Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 07-29-16

 

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

 

Dear Reader,

Who knew my column about the first time I ever won anything (a pair of pantyhose at a local grocery store in Cuba City, where I grew up), would bring so many, "I remember when I won," stories from book club readers.

Enjoy reading their stories and then be sure to enter today's Surprise Giveaway. Everyone should enter, especially if you've never won anything before. Three book club reader's names will be chosen at random. To enter the Surprise Giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/giveaway.html

"Dear Suzanne, from the age of about 10, I entered every contest I could find. I was just sure I was going to win some fantastic prizes that would make my family rich. Alas, that never happened, but I did win a couple contests in my early teens. One involved writing a poem about my mother for Mother's Day and I won the main prize--a wig for my mother! (They were all the rage in the 60's). It looked sort of funny, but she wore it with pride--and she loved the poem. The other prize I won was two tickets to a movie about the Dave Clark Five and two copies of their new record. I took my little sister and she was thrilled. I still think of that night whenever I hear the Dave Clark Five on oldies radio. So I never won big prizes, but I have great memories of the ones I did win. And memories are the best prize of all!"--Carol C.

"Suzanne, I have been fortunate to win a copy of a free book in one of your drawings. When I got the email from you telling me I was winner, it felt like I had won the lottery. I love books so much and to me winning a book is almost as good as winning the Mega Millions. I hope you will continue to have these book drawings. Happy Reading!"--Melvia C.

"In 1973 my elderly, widowed grandmother, who lived alone in a small town in Indiana, entered a raffle and won a set of silverware for eight, which she passed on to newly-married me. We still use and enjoy that set every day. Now that I am 80, I love the memory connected with the set, but often wish I could love and enjoy a set of stainless steelware which I would never have to polish again."--Judy H.

"I was in the 4th grade when Cincinnati's 'Big Red Machine' won the World Series and IHOP had a drawing to win a signed team baseball. It was the very first thing I ever won. I was thrilled when I received the letter informing me I had won. We drove down to IHOP to claim my prize and they all made a big fuss that I was the WINNER! Fast forward 40 years when 'Antiques Roadshow' was in Orlando last month. Of course, I took my prize possession...only to find out that it was a stamped souvenir baseball worth maybe $25-$30! To me, it's priceless...but it won't be funding my retirement!"--Debbie W

"Umpty-ump years ago in my youth I was something of a doodle-artist, drawing all kinds of sketches of almost anything, with colored pens and pencils. A local radio station had a contest in which people were invited to illustrate one of their popular songs, so I took on the challenge and won a recording of 'One-eyed One-horned Flying Purple People Eater.' This is the sole reason I still remember that song to this day. And it is fun to read with you."--Judie

Be sure to enter today, I'm choosing the winner this weekend. To enter the Surprise Package Giveaway, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/giveaway.html

* Congratulations to the winner of The Secret Language of Stones by Guest Author M.J. Rose: Lisa M.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: SWEPT AWAY (Fiction) by Kristina Mathews

Carson and Cody Swift are twin brothers who could not be more different. Carson is desperate to break free of his brother's shadow, and a mysterious woman the two save from Hidden Creek, may just be his shot at doing so. While Carson helps Lily overcome her fear of the river, she helps him revitalize his failing rafting business, and keeping him focused on his true goals. As the two fall in love, they begin to find themselves.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on SWEPT AWAY to read more and to email author Kristina Mathews, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 07-28-16

 

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

 

Dear Reader,

It's one of my favorites--Wacky Chocolate Bundt Cake. Give it a try. It's really good. (I'm not sure why the hand-me-down recipe is titled "Wacky" Chocolate Bundt Cake. Maybe my grandmother put in a little too much rum?)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 T dark cocoa (or light cocoa if you prefer)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 T white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk
2 T dark rum (The miniature bottle is perfect.)

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt into bowl. Make a well and add oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape sides of mixing bowl.

Add milk and rum. Beat on low for another 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Beat on high for 1 minute (or longer, if it needs a little more, but don't over beat).

