Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 06-30-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

Suzanne is on vacation today, so we are running one of her favorites...

Everybody has a nasty habit. What's yours?

Think about it right now, before I tell you mine. Because then maybe you'll go a little easier on me, and refrain from thinking, "Oh gross...how can she do that?"

Confession time: occasionally I drink straight out of the milk jug. Yes, it's one of the things I used to tell my kids not to do. No, I wasn't born in a barn. Yes, I know other people use that milk jug and I'm leaving germs behind, but I can't seem to help myself.

I'm not a very good swigging-from-the-milk-jug delinquent. It's a good thing you don't go to jail for drinking out of the milk jug, because I leave evidence behind--every time. Can't hide the deed, because I leave a "Middle of the Road Pink" ring around the milk spout. (Middle of the Road Pink is the shade of lipstick I wear.)

When my youngest son (who's soon to be 39) comes over to the house, before he starts raiding my refrigerator he checks, "Mom, you're not still drinking out of the milk jug are you?"

Well, the tables have turned. He used to be the one who drank out of the milk jug, now I assure him I gave up that disgusting habit long ago. Of course, I'm lying. I figure it's all in the family so no harm done.

But I do have limits though. For example, when company's coming and I'm change the sheets--I change the milk jug, too.

* Congratulations to Celima V. the winner of my Birthday Theme Party Giveaway. Celima chose the BINGO game as her prize.

Thanks for reading 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 deserves your attention:

(Fiction)
THE LADY WHO SAW TOO MUCH by Thomasine Rappold

(Mystery)
MURDER AT THE MANSION by Janet Finsilver

(Thriller)
FRIENDLY FIRE by John Gilstrap

(Fiction)
THE OBLATE'S CONFESSION by William Peak

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

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 06-29-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

Let's get right to it...

Today's guest author J. Todd Scott was born in rural Kentucky and attended college and law school in Virginia, where he set aside an early ambition to write to pursue a career as a federal agent. His assignments have taken him all over the U.S and the world, but a badge and gun never replaced his passion for books and writing. He now resides in the American Southwest, which is the setting for his debut novel, The Far Empty, where in the stark Texas borderlands, an unearthed skeleton throws a small town into violent turmoil.

Five copies of The Far Empty are ready to be shipped to readers. But you need to enter the drawing, so do it right away. Someone always wins the books. It could be you. Email address for giveaway: putnambooks@penguinrandomhouse.com

To reach today's author, to say hello (he will reply), email: JTS@JTODDSCOTT.COM

Welcome to the book club, author J. Todd Scott.

My daughters hate my music.

I'm not talking about the radio stations I listen to, or the old CDs (and yes, cassettes) I still own and play. I'm talking about my music, the stuff I actually create in my home studio.

I call it New Age, Electronica, Chill-Out, or Ambient. They call it whale music and then roll their eyes and laugh.

I came of age in the eighties when synthesizer-heavy bands were all the rage: A Flock of Sea Gulls, Human League, Duran Duran. In middle school I played several different instruments (and even spent a few years taking piano lessons) and was in my high school's marching and orchestral bands, as well as the mercifully short-lived teenage synth-pop group Shattered Nightmare--whose one and only forgettable performance was at the Eastern High School talent show. Thus, it was only natural that when creative differences drove SN apart, I continued my musical career as a solo artist. Throughout the years I've bought and sold several different home studio rigs, always finding a free corner or closet to set it all up in, and nowadays--with powerful home computers and cheap and versatile audio equipment--you really can make nearly radio-ready tracks right in your own bedroom.

Although I am fan of modern music and bands all across the spectrum--my iTunes playlists are eclectic, to say the least--I'm just as likely to be caught listening to Ulrich Schnauss, Hammock, and Amethystium as I am, well, whoever is actually popular and on the radio. I get that MY genre of music isn't considered "cool," at least by the standards of my three very vocal teenage girls, and I'm fine with that. After all, a guy who was in high school orchestra and practiced Dvorak's New World Symphony (or as one might try to rebrand it now: neoclassical darkwave) has to accept a certain lack of mainstream popularity when it comes to his own music.

