Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 10-17-14

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 have really enjoyed seeing the photos and reading stories behind readers' cookie jars.

It's not too late to enter the "Fill Your Cookie Jar with Some of My Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Giveaway." Boy, that's a mouthful--but I do indeed promise the winner some mighty tasty cookies, sent overnight to your front door. (See the details below on how to enter.)

How does someone start collecting cookie jars? It started with a husband, then a Pillsbury Dough Boy, then a Tea Shoppe, a kitty, then a...

"Dear Suzanne, when my husband and I first met, he had a set of canisters that all matched and included a cookie jar. I wasn't particularly fond of the set, but there were too many other things to spend our money on so there they sat, year after year. Part of the problem was that they looked good in our kitchen!

Then a few years ago, we found a Pillsbury Dough Boy cookie jar at a second hand store. We liked it so much that we bought it and retired the original cookie jar. The colours were the same so why not?

Then, we found a cute little cookie jar shaped like a building, it says Tea Shoppe across the front. I collect tea and it was cuter than the apothecary jar that I kept tea bags in. So we added it.

Soon a kitty, and then a wonderful cookie jar that looks like a cross between a toaster and the man in the moon joined them.

Last year we found a mouse, and decided we needed it, too. At this point, the mouse holds cookies, the kitty and tea house both have tea, the toaster is sugar and the Pillsbury Dough Boy has flour. But, wait, that's not all! In our pantry is a cookie jar that looks like a crock with even more tea, there's also a kitchen drawer full of tea, (but we won't talk about that right now) and a mouse that holds my gluten free flour.

Even though we keep telling ourselves, 'No more,' we both keep our eyes open when we're antiquing for that special one, we just can't live without.' I'd share a photo but we just lost our digital camera."--Ani K.

"Dear Suzanne...my 25 year old cookie jar, by tradition, it is filled with Hershey bars for my grandchildren as it was for my children. Your cookies would be a great surprise for them! So please enter my cookie jar in your drawing. Thank you."--Mary Lou Y.

What's in your cookie jar? Enter the drawing for some of my chocolate chip cookies to fill your cookie jar. To enter, see the photo of my cookie jars on my Facebook page and upload a photo of your cookie jar as a 'comment' on my photo. To see the photos, go to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DearReadercom/291327524280953

Or, send an email and a photo to: Suzanne@EmailBookclub.com

* Someone always wins the giveaways, so be sure to enter. Here are the winners of some recent guest author giveaways:

KD Fleming, Campaigning for Love ($25 Starbucks gift card) Pam B.

Diane Noble, The Curious Case of the Missing Figurehead
Crystal B., Linda F., Linda K., Judie H., Charlotte O., Nancy R., Linda J., Dorie F. Vi R., Julia P., Penny T., Joan T. and Rick M.

Chrysler Szarlan, The Hawley Book of the Dead
Deanna S., Debbie B., Nancy R., Joyce R., Scott C., Pat H., Janet K., Marilyn Z., Beverly D. and Betty R.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT (Fantasy) by Lara Adrian

In writing a long-running series with an ever-expanding cast of characters, I often find myself faced with a secondary player who's only supposed to be part of the wallpaper but instead chews it up and demands I give him a story. Yes, Lazaro Archer, I'm looking at you. Granted, I haven't made it easy on the thousand-year-old Breed male. He's suffered devastating losses since he first walked onto the page, but now he meets the one woman who awakens his desire and challenges him to open his wounded heart again.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT to read more and to email author Lara Adrian, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 10-16-14

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,

This is the perfect day. This must be a little bit of heaven. My grandsons, Paul and James spent the night last evening, and this morning we're up early to head outdoors. The air is cool, there's a soft little breeze and bubbles are flying across the sidewalk and yard. Paul keeps my electric bubble machine filled with what he calls "bubble juice." Every time somebody walks by the house and calls out a, "Thanks for the bubbles!" Paul jumps up and down, "Grandma, Grandma. People really like your bubbles."

Birds way up in the sky, two squirrels scampering around and around the tree in the middle of my yard, chasing each others' tails, and finally scurrying up the trunk of the big oak tree. Paul, and James, and I counted four squirrel nests way up in the top of the trees. We can't see any babies peeking out of the nests though. "Rap, rap." A giant woodpecker is pounding on the tree in the backyard. The sound is unbelievably loud. He's definitely announcing himself. And a bright red cardinal flies by, sharing an encore only nature could give to us.

