Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 07-17-15

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,

We had a baking 'practice run' at my house this past weekend. Cake batter in 6 and 9-inch pans, buttercream frosting, decorating tips, pastry bags and a turntable to spin the cakes around as Paul, my grandson, frosted them. Paul has been baking with me since he was three years old. I know, it sounds young, but he took right to it. He's eight now, and he can make the cake and frosting from scratch without help from Grandma. (It makes me smile whenever I think about it.)

All this baking; cookies, cakes, cupcakes and pies, who eats it all? Our neighbors Dan and Melissa have always been happy to do their part. Over the years, they've even went out of their way to encourage Paul, including a bag of flour and sugar when they return the baking pans.

Three weeks ago, Paul came running through our front door after making one of his baking "deliveries" to our neighbors. I've never seen Paul so excited. His eyes were huge and he was jumping up and down waving a piece of paper and he came running in the house, "Grandma, Grandma! Melissa hired me to bake a chocolate deviled food cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. She's going to pay me, too!"

Paul handed me the slip of paper where Melissa had written down a reminder for him: July 18th, chocolate birthday cake with chocolate frosting. I was stunned. What a great idea, and what a wise woman to hire a young boy to bake a birthday cake.

Paul is taking his job seriously. Last week my daughter-in-law sent me a text: "When does Paul need that cake done? He's really worried he won't have time to finish it. He needs to know the delivery date--he taped the note on your refrigerator."

I quickly replied, but it wasn't until I sent another text reassuring Paul that the two of us could do a "practice run" this past weekend, that he felt confident the birthday cake was under control. The practice cake was such a success that Grandpa ate two pieces, and Uncle Jim ate three.

Saturday's the big day. I'll be sure to take pictures.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free copy of an exciting middle-grade novel mixing a daring young heroine, mystery and history: SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK by Robert Beatty. For a chance to win, say hello to the author and more goto: http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THERESE RAQUIN, by Emile Zola. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag, goto:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1AFEAEE9EEA&c=CLASSICS

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 07-16-15

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,

Monday's column about sending thank you notes via email or snail mail, inspired readers to share their own way of saying thank you. If you missed the column, click on the Monday link in today's HTML read.

"My Dear Suzanne, I understand your thank you card/letter plight. Perhaps better than you may believe. I do think, however, that you could make a quick phone call to let your dear pal know you've received her gift, and how delighted you are. What conveys delight better than the human voice; to then be followed by the absolutely, correct and unimpeachable thank you note, in 'snail mail.'

That is my suggestion on how to handle this sit in future. I enjoy your notes and comments, preceding the book excerpts. Thanks, and keep them coming!"--Rebecca B.

"Loved your note today! I've felt the same way about this predicament that technology has created. Sadly, some folks these days don't acknowledge gifts period. I still have a 'dumb' phone rather than a 'smart' phone and I still get my email via computer. Since I don't carry my computer around in my pocket, I only check email when I'm home and have a free moment. So when folks send me an email, they can't be sure when I'll see it. I kinda like it this way, because it buys me some time to ponder my responses. But my friends who receive their email on their phones have no excuse for why they don't respond to MY emails promptly. What pressure for them! Who needs that?"--Susie W.

"Oh, Suzanne, I'm so glad to find I'm not the only person with this problem. It's all so awkward just because I hate to give up my love for the written notes. I send notes each week to shut-ins, sympathy cards, and birthday cards to people who aren't on Facebook or text messaging, but I'm always anxious about the length of time it takes for snail mail.

I also wanted to tell you, on another subject, I visited Stone Mountain in Georgia last week and was privileged to buy a light-up bubble gun which my 12-year old granddaughter and I have enjoyed tremendously! Certainly I thought of you when I saw it! I attempted to take pictures of it shooting bubbles as well as lighting, but, alas, my phone couldn't accomplish that. Keep up the good work! It's a pleasure reading with you."--Rita M.

"Why not do both? Just a quick 'I got it and loved it. Wait 'till you see it on me' (or whatever). And then won't your [gift-giver] be surprised and touched, when a few days later she gets a real honest to goodness piece of mail that is more detailed in regards to your pleasure. Win, win."--Elizabeth

"Suzanne, I still write handwritten thank you's, etc. I love getting a note out of my mailbox and reading it. It's so much more personal to send a note to someone through the mail. Keep up that time honored tradition. I'm with you all the way."--Nancy

"Oh, Suzanne, I can soooo empathize with this. I often give people complimentary tickets to a Professional Theatre Company of which I am on a couple committees. Of course the morning after the performance, I am anxiously awaiting the email telling me how much they enjoyed the performance. When it doesn't arrive, nor do I receive a telephone call, I think 'Well, Darn! Don't they realize this was $100 worth of tickets I just gave them??' Then, of course, a couple days later I receive a very nice Thank You! note in the mail. Yes, we do live in a fast-paced instant world; and I am well aware of that. I am also aware that most of the people to whom I give these tickets will let me know how much they appreciate it and enjoyed the show. I just have to learn to be a little more patient!"--Pam

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

Enjoy the summer,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THERESE RAQUIN, by Emile Zola. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag, goto:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1AFEAEE9EEA&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation this week. They will return on July 20.

