Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 11-15-13

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,

Worry, Worry! From the emails I received from readers, about this past Monday's worry column, it's clear that there are a lot of fellow worriers out there. Thanks for taking the time to email. Reading your emails is the best part of my day.

If you missed Monday's column on worry, go to: http://tinyurl.com/Worry1113

From my Email Bag:

"I'm the designated worrier in my family, too. I remember when my daughter was a freshman in high school and flying to Germany with a church youth group for an exchange week. I asked her if she was nervous (it was the first time she flew--except for a trip when she was two). She said, 'no, I figured you'd worry for me...'"--Candy

"Regarding [Monday's] Dear Reader, the following was a footnote on a friend's e-mail message recently. I thought you'd enjoy it.

'Ninety percent of the things I worry about never happen, so don't tell me worrying doesn't do any good.'"--Phyllis

In honor of you worriers out there, I am giving away a delightful children's book, The Worry Glasses: Overcoming Anxiety by Donalisa Helsley, and Kalpart (Illustrator).

To enter the Worry Giveaway, send an email to: Suzanne@EmailBookclub.com

* Congratulations to the winners of Traces of Mercy from Guest Columnist, Cindy Kelley: Patricia Marks, Ellie Berger and Cindy Snider.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: ONE MORE CHANCE (Fiction) by Brian E. Miller

Ever wish you could go back in time and redo the things you regret? A successful executive, John Meyers may have that opportunity. As John falls victim to a heart attack, his last breath flashes sudden doubts about his life's meaning. Not knowing whether he is dead or alive, John embarks on an unusual journey through his past.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ONE MORE CHANCE to read more and to email author Brian E. Miller, you'll get a reply.

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus this week, enter to win a free copy of these books for young children: FARTY MARTY by B. J. Ward (the voice of Scooby-Doo!), illustrated by Steven Kellogg; and DOROTHY, A DIFFERENT KIND OF FRIEND by Roberto Aliaga, illustrated by Mar Blano. For a chance to win, say hello to the author, and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

* This month's Penguin Classics book is DEMIAN by Hermann Hesse. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin bookbag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November13Classics

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-14-13

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,

Today I have a special treat for you. If you were a fan of The Wonder Years, like I was, you'll especially enjoy meeting today's guest author Jeffrey Stepakoff.

Jeffrey's written for the Emmy-winning The Wonder Years, Sisters, and Dawson's Creek, for which he was co-executive producer. Author of the acclaimed novels, Fireworks Over Toccoa and The Orchard, he has also developed and written plays, TV pilots and major motion pictures. He lives in Georgia with his wife and three young children. Jeffrey's latest book is, A Melody of Secrets, and he's giving away five copies to readers.

Send Jeffrey an email, welcome him to the book club--he will send you a personal reply. When you email, your name will be entered in a drawing for a copy of A Melody of Secrets.

Email: jeffrey@jeffreystepakoff.com

Welcome to the book club, Jeffrey Stepakoff...

As I write you, right now, my entire world is up in the air, up in the clouds, in The Cloud--for I am undergoing the determined attempt to transfer all my addresses and notes and calendar to the digital realm.

Moving from a paper world to digital one is no small feat for me. Oh, the transfer of data, the typing of all the addresses and scribblings took a day or two. But trusting that everything is in fact there--that my life's plans and contacts and ideas big and small still exist in those tiny unseen bits and bytes--has been the challenging part.

Where exactly is this Cloud?

In 1988, just a few months after finishing college, I got my first television script assignment. (Remember "Simon & Simon"?) As a gift to myself for entering the adult world, I purchased a weekly planner. It is a full-sized (seven inches by ten inches) zippered, black Italian leather case. On the inside are wonderful pockets of varying sizes, one which holds a slender silver pen. There's a notepad, a telephone/address book, and of course, a weekly calendar.

I cannot overstate how much this planner has meant to me, what a close companion it's been over the years. Those inside pockets always filled with family pictures, ideas for projects regularly jotted on the notepad, that planner and I have literally traveled the world. Heck, we've grown up together.

