Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 02-15-16

KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 
Dear Reader,

I'm a two-day sheet girl. Every two days I change the sheets and pillowcases on my bed. Very fussy about my sheets, I only buy Prima Cotton 600 thread count. No slippery, sliding, sateen sheets for me. The sheets I buy are on the expensive side, but they last forever, so they're really a bargain. I have a set of sheets that is 25 years old, but they feel and look like they're brand new--well at least they did until the other day.

I was changing the sheets and when I went to take off the bottom sheet I noticed two weird looking holes. Not gaping holes, but two small shredded areas, that immediately made me think kitty must have had a bad dream and went berserk in the middle of the night. What a waste. How could I toss out this perfectly good sheet, that has been with me for 25 years, just because of two small shredded areas.

"Put a patch over it," my husband said.

"You've got to be kidding," was my first thought. I mean I love the feel of crisp, clean, non-shredded sheets, that's why I am so fussy about them. And you want me to sew patches on the sheet?

But then he suggested that I use some of my quilt material to make the patches..."and it will even match the quilt you just finished making for the bed."

Okay, so now you're talking. I'm not just sewing on patches, I'm creating bedding art. I love it. What do you think? Go to, http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/patch-020216.html to see the photo.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: TROUBLE MAKER (Fiction) by Liliana Hart

I'm thrilled to be able to introduce the MacKenzie Family World to you. I asked five of my favorite authors to create their own characters and put them into the world you all know and love. These amazing authors revisited Surrender, Montana, and through their imagination you'll get to meet new characters, while reuniting with some of your favorites. So grab a glass of wine, pour a bubble bath, and prepare to Surrender.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on TROUBLE MAKER to read more and to email author Liliana Hart, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-12-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

Saturday I'm hosting a family Valentine party. My dining room has been decorated with homemade hearts for three weeks. I start organizing parties in advance, like decorating my dining room, because then I get to enjoy the atmosphere for more than just one big day. The invitations I sent out to my family said to be sure to bring a Valentine (homemade or purchased) for everyone, because I've made an old fashioned Valentine Box to put them in. My grandchildren, Paul, James and Hadley came to my house last week and handmade Valentines all by themselves. I was quite impressed with their ingenuity and creativity. "Grandma don't look, I'm making your Valentine!" and they'd chase me out of the room.

I did a test-run on a Valentine party cake last week, and I'd have to say it's probably the best tasting and most impressive cake I've ever made. The recipe looks long, but it comes together quickly, and oh my gosh, is it good! I hope you get a chance to make it.

To see photos of the cake being assembled and party decorations, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/val-021415.html

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Preheat oven to 350°. Line three, greased 9-inch round baking pans with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup canola oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee, room temperature

FILLING:
3 T all-purpose flour
6 T 2% milk
6 T shortening
3 T butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 T raspberry liqueur
1/4 tsp salt
2 drops red food coloring, optional
4 T raspberry jam

FROSTING:
1 package (8 ounces) cold cream cheese
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 T raspberry liqueur
4 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients. Combine buttermilk, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat 2 minutes. Gradually add coffee (batter will be thin).

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

FILLING: In a small saucepan, whisk together flour and milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let stand until cool.

In a large bowl, cream shortening and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners sugar and mix well. Gradually add cooled milk mixture; beat 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in liqueur, salt and food coloring.

Place one layer on a serving plate; spread with about 2 tablespoons jam. Place remaining layers on waxed paper; spread one of the remaining layers with remaining jam. Let stand 30 minutes.

Spread 1/2 cup filling over cake on the plate to within 1/4 inch of edges. Top with jam-covered cake, then spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining cake layer.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in cocoa and liqueur. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Frost top and sides of cake. It's a big cake that lasts for days in the refrigerator. Happy Valentine's Day!

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

 

 

Dear Reader Column 02-11-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

Reading your emails is the best part of my day. I sure do appreciate hearing from you.

"Suzanne, I bought my own bubble machine several years ago because of your column. Everyone loves it and one of my neighbors asked permission for her son to come use it, when I am not home. It really is so much fun and it does bring our neighborhood together! Thanks for the idea!"--Maureen

"Hi Suzanne, I am new to the book club and I have to say I look forward to your email every day when I come in to work. Thank you for giving us insight into your days. I feel like I know you personally. Regarding the bubbles, when I fill the sink to wash dishes and squirt in the dish washing liquid...I give (the bottle) a quick squeeze afterwards, and bubbles start floating everywhere. I've done this since my kids were very young (they're now teenagers), and they still expect it. They go chasing after the bubbles in the kitchen. Even the dogs get in on the act. It's amazing how something so simple can make people, and animals so happy. Thanks for brightening my day."--Anna F.