 

Dear Reader Column 07-15-15

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, Julie Klassen, does truly love to hear from readers. So please send her an email, say hello, and when she replies, you may be one of the lucky winners of a copy of her book, Lady Maybe. Julie has three copies to give away. Email: Julie@julieklassen.com (Please be sure to include your mailing address in case you're a book winner.)

Julie's "About the Author" information is as interesting as her guest column. Let's get right to it:

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She is the bestselling author of ten novels set in Regency England, including her new release, "Lady Maybe." Julie is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, and enjoys traveling to England to research her books whenever she can.

A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked as a fiction editor for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. She also won the Minnesota Book Award, and has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America's RITA Awards. Julie and her husband have two teenaged sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota. Learn more at www.julieklassen.com.

Welcome to the book club, author Julie Klassen...

On a Cliff's Edge
with Julie Klassen

Jokingly, I say the real reason I write books is to justify my long-held desire to travel to England. But the truth is, my research trips there enrich my novels' settings and add a great deal of historical detail. So far, I've been able to go three times.

While writing Lady Maybe, set in Regency England, I needed to find a road dangerously near a cliff's edge overlooking the sea. Initially, I searched for the location using Google Earth, old maps, and web sites. I finally found the ideal setting--a coastal road in North Devon along the Bristol Channel near Lynton & Lynmouth. These twin villages are nestled amid the dramatic landscape of Exmoor National Park--also the setting of the novel Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore.

I wrote my first draft before I ever visited the area. Then, last year, an old friend and I had the privilege of traveling there. We drove on winding, breathtakingly-narrow roads as far as we could, then continued on by foot, walking on a carriage road hundreds of years old. Wind whipped hair in our faces, pulled hoods from our heads, and drowned out our voices as we searched for the perfect spot to send a carriage careening down into the water far below.

Standing on the edge of that cliff, overlooking the sun-streaked blue and gray water, the opening scenes began to play like a movie in my mind: a lady's companion, a carriage accident, and a desperate woman trying to rescue her child...

During an earlier trip to England, my husband and I visited a carriage museum in Devon. There, I learned the difference between a landau, barouche, traveling chariot, gig, chaise, and more. How fascinating to see so many historic carriages up close, to peer into the rich interiors, and imagine my characters heading off on their life-changing journey.

I hope readers will enjoy the journey as well!

--Julie Klassen
Email: Julie@julieklassen.com

To see a photo of Julie on the cliff's edge, 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: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation this week. They will return on July 20.

KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free copy of an exciting middle-grade novel mixing a daring young heroine, mystery and history: SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK by Robert Beatty. For a chance to win, say hello to the author and more goto: http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THERESE RAQUIN, by Emile Zola. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag, goto: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1AFEAEE9EEA&c=CLASSICS

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 07-14-15

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,

Therese Raquin by Emile Zola by has arrived! It's the new Penguin Classic at the book club.

Every other month I feature a Penguin Classic you can read, and I give away Penguin Classics tote bags, and today's the day. To sample Therese Raquin and enter the drawing for a Penguin Classic tote bag (like the one I use), go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1AFEAEE9EEA&c=CLASSICS

Enjoy the read. Let me know what you think of the book.

* Congratulations to the winners of Now I See You by Guest Author Nicole C. Spear: Rachel S. and Marlys W.

* Congratulations to the winners of A Week at the Lake by Guest Author Wendy Wax: Beverly D. and Donna S.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation this week. They will return on July 20.

Dear Reader Column 07-13-15

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,

Email solves problems, but it also creates them. It's ruining our social fiber and messing with my mind about when it's appropriate to say thank you to someone after they've given me a gift.

Here's the problem: My friend Sally mails a gift to me on Tuesday. She paid for Priority mail (guaranteed three day delivery), so on day four she's anxiously checking her email to see if I loved the gift. But my favorite way of saying thank you is still a handwritten note. (I hope the old fashioned way never dies.) So on day four, while Sally's waiting and wondering and checking her email, I'm writing a thank you note which is going to take at least another three days to reach her via snail mail, which translates into a seven day wait (not including the weekend days) since Sally first put the package in the mail to me. In this fast-paced, instant world, my friend is probably feeling anxious and maybe even a little hurt, wondering why she hasn't heard from me, and I totally understand.

