAYING NICE by Rebekah Crane; and THE AFTER GIRLS by Leah Konen. For a chance to win free copies, say hello to the authors, and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

Dear Reader Column 06-25-13

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,

My two teenage grandkids from Wisconsin are coming to visit next week. One of our summer-visit traditions has been to bake something memorable. This year we're baking a polka-dot cake. If you're curious, I found the idea at: http://tinyurl.com/polka-dot-cake

I'll take photos and give you a play-by-play. Hopefully the kids, my friend, Linda, and I don't run into the "sliding" problem we had the year we made a rainbow cake. The original idea was to make an 8-layer cake, but magically the rainbow cake grew and grew and grew--to 11 layers!

Enjoy one of my favorite baking stories...

One of the most memorable activities I did with my two teenage grandchildren, Seth and Bailey, when they visited for two weeks, was baking an 11-layer cake. Each layer was a different color, and we lathered the cake in a sweet, almond-flavored wedding cake frosting. Our masterpiece took four bakers: Seth, Bailey, my good friend Linda (who found the idea for the cake on the Internet), and me, five hours to complete. It was a challenging afternoon; mix, bake, cool the layers, then freeze them for 10 minutes to make them easier to frost, periodically attempt to keep the tower of layers from tipping over, make wedding cake frosting from scratch and finally frost the cake.

I'm a bake-a-cake from scratch kind of person, but thank heavens I realized the size of the task before we started and I bought white cake mixes instead. Normally you get two cake layers from each cake mix and since we needed 8-layers, I bought four mixes. But when we started pouring the cake batter into the pans, I realized the layers would be too thick. So instead of two layers from each box mix, we got four. What would we do with the extra batter? Build a bigger cake, and make two batches of cupcakes, too. One single slice of cake is too much for one person to eat, so what did we do with all of that cake? Friends, relatives, the postman, neighbors, strangers who stopped to admire my flower gardens, they all enjoyed a piece and gave a thumbs-up on our cake.

It's an amazing rainbow cake of colors and I think it was the start of a vacation-baking tradition with my grandchildren and my friend Linda. So what are we going to bake next year Linda?

To see photos (don't miss them), there's even a photo of our towering, leaning cake before we put the whole thing in the freezer to set, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cake-071311.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

Confessions of Joan the Tall (NonFiction) by Joan Cusack Handler

The time was 1954. The place, the Bronx. I was a very tall twelve year old. 5 feet 11-1/2 inches to be exact. I was also funny, smart, loving & resilient. I open the locked door of Joan's (my) adolescence and reveal what she's never shared with anyone about what inspires her, what torments her--bullying by an older brother included. Confessions records Joan's fight to understand herself against the backdrop of family, religion, blossoming sexuality, and of course her six foot frame.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on Confessions of Joan the Tall to find out more about the book and the author, Joan Cusack Handler. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 06-24-13

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,

My Guest Columnists love to hear from you. Author Dianne Olchitree was overwhelmed with wonderful stories in response to her recent guest column.

It is always so much fun to walk down memory lane with a friend. Here are a few choice memories that book club members shared with me in response to my guest column recounting the joys of childhood summers. It was nice to know that while we all grew up in different corners of the country, our experiences as kids were so much alike. It wasn't just chasing fireflies but the games we played in those backyards (Red Rover, anyone?) and the bikes we rode around the neighborhood, or the woods we wandered collecting buckeyes and feathers. While I'd mentioned one frosty treat--popsicles--readers reminded me of another frozen creation that is part of everyone's childhood summers, too: ice cream!

"We had a big weeping willow in the back yard which provided shade and lots of fun times. Yes, we were outside all of the time too, riding bikes and playing hide-and-seek. The ice cream truck, of course, was a special delight. We didn't get something every day, but the musical tune of his truck was a big part of summer." --Teri B.

"I remember spending the summers at my great-grandmother's house in a small town on the banks of the Illinois River. The house was right next to the Lutheran church, so we never escaped from the Sunday services, fanning ourselves with the funeral home paper fans. After church, we would walk to the main street of town to the newspaper/candy/ice cream store. I always had a lemon custard ice cream cone, a never duplicated flavor. Until last night, when sitting in air conditioned comfort, my husband and I ate Haagen-Dazs Limoncello Gelato.There was the flavor I hadn't found for almost 60 years."--Marie-Louise B.

"When you talked about eating a popsicle, I immediately flashed back to being a kid stopping in mid-play with a bunch of friends, upon hearing the ice cream truck music on the next block, and racing home as fast as you could to get some change, and make it back in time where the truck would stop, and decide what yummy cold treat to have that day from his list."--Sharon R.