The boys and I have been trimming back plants, pulling weeds, and now we're bagging up the "remains." Trash day isn't until Tuesday, so we're dragging the trash bags to the back of the carriage house. Monday night I'll drag them out to the curb.

"Water, Grandma, I'm thirsty." Yes, we need a break, so James heads into the house to get us some water, but on his way back out, Barry, my black and white tuxedo cat sees an easy mark, and he runs out the door the minute James opens it.

The boys wanted to play ball, so I'm pitching, and they're batting a whiffle ball. Whoops, over the fence into our neighbor's yard. Paul's getting to be a good hitter, or I'm just an easy pitcher. Our new neighbors built a white, modern, self-contained home. I've never been inside of it, but I can see that there isn't any way to get to their back yard, unless you go through their house, or they unlock a security gate.

"Grandma, I'll go over and knock on the door," Paul is already walking toward the new neighbor's house. Next thing Paul is yelling over to me, "Grandma, where is the front door?"

"I assume it's in the front of the house," I yell back. But Paul was right. Where is the front door? The two of us stand back and do a bit of surveying. Finally we see a solid, can't-see-through-it structure, with a lock, and a small intercom on the side of the barricade.

We buzz, we wait, I do a little dance and we wave, in case the neighbors can see us on their security camera. But, shucks, no one is home. One white whiffle ball, now MIA.

"Paul, I think you'd better hit the ball towards the back of our yard. Then if it flies over our fence, I can easily find the front door on the neighbor's house behind us. Or, we can simply walk behind the neighbor's house and pick up the ball.

"Yes, easy-peasy Grandma." Paul has that delightful smile on his face. The smile that melts this grandmother's heart.

"Yes, easy-peasy, Paul. It's an easy-peasy, this is what life is all about, perfect day."

** Have a cookie jar? Enter the drawing for some of my chocolate chip cookies to fill your cookie jar. To enter, see the photo of my cookie jars on my Facebook page and upload a photo of your cookie jar as a 'comment' on my photo. To see the photos, go to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DearReadercom/291327524280953

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE RUNNING REVOLUTION--How to Faster, Farther, and Injury-Free--For Life (NonFiction) by Dr. Nicholas Romanov

The wildly popular natural running trend has prompted interest in running barefoot among many other solutions for reducing injuries. But equating barefoot running to mechanically sound movement is like jumping in the pool naked and assuming we'll all become Michael Phelps! The bottom line is that we still need to learn how to run. That's what the this book is all about. Structured around 10 master classes, you'll be on your way to running injury-free in no time.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE RUNNING REVOLUTION to read more and to email author Dr. Nicholas Romanov, you'll get a reply.

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

(Fiction)
GLOBAL PREDATOR by Jack Maclean

(NonFiction)
SUNRISE SUNSET: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude by Kim Weiss

(Fiction)
FEAST OF FATES by Christian A. Brown

(NonFiction)
THE RUNNING REVOLUTION--How to Faster, Farther, and Injury-Free--For Life by Dr. Nicholas Romanov

(Fantasy)
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian

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

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 10-15-14

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,

Diane, a book club reader from Ohio, asked:

"Hello and Good Morning! I loved the photo of you in the kitchen, in your vintage apron, taking fresh, hot chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. I noticed a green cookie jar decorated with colorful dancers sitting on the counter. Is there a story with it? Thanks...."--Diane

(Suzanne replies:)

Yes, there's always a story. This one's a short story: the cookie jar was my Grandma Hale's. But your question got me to thinking about cookie jars. I can't begin to count the number of times I reached into Grandma's cookie jar, to retrieve one of her homemade sugar cookies. The counters were high, and the cookie jar was slid way back, underneath the cupboards above the kitchen counter, so it was a reach--even with a step stool. And best of all, Grandma's cookie jar was always filled with cookies.

But now, today, does anyone actually use a cookie jar any more? I have two cookie jars, the second one is from my childhood, too, but both are only decorative pieces in my kitchen. I never store cookies in them. My cookies go into a Ziploc bag, and I keep them in my freezer. Maybe it became a habit when my husband and I moved to Florida 20 years ago? (Humidity can do unwanted things to a homemade cookie.)