"I so enjoy reading your column every day, and the contests you have besides the featured book are fun. Thanks for the book, I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but...I look forward to it. By the way, I would never read some of these books if I didn't read your features first. It is good to step out of my reading comfort zone and you help me do that. Plus, who doesn't want a chance to win chocolate chip cookies every once in awhile?"--Jane B.

"I love your daily column and I feel like after all these years we are best friends. Keep up the great writing, there are so many of us out here that depend on you!"--Pat H.

"Dear Suzanne, I joined your book club in December and look forward to reading with you every day. Now you have become part of my daily routine. Every morning I greet your column with such joy. It's like a visit with a best friend." Warm hugs--Val

Congratulations to the bubble scrubber thingamajig (a dish scrubber with bubble wands at each end) winner, Paulette B.

The winner of Seymour Seagull, from my Beach Bully Giveaway is Lori B.

And the winners of In Some Other World, Maybe by Guest Author Shari Goldhagen are: Angela G., Karen K., Donna N., Gayle S. and Nancy R.

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)
CAST OF SHADOWS by Laura Landon

(Fiction)
KISS THE FLAME: A Desire Exchange Novella by Christopher Rice

(Fiction)
SONG OF THE OCEANIDES by J.G. Zymbalist

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

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 02-10-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

It's a Valentine keepsake, so every year, I revisit Abigail's Heart.

Abigail was a girl in Ms. Anderson's second grade class, who I exchanged letters with throughout the year. For Valentine's Day, along with a handwritten letter, Abigail sent me a map of her heart. A hand drawn heart with 15 spaces for the things she holds dear.

Abigail may have been just a little girl, but she had a big heart, with plenty of room for people and the little simple things in life. The color pink makes her smile, spring and summer were her favorite seasons, aunts, uncles, Mrs. Beecher (that's me!), friends, books, family, Mrs. Anderson (her teacher) and the Globetrotters. (Abigail said she'd just recently went to see them.)

Looking at the map of Abigail's heart inspired me to fill in a heart of my own. Yes, it's a childish, silly task, trace a heart on construction paper and cut it out. But when I mapped out Suzanne's heart, filling in the things that were dear to me, there were some surprises.

My life gets busy, my heart feels heavy, and when I need to sift through things to remind myself what's really important, thanks to Abigail, now I have a map of my heart.

To see Abigail's heart and to print out a heart of your own to fill in, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com:80/photo/heart0209.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: SONG OF THE OCEANIDES (Fiction) by J.G. Zymbalist

A suspenseful dreamlike coming-of-age tale about artists, daydreamers, Martians, and Martian hummingbird moths! Edited by acclaimed author Nick Mamatas.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SONG OF THE OCEANIDES to read more and to email author by J.G. Zymbalist, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-09-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

In 1966, Kim Vogel Sawyer 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, today's guest author says she, "...has watched God expand her dream beyond her childhood imaginings."

With over 35 titles on library shelves and more than 1.5 million copies of her books in print world wide, Kim enjoys a full-time writing and speaking ministry. 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. Her new novel, Room for Hope will be released next week.

Email: kim@kimvogelsawyer.com to say hello and you'll be entered to win one of five copies of Room for Hope.

Welcome to the book club, author Kim Vogel Sawyer...

Some of Life's Little Lessons

I celebrated a birthday a week ago. I am halfway between decades 5 and 6 of life, which makes me a little over half a century old. By the time you've lived half a century, you better have learned a thing or two. I remember telling my fifth graders it's important to study history because it keeps us from making the same mistakes former generations made. Well, in order to safeguard you from future errors, I'm going to share a few of my life lessons with you...

* When faced with the option of being rude or being polite, always choose "polite." Just because someone else is a noodlehead doesn't mean you have to be. Why let someone else's behavior dictate yours? Just be polite.

* One of my mom's goodies: "If someone speaks ill of you, live in a way that none will believe it." (Kind of relates to the preceding lesson, but on a grander scale, imo.)

* Into this life some rain will fall. Rather than bemoaning it, grab an umbrella and dance in the puddles.

* Speaking of life, it's short, so go ahead and eat dessert first. As long as you don't make a steady diet of chocolate cake and strawberry pie, indulging won't destroy you.

* Do not apply lip balm right before kissing a cat. I believe this needs no further explanation.

* A spotless house is NOT as important as playing with a child. (Wish I'd figured this out when my children were still young and living under my roof. *sigh*)

* Smile at people. Even the grumpy-looking ones. It might be the only ray of sunshine they see all day.

