Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 05-30-14

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 admire you Suzanne, because you put yourself out there every day in your column. You just open right up and say what you're really thinking. I'm amazed. I'd be afraid to do that."

I thanked the book club reader for the compliment, but assured her I wasn't always as brave as I appeared.

Because every now and then when I finish writing a column, and it's time to hit the "send" key, I'm nervous, wondering if I've shared too much or maybe I've stepped over some final line? I don't know if there really are unspoken limits, but what I do know, is that years ago when I changed the style of my column and wasn't afraid to open up, that's when readers started opening up to me, too.

My belief is that people should talk about what they're afraid of, so I do. It's easy to cut yourself off before you get to the "good stuff," to share what's really in your heart. People do it every day. They stop short before they say the words that might make them cry or feel a reprieve from a burden they've been carrying far too long. But I've discovered when the words get stuck in my throat or bring tears to my eyes, those are the very words the--"good stuff"--that I desperately need to write and to share.

So, step right up, take a deep breath and tell somebody what's on your mind and in your heart. Yes, you may find yourself feeling fearful and thinking, 'Oh no, I've let them see the real me. What happens now?'

It's true, I don't know for certain what will happen to you, but I assure you nothing bad has ever happened to me. Going through life with things unsaid, or dreams interrupted because of fear, is not the way it was meant to be.

So go ahead. Wrap your arms around the "good stuff."

* Congratulations to Hillary H., Sherie B., Shirley C. and Richie O., all winners of a Starbucks gift card.

And the lucky winners of The Good Lie by recent Guest Columnist, D.F. Bailey are: Marian W., Mary R., Becky H., Jennifer J. and Marci V.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: CRIMSON TWILIGHT (Fiction) by Heather Graham

Jane Everett and Sloan Trent first meet during a wicked season of murder at an old theater in Arizona reminiscent of the Bird Cage. For this story I have chosen a castle in New England--there's just something about a castle... So many things can go wrong at a wedding. What with dresses, a wedding party, nervous brides, nervous grooms, bad caterers, and so on. But what could be worse than the minister--dead on the morning of the nuptials?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on CRIMSON TWILIGHT to read more and to email author Heather Graham, you'll get a reply.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 05-29-14

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 write every day because I have a deadline. But even if I didn't write a daily column, I'd still feel the need to write something every day. Because writing helps me figure out what's going on inside of me, and it helps me recognize what I'm feeling. And today--I'm feeling like I want to let the air out of the oven repairman's tires.

My new oven wasn't working right so I called the repairman. First impression when I answered the door--the repairman looked like a nice enough guy, but I thought it was strange that a guy who fixes appliances, wasn't carrying his "fix-it" bag along with him. You know, one of those bags filled with screwdrivers, widgets and a secret decoder--the one you plug it into an oven and it spits out secret digital codes to tell the repairman what the problem is--so he can fix it. But this repairman showed up at my door empty handed.

When I invited the repairman into my kitchen to introduce him to the patient, our conversation went pretty much like this:

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"The temperature isn't working properly. When my oven reads 375 degrees, it's really not that hot."

The repairman took a step back from the oven, folded his arms one over top of the other, stared at the oven, then looked at me with a straight face and said, "The oven looks okay to me."

I thought this was oven repairman humor. It wasn't. He was serious.

Bewildered and a little irritated I asked, "Well, aren't you going to test it with a thermometer?" And I proceeded to tell him about my experiment. I set the oven to 375 degrees, and then put an oven thermometer inside, but the temperature never went any higher than 350 degrees.

My experiment didn't impress the oven man. Instead he told me the oven was working within the guidelines for new ovens, because new ovens he assured me, only have to be 80 percent accurate.

So let me get this straight, "I just bought a new oven because my ten-year-old oven wouldn't keep the right temperature any longer, and now you're telling me this brand new oven--that cost me a whole lot of money--doesn't keep the right temperature either, but that's okay, because it's within new oven guidelines?"

He nodded, "Yep, that pretty much sums it up."

I begged the oven man to go get his fix-it bag from his truck and test the oven himself. His reply, "I have a full schedule, and I've got a lot of other stops to make today, so I really have to get going."