Reaching into a cookie jar for one of my homemade chocolate chip cookies....sounds pretty good to me. I think I'll give it a try. I'm taking my cookies out of the freezer and filling up my cookie jar.

I will be posting photos of my cookie jars on my Facebook page. If you have a cookie jar and you'd like to fill it with some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies, upload a photo of your cookie jar as a 'comment' on my photo, and you'll be entered in the drawing. To see the photos, go to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DearReadercom/291327524280953

Find a good cookie and have yourself a "dunk and munch" day!

* Congratulations to Linda R, the winner of my recent Apron Giveaway.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: FEAST OF FATES (Fiction) by Christian A. Brown

While there are innumerable tales about fantasy and romance, few deal with the agony and beauty of love, which beats as the heart of any human experience--fiction or non-fiction. This is a story about love: romantic, familial, love when twisted to hate. I hope to delight you with my characters, their struggles, and their world. Should I succeed in bringing you tears, laughter, swooning and heartache, I consider that a job well done.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on FEAST OF FATES to read more and to email author Christian A. Brown, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 10-14-14

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,

Today's guest author, E.B. Moore lives in a city loft, but writes her way back to farm-life in Pennsylvania where she grew up. Ms. Moore shares with us a book giveaway, she has three copies of her just released novel, An Unseemly Wife to give to readers. To enter, go to: http://ebmoore.net/contact.html

And Ms. Moore shares an amazing tale from her childhood in today's guest column. Take it away E. B. Moore...

Teaching Hunters To Read 1948

No one could miss the signs "NO HUNTING" nailed on trees around our farm, not even hunters who couldn't tell a deer from a sheep. "Maybe they can't read," I said to Father as three rangy men in brown coats and red hats swarmed over the fence by the road where they'd left their truck. We watched from the kitchen window as they advanced across our field, rifles bristling, ammunition belts crossing their hearts.

The day before, Father had a run-in with two of them. They'd walked right past him into our woods, Father and his shotgun no threat. "Why," I asked looking up at Father, square, bald, and tall in steel-toed boots. He could be surly, yet tender to me, mostly, but a taskmaster when it came to our farm and caring for everyday tools: shovels, pitchforks, scythes, guns. I'd learned shooting the year before, ridding the garden of gophers. My own gun never, NEVER pointed at a person.

"They knew I wouldn't shoot," he said.

"So what do we do, let them hunt?"

"No." He gave me a sly smile. "You will stop them."

"Me?" Me, six years old and a girl to boot.

"Strength isn't always the answer." He took his shotgun from the cabinet, checked the empty chambers, handed it over with whispered instructions, and sent me, a towhead in dungarees and plaid shirt, off with a pat on the rear.

Me with baby crows on my shoulders.

I'd covered half the field toward the plodding hunters when they spotted me. Running through high grass, I shouted, "Hey guys." The barrel of the shotgun swung in erratic jerks. I knew, never run with a gun, but this time the rules had changed, except about pointing. "Wait for me," I called. "I'll hunt too." The muzzle swung at the sky, swung left, jerked at the ground as I pretended to trip. The men froze.

"Clyde," one said. "That's no toy."

"Oh, shit." Guns slung on straps over their shoulders, they took a slow step back, hands extended, palms out. "Now girly--" Clyde motioned the other two toward the road and took another step back. "You don't want to--"

"Aw, come on." I raised the gun taking wobbly aim at their truck. "I know how. See, I'll show you."

"NO." Clyde raised his palms higher. "Stop." His voice squeaked, "We're not hunting." He turned, and guns jouncing, they all fled over the fence, leapt into the truck, and roared off, never to return.