But in many ways, I think my music is simply another extension of the creative process I enjoy with writing. With music, I can lose myself for a few hours crafting melodies, tweaking audio patches, programming drum rhythms, and layering tracks so that when I'm done, I've made something that's never existed before: a whole song. My song. One where I was the sole composer, musician, and producer.

And more than likely, the only audience.

Well, me and the whales.

--J. Todd Scott

To be included in the drawing for a copy of The Far Empty, email putnambooks@penguinrandomhouse.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: FRIENDLY FIRE (Thriller) by John Gilstrap

I take readers deep inside the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. with my New York Times bestselling series. This Jonathan Grave thriller begins with a shocking act of vengeance for what happened years ago when Ethan Falk was abducted and thankfully rescued. Now, Jonathan Grave must defend himself against his most personal threat to date--and prevent an ongoing terrorist plot against the heart of America--one that could bring her to her knees.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on FRIENDLY FIRE to read more and to email author John Gilstrap, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 06-28-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
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Dear Reader,

I'm on vacation today and I'm sharing one of my most memorable columns...

Yesterday when my husband and I were out for our morning walk, we stopped to read a poster that was tacked up on a telephone pole.

Lost Cat!
Brown Tabby Morris
20-years-old and hard of hearing

My husband commented that it was "that time of year," and Morris was probably just taking a stroll around the neighborhood. But the poster made me think about what happened to my dog, Moochie.

When I was five years old, Santa left Moochie under the Christmas tree. Moochie was part terrier and part something else that must have had a very long tail, because when he was just a pup, the veterinarian said we needed to shorten his tail or "the tail will grow longer than the dog." And so we had his tail nipped.

I was an only child, no brothers or sisters to play with except Moochie. Even when I'd dress him up in a pink dress and tie a ruffled bonnet around his neck, he was a real trooper. He'd sit in the side basket of my bicycle, barking nonstop, "Look at us" and we'd ride up and down Main Street. I loved that dog, but honestly I don't know how my parents put up with the pooch. Moochie loved to chew blankets. He never touched a shoe, sock, or a chair leg, but every single blanket in our house looked like a piece of Swiss cheese. Perfect little round holes--they were a real work of dog art, and every blanket, on every bed, was a Moochie masterpiece.

I never tied him up when he was outside, there wasn't any need, because Moochie never left the yard. So it was strange one day when he just seemed to disappear. Everybody knew everybody and their pets, in the small town I grew up in. But when I asked the neighbors, nobody had seen Moochie. Months went by, I was miserable, I'd given up hope on ever finding him and the worst part was not knowing what happened to him.

You know how things just seem to come together sometimes? There's no reason why a topic of conversation should come up, but it does when the time is right. And that's what happened one day when I was waiting for my mother to get off work at the Cuba City Dime Store.

It was almost five o'clock, closing time at the Dime Store, and my mother was behind the register ringing up the last customer when out of the blue, the woman she was waiting on started telling a story about a dog who had wandered on to their farm a couple of months ago. She said it was a small brown dog, with a stump of a tail, and he just showed up one afternoon in their barn. He didn't look well, and was obviously a very old dog, so she made a bed for him and tried to get him to eat, but he wasn't hungry. She was so worried about the dog that she got up in the middle of the night to check on him. The woman was in tears by then, telling the story, and my mother and I were crying too, because we knew who the dog was. Moochie died in the woman's arms about three in the morning.

Why did Moochie run away? I've always thought about it this way: best friends never want to hurt each other and I imagine Moochie decided it would be just too much for me--he wanted to spare me the pain, so he ran away from home to die.

Lost Dog!
Brown, part Terrier with a short tail Moochie
15-years-old and the best friend I ever had

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: MURDER AT THE MANSION (Mystery) by Janet Finsilver

When you run a B&B, it's smart to be prepared for tourist season. It may be a lot harder to prepare for murder! When Kelly finds a dead body, suddenly the menial tasks of her job are a lot less terrible. But now she's on the hunt for clues, and she'll need to catch a killer before they come for her next!

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on MURDER AT THE MANSION to find out more about the book and the author, Janet Finsilver. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 06-27-16

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
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Dear Reader,

When I give someone cookies I've made from scratch, I'm giving them the best part of me. Most people wouldn't believe it, but it's true--if I'm not in the mood to bake and I have to anyway for some reason--baking feels like a chore and my cookies don't turn out. They fall flat, or taste strange--like I forgot one of the ingredients--and I did. I wasn't able to add the joy I feel when I'm baking.