I wanted to yell and scream, but I also wanted to get my oven fixed. So I stayed calm and finally talked him into testing my oven's thermostat. The thermostat wasn't working right and he finally agreed to fix it. So I guess I should be happy and content.

But I must admit, I'm still feeling like it would be a thrill to let the air out of the oven repairman's tires.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

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

(Thriller)
STILLWELL: A Haunting on Long Island by Michael Phillip Cash

(NonFiction)
OPTIMAL LIVING 360: Smart Decision Making for a Balanced Life by Sanjay K. Jain

(Fiction)
JASPAR'S WAR by Cym Lowell

(Fiction)
CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 05-28-14

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 intrigued reading today's guest column, because Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan, coauthors of Empire Girls answered some of the questions I've wanted to ask about how authors co-exist while writing a book together. It was challenging enough for me to write a book solo. I couldn't imagine negotiating and organizing who's-going-to-what with another person. But obviously Suzanne and Loretta discovered the magic and you can, too, when you read their book, Empire Girls. Welcome the writing team to the book club, and when you send them an email, you'll also be entered in the book drawing. Five copies of Empire Girls for five lucky readers. Go ahead and enter, you just might win!

To read a sample of Empire Girls, go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=bryantestqqxqR1A7713F4299&c=SUZ&nocache&future

Welcome to the book club Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan...

We thought we had it down.

Our first book, I'll Be Seeing You, was written in a frenzy over a six month period in 2011. We weren't new to writing but we were new to each other, and our partnership that first time was like a quickie marriage between two lovestruck teens caught up in the exuberance of the moment.

Then we began writing our second book.

Things were different. The novelty had worn off and we'd found we weren't newlyweds any longer, but an old married couple, between whom there are no mysteries. We discovered which of us snores and which one leaves dirty clothes on the floor, who always eats the last cupcake and who forgets to feed the cat. In other words, we were no longer strangers delighting in discovering each other through the creation of a novel, but professional writers trying to grow together as our interests and life experiences sent us spinning in different directions.

We disagreed, often. The writing came slowly and we grew frustrated, snapping at each other and our families. Finally, just before we stumbled onto the sharp tip of the breaking point, we took a breath, picked up the phone and asked each other "What's really going on here?"

We weren't entirely sure, so we focused on what was understood: we were writers, we were friends and we had a story to tie us together--a tale of two sisters who, not-so-coincidentally, weren't getting along. Had art imitated life or vice versa? We laughed at that, overjoyed that we could again laugh together.

Ultimately, it was the story that brought us back. Rose and Ivy, the stars of Empire Girls, are two sisters forced to work out their differences in order to find their long-lost brother, Asher. In the process, they realize that love can exist in the seemingly vast space between two differing points of view, and when it does, it's only a matter of time before that love forges a connection that leads to understanding. But it does take work to get there, and acceptance.

Luckily, we were willing to do both.

We hope you enjoy reading Empire Girls.

Drop us a line. We'd love to hear from you and we'd love to send you a copy of Empire Girls. We have five copies to giveaway to five book club readers. Email: [email protected]

--Suzanne & Loretta

About the authors: Suzanne Hayes is the coauthor of Empire Girls and I'll Be Seeing You. She is also the author of The Witch of Little Italy and The Witch of Belladonna Bay under the name Suzanne Palmieri. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Loretta Nyhan has worked as a journalist and copywriter, and currently teaches college writing and humanities. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and family. Empire Girls is her second novel co-written with Suzanne Hayes.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: JASPAR'S WAR (Fiction) by Cym Lowell

Jaspar Moran has it all--a magnificent estate, two beautiful children and a devoted husband serving as the Secretary of the Treasury. Suddenly, Jaspar is reeling from the news that his government jet has crashed just as her children vanish without a trace. Can she rescue her young son and daughter before the plot to crash the global economy is unleashed?