--E. B. Moore

To contact today's author, go to: http://ebmoore.net/contact.html

More about today's guest columnist:

E. B. Moore is a metal sculptor turned poet and novelist. Her chapbook of poems, New Eden, A Legacy, served as the foundation for her just released novel, An Unseemly Wife. Moore graduated from The School of the Boston Museum Of Fine Arts, Grub Street's Novel Incubator, and has received full fellowships to The Vermont Studio Center and Yaddo.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: SUNRISE SUNSET: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude (NonFiction) by Kim Weiss

I've been taking photos from my terrace for years and not one day goes by that I don't feel a sense of awe at nature's beauty. Or the subsequent whoosh of thankfulness I experience for the privilege. How lucky am I? In this nifty little gift book I match the pictures with inspirational words from some of your heroes, Jack Canfield, Rodger Kamenetz, Candace Bushnell, M.J. Rose, John Bradshaw, Marci Shimoff and more.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SUNRISE SUNSET to find out more about the book and the author, Kim Weiss. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 10-13-14

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,

(Suzanne is out of the office today, but she's left a favorite column.)

Sitting and relaxing is overrated. When I sit too long, I start thinking too much, and if I sit long enough, my thinking spirals downward. I'm an upbeat person, but I'm also a worrier. If everything feels like it's going a-okay, I can't settle in until I have something to worry about. No matter how insignificant, I have to find a placeholder--any teeny-tiny worry will do--until some "real" worry shows up. After all, if I quit worrying about things for a week, or two, or heaven forbid a month, I might forget how to worry.

When you don't practice your skill you get rusty. If you want to be a long distance runner, you'd better be hitting the pavement every day. Want to be a writer? Write every day. If you want to be an accomplished worrier--I don't really want to, but it's ingrained in my personality--never miss a day of worry. Use it or lose it. What would I do with a big, empty worry space in the middle of my brain?

Too bad there wasn't a "Worrying 101" class when I was in school. It would have been an easy "A." I wouldn't have even needed to read the accompanying textbook, because I could have written it. Maybe I could cash-in on this worry trait of mine? Where there's a need, if you can fill it, you can probably make a few bucks. Is there a place to advertise such a thing on Craigslist?

Running out of worry space? Please rent mine. Prime space, adaptable to big and small worries, automatic reminders if you start to forget what's in your worry space. Vacant at the moment, but will fill up fast, so call today. (I'm begging you.) Discounts on a long-term contract.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: GLOBAL PREDATOR (Fiction) by Jack Maclean

What happens when ordinary people find themselves caught between sword-wielding Islamic fanatics and the remotely controlled unmanned drones sent out to destroy them? As a foreign correspondent, I wanted to tell the reader what is going on behind the headlines of the unfolding global war against these bands of ruthless terrorists but in a way that only gripping fiction can do.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on GLOBAL PREDATOR to read more and to email author Jack Maclean, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 10-10-14

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 overdo it every year. When I see Concord grapes in the grocer's aisle, I buy at least four huge containers, then I hurry and start eating. There's an art to eating Concord grapes and when I was a kid, I perfected it in my Grandma Hale's backyard. Grandma's grapevines grew alongside of her garage and in the fall when the vines exploded with big, purple Concord grapes, I could spend an entire afternoon reading a book, and popping grape after grape into my mouth.

Pinch, splash and swallow--three easy steps are the secret to my technique. If you're a grape-eating beginner, let me explain. You never eat more than one grape at a time and you never actually bite into the grape.

Here's the step-by-step: Pick up one single grape, open your mouth--get ready now--pinch the grape, the juice splashes into your mouth, the grape follows right behind, and then you swallow, seeds and all. Toss the skin aside, quickly grab another grape, pick up the pace, now speed is part of the artistry; pinch, splash and swallow, you've got to keep the grape beat going. No fine wine for me, just pop those grapes into my mouth one after another and I'm intoxicated.

Yes, it was my one and only way to eat grapes, until a friend of mine asked if I'd ever made a Concord grape pie. Grapes in a pie? It didn't sound too appetizing to me, but it did sound bizarre and I was intrigued, so I gave it a try.

Let me tell you, there's also an art to baking a Concord grape pie. I've perfected it and I've got the purple-stained fingers to prove it. Surprisingly, the pie was delicious. The recipe, photos and baking mishaps--the seeds were a little tricky--when I made the pie, are at: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/grape.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: NORA BONESTEEL'S CHRISTMAS PAST (Fiction) by Sharyn McCrumb

Fan-favorite character Nora Bonesteel returns in this hauntingly beautiful Christmas novella where we revisit the mountains we call home, the folk we call family, and the familiar message that there is more to this world than the eye can see--especially at Christmastime.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on NORA BONESTEEL'S CHRISTMAS PAST to read more and to email author Sharyn McCrumb, you'll get a reply.