When I'm mixing up a batch of cookies to giveaway, at some point in the process, I start thinking about the person I'm going to give the cookies to, picturing their face when I hand them the big Ziploc bag of cookies. They're smiling, they're feeling special and cared for, and they usually end up sharing the cookies with friends.

Cooking is a powerful thing, especially baking. Because when most people think of homemade chocolate chip cookies, they're thinking about their mother or grandmother--someone who loved them, was in the kitchen with an apron on, the flour was out, the counter was a mess, and something that smelled good was baking in the oven.

Baking is kind of like writing for me. When it's good, I'm into the task at hand, not thinking about anything else, giving it everything I have to give--giving my best to someone like you. Can you smell the chocolate chip cookies?

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE LADY WHO SAW TOO MUCH (Fiction) by Thomasine Rappold

What happens when a woman has a vision of the death of a man who could be her new employer? She takes the job to save his life, of course. But what she doesn't wager on is the fact that she isn't able to save her heart in the process. A marriage of convenience leads to so much more in a unique historical setting.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE LADY WHO SAW TOO MUCH to read more and to email author Thomasine Rappold, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 06-24-16

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
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Dear Reader,

I write every day but actually I'm afraid of my craft. Writing is a love/hate thing. It's true love once I'm finally in the middle of a column, but sometimes it's sheer torture getting started.

There's something inside of me that knows I can do it, even on days when I'm convinced I've written my last column. Don't know where the magic used to come from, it was good while it lasted, but for the life of me, I can't write a thing. At least nothing that's any good.

So I start and stop and start and stop, sweat, and have an anxiety attack and then I realize if I don't come up with something soon, tomorrow's column will be blank.

Thankfully fear has been a big motivator for me today. I hope you enjoyed the column. I'll talk to you on Monday.

* Congratulations to the winners of If I Forget You by Guest Author Thomas Christopher Greene: Heidi Z., Vi R. and Kathryn D.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDS BUZZ: Loads of book fun including a fabulous new teen science fiction romance set in space. You'll love CAN'T FORGET by Colleen Myers. For a chance to win a free copy, say hello to the author and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

AUTHORBUZZ: TEA CUPS AND CARNAGE (Mystery) by Lynn Cahoon

Coffee and books go hand-in-hand in South Cove, according to Jill Gardner. But with Jill's track record of being in the wrong place at the right time, so does solving murders. Kathi, a newcomer to town, opens a tea shop--and later winds up in hot water as a murder suspect! Now Jill's on the case as Kathi's family secrets start to be revealed.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on TEA CUPS AND CARNAGE to read more and to email author Lynn Cahoon, you'll get a reply.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 06-23-16

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,

Wednesday's BINGO column inspired Wanda, a reader at the book club, to thank me for bringing back a memory about her mother.

"Dear Suzanne, I got a warm tug at my heart when I started reading your story about playing Bingo with your family, and especially how excited your grandsons would get. My mother passed away a year-and-a-half ago. One of my fondest last memories of her was helping her play Bingo, in the nursing home where she resided. She couldn't walk by herself--could barely stand up--but that didn't keep her from very enthusiastically hopping up and down and giggling every time she won! Thank you so much for bringing that memory back to me."--Wanda S.

(Suzanne replies:) Thank you so much for writing. Frequently, when a reader writes and shares a story, their story makes me remember one of my own. I remember when...

...I used to be in charge of a cooking class for seniors in a nursing home. The ladies in the class all had different cooking skills. Some could do their own measuring, and follow the directions on the recipe card, and others required patience--theirs and mine. For some ladies it might take five minutes to fill a one-cup measuring cup with flour.

We baked cookies in our class, because they were easy to make, but more importantly they brought back memories for the women. I encouraged family members to bring in their mom's favorite recipes, which meant there was always a story to go along with the cookie recipe of the day. "I remember when I used to make these cookies..."

