Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 10-07-13

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column at: DearReader.com


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

Dear Reader,

Author Martin Fletcher, today's guest columnist, is a Special Correspondent for NBC News and PBS Weekend Newshour. Winner of numerous broadcasting awards, including five Emmies, Martin has written two fiction, and two nonfiction books. Walking Israel (nonfiction) was winner of the National Jewish book award, and his latest fiction title, Jacob's Oath, is a sensitive tale of love and revenge set in Germany in 1945.

Please welcome Martin to the book club, and enter his book giveaway. Three copies of Jacob's Oath will be sent to readers.

Email: [email protected]

Take it away Martin Fletcher...

It was grim when our nest emptied so we left too. Hagar and I traveled around the United States and Europe for a year, and then renovated a beautiful leafy house which we swore would be our final home. After sixteen homes in nine countries it was time.

We moved in nine months ago. Our house has a lush tropical garden, a small pool, friendly neighbors, and is a minute from the beach and fifteen minutes from town. A desk at a bay window overlooking purple jacaranda became my writing space and Hagar turned the basement into her studio. She's an artist.

We hung our pictures, stacked our books, planted a herb garden, and yesterday, as I write, rented the house to a German couple with three children for two years.

We're going to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico to learn Spanish for a month, and then plan to wander slowly through Latin America, writing and painting.

Why? I don't have a clue. Hagar says it's because we're wandering Jews.

After all, we met on the road.

I was a 26-year-old news cameraman and Hagar was a 19-year-old Israeli army sergeant. Driving to Jerusalem I passed this smiling Yemenite thumbing a lift and hit the brakes so hard I almost banged my head on the steering wheel. That was thirty-nine years ago and we've been together ever since.

The road is in our family's blood. Guy left home age fifteen for the Royal Ballet School in London and has hardly been back since. Jonathan left school age fifteen to go surfing around the world. Daniel is studying in New York.

At the door, with their bags in their hands, I spread my fingers across the boys' bowed heads and blessed them with the words I learned from my father:

"May God bless you and protect you.
May God's face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May God lift God's face up to you and grant you peace."

I wished them well and they were gone.

But when I fell sick I at last woke to find all three at my bedside, hugging Hagar. We smiled and kissed. And when I recovered, they left again.

That's the way of our little world. Everyone is seeking their story. I write mine, Hagar paints hers, and the boys are living theirs. For home, it is true, is where the heart is.

--Martin Fletcher

Email Martin for a chance to win one of three copies of Jacob's Oath, [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: JULIA CHILD RULES: Lessons on Savoring Life (NonFiction) by Karen Karbo

If Julia Child stood for anything, it was the pleasure found in sharing good food with good people, working hard, being content (even when things aren't going your way), and living with joy and abandon. Karen Karbo delves into the long, extraordinary life of the sunny, unpretentious chef, author, cooking show star, and bon vivant celebrating Julia's indomitable spirit and irrepressible joy.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on JULIA CHILD RULES to read more and to email author Karen Karbo, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 10-04-13

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,

A request from Canadian book club reader, Audrey Grace:

"Dear Suzanne, I'm going to make your Crock Pot Dressing for our Canadian Thanksgiving next weekend, and was wondering how many people does it serve? Have you ever tried stuffing 2X the recipe in one Crock Pot? Thanks.

--Audrey Grace

P.S. I really enjoy reading with you!"

(Suzanne replies:) Even though I won't be celebrating Thanksgiving in Florida until November, I'm already organizing the day in my mind. Last year I brought everyone together for our first family reunion--which turned out fabulous. Some people in the family had never, ever met each other. This year I'm inviting both family and friends. Adorable, handmade invitation turkey cards are sitting on my desk patiently waiting for addresses and stamps. It's my style to start organizing a get-together early, but then sometimes the anticipation makes it hard to wait for the big day. But back to your dressing question.

People tend to take only one healthy scoop of dressing, so my experience has been that you could serve 12 to 15 people with my Crock Pot Dressing recipe. But it really depends on how many other side dishes you're offering. If I were going to serve more than a dozen guests, yes, I would double the recipe. (I would rather have leftovers than run short.) But I don't think you'd be able to double the recipe in one Crock Pot. I think you'd need two. When I make the dressing it fills my Crock Pot, and I have the larger size.

Crock Pots are different. The dressing should stay moist, so if you notice the moisture getting absorbed too quickly, add some chicken broth. That doesn't happen to me very often, but once-in-a-while I do have to add some broth.

People rave about the dressing and it keeps another pan out of your oven. It also solves my problem of not being able to get all of the dressing into the turkey. When I have to bake the leftover dressing in a casserole dish, it tends to dry out.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian readers!