All proceeds from the book will go to Soldiers' Angels to purchase voice-activated laptop computers for wounded warriors.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on JASPAR'S WAR to read more and to email author Cym Lowell, you'll get a reply.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 05-27-14

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,

Sometimes I wish there wasn't so much new technology. It's not that I'm trying to hang on to the "good old days," because actually I think "good old day" thinking is a bit of a myth. It's just that I can't seem to keep up with knowing how to do everything that's available. Every morning when I wake up I discover some creative insomniac has been up all night developing another new product--give these people some sleeping pills--because I can't keep up! There are too many options, too many social networks, too much technology and if I tried to stay on top of "knowing" about everything, when would I find the time to shave my legs?

But then again, there are times when the ease and speediness of new technology is just what the doctor ordered. Monday night at 11:47 p.m. an email popped into my box. A woman who works with me at the book clubs just got out of surgery and her husband was emailing from his Blackberry to let me know she was okay and all was fine. Technology to the rescue! Instead of having to phone a group of people, who are probably already tucked into bed, the exhausted and relieved husband could type one simple email and hit send.

So today I'm rethinking my aversion to all the new technology, I'm really not behind. Because when I think about it, I don't even know how to work all the stuff from the "good old days" and I don't have to. I simply need to learn what's useful and enjoyable for me.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: OPTIMAL LIVING 360: Smart Decision Making for a Balanced Life (NonFiction) by Sanjay K. Jain

This is truly a 360 degree look at well being. I chose the areas which seemed most relevant for today and I guarantee there are topics in the book you will find new and refreshing. A great overview.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on OPTIMAL LIVING to find out more about the book and the author, Sanjay K. Jain. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

 

Dear Reader Column 05-26-14

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,

He looked handsome in his black suit, white shirt and dark tie. His shoes were polished, there was a black chauffeur's hat on his head and dark shades covered his eyes. Every woman in the hair salon was staring at the mysterious man that walked through the door, and so was I.

"Is Suzanne Beecher just about finished?" the handsome man, who sounded like my husband, asked the receptionist.

And when the receptionist told him it would be 10 minutes before I was ready to go, the handsome man, who resembled my husband, thanked her and said, "Would you please let Suzanne know that her driver is waiting outside?" And out the door he went.

I was shocked, and within minutes every woman in the beauty shop, including me, was pressed up against the front window staring at my husband, dressed in chauffeur attire, standing beside a stunning old-fashioned MG Roadster sports car.

It was my birthday and as a gift, my husband was in "character," playing the part of my personal chauffeur, and he had rented the MG Roadster for the weekend. It was a birthday I'll never forget.

After we left the hair salon, for the rest of the day my "driver" chauffeured me around town to all of my favorite boutiques and galleries. Every time we made a stop, my husband jumped out of the car and hurried around to open my door, then he took my hand and ushered me inside the store.

My personal chauffeur never went inside the store with me, that would have been a driver's indiscretion. Instead, my "guy" would go back to his "post," with his chauffeur's hat tipped ever so slightly, legs stretched out, and he'd lean up against the side of the MG Roadster and publicly wait for me. It felt like a Cinderella birthday--everyone inside the store and outside in the parking lot was dying to know, 'who was this woman with the fancy car and driver?'

Today's my birthday and I'm not sure what my husband has planned, but wouldn't it be fun if my driver magically reappeared? In the meantime, let's start celebrating. I have four Starbucks gift cards to give away (you know I love my coffee). To enter my birthday giveaway and see a photo of me and the Roadster go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/roadster.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: STILLWELL: A Haunting on Long Island (Thriller) by Michael Phillip Cash

Paul Russo's wife just died. While trying to get his family's life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side. His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on STILLWELL to read more and to email author Michael Phillip Cash, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 05-23-14

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 gold stemmed glass on my desk that has four dollars in it. If I'm not more careful, it might be overflowing by the end of next week.

My husband pointed out to our son, his wife and me, that now-and-then, we inject expletives into our conversations. Whoa, not me, I'm not guilty of doing that, but our son--now that's another story. Just the other night he was telling us about a crazy real estate deal and his remarks were peppered with some "choice" words.

"Guilty as charged!"

But after further reflection, I admit I've picked up a few "words" myself and I vow to change. So to make me aware and keep me honest when a little no-no slips out, I decided to donate a dollar every time I said something I shouldn't. I started the challenge yesterday and you might say it's been a run of bad luck--BUT--there's a valid explanation for each and every dollar in that glass.