The leather case now worn soft and frayed, 2013, I have in my heart come to believe, will be the year of the last calendar I buy--the last diary of my days to be put into a box in December. Twenty-six years worth of years.

Perhaps someday the people in those creased family pictures now removed from the inside pockets--in particular, my three young children, their more current images so bright and clear in the Photo app on my smartphone--will enjoy reading little notes about Dad's meetings early in his career.

Sigh.

I know this anxiety of trusting the digital domain is rapidly fleeting. I know it's time to embrace current technology, time to transition once again. In truth, I love my iPhone and all that it can do. I'm not saying I'll never pick up a pencil or write on a sticky pad again, but so far, Siri's been a help during this time.

Regardless of the technology of the day, I guess in some ways, we're always growing up.

--Jeffrey Stepakoff
Email: jeffrey@jeffreystepakoff.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention:

(Fiction)
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger

(Fiction)
STRAIT OF HORMUZ by Davis Bunn

(Fiction)
STANLEY PARK: A Novel by Racine Hiet

(Fiction)
ONE MORE CHANCE by Brian E. Miller

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is DEMIAN by Hermann Hesse. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin bookbag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November13Classics

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-13-13

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,

Cockpit Confidential, by airline pilot and author Patrick Smith, is running in our Nonfiction Book Club this week. And today Patrick Smith is our guest columnist.

Patrick took his first flying lesson at age fourteen, and landed his first job with an airline in 1990, when he was hired as a copilot on 15-passenger turboprops. He has since flown cargo and passenger jets on both domestic and intercontinental routes.

Send an email, say hello and welcome Patrick to the book club. He will reply, and your email will be entered in a drawing for a copy of his book, Cockpit Confidential. Patrick is giving away 5 copies to readers. Email: patricksmith@askthepilot.com

Take it away Patrick Smith...

The thing about flying is that everybody hates it.

Well, not everybody, but the numbers aren't encouraging. I'd say a lot more people hate it than enjoy it.

What's worse, few people understand what it is that airline pilots actually do. Most of what people think they know about flying is wrong, based on bad information and urban myth (thanks largely to a media that almost never gets it right).

For me, as an airline pilot who turned a latent writing hobby into a successful second job, the irony here is partly a delicious one, considering the many ways in which my work capitalizes on people's contempt for, and misunderstandings of air travel. Call me a war profiteer.

Still though, it hurts my feelings. It hurts my feelings because I love to fly.

Though not necessarily in the sense that you're thinking. The excitement of flying, to me, extends well beyond the cockpit:

For almost all airline pilots, this one included, our infatuation with aviation goes back to childhood. But I'm different from many of my colleagues in that the thrill of flight, strictly speaking--the breaking of those "surly bonds," as an aviator poet (there really are such things) once put it--is only part of that thrill. For instance, when I was a kid, the sight of a Piper Cub or an old biplane meant nothing to me. Five minutes at an air show watching the Thunderbirds and I'd be staring at my sneakers.

Where I wanted to be instead was at home, with my airline route maps and my scale models of 747s and DC-10s. After pretending to finish my homework, I'd pore over the maps and timetables of the world's great carriers--Pan Am, Aeroflot, British Airways--memorizing the foreign capitals they flew to, then drawing up my own imaginary airlines and tracing out their routes.

It was never just about flying; It was about where you're flying. When most folks look at a 747, they see an inconvenient means to an end. I see a triumph of industrial art and design--a magnificent machine able to carry hundreds of people halfway around the world in a mere matter of hours. "The Grand Theater of Air Travel," is what I call it: the bridging of cultures and continents, with the jetliner at center stage.

That's laying it on a bit thick, perhaps, but airplanes turned me on to geography and culture. I've traveled to 80 countries at last count, experiences that changed forever my outlook of the world and our place in it. That never would have happened if not for my love of flying.

Here's hoping you might be similarly inspired. Which is a tough sell, I admit, in this age of delays, cramped economy cabins and endless TSA lines; an age of impatience and entitlement, where every technological marvel is taken for granted. Just get me there, the thinking goes, and make it fast.