* Say "I love you" or "You're special" (or whatever endearment works for you) to those who matter to you as often as you possibly can. They need to hear it, and believe me...you need to say it.

* And laugh. Loudly and often! It builds endorphins, which is good for your mental health.

* Don't hit (unless you're swinging a bat at a baseball) and don't holler (unless it's an emergency). These are the things regrets are made of.

* Don't sweat the small stuff. Big stuff will find you, and you need to be prepared (i.e.--be prayed up!). If you fall apart over little stuff, the big stuff will take you under. So learn to stand firm and keep it together in times of irritation and stress. Then when the big stuff comes, you'll be armed and able to emerge triumphant.

I could share more, but I think I'll leave it at that. Betcha you've learned a few life lessons over the years, too. Do you have a favorite word of advice to share with me? I'm listening now...spill it. :o)

God bless you muchly as you journey with Him!

--Kim

Email: kim@kimvogelsawyer.com to share your advice, or say hello and you'll be entered to win one of five copies of Room for Hope.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: KISS THE FLAME: A Desire Exchange Novella (Fiction) by Christopher Rice

This is my favorite type of romance, a story in which the main character works against the odds to overcome her greatest fears so she can be with the one she loves. There's also a dash of magic and a generous serving of New Orleans atmosphere. You'll discover a special race of being called The Radiants, who work guardian-angle style, to help everyday humans finds their happily ever after.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on KISS THE FLAME to find out more about the book and the author, Christopher Rice. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 02-08-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

Burr, it's cold outside in most of the country. I came across an old column and giveaway that I thought might help warm up your day.

There's a bully at the beach. Chases everyone, and bites, too. He's a loud obnoxious bully. White chest, dark gray head, a long beak and squawk, squawk, SQUAWK, he chases every other gull away from whatever he thinks he wants. And he pretty much wants everything.

Loud like a bully, "Look at me!" Center of attention, he tries to look and sound tough. "I own the beach, and any treats sunbathers are handing out are all mine!" When I refuse to give him a treat, he viciously chases the other seagulls and bites their tail feathers. Bully for sure. I don't know why the other gulls don't run Bully off. Obviously tolerant, the other birds in the colony must be living by the maxim: Love thy neighbor seagull, in spite of the fact that he's loud and bites my butt.

Bully spends all his time trying to chase other birds away from me--the snack source. But like a seasoned ball player, when I see an opening, I throw a handful of treats up in the air and other gulls, who are usually afraid of Bully, instinctively dart into the air to catch them. The flurry of feathers catches Bully off guard, and he's too far down near the ground to block the shot. So for a couple of minutes, until Bully can respond to the new play, the other gulls are happily eating all of my treats. Every now and then, I'm tempted to feel sorry for Bully and toss a few snacks his way. But the Dr. Spock of bird rearing warns I would be reinforcing bad behavior. Then again, does a seagull even realize when he's being sent to the corner for a time-out?

So instead, I decide to take charge and do a little crowd control. "Okay seagulls listen-up. Single-file, an arm's length--er, excuse me--a skinny leg's length apart. One organic sweet potato chip per gull. No fighting, yelling or butt biting--that means you Beach Bully."

Enter my seagull giveaway. No, it's not Beach Bully, it's a cute cuddly Seymour Seagull. To see Beach Bully, and to enter the Seymour Seagull giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/beach-bully.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: CAST OF SHADOWS (Fiction) by Laura Landon

Love Victorian romance? Each month over one million pages of Laura Landon's Victorian romance/mysteries are read--pages filled with romance, danger, scandal, love, and loss. Laura's new "Cast" series begins with Gideon, heir to the Duke of Townsend.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on CAST OF SHADOWS to read more and to email author Laura Landon, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-05-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

If I made a list of life changing experiences, the bubble machine in front of my house would definitely be high on the list. You might be thinking I've become a bubble evangelist, and you'd be right, and I gladly accept the assignment. Bubbles continue to bring joy and purpose to my life, and obviously to other people, too. Every week I receive cards in the mail addressed to the "Bubble Lady," people leave bottles of bubbles out in front of my house, and a woman even brought me an orchid plant a few weeks ago.

Some folks wave and holler "Thank you for the bubbles!" as they walk by, others pull into my driveway. A woman hopped out of her car and came running over to me, "I hope you don't think I'm a strange bird, but when I saw you outside, I had to stop. I drive by your house every day on the way to work. I could take a shorter route, but I can't go to work without seeing the bubbles. You're the reason I come down this street, and many days your bubbles are the reason I feel joyful. Can I have a hug?"