The first dollar shouldn't count at all. It was a setup. My husband had been discussing the "word" problem, so naturally some of those "words" were on the tip of my tongue and they just slipped out. "Cha-ching!" Then last night, when I was half asleep and headed to the bathroom, I tripped over the cat, "Cha-ching!' another dollar. And this morning, it definitely shouldn't count against me, because it wasn't my fault--at all. The person in customer service at the phone company, he "made" me say something under my breath...(so he should have to pay dollars three and four).

I admit it's been a rough start, but don't worry, I "swear" I'll do better tomorrow!

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: DUNGEON GAMES (Fiction) by Lexi Blake

Dallas cop Derek Brighton and PI Karina Mills have been circling each other for years. They have chemistry, but they also have a difficult history between them. When a killer targets Karina, Derek knows the time has come to deal with the fact that the perfect woman might have been in front of him all along.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on DUNGEON GAMES to read more and to email author Lexi Blake, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 05-22-14

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 other Wednesday, before my housekeeper shows up, somehow I manage to find a place to hide our messy stuff. After she leaves, everything looks tidy, the air smells clean and it feels like our house is just the right size. When I look around I see a quaint, comfortable, historical home, but as the week progresses, my house gets smaller and smaller. I pull things out of the drawer, but some things never make it back. Why keep putting my tennis shoes and hat back in the closet, when I'm just going to have to retrieve them again tomorrow morning when I go for my walk? If company were coming--company who I felt the need to hide the everyday me from--in thirty minutes, I could have myself hidden away again. But maybe as long as the house is clean, what's the harm in having the real me, hanging out--all over--in every room?

Perhaps I should think of the everyday stuff sitting out in the open around my house, as "family photos." My hat is really a "picture" of me--I'm just not in it at the moment. Those newspapers haphazardly stacked in the corner, they're a picture-perfect shot of my husband. He loves to read the Wall Street Journal. And the plastic ball with the noisy bell, the next time I step on it with my bare feet, instead of chastising myself, "Why the heck don't I keep that thing picked up?" I'll think of Abby, my gray kitty and how cute she looks when she's batting it around the floor.

There's a limit to everything and I suppose there's even a limit to how many "family photos" one house can possess. But for right now, my little mental ruse is working. When I look around, my house isn't filled with messy stuff--it's filled with "family photos." "Oh look at that, my husband let his chili bowl sit out overnight and the heat from it left a ring on my new end table. What a treat!" It's one of those "forever" family photos I'll never forget. Now every time I walk by my brand new end table, the one that took me months to find, that "picture" will always remind me of my husband, and how much he loves my chili. Isn't that sweet?

* Ellen K., get ready to blow bubbles, you are the winner of my recent Bubble Machine Giveaway. Enjoy!

And the winners of The Memory Garden by Guest Columnist, Mary Rickert: Patricia G., Donna N. and Paulette B.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: THE SANDPIPER (Fiction) by Susan Lovell

Nina Judd draws on great writers and poets to shepherd her dear family--not of blood but of choice--through some of life's hardest challenges. First there is her friend Ellie Cameron whose heart breaks the day the soldiers knock on her door in 1968. Thirty years later Ellie's beautiful grown daughters Kate and Jamie--bonded by a blood oath but separated by painful secrets--need Aunt Nina's boundless love to help heal their hurts and guide them toward openness and forgiveness.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE SANDPIPER to read more and to email author Susan Lovell, you'll get a reply.

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

(Fiction)
THE NEW ME by Mary Marcus

(NonFiction)
HAMSTER ISLAND by Joan Heartwell

(Fiction)
ONE PERFECT SPRING by Irene Hannon

(Fiction)
THE SANDPIPER by Susan Lovell

(Fiction)
DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 05-21-14

 
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,

Things you learn when you're sick--how to spell bronchitis. It started as a sniffle, then a cold and then that nasty b-r-o-n-c-h-i-t-i-s. Finally, 24 days later and 12 boxes of tissue with the lotion built in, I'm back to healthy.