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free copy of books for children and teens: WHOSE HAT IS THAT? by Anita Bijsterbosch; SILENT ECHO by Elisa Freilich; and REBEL TRAP by Lance Erlick. For a chance to win, say hello to the authors and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 10-09-14

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,

The weather finally turned cooler here in Florida over the weekend, thank goodness. So I got out my recipes and did some cooking, including my Shrimp Creole, one of our favorites.

Suzanne's Shrimp Creole

1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 - 14 1/2 ounce cans diced or stewed tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano (or if you use plain tomatoes, add 1/8 to a scant 1/4 teaspoon of oregano and basil to taste)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 teaspoon thyme cayenne pepper (just to taste, I use 1/8 teaspoon) dash of salt
2 bay leaves
1 pound fresh (uncooked) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Lightly brown onion and garlic in heated butter in large skillet, stirring occasionally. Blend flour into the mixture. Stir in canned tomatoes and juice, celery, thyme, bay leaves, cayenne pepper and salt to taste.

Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add shrimp, cover skillet and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

Note: You can double this recipe and it tastes just as good.

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 titles deserve your attention:

(Fiction)
KEEPERS OF THE COVENANT by Lynn Austin

(Fiction)
NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain

(Mystery)
GOSSAMER GHOST by Laura Childs

(Fiction)
NORA BONESTEEL'S CHRISTMAS PAST by Sharyn McCrumb

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

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 10-08-14

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,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I appreciate it. If you've never emailed one of the AuthorBuzz authors featured in the daily column, Merrill, a reader at the book club, suggests that you might be missing something.

Email from Reader...

"Hi Suzanne, I love reading your blogs in the Dear Reader emails, and the links to Authorbuzz. I recently won, and was thrilled to receive an autographed copy of No Time To Die, by Kira Peikoff. It's the kind of book I can't put down, once I've started reading.

It seems that every author emails back after the contests, thanking you for entering, and sending a link to their website. Everyone is so friendly. I think it is so nice of the authors to take time out of their very busy days to correspond with their readers. I've heard from John Florio, Marissa Curnette, Cindy Woodsmall and Jessica John.

I'm thrilled to hear from the authors and a couple of good books is just what the doctor ordered. Thank you again for writing your DearReader blog every day."--Best, Merrill

Someone always wins the book giveaways, so next time be sure to enter. Here are a few of the book winners from the guest authors who stopped by the book clubs while I was on my staycation in September.

Jamie Langston Turner, To See the Moon Again
Jayne B., Joanne H. and Rita P.

Cindy Woodsmall, A Love Undone
Karen C., Nancy F., Jennifer R., Carol I. and Anne R.

Sarah Healy, House of Wonder
Jennifer G., Pat H. and Chris H.

M.J. Rose, The Collector of Dying Breaths
Donna and Liz

Allegra Jordan, The End of Innocence
Betty R., Mary R., Sister Janine B., Sarah S., Martha R. & Nancy R.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: GOSSAMER GHOST (Mystery) by Laura Childs

When scrapbook maven Carmela Bertrand finds the owner of Oddities Antiques murdered and a Napoleon death mask stolen, she and her BFF Ava scramble for answers. But a Halloween investigation in New Orleans' French Quarter also means shuffling zombies, a phony French countess, and a tricked out ghost train. Includes scrapbooking tips as well as recipes for Seafood Bisque, Spoon Bread, Baked Porcupines, and Beignets.

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

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free copy of books for children and teens: WHOSE HAT IS THAT? by Anita Bijsterbosch; SILENT ECHO by Elisa Freilich; and REBEL TRAP by Lance Erlick. For a chance to win, say hello to the authors and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 10-07-14

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,

Today is a "show-and-tell" column, written by author, Kim Vogel Sawyer. In 1966, Kim told her kindergarten teacher that someday people would check out her book in libraries. That little-girl dream came true in 2006 with the release of Waiting for Summer's Return. Since then, Kim says she has watched God expand her dream beyond her childhood imaginings. With over 30 titles on library shelves and more than a million copies of her books in print, she enjoys a full-time writing and speaking ministry.