Our cookies were popular. Baking class started at 9:30 in the morning, so a little after ten the nursing home employees would start showing up in our kitchen, wondering if we needed a "taste tester." Soon we started getting special requests, "What are you baking next week? Can I buy some to take home? How about baking a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie?" And before you knew it the ladies and I were in the cookie-baking business.

The simple, old favorites like peanut butter, snicker doodles, chocolate chip, and oatmeal were good sellers, but so was our Apple Cutout Sugar Cookie. They're the kind of cookie that looks like it takes a lot of skill to make them, because they look impressive, but they're really very easy and quick to make.

You could use any cookie cutter, but I like the apple. Tint the frosting any color to match the cookie design you decide to use. They're a lot of fun to bake; give them a try. Here's the recipe, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie2.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 deserves your attention:

(NonFiction)
MORE THAN RIVALS by Ken Abraham

(Fiction)
WICKED BURN by Rebecca Zanetti

(Fiction)
WORKING IT by Leah Marie Brown

(Mystery)
TEA CUPS AND CARNAGE by Lynn Cahoon

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

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 06-22-16

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,

"Surprise!" For the first 20 years of our marriage (it will be 40 this December), I'd plan a surprise birthday party for my husband. Twenty years of yelling "Surprise!" you're probably wondering, 'Gee, didn't your husband catch on at some point?'

Of course the first year was a total surprise! The second year was still a surprise, because who would do two surprise parties in a row? The third, I held up my hand and took an oath, when my husband asked about a possible surprise party (though I did have my fingers crossed behind my back), as I assured him, "There would be no surprise party this year." So again, he was totally surprised. But what about the fourth through the 16th years? Well, instead of the party being the surprise, I changed it up a bit and the "theme" of the party, was the surprise.

My husband was definitely surprised when two guys pulled up in front of our house, got out of their truck, and tethered a hot air balloon at the end of our driveway. We lived in an older development outside the city, and there weren't any power lines high up in the sky near our house. So "surprised" birthday party guests were treated to a tethered hot air balloon ride, way, way, up in the sky--it felt like you were actually flying. We even managed to get one of our birthday guests in a wheelchair into the hot air balloon basket for a ride. The birthday party guest list grew by the hour because neighbors, we'd never met, showed up to see what was going on, and of course being hospitable I offered them a ride in the balloon. (It's a good thing I always have too much food at a party--just in case.) After that day we weren't the Beecher house in the neighborhood anymore, but rather the hot air balloon house.

Another memorable "surprise" party theme (I think it was party number 12), was fishing. We lived in Wisconsin at the time, and there was a stocked trout pond out in the country, not far from our house. Poles, bait, and fish in the pond, all a birthday guest had to do was bait their hook, throw their line in the water and wait for the red and white bobber to start dancing, and when it popped underneath the water, give the line a good yank. Some party guests hadn't ever been fishing (which was pretty amazing since we lived in Wisconsin), so they approached the sport in a manner all their own. It was hilarious. One woman was leaning dangerously far over the side of the pond, lightly bobbing her pole up and down, calling out, "Here fishy, fishy." I'm sure the fish were laughing right along with me. The man who owned the fish pond, cleaned our fish, wrapped and put them on ice, and we headed back to our house for a birthday dinner bash.

My husband's birthday is this Sunday and no one will be yelling "Surprise" but I do have a whopper of a party planned. Our son and my husband's birthday are close together, so we're having a father and son party this weekend. Fishing, badminton (with vintage rackets and birdies--a $2.00 bargain at a garage sale), a fishy bean bag toss challenge, and of course Birthday BINGO. When Paul, my 9-year-old grandson, was looking through Grandma's upcoming party decorations, he suggested we should take pictures, print them out the old fashioned way and put them in a picture book for Grandpa and his dad. That's my boy--mix the old with the new--which inspired me to add some old photos to the party decorations. I looked through our old photo albums and pulled out some photos from years ago of my son and husband. My favorite? Our son was born on June 23, and my husband's birthday is June 26th. I left the hospital on the 25th, so I was home in plenty of time to bake a chocolate birthday cake for my husband. The photo? My husband sitting on the sofa holding our new baby boy with one hand, a chocolate birthday cake resting on his knee--and a big smile on my his face. Come to think of it that was probably the biggest and best...surprise party of all!