There's a column hiding in every experience. Today's column is one of my favorites...

I tried to write a normal column today about something going on in my world, but instead, I kept coming back to this topic--blowing my nose.

Mother said I should always tell the truth and perhaps today is one of those times when a little white lie would make for more respectable reading material. But I was sick for over two weeks with a horrible virus and truthfully, blowing my nose is still one of the major activities in my day. There's an art to it. I've become an expert and I feel a responsibility to pass on the things I've learned to others. Mother taught me to share, too.

Okay, so some readers are ready to hit the delete key, figuring I'm still ravaged with fever, sick, and out-of-my-mind. Others are flush with embarrassment, imagining the details I'd need to use to describe such a personal, possibly disgusting topic and some readers--are this very minute--looking around to see if anyone is reading over their shoulder--they're embarrassed--but intrigued.

It started out with a sniffle, a dainty event--my Grandmother's lace hankie would have sufficed. But mid-way through the virus, I had to pull out the big artillery; a man-sized tissue in one hand and the other hand firmly braced against a wall, a car, or the person next to me--whatever was handy at the moment. Because my nose blowing had now reached wind speeds high enough to be classified as a Category One Hurricane, according to the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

Beauford (every hurricane has a name) was scary. The noise was deafening, long and loud hair-raising honks, grab another tissue, and come up for air. It was never ending. How could anyone produce such great quantities? A big blow from Beauford and my three cats and even my husband hid under the bed. When I ventured out to stock up on supplies, children screamed and ran from me in horror, but nevertheless, I needed to be prepared.

Getting ready to tackle Beauford was a lot like getting ready for hurricane season here in Florida. The two have things in common.

SUZANNE'S HURRICANE BEAUFORD CHECKLIST

* Stock up on tissue and chicken soup (I'm not kidding, my doctor wrote on his prescription pad the name of a restaurant that had great take-out chicken soup with matzo-balls).

* Blow out gentle puffs, but cover your windows with sturdy 5/8 inch thick sheets of plywood, so you're ready if the big one comes.

* Keep your mouth slightly open when it's time for the big blow to prevent damage to your ear drums, and store loose items so they won't blow away.

* Secure valuables and remove your jewelry to avoid possible damage and injury.

* Take a deep breath (through your mouth) before you blow your nose, so you don't black out.

* Put important documents in waterproof containers.

* Use tissues--not washable handkerchiefs--and have plenty of big, sturdy, trash bags to haul away the man-sized debris.

* Have hand tools ready for after the "storm;" screwdrivers, a shovel and a pick axe to loosen any tough clogs.

* When you hear the all clear siren, it's time to clean up--wipe your nose to make sure nothing else is hanging around.

Thanks for reading with me. (I promise a normal column tomorrow.) It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: ONE PERFECT SPRING (Fiction) by Irene Hannon

Independent single mom Claire Summers is doing her best to make lemonade out of the lemons life has handed her. Workaholic Keith Watson is interested only in the bottom line--until a letter from Claire's eleven-year-old daughter reaches his desk and changes everything.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ONE PERFECT SPRING to read more and to email author Irene Hannon, you'll get a reply.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 05-20-14

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 mother, Mildred, was my biggest fan and believed in me as a novelist before anyone else did."

Today's guest columnist, Harry Kraus, is the best-selling author of 19 books, his latest is Lip Reading. He is a Board certified surgeon and lives with his wife of 31 years in Williamsburg, Virginia. Harry's mother passed away two years ago on Mother's Day, and today he shares one of his favorite childhood memories.

Be sure to say hello to Dr. Kraus and welcome him to the book club. When you do, you'll be entered in a drawing for a copy of his latest, Lip Reading. He has five copies for lucky readers. Take it away Harry Kraus...

One day when I was about thirteen, my mother rushed into my bedroom calling my name. "Harry Lee!"

Immediately, I could tell something was wrong. The right side of her normally symmetrical smile had drooped and lay flaccid against her teeth, unable to keep up with her animated expressions.

"I can't whistle," she said, but her speech was slurred so that it came out "whithle." She demonstrated the lost skill by blowing through her mouth but couldn't close her lips into a circle to create a clear note. "Pleeath, pleeth."