"My favorite childhood memory of summer was going out at night with my parents and getting my favorite scoop of ice cream, Blue Moon, at the local ice cream store. My parents and I would go outside eating our ice cream cones and looking at the stars in the night sky."--Susan M.

"Some of your memories of summer mimic mine except for the fact that living in the country we didn't have a fenced-in backyard! We could walk through the pasture, down to the creek where we would wade in the cool water and sit in the shade where it was cooler than our yard. Those memories make summertime special for me and I, too, think of the times I got to eat ice cream which my Dad made in the crank ice cream freezer. Of course we had to crank it!"--Sarah W.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your visit to the book club, Dianne.

The winners of Dianne's delightful new book, It's a Firefly Night, are: Aletha Shields, Connie Mauge and Nancy Reynolds.

And the winners of my recent Muffins and Mayhem book giveaway are: Carol Szymanski, Nancy Robinson and Sarah Snider.

Jane Swift won my legal pad giveaway.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

FINAL SENTENCE (Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber

Introducing the first installment in my new 'Cookbook Nook Mystery' series (I also pen the Agatha Award-winning 'Cheese Shop Mystery' series as Avery Aames). Jenna Hart, a recovering ad executive, returns to Crystal Cove, California to help her aunt open a culinary bookshop and cafe. Jenna has the right ingredients for a fresh start--until someone adds a dash of murder.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on FINAL SENTENCE to read more and to email author Daryl Wood Gerber, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 06-21-13

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,

It's 5 a.m. I'm sitting on my screened-in front porch drinking a cup of coffee. A soft light is on a stand nearby. Barry, my tuxedo cat, is on the porch, too. Barry chases lizards and squirrels from inside the screen. Barry likes being on the porch early in the morning, too. Every morning it's the same routine. Barry waits inside the house by the door leading out to the porch, and looks back at me as if to say, "Well, are you coming?" He likes my company, so together we sit awhile every morning.

Early in the morning the world around me is oh, so quiet. It's a familiar feeling, a deja vu that reminds me of when our four kids were young. If I wanted to familiarize myself with what peace and quiet felt like, I had to get up early before anyone else stirred. Getting up early was my chance to be Suzanne and not "Mom."

It's the same experience every morning on the porch. The world around me, at least in my neighborhood, is quiet. The street is barren of cars and the squirrels are still sleeping. (Well, there might be a mama squirrel up sipping coffee, catching some quiet time before the kids wake up.) The quiet is a little piece of heaven. It's easy to put aside any anxiety about the upcoming day.

I hear the man who gets up earlier than me to retrieve cans out of recycle bins, before the garbage trucks come around. That man is a hard worker. A broom pole balancing over his left shoulder and a huge black garbage bag attached to each side of it. Clang, clang, smish--he steps on every can before he tosses it in the bag. The sounds stop, and he heads-on down the sidewalk.

Sitting on the porch, early in the morning the world around me is a painting. Lighter and lighter the day starts appearing, the artist has begun her work. "Chirp, chirp," the birds are awake. A car drives down the road. It's almost time for the morning runners and joggers to show up. So I head out front to turn on my electric bubble machine. If I forget, or I'm late, soon I'll hear the runners calling. "Where are the bubbles?"

"Thud," the paper has arrived. The light in my neighbor's house just went on. My coffee cup is empty. The canvas is finished and the day is ready to begin.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

WHEN MOCKINGBIRDS SING (Fiction) by Billy Coffey

Did you grow up with an invisible friend? Someone who played with you, someone you shared secrets with? For young Leah Norcross he's The Rainbow Man. And what transpires next will stretch the limits of faith and doubt, hope and heartbreak, not only for Leah, but for everyone who lives in her small Virginia town.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on WHEN MOCKINGBIRDS SING to read more and to email author Billy Coffey, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 06-20-13

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,

Decisions, decisions.

When I can't decide what to do, I grab a yellow legal pad, and draw a line down the middle of the sheet of paper. Add two headlines, Pros/Cons, one on each side of the line, and then I start making a list of the good and bad that might befall me because of this troubling decision. Black and white, written down in front of me, suddenly I can see clearly what's best for me.

I might not agree with the truths I'm staring at, and sometimes I choose to do what I know will probably cause me grief later on. But at least I can clearly see where I'm headed.

I could go 'green' and simply think about the problem in my mind, but as I'm cycling the options through my brain, round-and-round, pretty soon I'm stressed and more confused than when I started.

Time out--get me the legal pad!

Friends help friends, so if you're like me and you need to see things on paper, you're going to love today's giveaway. Need to make a decision? Or if you've got the feeling a whopper decision is headed your way, be sure to enter. You could win 12 yellow legal pads, 50 sheets of paper in each pad, which adds up to 600 decisions. You'll be ready for anything!