For readers who would like the recipe: http://tinyurl.com/27y4rg

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

Gobble, gobble....
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: THE LUDWIG CONSPIRACY (Fiction) by Oliver Potzsch

You may know me from my Hangman's Daughter series, but this new book of mine is a bit of a departure. Set in modern day Bavaria, it deals with the secret diary of King Ludwig II, declared insane before his mysterious death. What information does the diary hold and how far will some people go to find out?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE LUDWIG CONSPIRACY to read more and to email author Oliver Potzsch, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 10-03-13

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 just finished baking 58 bags of chocolate chip cookies that I sent to publishing executives. Like most companies these days, employees at publishing houses are fewer, and they're required to do more. Yet there are 58 lovely, publishing executives who always find the time to send me the books I need, to feature at our book club.

Just to be sure I hadn't miscalculated the number of bags tucked away in my freezer, I decided to bake an extra three. When you're baking 58 bags of cookies--what's three more? I was pleasantly surprised when the numbers added up, and I realized those three extra bags were leftovers--opportunities for "nudges." Cookie nudges are an adventure. I bake, bag the cookies, put them in my freezer and wait for instructions. Sounds like a bit of science fiction, but at 5:30 the next morning, I heard a "Nudge-nudge, Suzanne, here's what you're supposed to do."

My favorite time of the day is early in the morning, when it's still dark and so very quiet outside. Sitting on my screened-in front porch, drinking my coffee and reading, it feels like I have the world to myself. And I did yesterday morning, until I heard a familiar rumbling sound down the street. As the sound was moving closer, suddenly I felt an urgent nudge-nudge.

"Open the screen door Suzanne and run out to the curb, and catch the sanitation worker before he empties your garbage can, and moves on to your neighbor's house." It was an awkward nudge for me, because I was still wearing my nightgown, but I was up for the adventure.

"Hi there. Good morning. I baked yesterday. Would you like some homemade chocolate chip cookies?"

The man was caught off guard, and he was looking at me a bit strange. But as soon as he heard the words, "chocolate chip cookies," a big smile appeared. "Well, yes, I'd love a cookie."

Little did he realize that I never give someone just one cookie, because a big bag filled with 24-freshly baked cookies, makes the person I hand them to feel like king or queen for a day. As one publishing executive confirmed, "Suzanne, I just received a box with an absurd amount of cookies in it, and I heard you're behind it! Thanks so much! It definitely brightened up my Thursday afternoon."

"I baked these for you," I handed the man a bottle of cold water and a bag filled with "an absurd amount of cookies."

"You baked these for me? I can't believe...what a nice thing to do. Thank you." He waved good-bye and continued on down the street. I'll be thinking about our early morning cookie exchange all day long, and I know my new friend will, too.

There are still two bags of chocolate chip cookies left in my freezer. No "nudges" yet today, but I'm ready, and waiting for my next cookie adventure.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: DAY ONE (Thriller) by Nate Kenyon

Journalist John Hawke becomes trapped in New York when something attacks the city--an enemy that can occupy anything with a computer chip. Hawke must escape to save his wife and young son. In a starred review, Booklist called it "imaginative--exciting and inventive ". Tess Gerritsen said it will have you "on the edge of your seat." I think you'll agree it's my best yet!

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on DAY ONE to read more and to email author Nate Kenyon, 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)
GHOST GONE WILD by Carolyn Hart

(Fiction)
RETURN TO ME by Lynn Austin

(Mystery)
GILT TRIP by Laura Childs

(Thriller)
DAY ONE by Nate Kenyon

(Fiction)
THE LUDWIG CONSPIRACY by Oliver Potzsch

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

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 10-02-13

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,

When I invite a writer to share a guest column with us, I'm never quite sure what they will send me. I email guidelines for length and suggested topics, and I ask the guest authors not to write about their books. But rather, could they please give book club readers a glimpse of their personality. Some take the risk, some don't.

As I read today's guest column, written by author Cindy Kelley, there was a tear in my eye, because my take on life is that I was put here to do the little things, yet periodically I question how important those little things really are.

Thanks Cindy for reminding me those little things do indeed, make a difference. It's my pleasure to introduce author Cindy Kelley...

About Me:

I got my start writing by doing an adaptation for the screen of the children's classic, The Velveteen Rabbit. I've been working with Michael Landon, Jr. for sixteen years and during that time we have co-written seven produced screenplay's--including four of the Love Comes Softly series--and the first episode of Michael's new series on Hallmark Channel When Calls the Heart. We have two published novels, including our latest book, Traces of Mercy, which is the first of the Medallion Series.

When I'm not writing or reading, I'm loving on my three grandchildren who all live within a few miles of me in Tucson, Arizona. My husband and I love to go on long motorcycle trips; love the mountains and love dogs of all sizes, shapes and breeds. Currently, we have four large dogs who believe they are the owners of our house and we are just their people.