I was unsure how to respond.

She continued, "I think I've had a sthroke."

I'd heard of strokes before. They were bad. My grandfather had a stroke and ended up drooling all the time. I imagined my mother with the same fate.

Then, I saw the twinkle in her eye and I realized she'd just yanked my chain. Big time.

"Nahh," she said, "I've just been to the dentisth and my mouth isth sthill numb!"

I still laugh when I think of my mother's love for a good joke.

What was going on, physiologically? The local anesthetic had blocked the nerve impulses between my mother's lips and her brain. When the brain sent out the message, "whistle," her lips didn't get the message.

Novelists, perhaps your brain is sending you the message, "write," but you're behaving as if you've taken some form of writer's local anesthetic and you're not getting the message!

When I think about having writer's block (metaphorically from a local anesthetic) what are the typical things that block the impulse?

For me, it's a hundred other things that I find to do. Check my Facebook status, check my blog for comments, go to my favorite Internet news sites, or even play Ruzzle on my smart phone.

I think the cure for this kind of procrastination is the Nike slogan, "just do it." Discipline to put the butt in chair everyday is one of the novelist's biggest challenges.

My mother read my first novel many years ago and I fed her a chapter at a time. She could hardly wait for the next installment.

What about you, novelists? Your readers are waiting.

Cast off the writing anesthetics that block the impulse to write and "just do it!"

To be entered into a drawing for my latest novel, Lip Reading, just email me at [email protected].

--Harry Kraus

* Start writing. The information about how to enter our 10th Write a Dear Reader Contest will be posted on July 7th in my column.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: HAMSTER ISLAND (NonFiction) by Joan Heartwell

This is my story of growing up in a poor, super-dysfunctional family that included a kleptomaniac grandmother and two special needs siblings, all of us residing more or less in the middle of a parking lot. There's humor and heartbreak, and anyone who has ever been a caretaker will appreciate the unorthodox measures I took to find the balance between my siblings' needs and my own.

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

 

Dear Reader Column 05-19-14

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,

Seven hundred and seventy-one pages? Oh my! I never pay any attention to the number of pages in a book when I put it on hold at the library, but perhaps I should. I'm a 325 page girl--anything over 325 pages is problematic for me.

A big, fat book, it's too heavy to hold. I'm 5'2", 108 pounds. The 771 page book I brought home with me weighs 2-1/2 pounds. So I'm carrying a (half-full) 5-pound bag of sugar around with me wherever I go. But I must admit, the writing style of the author--it's oh so sweet. It's what attracted me to the book in the first place, when I read a sample online. But I'm still having trouble finding a comfortable way to read this heavy, literary, confectionery treat.

It's too heavy to hold in the morning when I'm drinking my one-and-only cup of coffee for the day. My coffee mug in one hand, means I can't juggle 771 pages in the other. It's too tiring, and if I rest the book on top of a pillow, sitting on my lap, I can just barely make out those teeny, tiny words, because the print is out of the range of my reading glasses.

Big fat books, they can be sweet and for sure, they're impressive. When I took the 771 page book along with me to the hairdresser, the woman with the tint on her hair, who was waiting for the "ding" was mighty impressed. Right out loud, she announced what she was thinking, "Wow, that's a big book. You must be very smart. Are you a professor at the college?"

"No, I'm not. And I'm not really that smart, because if I were I'd be reading big fat books on an e-reader." And maybe soon I will. It's my birthday next week and after I blow out the candles perhaps my e-reader wish will come true.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book THE HOUSE OF ULLOA by Emilia Pardo. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFEF39295A&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: THE NEW ME (Fiction) by Mary Marcus

Harriet is fed up. She's in her early forties, her kids have left for college, her long marriage to Jules feels worn out; her cable TV show has lost its sizzle and she longs to leave LA for New York. Then one day she meets Lydia, a gorgeous woman in her twenties who reminds her so much of her long ago self. It's obvious Jules likes Lydia too. It slowly dawns on Harriet Lydia could be "the new me."

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE NEW ME to read more and to email author Mary Marcus, you'll get a reply.