I thought it would be fun to share some old photos: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/old-photos.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDS BUZZ: Loads of book fun including a fabulous new teen science fiction romance set in space. You'll love CAN'T FORGET by Colleen Myers. For a chance to win a free copy, say hello to the author and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

AUTHORBUZZ: WORKING IT (Fiction) by Leah Marie Brown

Ever notice your friends' lives taking off and yours suddenly feels lacking? Fanny Moreau sure knows that feeling, so she decides to shake it up and head to the Alaskan wilderness, a bold move that Fanny's not sure was the right one--until she meets Calder. And suddenly Fanny realizes she might just find her own happily-ever-after, in a place where she least expects it....

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on WORKING IT to read more and to email author Leah Marie Brown, you'll get a reply.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 06-21-16

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
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Dear Reader,

There's still time to enter.... Mustaches or BINGO? Enter my Party Giveaway and take a look at photos from my mustache party. Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/birthday-fun.html When you enter, be sure to tell me which prize you would like.

Please welcome today's guest author, Karen Halvorsen Schreck, and her new historical novel Broken Ground, a "masterfully written...must-read" by USA Today. The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and an Illinois State Arts Council Grant, Karen received her doctorate in English and Creative Writing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She lives with her husband and their two children in Wheaton, Illinois.

Email: khschreck@gmail.com and when you do, you'll be entered in her book giveaway. Karen has ten copies of Broken Ground to send to lucky readers.

Take it away, Karen Halvorsen...

How Does a Garden Grow?

Happened again last night. Backyard flooded. Specifically, my garden flooded, the one I keep trying to restore.

"Didn't use to be this way," a longtime neighborhood resident said the first time, eight years ago. We gazed at the backyard--aka, retention pond--two-plus feet of standing water. My kids paddled about in plastic sleds like gondoliers. The neighbor sighed. "Something's wrong with the drainage."

I'd recently laid a plot in the sunny part of the yard. Kitchen garden meets cloister garden--that's what I was going for, paths flanked by herbs, vegetables, and flowers. But as the deluge surged through our basement's window well and water-falled inside, the plants suffered. A few months later and another big storm, the garden was gone altogether. I let it languish then, littered with broken stalks and moldy leaves. I let the muddy patch dry in the sun.

A year later, I learned a local church was asking around for spare yard space. Because of a local relief organization, there's a large refugee population in our town. Gardening might help with acclimation and self-sufficiency, it was thought. Many newcomers had farmed in their original countries, before things happened I can only imagine--violence, flight, resettlement.

"Take my garden," I said to a church representative. "Please."

Days later a woman appeared in the backyard, accompanied by her husband. Concilia wore a brightly patterned sarong and headscarf, a t-shirt sporting the logo of a local auto-body shop, and a pair of battered red pumps. Severino wore a dusty dark suit jacket and trousers, an undershirt, and flip-flops. His round, crooked glasses seemed too small for his broad face. I spoke no Swahili. They spoke little English. We tried French. Severino's proved impeccable; I quickly reverted to pantomime. Ultimately, they borrowed gardening tools, kicked off their shoes, and got to work.

What I call shelly beans soon grew in neat rows. When Concilia harvested, she ferried her crop away in a black garbage bag balanced on her head. By the end of the growing season, she'd harvested three times. The produce would be a staple in their diet throughout the winter until the spring.

We've dug trenches over the years to protect Concilia and Severino's garden. But my garden, located now in the shade, is not so lucky. Take last night's rains, the plants, all but submerged.

I'd consider giving up again. But when I got home from work today, I saw that Concilia and Severino had made this season's first visit, prepared the soil. If they can persevere, surely so can I.

--Karen Halvorsen Schreck

Email Karen, say hello, and be entered in the drawing for one of 10 copies of her novel Broken Ground. Email: khschreck@gmail.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: WICKED BURN (Fiction) by Rebecca Zanetti

Like your hot motorcycle bad boys with some magic in them? Then ride along with the Realm Enforcers. Irish witch Simone can hold her own, but her cousins want her to hide out--and they somehow convinced her arch nemesis to play getaway driver. Nikolaj, with his demon-dark eyes, is as desirable as he is dangerous. But hot pursuit and a blazing fast ride are exactly what Simone's looking for...