But I'll give it my best shot. And maybe, just maybe, if I do it right, the next time you fly, you'll hate it just a little bit less.

--Patrick Smith
patricksmith@askthepilot.com

Say hello and enter the book giveaway.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: STANLEY PARK: A Novel (Fiction) by Racine Hiet

Forced into a bloody crime by Ace, an isolated girl April buries her past and becomes Lily--until passionate love with Markus drives her to uncover dark secrets and free Ace's hold on her. As the plot unravels, however, nothing is as it seems and mayhem erupts within their lives.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on STANLEY PARK to read more and to email author Racine Hiet, you'll get a reply.

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus this week, enter to win a free copy of these books for young children: FARTY MARTY by B. J. Ward (the voice of Scooby-Doo!), illustrated by Steven Kellogg; and DOROTHY, A DIFFERENT KIND OF FRIEND by Roberto Aliaga, illustrated by Mar Blano. For a chance to win, say hello to the author, and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

* This month's Penguin Classics book is DEMIAN by Hermann Hesse. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin bookbag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November13Classics

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-12-13

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 was put here on earth to do the little things and if I ever question why, I'll remember the little thing my son called to tell me about the other day...

"Mom, I'm calling because I wanted to tell you something. I've been fixing people's computers in my spare time. It's something I enjoy doing and I make some extra money, too. I just finished fixing an elderly woman's computer and when she was going to pay me, I told her, 'No, not this time. I was glad to help you.'

'Such a nice thing to do,' the woman replied, 'You must have learned such kindness, because of how you were raised.'

'Yes, I did,' my son quickly replied. 'My mom organized free meal programs every Friday. Sometimes at our own holiday table there would be folks who I didn't know, because Mom invited some homeless people to dinner.'"

I'd forgotten all about the dinner invitations, but obviously my son hadn't. Proudly he said, "Mom, I thought you'd like to know what I told the woman. You taught me those things, and I remember, even though they happened a long time ago."

I'm so very proud of my son for learning the magic of--the "little things."

* Congratulations to the winners of Guest Columnist, Nate Kenyon's First Reader Contest: Chuck Fiscus, Cheryl Ryshpan, Jeanne Pinkham, Pam Coughlin and Lynn Miller.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is DEMIAN by Hermann Hesse. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin bookbag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/November13Classics

AUTHORBUZZ: STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Fiction) by Davis Bunn

An under-the-radar phone call from the U.S. State Department puts Marc Royce once again on assignment--ferreting out rumors of a clandestine operation. At stake is Iran's threat to blockade the narrow Strait of Hormuz, cutting off vital shipping routes and escalating global tensions beyond the breaking point. Under the guise of investigating money laundering via high-end art purchases in Europe, Royce finds himself in Switzerland with only sketchy information, no backup, and without a single weapon other than his wits.

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

 

Dear Reader Column 11-11-13

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 husband and I have a pact. We both can't get sick at the same time, and in 36 years of marriage we've only broken our pact once. But it worked out okay, because I got the "bug" first, so we were on a different decline and get well cycle. Yes, it was a blessing--really. I started throwing up at 5 p.m., but my husband didn't begin upchucking until around 8 o'clock later that evening. Thank heavens for a doctor on call and an all-night pharmacy.

Teamwork. Our getting sick pact has worked out so nicely, it makes me think I should create another pact with my husband. A worry pact. Why should two of us be worrying about the same thing at the same time? Someone has to be the rational, levelheaded one, and not get carried away with worry.

On second thought, the heck with making a pact. I'll simply volunteer to be the worrier in the family. I'm really the better worrier anyway, capitalize on your strengths, isn't that what the experts say? Not only do I worry enough for my husband and me, I do enough worrying for our entire family: our grown kids, their spouses, our grandchildren, even first and second cousins twice removed.

I've got this worrying thing down pat. It's a lot of work to worry, but I'm a homegrown Midwestern girl, who grew up with a Midwestern work ethic. So I'm not afraid of hard work, and I'm not afraid to worry--someone has to worry, don't they?