To enter, send an email to: [email protected]

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

May you be problem free today,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

*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) HOUR OF THE RAT by Lisa Brackmann

(Fiction) THE QUARRYMAN'S BRIDE by Tracie Peterson

(Fiction) THE BOOK OF MADNESS AND CURES by Regina O'Melveny

(Fiction) WHEN MOCKINGBIRDS SING by Billy Coffey

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

Dear Reader Column 06-19-13

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,

"Who plays the bass cello? I saw it sitting by the bookcase (of the Bingo Birthday Party photo you posted) and I don't remember any columns about it. You are so creative with your house."

Book club reader Carolyn Hoe's question made me think of the therapeutic, declutter your house question: "If you only had two minutes to pick out things in your home that you wanted to take with you (because a disaster was headed your way), what would you grab?"

Certainly grabbing the huge bass cello, sitting in the corner of my dining room, wouldn't be an option. But my husband and I would surely miss it if it were gone. It's one of the many unexpected furnishings in our home that give visitors pause, when they first walk in and look around. Our decorating style is an eclectic mix of things that make us smile and they enrich our lives. A wedding dress in the bathroom, a circus tent mallet by the fireplace, antique flashlights and aviator goggles, just to name a few. And there's always been a plethora of musical instruments, enough for a one man band, scattered throughout our home. A keyboard, four guitars, two electric bass guitars, two different kinds of drums, and the big bass cello.

Since my husband tells people he 'dabbles in music' you'd think his interest in music was just a hobby, and I did too. Until one afternoon, my father-in-law unearthed a poster that let me in on a little secret. My husband and I have been married thirty-six years and I had no idea that he used to be a teenage 'rock star,' a bass player in the band, The Elites.

The poster my father-my-law gave me announced:

Dance

The Elites

May 13, 8:30 to 11:30

Maria Gorette Church (Corner Flad Ave and Gilbert Rd)

Admission 75 cents

Five high school friends, one of them my husband, made up the boys in the band. The Elites played around the Madison, Wisconsin area for two years, including the University of Wisconsin's Summer Music Camp.

So what else hasn't my husband told me about? Do me a favor and take a look at the photo from my Bingo birthday party and maybe you'll see something else I should ask my husband about.

Go to: http://tinyurl.com/Bingo0513

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

(Carolyn, send me your mailing address and as a thank you I'd like to send you a free book.)

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

The Book of Madness and Cures (Fiction) by Regina O'Melveny

Gabriella Mondini, a rare woman doctor in Renaissance Venice, is banished from the Doctors' Guild for lack of male patronage. Her father's inexplicable disappearance ignites her search throughout Europe and North Africa as she follows clues in his enigmatic letters leading to mysterious places and cures, until she unexpectedly finds home.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on The Book of Madness and Cures to read more and to email author Regina O'Melveny, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 06-18-13

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,

My Grandma and Grandpa Hale were the two people who brought love in my life when I was growing up. Feeding squirrels in front of their house, baking, picking berries and apples in their backyard, riding with my grandpa on his daily gas route for the county, driving to the antique store in Fennimore and visiting cemeteries (sounds strange, but actually it was very interesting looking at the ornate headstones and Grandma would "introduce" me to long-gone relatives). Spending time with my Grandma and Grandpa created loving stories that I still carry with me today--especially the story about shoes.

If you enjoy today's column you'll find more stories like it in my book, "Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life." I'm giving away three copies to readers. To enter the drawing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/DRbookaday and if you used to visit your grandparents, I'd love to hear your story.

When I was a kid, I used to love to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Hale's house in the summertime. It kind of felt like I was going to summer camp at an orchard: red raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, grapes, apples, pears, strawberries and popcorn--they all grew in their back yard. My grandparents lived in the city, but nothing was built up behind their home yet, so their backyard was more like the back forty.

Every morning it was the same routine. I'd stumble down the stairs, still half asleep, walk into the kitchen, stick my head out the side screen door and yell, "Good morning Grandma." And she'd set aside her berry boxes, and come in and make me scrambled eggs and toast. (Was I spoiled, or what?)

Grandma had already been up for a couple of hours picking raspberries--she had to--because at around 9 o'clock, neighborhood customers would start stopping by. She had a great word-of-mouth berry business. "Pocket money"--Grandma called it--"shoe money," I called it. Because every time I visited, she'd dip into her berry money, and I'd never go home without at least one, sometimes two, new pairs of shoes.

There was a shoe store off the downtown square, and when we walked by it, we both knew what was going to happen. We'd walk right by, and then I'd back up a bit, and stand in front of the store window looking at the shoes on display. Grandma would walk back, stand next to me and ask, "Do you need a new pair of shoes?"

"Well, I kind of like those shoes in the corner there, maybe I should try them on? Yea, I could probably use a new pair of shoes."