Everyone has an assignment here on earth, one of mine is bubbles, so I'm sharing a new twist on bubbles today. My husband found a new bubble thingamabob and thought it would make a fun giveaway in my column. Enter to win your own Bubble Scrubber. It's a bubble wand, dish brush with bubble blowers at both ends. So now you can wash your dishes and blow bubbles at the same time. Have a little fun today. See a photo of the Bubble Scrubber and enter to win at:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/bubble-brush.html

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

The Bubble Lady,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: COLD-BLOODED (Thriller) by Lisa Regan

If you only had months to live, what would your dying wish be? For retired homicide detective Augustus Knox it's to solve the cold case of murdered teenager Sydney Adams. Enlisting the help of P.I. Jocelyn Rush, together they face off against a cold-blooded psychopath whose ruthlessness knows no bounds.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on COLD-BLOODED to read more and to email author Lisa Regan, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-04-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

An iPad, Nano, and even reading material are not allowed when I'm soaking in a hot bath. One of the reasons I slide into a bath, filled to the brim with bubbles, is to relax and empty my mind. Breathe slowly Suzanne, don't think about what's on the schedule for today, or worry about how many Dove ice cream bars you've been eating lately (eventually, even this too, will get tiring). Instead, just sit back and meditate in the tub.

Ah yes, really hot water, I lean back against the curve of my antique, claw tub, soak and let the world go on without me...but then I started thinking about the article I read in the Wall Street Journal this morning. The meditation guy, who I like, what is his name again? How could I forget his name? It's right there, on the tip of my tongue. He's done meditation tapes with Oprah Winfrey, why can I remember her name, but not his? I listen to a meditation tape every morning with him giving guidance. Oh well, Suzanne, let it drift out of your mind, and you can look up the name when you get out of the tub.

Or can I? It's driving me crazy that I can't remember a name. This forgetful thing, maybe it's becoming a problem? It's been driving me nuts lately that I don't carry my week's schedule around in my mind any more. Not only did I have my schedule written down, I used to carry the week's comings and goings in my mind. But lately, if I have an appointment or meeting during the day, the night before I put a note on the refrigerator to remind me in the morning.

Am I starting to lose memory cells? But then again, the meditation guy, whose name escapes me at the moment, said in the newspaper article that he "...rarely keeps track of schedule more than a day or two in advance"--a way, he says, "to reduce anxiety and stay present."

Relax Suzanne, you're okay. You're not losing your mind, you're just staying in the present. Nevertheless, I can't stand the present any longer, because not being able to think of his name is driving me crazy.

So I grab a towel, get out of my nice hot bubble bath, run out into the family room, to find the newspaper and look up the name of that guy. Because if I don't, I'll go nuts in the tub.

"Woman loses mind in tub. More details tonight on News at 10."

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)
THE LEMONCHOLY LIFE OF ANNIE ASTER by Scott Wilbanks

(Paranormal)
ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham

(Fantasy)
DEVIL'S GARDEN by Lance Tuck

(Thriller)
COLD-BLOODED by Lisa Regan

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

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 02-03-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

"I gave up on a frustrating habit."

It's the line that stuck with me when I read an email from Nancy Austin, a reader at the book club. Nancy was replying to my recent column about using coupons, and tucked away in her email was sage advice from her father, for living a joyful life.

"Suzanne, I am with you on the coupon episodes. I, too, hate them and get terribly frustrated. What I find so often, is the coupon makes you buy two of a product, when you really only want one.... Then when you find the advertised item, the identical product next to it is less expensive. It's usually a store brand, but it's almost always the same quality and in some cases better.

Many years ago when my father was living, he went through the same experience. He was careful with his spending, as he had gone through the Depression. He carefully combed the ads, and I could hear him talking with my mother about the cost of a can of peas at his local grocery store.

One day in conversation with him, our talk turned to grocery shopping. He, who was so conscious of his spending habits, stated he was not using coupons anymore. He went on to list the reasons, all of which were, and are still true today. I figured if my dad could quit using coupons, I better re-examine my own frustrations. I did.
I don't use them anymore.

I gave up on a frustrating habit."--Nancy Austin

Thanks for a great email, Nancy. Coincidentally, recently I decided that just because I'd always done something "that way," didn't mean I couldn't make a change. And even though technically, there wasn't anything "wrong" with the can opener I'd used for years, it drove me crazy every time I had to use it. So finally this girl wised up, donated the old can opener, and bought a new one. Ah, life is good, uncomplicated, much less frustrating, and I bet your dad would be proud of me, too.

* Congratulations to the winners of the Librarian Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway: Margo M., Manitowoc Public Library; Monica H., Livingston County Library, and Jan B.