Even if life is good at the moment and there doesn't seem to be anything to worry about, not to worry--I can and will find a little itty-bitty concern and turn it into a great big worry. And if that worry doesn't suffice, I can tell a friend about my worry, and chances are my friend will give me more worry fetter. "Oh, I know what you mean, let me tell you about the time..."

Worry, worry, worry!

Thanks for reading with me (and letting me write my worries away).
It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (Fiction) by Audrey Niffenegger

Now available as an e-book, includes the long-awaited sequel about what happened to the Time Traveler's Daughter.

Art student Clare Abshire and librarian Henry DeTamble meet when he is twenty-eight and she is twenty. Though Henry has never met Clare before, Clare has known Henry since she was six, impossible but true, because Henry finds himself periodically displaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE to read more and to email author Audrey Niffenegger, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 11-08-13

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,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I really appreciate hearing from you.

A special thank you to librarian Susan Henthorn, who's finally solved my holiday dilemma of understanding family lineage. What the heck is a second cousin first removed, or a first cousin first removed? Susan explains...

"Dear Suzanne,

The whole business with 'degrees' of cousins, and once, twice, three times removed used to have me puzzled as well until several years ago. In the third grade Sunday School lesson for the class I was teaching we were to read part of one of the 'begat' books of the Bible with all the genealogy. (A begat B, B begat C, etc., etc., etc.) In an effort to make such relationships more interesting to third graders, the curriculum writers had included a chart to figure out all the 'degree' relationships. This web site doesn't have the exact chart, but it's fairly close. I thought you might enjoy reading something a little different today.

What Is a Second Cousin?
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-Is-a-Second-Cousin-Twice-Removed-Chart-Explains-All

Enjoy!

Susan Henthorn, Reference Librarian and Coordinator of Digital
Projects Hutchins Library, Berea College

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE CITY CENTER (Science Fiction) by Simone Pond

The idea for my new book was sparked during a conversation with my husband about people in the future living inside luxurious, modernized city centers. I got to thinking--what if their city wasn't what they thought? What if it were actually a prison? My story follows Ava on a truth-seeking journey about her supposed utopian city and how she discovers herself along the way.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE CITY CENTER to read more and to email author Simone Pond, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 11-07-13

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,

How do you do a 3-Step Handshake with a cat? How does a cat say, "I Love You?" Has your kitty decided to stop using his litter box? Advice from cat behaviorist, Jackson Galaxy, the star of Animal Planet's television show, My Cat From Hell shares techniques you can use to learn about your cat's Mojo. If you missed my interview with Jackson, go to: http://tinyurl.com/JacGal

Congratulations to the winners of Jackson's book, Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean: Kelle Rich, Kathleen McNerney and Jacki Robertson.

The winners of Fallen Women from Guest Columnist, Sandra Dallas: Millie Lill, Barbara Zuwala, Nina Lisenby, Betty Royster and Ann Boles.

The October Chocolate Cookie winners are: Sharon Siciliano, Kerry Stubbs and Betty Hagy.

And finally, Kathy DeFever is the winner of my baton giveaway.

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

Meow, from my cats: Barry, Abby, Cooper, and Mama and Papa (left-behind cats, who my husband and I take care of) and me--Suzanne Beecher

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

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)
CRITICAL REACTION by Todd M. Johnson

(Mystery)
THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS by Julia Spencer-Fleming

(NonFiction)
LEARNING DECODED by Heather Leneau Bragg

(Science Fiction)
THE CITY CENTER by Simone Pond

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

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-06-13

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've been thinking about this year's Thanksgiving dinner for three weeks already, planning the menu and family activities, but mostly I've been thinking about the family reunion I organized last Thanksgiving. It was a lot of work, but it was one of the best things I've ever done. I'm so very happy I did it. I wish we could all get together again this year, but until we meet again for turkey, dressing and all the trimmings, I have wonderful memories. Today I'm sharing the column I wrote after last year's family reunion...