About that time, the shoe man would recognize us, and wave us in. Because from past experience, he knew for sure he was going to sell a couple of pairs of shoes, real soon.

I dug out some photos of Grandma Hale and me. If you'd like to see them, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/berry.html

* Congratulations to the winners of A Hundred Summers by Guest Columnist Beatriz Williams: Heidi Zoll, Jeanne Engel, Cheryl Gill, Martha Preecs and Brenda Briding.

And the winners of Guest Columnist Kris Kennedy's book giveaway are: Mary Robinson, Kathleen Mcnerney, Dorie Furman and Heidi Zoll.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

The Quarryman's Bride (Fiction) by Tracie Peterson

Emmalyne grew up loving Tavin MacLachlan, but tragedy strikes ending their plans to marry. Years later Emmalyne realizes she's still in love with Tavin, but her obligations make their love impossible--at least without some help.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on The Quarryman's Bride to find out more about the book and the author, Tracie Peterson. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 06-17-13

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,

Have you read Restrike by Reba White Williams?

Today you can sample Reba's new book and I've invited her to write today's column. And the gifts don't end there, Reba is giving away five copies of her book to readers.

To start reading Restrike go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=bryantestqqxqN1F939A52AAF&c=SUZ&nocache&future

Please welcome author Reba White Williams (you'll receive a reply) and your name will be entered in her book giveaway. Send your email to: [email protected]

"By Invitation" take it away Reba...

A Passion for Flowers

I love flowers. You probably do, too. You may think everyone loves flowers, but not so. My mother disliked flowers and did not want them near her. In the small Southern town where I spent much of my childhood, I learned from my grandmother and my aunt to love flowers. In the spring, daffodils bloomed on the paths that led to their doors, and wistaria veiled my aunt's porch. In summer, the flowers beside the paths were snapdragons, ragged robins, pinks. Crepe myrtles lined the street outside my grandmother's house, and her porch was shaded by a tangle of trumpet vine. My favorite spot in my aunt's yard was a trellised arbor, covered with white roses, where I read for hours.

My grandmother and aunt brought flowers from their gardens into the house--a few roses in a tall vase, a magnolia blossom floated in a glass bowl, and small bunches of old fashioned flowers on every table. At Christmas, narcissi, their heavy scents mingling with that of the Christmas tree, Christmas roses, and camellia blossoms, decorated their houses, along with pine boughs, and beautiful magnolia cones.

My grandmother raised African violets, and often gave a pot to a visitor. My aunt and my grandmother also gave bouquets to friends. Sometimes I was the messenger: I delivered small bunches of lilies of the valley and violets to their neighbors.

Maybe if I' d remained in the South, I'd have had a garden, and kept that vow to fill my house with flowers. But in New York, I had no garden.

In 1975, my husband and I began to collect prints, black and white, scenes of American life. Our collection was fascinating, but I pined for color. In 1984, my husband and I saw and bought Three Red Roses, a dazzling color woodcut, by a little-known American artist, Luigi Rist (1888-1959). Rist florals were hard to find, but we acquired his Magnolia Grandiflora, Dandelions, Rhododendron, Roses 2, and Sunflowers, all in glorious color.

I went on to acquire a large collection of colored flower prints by American artists. Our New York living room, dining room and entry glow with colorful blossoms, where visitors can see and enjoy them. I illustrate my website with flowers (http://www.rebawhitewilliams.com/ ) --a way of sharing--and I tuck flowers into my books. In Restrike, Dinah buys a Rist flower print, and hosts an exhibition of Rist prints. This is my way of sharing the flowers I love with you, dear Reader.

Interesting info about the author: Like my young women protagonists in Restrike, Coleman and Dinah Greene, when I graduated from Duke I left North Carolina for New York, seeking my fortune. Initial steps along the way were low-level jobs at ad agencies, then a very rewarding nine years in research at the management consulting firm, McKinsey. This led me to Harvard Business School and an MBA, and becoming a securities analyst on Wall Street. My husband and I took up fine art print collecting as an avocation, and I went back to school and earned a Ph.D. in Art History. After years of writing non-fiction about finance, business and art, I have finally turned to an early love, fiction. Restrike is my first novel, soon to be followed by Fatal Impressions, and work is underway on number three--all mysteries set in the art and business worlds of New York.

Email Reba White Williams: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: HOUR OF THE RAT (Mystery) by Lisa Brackmann

Ellie McEnroe's comfortable life in Beijing is turned upside-down when her search for an Army buddy's missing brother entangles her in a conspiracy involving a sinister biotech company, eco-terrorists, and an art-obsessed Chinese billionaire. On top of that, her mother has come along for the ride, and wants to stop at every tourist attraction along the way.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on HOUR OF THE RAT to read more and to email author Lisa Brackmann, you'll get a reply.