Sending a handwritten thank you note these days takes a lot of courage and restraint. Sally's not the only one feeling anxious. I've been counting the days, too, worrying that Sally's been counting the days, and just when I'm about ready to fold and send an email, Sally emails me wondering if I got the gift, and now I'm really feeling stupid and the whole thing feels more than a little awkward. Maybe I should pretend that I haven't read her email yet? Or I could quickly send back a reply that looks like an "out of office" auto responder, which would buy a little more time for the thank you note to reach her.

But instead I send an email. A weird, awkward email...

"Sally, I did get your gift and I loved it, really I did. I didn't send an email, because I wrote you a thank you letter. You'll probably get it today, but now I feel bad and wish I would have sent an email or called, because you've obviously been wondering why the heck you hadn't heard from me, and now you're probably wishing you hadn't sent this email..."

I hate it when this happens.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation this week. They will return on July 20.

Dear Reader Column 07-10-15

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 listening to the '60's station on my car radio the other day, and all of the songs--five in a row--were the songs that I used to listen to when I was a teenager. It took me back to the days when I'd curl up in my room in my cushioned cubby area, surrounded by pillows, listening to my maroon transistor radio and dreaming, hoping, that I'd have a date for the movies on Friday night.

Friday nights were "the" night in the small town where I grew up. There was a movie house on Main Street, and every Friday night kids were lined up to see the movies. Well, at least the Protestant kids were. Our Catholic school chums frequently couldn't go, because there was a sign posted on the theater door announcing that tonight's movie wasn't approved by the church.

My girlfriends and I would meet in front of the theater and buy our tickets together, and we'd sit together in the theater, too--until the lights went out. Then the "all girl" row would magically become a boy, girl, boy, girl seating arrangement all the way down the aisle.

It was puppy love. My heart was pounding--who cared what was playing on the big screen? My main concern was: is he going to put his arm on the back of my chair? With butterflies in my stomach, we finished the popcorn and Jujubes. He must be thinking about it now--I could just tell. Yes, yes, here comes his arm, and I'd move in a little bit closer. Friday night at the movies in my home town.

* You can still enter the Cake Batter Dispenser Giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/giveaway.html

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

Warm regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: TUB OF SPIDERS (Thriller) by Jennifer Patterson and David Rowell Workman

A thrilling story filled with twist and turns. Sara Doyle's life hangs in the balance when sociopath Russell St. Cloud decides to kidnap the woman he feels is responsible for an act of violence that happened to him in grade school--the night of The Storm.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on TUB OF SPIDERS to read more and to email authors, you'll get a reply.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 07-09-15

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,

Mix, bake, eat, and enter the drawing for a cupcake batter dispenser. Pour the batter in the batter dispenser, squeeze the handle and plop, plop, plop, no mess and your cupcake liners are filled and ready to bake. I absolutely love mine.

To enter the giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/giveaway.html

Chocolate Cupcakes (One of my favorite recipes.)

2 cups unsifted flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (light or dark, I use dark)
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1-2/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise
1-1/3 cups water

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. In another bowl, beat at high speed for 3 minutes; sugar, eggs and vanilla, occasionally scraping bowl or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in mayonnaise. Add flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with water, beginning and ending with flour. Pour into 24 cupcake liners (in cupcake pans), each 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees, check after 18 minutes. Bake until center of cupcake springs back when you touch it, or stick a toothpick in the center of a cupcake and if it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

To enter the giveaway, http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/giveaway.html

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)
EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby

(Fiction)
IRISH MEADOWS by Susan Anne Mason

(Fiction)
THE MOUNTAIN STORY by Lori Lansens

(Thriller)
TUB OF SPIDERS by Jennifer Patterson and David Rowell Workman

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 07-08-15

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,

Those Girls is the name of the book. Chevy Stevens is the bestselling author--and she's graciously written today's guest essay. She's also giving away two copies of her newest book, Those Girls to readers. Email Chevy to enter the drawing and say hello: chevy@chevystevens.com

Chevy Stevens grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still calls the island home. When she's not working on her next book, she's camping and canoeing with her husband in the local mountains.

Welcome Chevy Stevens...

When I asked my two and a half year old daughter, Piper, what I should write this essay about, she said, "Um, maybe your trailer?"

We're in the trailer right now, which serves as my backyard office. We removed the table and put in a portable desk and parked it in the shade. My iPad is playing a Barbie episode on Netflix. Piper was watching it but now she's jumping back and forth from the couch to the bed, where one of our dogs, Ziggy, is having an afternoon snooze (or possibly guarding a bone). Our other dog Oona, a blond corgi cross, is curled up beside me with her nose resting against my knee. The air conditioner hums overhead and my husband has disappeared into the yard, catching up on some chores or possibly trying to find a few moments of silence for himself.