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. (My oven can run hot, so I check it after 40 minutes). When toothpick comes out clean, take out of oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes, run a spatula around the cake, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

It's an easy bundt cake to make and it's very good. If you're going to serve it right away, dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

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:

(Thriller)
KILLER LOOK by Linda Fairstein

(Thriller)
THE PUNISHMENTS by JB Winsor

(Fiction)
HEATING UP by Stacy Finz

(Fiction)
SWEPT AWAY by Kristina Mathews

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 07-27-16

 

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

 

Dear Reader,

Once a month my husband and I drive to Tampa so I can visit my eye doctor. I have Benign Essential Blepharospasm, which means I need to get thirteen eye injections every month, so I can keep my eyelids open. It's not the most pleasant experience, but actually getting the injections is the easy part of the trip. Getting there and back home in a reasonable amount of time--that's the painful part.

My appointment is usually early in the morning, so the night before when I'm setting the alarm clock, I always check with my husband: Is he going to take the route that we know for sure will get us there in 1 1/2 hours, or is he going to take one of his short cuts? If he's planning on taking a short cut, then we need to get up real early, because it will take us at least 3 hours to get there.

I love my husband dearly and we enjoy taking road trips together, but whenever he says "I think I'll take a shortcut today," my response is always "Do you think we really have 'time' to take a shortcut, Dear?"

It's not only the trip to the doctor that's a maze, the trip home is even more of a mystery. Yesterday when we left the doctor's office my husband assured me that he remembered last month's short cut, but what he didn't remember was that last month's short cut was a four hour ordeal.

"There's the road we need," he was so excited as he exited off the interstate. He insisted "it's the one" and so off we went on an exit that I know for sure we've never taken in our lives.

I don't mind riding along on my husband's short cuts. The only time I flat out say no is when he's driving me to the airport. The first and last time we took a short cut to the airport we were driving across a "short cut" bridge, the airport was off to my right, in fact I was sure that was my Delta flight boarding. If I could have climbed the fence, waded through the little stream and crossed one runway with three bags in tow, I might have made it.

Where's the "bridge-side" luggage service when you really need it?

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: HEATING UP (Fiction) by Stacy Finz

The picturesque town of Nugget, California has a lot to offer--beautiful views, weather, and small-town life. For Dana Calloway and Aiden McBride, this town is the most unlikely place to fall in love that they could have expected. When an accidental arsonist and an arson investigator cross paths, finding themselves living side-by- side, it doesn't take long for things to heat up.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on HEATING UP to read more and to email author Stacy Finz, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 07-26-16

 

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

 

Dear Reader,

Never say never...

Today's guest author Beth K. Vogt is a nonfiction writer who said she'd never write fiction. After saying she'd never marry a doctor or anyone in the military, she is now happily married to a former Air Force family physician. An established magazine writer and editor, she now writes inspirational contemporary romance because she believes there is more to happily ever after than the fairy tales tell us. Her latest book is Almost Like Being in Love.

Please say hello to Beth at beth@bethvogt.com When you say hello, your email is also entered in a drawing for a copy of her book Almost Like Being in Love. Beth has 10 copies waiting to send to lucky readers.

Welcome to the book club Beth K. Vogt...

Walking on the beach is one of my favorite ways to relax. But when you consider how traumatic one summer visit to the shore was for me when I was eight years old, it's surprising I'd ever want to set bare feet on the sand.

A trip to the beach was fun for my twin sister, younger sister, two brothers, and me. (Count 'em: five kids total.) But it was an exhausting exercise in parental lifeguard duty for my mom and dad.

On this occasion when one of my parents said, "Let's take the kids to the beach," and the other one didn't talk them out of it, we ended up at the Maryland shore. The day was hot and humid--a typical east coast summer day. Of course, this was long before the era of "Wear sunscreen" warnings, so we tumbled out of the car in all our unprotected skin naivete to brave the waves.

At some point, I decided to walk along the beach. Two older boys were standing near the waves, picking something up with two long sticks and then tossing it aside. They repeated the process several times as I approached. Just as I passed behind them, they tossed whatever they'd picked up over their shoulders--and it landed on me and slithered down inside my bathing suit.

Within seconds, something began stinging my skin. I started screaming. The boys turned around, looked at me--and then they started hollering as they ran off. I ran after them, still yelling at the top of my lungs.

This is the sight my Mother saw as she sat on the blanket with my youngest sister: Two unknown boys running away from me, screaming, and me "chasing" them, also screaming and crying.

My mother joined the chase and caught up with me. And that's when she discovered that the "somethings" the boys had been tossing around were big jellyfish that had washed up on shore. The boys hadn't seen me behind them and had thrown one over their shoulders--and right onto me.