"Mundane Stuff"

I was listening to a radio interview with a famous actress the other day and the usual question came up about all the different jobs she'd had before she got her big break and could start her real life making her living as an actor. I heard pride in her voice when she spoke of paying her dues when she was a server in a restaurant, walked dogs, did a brief stint as a maid, worked as a teller in a bank, was a nanny for a time and even did the midnight shift at a hospital as a paid nurse's assistant. "You know," she said, "lots of mundane stuff."

You're not so special, I thought. I'd paid my dues before I sold something that allowed me to say I was a professional writer. I'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I've been a server to my family for over thirty years. I've walked dogs--sometimes four at a time, done my share of maid duties, handled the family finances, cared for my kids and played nurse whenever someone had the sniffles, strep throat or even a bruised and battered ego. I've also been a gardener, painter, carpenter, taxi driver and decorator.

I could have told that actress I've sold Tupperware, taught stitchery classes, made the little velvet boxes that jewelers put in their display windows (that was a strange job) and even spent ten years as a Lamaze Instructor.

I suppose the big difference between us (aside from her fame, beauty, talent and youth), is that I've never thought of all the jobs I did as mundane--or as place holders until my real job as a writer kicked in. I shuttled kids around between movie scenes I was writing; plotted twists and turns in story lines while I did the dishes and made up character names as I folded laundry. The day my writing partner, Michael Landon, Jr., called to say we'd sold the first script we wrote together, I had just dropped a glass jar of salsa that shattered all over the kitchen floor. I was finally a professional writer--something I'd wanted since I was twelve. After a celebratory moment over the phone, I hung up and thought about all the things I've done that led up to that call. Things that actress would call "the mundane stuff." Then I picked up my broom and began to sweep--she really doesn't know what she's missing.

Thanks for reading my guest post!
--Cindy Kelley

Cindy is giving away three copies of Traces of Mercy, her new novel she co-authored with Michael Landon, Jr. To enter the drawing, simply send her an email at [email protected] with your comments or questions.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: GILT TRIP (Mystery) by Laura Childs

Scrapbook maven Carmela Bertrand attends a fancy Get Out of Jail Free Party for New Orleans business tycoon Jerry Earl. But in the swirl of champagne, Zydeco music, and bad behavior, poor Jerry Earl is murdered and stuffed inside a clothes dryer. The grieving widow latches on to Carmela and begs for help in solving the crime! A classic who-dunnit, a perfect Halloween read and you'll love my recipes for Big Easy Brownies, Cajun Chicken, and Crockpot Meatloaf!

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

Dear Reader Column 10-01-13

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,

The other day I realized my life moves from one party to the next. I'm constantly in party planning mode, even if I don't think I am. When I'm out shopping an item might call out to me, "Take me off the shelf and put me in your shopping cart." Initially I dismiss the urge to buy this "thing" thinking, 'What do I need this for?' But as I continue walking down the aisle, I hear the "thing" calling out to me--louder and louder, "You'll need me for the party. I'm the perfect decoration for your upcoming mustache party!"

Funny thing, I didn't know I was having a mustache party, but you know, when I think about it, this "thing" would be perfect for a mustache party. So, 'Who could I invite? What day should I have the party? Three weeks from Saturday would be good. What should I serve for dinner?' And so it goes. This is the way one of my just-because parties is born. I had no idea I was pregnant with a party, but now it's very clear, so--send out the announcements! "You're invited to a Mustache Dinner Party. Come hungry, come clean shaven because you'll be wearing a mustache by the time you leave." Sounds bizarre, but I think that's what my friends and family enjoy most about my parties.

The crazy themed parties are delightful, but I'd have to say that organizing a birthday party for someone in my family is my favorite thing to do. Some folks might think, 'It's just going to be our family, so I don't need to go to, too much trouble." But doing the little extras to celebrate a birthday for someone in my family, is my gift and my way of saying, "I love you."

To see photos of my latest family birthday party--a combined party--for Hadley, my one-year-old granddaughter, and her uh-mm... year-old mother, Amber, go to: http://tinyurl.com/Birthday0913

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: RETURN TO ME (Fiction) by Lynn Austin

In the spirit of my Chronicles of the Kings novels the Bible comes to life once again in my new series, The Restoration Chronicles. Book one, Return to Me, tells the story of the faithful people of God who leave the comforts of Babylon to obey His call to return to Jerusalem, rebuilding the Temple and their faith. Nothing about their journey to the Promised Land is easy, and as hardships mount, even the faithful question the sacrifice of following God.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on RETURN TO ME to find out more about the book and the author, Lynn Austin. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.