When I was a kid, every few years the Shappell clan (my grandmother's side of the family) would reunite underneath one of the park shelters in Dubuque, Iowa. Everyone in the family brought a dish to pass. My grandmother loved to cook and always brought a picnic basket-full. There must have 50 aunts, uncles, first and second cousins (some once removed), I never really understood how the lineage tree worked (still don't), and I didn't know anyone except my grandparents, but the gathering made me feel like I had family. Family who automatically took a shine to me, and cared about me because we were "kin."

I never formed any lasting relationships with anyone on the Shappell side of the family, maybe because I was just a kid when the reunions were held. But the experience and feeling of family gathering together has stayed with me, and it's one of the things that inspired me to organize a family reunion this past Thanksgiving. It was an amazing experience. Fourteen of us gathered together for the six day reunion, and it was everything I'd hoped for and more. The best part is that unlike the Shappell reunion, our family coming together has indeed formed closer bonds. So even though we're miles apart, email, SKYPE, text messaging and speed dial, will make it easy to stay in touch and continue our conversations.

When I was planning the reunion I knew it was important to me, but I never had a clue, until everyone went home, how spending time together would change my life. If my grandmother was still here, I would thank her for setting the example of how important family really is, because the memories we created at our Thanksgiving reunion will forever be my own personal storybook--one that I'll love to read again and again.

*The foot poster painting was one of the activities I'd planned. Some people were leery at first, but eventually everyone took off their shoes, and dipped their toes in the paint. Don't miss the photos. You'll find them at: http://tinyurl.com/reunionfps

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: LEARNING DECODED (NonFiction) by Heather Leneau Bragg

Every student has a unique learning style, yet schools usually teach to "typical" learners, often leaving kids with unique learning challenges--and their parents--to fend for themselves. Here is a breakthrough blueprint written in layman's terms, for taking the reins of your child's academic future. Author Heather Bragg, teacher and learning specialist, has crafted a powerful, yet easy-to-follow three-step process designed to get results when conventional strategies have failed.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on LEARNING DECODED to read more and to email author Heather Leneau Bragg, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 11-05-13

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 guest author to visit the book club, I ask them to send me some background information about themselves. Normally an author sends one or two paragraphs talking about their book, other places their writing has appeared, and any grants or awards they have been given.

So it was very heartwarming when I read the copy today's guest author Erynn Mangum sent to me. Titled, "A little about Erynn," Erynn writes about every day life with her loving family. Sounds like a wonderful place to call home. No wonder she's inspired to write.

Send an email, say hello to Erynn, and your email will also enter your name in a drawing for one of five copies of her book Paige Rewritten...AND a package of Pumpkin Spiced Coffee from Starbucks. Each winner will receive both.

Email: erynnmangum@gmail.com

Welcome to the book club, author Erynn Mangum...

A little about Erynn.

So, if we were having this conversation in person, we would probably be hanging out at Starbucks or one of the cute coffeehouses in town. I'm nuts about all things coffee, I'm crazy about all things pink and girly, and I love, love, love the Food Network! I'm married to my best friend and the most amazing guy ever, Jon. He is amiable toward coffee, does not like anything pink or girly and tolerates the Food Network. So, we make a good match! In July 2010, we became parents to one of the funniest, cutest, sweetest little guys in the whole world (and nope, we aren't biased at all!), our Nater-Tot, who is legally known as Nathan. Most days, I'm cleaning up messes, making goofy faces, trying to fit some writing in, and just LOVING the life that God has given me!

I have a three year-old son and his new favorite thing to do is talk about how fun it will be when he grows up.

He talks about how much fun it will be to be big and strong like Daddy, how he'll finally be tall enough to reach the ceiling fan (no idea why this is such a big deal to him, but he mentions it on a near-daily basis) and how then he can finally marry his friend Evie.

Evie can't stand my son 98.9% of the time.

I see a broken heart in his future.

It makes me think about everything that I was SO ANXIOUS FOR when I was growing up. Finally having my own space with my own money and my own time to do whatever I wanted to do.

I just didn't realize that I would be paying for that space, praying for that money and using my time to make that money while simultaneously watching a toddler boy wearing shorts, light-up Toy Story cowboy boots and a cape jumping off my couch in search of an invisible "bad guy dinosaur" who is apparently wreaking havoc in my house while I make sure I have the quickest route to the emergency room for the inevitable broken bone all mapped out.