And the lucky winners of a copy of Noah's Wife by Guest Author Lindsay Starck are: Wanda H., Doreen G. and Alida W.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: DEVIL'S GARDEN (Fantasy) by Lance Tuck

Our world is a world of opposites: light and dark, good and evil, spirit and flesh. The Paladin Sequence reveals a world of such forces personified. Matthew Paladin is led by the Angel of Death on a quest to learn the truth behind the cosmic forces that vie for control of all reality. The forces that have driven history are on a cataclysmic path toward oblivion. Can Paladin learn the truths to save mankind before the agents of prophecy destroy us all?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on DEVIL'S GARDEN to read more and to email author Lance Tuck, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-02-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

 

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author's column takes me back to when I was a kid and remembering one of my favorite toys. Welcome author Shari Goldhagen as she shares her thoughts on...

...What's In a Name?

I got my name because my mom had been a fan of "Lamb Chop," a sock puppet on The Shari Lewis Show. My parents wanted an "S" after some long-dead cousin, and they had gone round and round on Samantha (Mom nixed because my dad had dated a Samantha) and Sandra (Dad hadn't liked a Sandra in junior high). As things got closer, they just sort of panicked, and then my mom remembered she liked the show as a kid.

"Shari sounded cute," she explained.

But Shari always felt forced, like it was for someone perkier and pluckier--perhaps a cheerleader or stripper, definitely a blonde. And I'm just Shari--not Sharon or Sherilyn--there's no way to spruce it up for grown up occasions like graduation walks or wedding invitations. "It's already a pet name," an ex-boyfriend once offered when I asked why he never gave me a nickname (in truth, this was probably more because he was in love with the girl across the street).

Because my own name always seemed so flip, I spent an absolutely exhaustive amount of time choosing names for characters when I started writing fiction in my early twenties. Why was the name chosen? Did a character live up to those expectations? What was he or she called by friends? Lovers? People at work? I didn't think I'd ever have kids, but for my creations I bought baby name books and checked out the annual most popular lists like my friends who were actually having babies.

Flash forward fifteen years: I was completing edits on my second novel when my husband (who does have a cute nickname for me, though not necessarily one that's appropriate to share) and I discovered we were expecting. We would be in charge of someone's name! I would not panic and go with some puppeteer from the 60s! There would be long and hard thinking. And then dread set in when I realized how I'd squandered so many of my favorite names on completely imaginary people in my writing. Nothing could be done to save the names lost in my first book, but for the second there was still time ("not that much time" my editor said).

"Do you like Myka?" I demanded of my husband. "I think I might like Myka, but there's a Myka in the book."

"It's okay," Husband said. His name is his father's name and his grandfather's on down the line; his biggest request was that we not continue that tradition lest family gatherings become even more confusing. "What difference does it make if there's a Myka in the book?"

"She's really bitchy!"

Suddenly Myka in the book was Tina.

The one boy's name both Husband and I loved was in the book, too, and that dude DIED; even Husband thought that might be bad luck.

But even after I'd made the changes in the proofs, the names still felt haunted. I'd spent so much time overthinking them in the first place that, in my head, those would always be the characters' true names. Myka/Tina was always going to be an unpleasant handful; plucking a name from a dead character still seemed a jinx.

Nothing was decided when we hailed a cab to the hospital. We ended up naming our daughter after my grandfather--the first name that we both agreed upon.

No doubt she'll hate it one day.

--Shari Goldhagen

Email: shari@sharigoldhagen.com Say hello and WIN one of five copies of her book, In Some Other World, Maybe.

More About Shari Goldhagen:

After serious pursuits of literature at Northwestern and Ohio State, Shari Goldhagen discovered she had a knack for sifting through celebrity trash and worked as a gossip writer for publications including The National Enquirer, Us Weekly, and Life & Style Weekly. Her articles on pop culture, travel and relationships have appeared everywhere from Cosmopolitan to Penthouse. She has received fellowships from Yaddo and MacDowell and currently lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. He newest novel, In Some Other World, Maybe is on sale now.

Say hello and enter her drawing for a copy of In Some Other World, Maybe. Email: shari@sharigoldhagen.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: ALL HALLOWS EVE (Paranormal) by Heather Graham

Halloween has always been a favorite holiday for me--despite the fact that I'm the world's worst coward! Costumes, ghosts, ghouls, vampires, witches and more--and, of course, these days, very sexy costumes for those who choose!

Jenna Duffy and Sam Hall are favorite characters from The Evil Inside, a Krewe of Hunters novel. They wind up hanging out in one of my favorite places in our great country, Salem, Massachusetts.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ALL HALLOWS EVE to find out more about the book and the author, Heather Graham. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.