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on WICKED BURN to find out more about the book and the author, Rebecca Zanetti. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 06-20-16

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
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Dear Reader,

I've discovered that all I need is the playfulness and imagination of a child...

Hula skirts, fishing poles hanging down from the ceiling with colored gummy fish attached at the end of the line, pink flamingos scattered around my yard and one even sitting at the dinner table, 60's Flower Power--little potted plants on the table (party favors for your guests), and me wearing a tie dyed shirt with a peace symbol, a sign outside my front door, "What happens at BINGO...stays at BINGO!"

I pick a theme, add a little something extra--including prizes for the BINGO winners--and suddenly a family dinner is even more fun and memorable. When you first mention playing BINGO to someone, they think it's childish and shy away from the idea. But now all my friends and everyone in my family loves playing. The adults get more serious about winning than the kids. It can get a little intense like the energy of an auction. "Come on call B3, B3--is all I need to BINGO." Two people calling out BINGO at once, can lead to a BINGO rumble if I don't call it a tie--so they both get prizes.

Finding BINGO prizes is the fun part for my husband and me. We're constantly on the lookout for prizes at dollar stores, thrift stores, and garage sales. Even my grown son says the basket overflowing with BINGO prizes looks too inviting. My latest find? A yodeling pickle. BINGO prizes are supposed to be a surprise. But the other day when our grandchildren were visiting, suddenly I heard the yodeling pickle. My husband couldn't wait till the next family dinner and he was digging through the prize basket showing off our latest "finds" to the grandkids. So the rest of the day I constantly heard, "Can we play BINGO today? When can we play BINGO Grandma?
When is the next party?"

One of the funniest themes was a mustache party for my brother-in-law's birthday (but you could use the idea for any friends or family dinner). Everyone, kids and adults, wore mustaches and bushy eyebrows. It was tricky eating with them on, but that was part of the fun.

Take a look at photos from my mustache party. If you'd like to host a fun theme party, be sure to enter my giveaway. Choose from mustache party supplies, or a BINGO game. To enter, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/birthday-fun.html When you enter, be sure to tell me which prize you would like.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: MORE THAN RIVALS (NonFiction) by Ken Abraham

By 1970, racial tension was at a breaking point in the small Southern town of Gallatin, Tennessee. But the town was also on the verge of something incredible. This is the true story of a friendship between two high school basketball players, one black and one white, and the once-in-a-lifetime championship game that deeply impacted their town and offers hope and inspiration for our times.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on MORE THAN RIVALS to read more and to email author Ken Abraham, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 06-17-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

I do enjoy receiving emails from readers. Book club reader Zyriphi asks...

"Good morning Suzanne, I hope this reaches you. I wanted to know if you have any advice for me. I have been trying to write a book. It's not a biography, and I wouldn't call it self-help, more like a journal. My issue...I feel like I need to tell extra parts of my story in order for the pieces to fall together. Without those pieces, it seems like I'm missing something. How do you just tune-out the world and channel your inner self and focus?"--Zyriphi

(Suzanne replies:)

Congratulations on your decision to write a book. The problem you're dealing with is a nasty writing annoyance. It happens to me too, some days when I'm writing my column. Instead of just letting the words flow, I start mentally editing my first draft as I'm writing it. 'Oh, this sounds silly. What will people think if I say that? I'm getting off the topic.' It's a train wreck when that happens. The words are inside of me that I need to write, and if I'd just get out of my own way, everything would be fine.

When people ask me how to become a writer, it might sound trite, but I tell them to just start writing. No editing or evaluating as you're writing, there's plenty of time to do that later. Right now, just get up every day and write, even if it's for only 15 minutes. At the end of two weeks go back and read what you've written. You'll be amazed and you'll discover what's really important to you and why you feel the need to write about it.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: IN SATAN'S SHADOW (Fiction) by John Anthony Miller

Berlin, 1943: Amanda Hamilton, a Scottish photographer and violinist, is married to a Nazi Party official, immersed in one of the most ruthless regimes in human history. Michael York is the British spy that risks his life to save hers. A journey to the darkest depths of the soul.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on IN SATAN'S SHADOW to read more and to email author John Anthony Miller, you'll get a reply.