Empty-nesters, Kim and her retired military husband, Don, live in small-town Kansas with four feline companions. When she isn't writing, Kim stays active serving in her church's women's and music ministries, traveling with "The Hubs," and spoiling her quiverful of granddarlings.

Kim is giving away five copies of her book, When Mercy Rains to book club readers. Be sure to enter the drawing. Email: http://kimvogelsawyer.com/connect-with-kim/

Take it away, Kim Vogel Sawyer...

(Be sure to click on the link at the end of the column to see Kim's photos.)

Dispelling myths about my home state

Kansas has been my home for all but one year of my entire lifetime. I've lived in several Kansas towns, giving me a familiarity with a good portion of the state. I suppose that's why I set so many of my stories in Kansas--it truly is "home." (And you know what one famous storybook character claimed: "There's no place like home!")

Every now and then I get reader feedback that questions some of my descriptions of setting. "I thought Kansas was flat," or "Where did they find trees? Kansas doesn't have any trees." *ahem* I'd like to dispel a few Kansas myths for you today.

The Hubs and I frequently trek across the middle of the state to visit our youngest daughter's family, which includes two adorable little grandgirls. The landscape is lovely, and it helps me disprove a few of those Kansas myths.

Myth #1:Kansas is flat.

Granted, there are no towering mountain peaks in this picture, but note the rolling hills. I don't consider that "flat." This picture was taken in the Flinthills area, but if you travel through Medicine Lodge or near Goodland, the craggy landscape with its gulleys and drop-offs is stunningly beautiful.

Myth #2:Kansas doesn't have any trees.

Did you know Kansas has 1.3 MILLION ACRES of forest areas? It's true! "No trees"...pshaw!

Myth #3:Kansas is just full of wheat fields.

Kansas does possess its fair share of wheat fields, thanks to the Mennonite influx of the early 1870s, but wheat isn't the only crop. We also grow corn, soybeans, and several other grains, plus grapes and cotton! Additionally, you'll discover dairy farms, horse ranches, and if you look closely, you might even spot llamas or emus.

Myth #4:Kansas is boring.

I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I must say...this isn't a boring view to my eyes. It's lovely, don't you agree? Kansas is predominantly a rural state, which allows for wide open spaces and endless prairie views. Not to downplay the beauty of a busy city, but I find a sky full of stars a very relaxing night scene.

While driving with The Hubs, drinking in the expanse of cloud-graced sky stretched over a landscape that seemed to roll into eternity, I can't help but think about those first settlers who crossed the land in covered wagons, seeking their "land of plenty." They found it, right here in America's Heartland, the place I happily call "home."

--Kim Vogel Sawyer

*To see Kim's photos that dispel each of the myths, and to post comments about her column, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DearReadercom/291327524280953

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: NECESSARY LIES (Fiction) by Diane Chamberlain

It's 1960 in North Carolina, and when Jane Forrester takes a position as the county's newest social worker, she is given the task of recommending which of her clients should be sterilized without their knowledge or consent. But soon Jane becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, and she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing a life-changing battle.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on NECESSARY LIES to find out more about the book and the author, Diane Chamberlain. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 10-06-14

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'm doing a little book club housekeeping today. Periodically I like to remind folks to be sure and let me know if you're having any trouble receiving your book club read, have any suggestions or fun ideas.

I love to hear from readers, it's the best part of my day--no kidding. I'm particularly interested in knowing which of the giveaways you enjoy most at the book club. Shopping for socks? Hot water bottles, cooking utensils, chocolate chip cookies, books, or garage sale finds, just to name a few. Thanks for letting me know.

Today's giveaway is popular with readers, I know from the number of entries I receive. Enter to win a vintage apron. One that somebody else owned, then I used, and now I'm ready to pass it on to you. I do some mighty fine cooking when I'm wearing my vintage aprons.

So today I want to pass on some of that good apron karma. To enter the giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/DearReader-Apron-1014.html

Go ahead, treat yourself.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: KEEPERS OF THE COVENANT (Fiction) by Lynn Austin

In one life-changing moment, the lives of the exiles in Babylon are thrown into despair when a decree from the king's palace calls for the annihilation of every Jewish man, woman, and child throughout the empire in less than one year.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on KEEPERS OF THE COVENANT to read more and to email author Lynn Austin, you'll get a reply.