My beach fun was over. I spent the rest of the day stretched out on the backseat of the car, my body slathered in some sort of white medicated cream to ease my stings.

Despite such a distressing memory, I still love the ocean. But now if I even think I see jellyfish, I abandon the water and retreat to the safety of my beach towel.

--Beth K. Vogt

Beth is waiting to answer your mail: beth@bethvogt.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: THE PUNISHMENTS (Thriller) by JB Winsor

Enormous shifts threaten our way of life--artificial intelligence, robotics, surveillance, human relations, terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism, and the rise of American religious extremism. A novel about the heart-pounding struggle of one family after voters unwittingly elect a demagogue President and a fundamentalist Congress. The novel's characters battle to hold on to friendship, love, and faith as they are thrust into the center of the largely unreported debate raging beneath the surface of Christianity and identity politics.

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

 

Dear Reader Column 07-25-16

 

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

 

Dear Reader,

Book club reader Shirley asked...

"Suzanne, every time I read your morning column, I have a desire to reply. Today I am giving in to this feeling. Of all the topics I have read, I've never heard you mention coincidences in your life. I have experienced so many in my 92 years of living, that I think I could write a book. I enjoy our morning read, and because I live on the west coast (Vancouver Island) I often read the next day's column the night before."

(Suzanne replies:)

"How did it happen?" someone might ask.

"Well, I don't really know. One thing just led to another..."

But the truth is I do know. Because when I take the time to look back at the string of events leading up to a "coincidence" in my life, I realize that for me, coincidences are all about choices. Cause and effect; tallying up the choices I've made along the way. Saying "yes" or "no" to opportunities, even little things. Every decision I made led me to one of life's strange little coincidences.

I really believe I know the best choices for my life. The answers are tucked away inside of me, if I'd only listen. So I spend a lot of time trying to connect the loose wires in my brain. Because when I stay-the-course and really listen, then those wonderful coincidences show up in my life.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: KILLER LOOK (Thriller) by Linda Fairstein

Coop is back! You know that prosecutor Alex Cooper had a terrifying experience in her last outing, but she is back with Detective Mike Chapman--now her lover--still recovering from her ordeal but forced to deal with a murder case involving the father of an old friend. Set in the high-stakes world of the fashion industry...glamorous on the runway but lethal business when one of the world's most iconic designers is killed at the top of his game.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on KILLER LOOK to read more and to email author Linda Fairstein, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 07-22-16

 

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

 

Dear Reader,

I was inspired as I was cleaning out the armoire in my dressing room. I live in a historical home, big enough for my husband and me, but the storage space is very limited. So the flat bottom inside of my antique armoire had become a storage place for leftover party decorations. Paper combed colored balls, strings of school decorations (from last year's back to school dinner), Happy Birthday banners, and numerous other party decorations that looked like new because I only used them once, so it seemed wasteful to toss them out. But they also felt like something I would store for years and never get around to using again, and that's when I was inspired to have a Leftover Dinner for my family and friends.

Decorate my dining room with leftover Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Back to School, Easter and Halloween decorations, and the food would be leftovers, too. Just how would that work? Everyone would bring a leftover that's in their refrigerator the day of the dinner, I would include my leftovers, too. It would be a chancy dinner menu, I know, so I'm planning on making a couple of staples the day of the dinner, like my Skunk Beans, deviled eggs, and scalloped potatoes--just to be on the safe side.

I think it would be fun to tell people to also bring leftover things to exchange with other dinner guests. Odds and ends they used, but don't want anymore, or opened packages where they only needed one item, but they had to buy six. Trade leftover items, enjoy a leftover buffet, and since there's always too much food at my dinner parties, I'm sure everyone would be taking home (new) leftovers.

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: FOR 100 DAYS (Fiction) by Lara Adrian

A temporary house-sitting job at a posh NYC apartment is just the lucky break that Avery Ross needs. What she doesn't need? A scorching hot seduction by the arrogant billionaire who lives on the top floor. Dominic Baine can have anyone, but the only woman he wants is her.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on FOR 100 DAYS to read more and to email author Lara Adrian, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 07-21-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

I'm in the habit of sitting on my screened-in porch early in the morning, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. But this morning, the "news" was too much for me. So I put the paper aside and decided to start my day with good news instead. I reread an email that Kathy, a book club reader, had sent to me. I hope her words inspire your day, too.