Before I had a child, I couldn't write with noise around me. I locked myself into my den and wore earplugs. When I was pregnant, I worried about what it would be like after she was born. But since she came along, I've discovered that I'm more adaptable than I'd thought. When she was an infant, I wrote in between feeding her, putting her down for her naps, cuddling her. I got used to the crying in the background, and knew instantly when I needed to leave my keyboard and kiss a boo-boo, or just rock and hold her. I even managed to have a productive writing day once while taking care of my husband who had the flu and watching over Piper. The latter involved a few torn up reams of paper, the construction of a play fort on my balcony, and my entire book shelf being rearranged.

Now I do all my writing in the trailer during the week. Piper manages to escape the house a few times a day so she can find me. I'll either hear a little knock on the door, "Mommy! It's me! Let me in!" Or I'll get a text from my husband: Baby is on the run. Sometimes I hear her calling over the fence, "Mommy? Mommy? I want to come see you!" I can never resist and always open my door for a visit. On the days when my husband and daughter leave the house, I sneak back in, relish the silence, my freedom--I can do anything I want!--but soon I feel lost, the quiet too empty. When I hear them return home, the crunch of tires on gravel, I lift my head with a smile, and wait for her to show up at my door.

--Chevy Stevens

Email Chevy and be entered to win a copy of her brand new title, Those Girls.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE MOUNTAIN STORY (Fiction) by Lori Lansens

In a landscape both harsh and beautiful, Wolf Truly becomes lost with three strangers for five days without food, water or shelter. The four quickly realize that their survival depends on each other. I was inspired by the tawny mountains where I live, and by the indomitable human spirit I witness daily.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE MOUNTAIN STORY to read more and to email author Lori Lansens, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 07-07-15

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com

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

Dear Reader,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: IRISH MEADOWS (Fiction) by Susan Anne Mason

Having attained wealth and respectability with his horse farm in Long Island, James O'Leary is not about to slide back to the hard times his father endured as a new immigrant. He's determined his daughters will marry well to maintain their social position. Unfortunately, his daughters have other ideas!

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on IRISH MEADOWS to find out more about the book and the author, Susan Anne Mason. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 07-06-15

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 off today, enjoying time with my family. Enjoy this old favorite...

It's really much more difficult to "tail" someone in your car--without them seeing you--than it is in the movies. My husband and I tailed the bagel delivery woman the other morning at 6 a.m. Obviously, it takes a skill that we're lacking, because we were either right on top of her tan Mazda or so far back that we totally lost sight of her car--especially when we were going around long curves. It was embarrassing, because at one point her car ended up behind ours. Oh well, thank heavens tailing people is not my day job.

It might sound strange, our following the bagel woman, but we're into cinnamon raisin bagels and sometimes our usual spot runs out of them. So, we thought we would check out what other businesses she delivers to. I know we could have just asked her, but that would have been boring, wouldn't it?

The bagel woman was running late because she didn't show up at the Hess station until 6 a.m., and we're usually already there buying our bagels at 5:30. The Hess station doesn't have much atmosphere, but at 5:30 in the morning we're not looking for ambiance, just a fresh bagel. Lucky for us, the bagel woman bought a snack in the Hess station, so that gave us time to buy our bagels and jump in our car before she left.

Our first stop was the Mobil station. We watched her from the neighboring parking lot while she delivered one large, brown shopping bag of bagels.

Then we headed out to Siesta Key. I figured that since she was headed to the island this was a real advantage for us. How could we lose her on an island? (Actually that was where her car ended up behind ours.) We got tricked in a parking lot.

We did find a grocery store that she delivers to that sells their bagels 30 cents cheaper than anyone else. The only problem is, they don't open until 7 a.m. That was the problem with most of the other new bagel spots that we discovered--restaurants that don't open until 8 or 9 a.m.

After tailing her for about 40 minutes and using up all of our undercover police jokes (tailing someone and watching them carrying bagels in and out of businesses is really pretty boring work) we gave up the chase.

But I don't know, I've been thinking about bread. There's this great baker that frequently sells out of my favorite bread by the time I get there. I know he delivers to other businesses...hmm...maybe next week we'll tail the bread man?

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: EASY WITH YOU (Fiction) by Kristen Proby

It's been two and a half years since we were all introduced to the With Me In Seattle gang! It's hard to believe the series is finished, but before we leave them for good, I thought it would be fun to check in with Matt Montgomery's super sexy partner, Asher. Asher has moved himself and his adorable daughter, Casey, to the Big Easy, where a serial killer is on the loose! Keeping the woman he loves safe is his top priority. I hope you love Asher and Lila's story as much as I do!

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on EASY WITH YOU to read more and to email author Kristen Proby, you'll get a reply.