Life is not what we imagine sometimes as a kid.

Life is sometimes not what we imagine it will be like even when we become adults.

When my husband and I were engaged, I used to dream about using all our fun kitchen gadgets and making all kinds of delicious, creative dinners and after about two or three months of marriage, I realized it wasn't quite what I'd built it up to be. Particularly when there would be a gigantic mess for the two of us to clean up afterward.

Or when we got pregnant with our son and I imagined rocking a cherub-faced baby by the light of a Christmas tree with snow gently falling outside. (I might have Hallmark commercials to blame for that.) I would envision quiet afternoons reading books or coloring and evening family play dates at a park. Then we had our silly loud, busy, teething boy who woke me up one time holding a handful of poop beside our bed.

Life isn't what I imagined. But I've realized that the missing sippy cups full of chunky milk, the quiet snuggles with my husband after a long day, the evening ritual of cleaning up the Matchbox cars and baseball bats, the cheeky toddler grins of a boy loving his bath all add up to much, much more than I imagined.

How is your life better than what you imagined?

--Erynn Mangum
Email: erynnmangum@gmail.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS (Mystery) by Julia Spencer-Fleming

For those of you left gasping at the end of One Was A Soldier, the next chapter in Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne's story is here. The newly-married couple battles savage winter weather, violent kidnappers and their own stubborn, wounded hearts in a race against time to save a gravely ill child--and each other.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS to find out more about the book and the author, Julia Spencer-Fleming. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 11-04-13

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,

As usual this morning, I was up at 6:30 a.m., sitting on the sofa in my screened-in front porch. Coffee cup in one hand, I was eyeing what I thought might be the newspaper laying in my driveway. The carrier isn't a very good shot, but that's okay, his aim makes for a sporty game of Newspaper Hide-n-Seek every morning.

But instead of looking for the paper, my thoughts were interrupted by music in the distance, sounds of a high school band practicing. "Rump-pump, rump-pump, taaaaaaaa rump-pump." When I heard the familiar roll-off of the drums, instantly, even after a number of years--come to think of it, it's a lot of number of years--my senses automatically knew what I was supposed to do. Back straight, head held high, baton cradled in my arm (I played flute in concert band and twirled a baton in the marching band), wearing a gold skirted uniform and white boots with tassels, suddenly I was smiling and ready to march.

When you're marching in a parade, and twirling a baton, you're smiling and lovin' it, even if you're sweating to death in the heat (or freezing to death in the cold), and even on the rare occasions when you whip your baton high up in the air, fingertips releasing your grip, but instead of a graceful catch, the baton tumbles onto the street and starts rolling towards the people lined up near the curb of the parade route--you're still smiling all the way.

I lived in a very small town of 2,000, but our high school band was serious competition. We traveled to big cities to march in parades and we won awards. When the school bus we were riding in, pulled back into our small town after a long road trip, our parents would be waiting for us with signs and cheers, even if we didn't get in until midnight. They are wonderful memories for me. Marching in the band gave me a lot of confidence when I was kid. I hope it's doing the same for the kids I listen to every Friday morning. I think next week I'll try to get up even earlier, get in my car and follow the music to find out where the band is practicing.

And the drums roll-off: "Rump-pump, rump-pump, taaaaaaaa rump-pump, signaling to the band get ready to play.

To see a photo of "yours truly" marching down the street, and to enter a drawing for a baton--you could give it away as a holiday gift, or if you used to twirl a baton, get out your old skirt and white marching boots and see whatcha' still got! Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/baton.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: CRITICAL REACTION (Mystery) by Todd M. Johnson

If you're looking to satisfy a craving for mystery, conspiracy and dirty dealings--especially of the legal variety--you'll enjoy my new legal thriller. After surviving an explosion at Hanford Nuclear Facility, two employees seek justice--and discover how far someone is willing to go to bury the truth.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on CRITICAL REACTION to read more and to email author Todd M. Johnson, you'll get a reply.