"Suzanne: You hit it right on the head for me [last week in your columns]. Today I put my arms around a woman crying at a medical center over her daughter. It turned out to be all good. I just asked if she wanted to get fresh air. She thanked me about 5 times. They were tears of joy. She was so appreciative. I am not the huggy type, but am better at it. It was a very special human moment in this chaotic world of today.

Also today, a young woman jogger very tired after a run, asked an ice cream shop attendant if ice was free. The attendant said no. She had no money with her, so started to walk away. A man in line behind her said he would pay the 50 cents for the ice. He did. She was so appreciative. All about opening our mouths to express kindness I guess.

My own husband had a medical test today. While waiting, I walked around the facility and talked to people in offices, in the gift store, at the front desk, and they were all friendly and happy experiences. You're right, it is all about the 'little stuff' in life. Thanks for this web site. You are wonderful."--Kathy S.

Book club reader Ken M., get ready for some crazy-fun. You are the winner of my Surprise Package! Congratulations! Please do send a photo and share the fun with readers.

And congratulations to the winners of The Light of Paris by Guest Author Eleanor Brown: Edith R., Susan N., Linda F., Joanne M. 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 deserves your attention:

(Fiction)
DEVOTED by Lexi Blake

(Thriller)
WHITE BONE by Ridley Pearson

(Fiction)
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES by M.J. Rose

(Fiction)
FOR 100 DAYS by Lara Adrian

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 07-20-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

I'm a pretty rational woman who has her act together. Even when problems seem to be knocking on my door every day, I take pride in myself and feel at peace that I can work the problems out, and they're really no big deal. Nothing can break my positive stride, and I'm so proud of myself.

But then there are the times when I feel like a crazy woman who can't seem to think about anything other than doom and gloom. Not just the biggie doom and gloom worries people think about, like 'what if I die tomorrow, what if I run out of money in retirement and end up sleeping on a park bench...' No, I do it up right and add every little, inconsequential daily problem to my 'Oh no, what if this happens list,' until I'm consumed with worry and fear, and I feel like I'm white-knuckling the day--or days. Sometimes I get stuck in this insanity and can't find my way out for a while. I realize I'm thinking absurd thoughts, but I can't seem to help myself. I'm so disappointed, because I feel like I haven't learned anything along the way, so I add that failure to my list, too.

I'm big on making lists. Every day I make a to-do list (I love crossing off things when I get them done), but the list making talent works against me when "crazy woman" shows up. So the other day, after I recited a long detailed, list of doom and gloom to my husband, he suggested I turn the tables. "At the end of each day, Suzanne, make a list of everything positive that happened during the day. It doesn't have to be a big thing, it could be something as simple as, 'the cat tree you bought--the cats all love it.' I bet your positive list will be a lot longer than the negative list you're carrying around. Tape your good-stuff list on the refrigerator, and l bet it will out-do your worry list every time."

And my husband was right. My good-stuff list was a lot longer than the worry list, and it did bring me back to reality. The crazy woman is gone--at least for now. 'Oh dear, what if crazy woman shows up again tomorrow?'

Got to go. I need to check that list on the refrigerator!

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES (Fiction) by M.J. Rose

Imagine falling in love with someone you can never be with. Not a flesh and blood man but a soldier's ghost.

It's Paris, 1918. War is raging. Millions of men have died, millions more have been wounded. Opaline Duplessi, a young jeweler makes mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. People say that Opaline's creations are magical. But magic is a word Opaline would rather not use. But Opaline does have a rare gift even she can't deny, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger, giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message--directly to her.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES to read more and to email author M.J. Rose, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 07-19-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

We're so lucky, she's back. M.J. Rose, NYT bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, is today's guest author, and she's giving away a copy of her latest novel, The Secret Language of Stones. M.J. Rose has been a regular visitor to the book club throughout the years, so please do email and say hello. Your gracious email also enters you in the drawing for a copy of her newest title, The Secret Language of Stones. Email: mjrosewriter@gmail.com

Welcome back to the book club author M.J. Rose...

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead--his eyes are closed."--Albert Einstein.

One day I was playing with my eight year old niece in the garden. We'd collected rocks from the beach and were bordering a flower bed with them. I got up to answer the phone and when I came back I saw she'd begun a new project.

Audrey was sitting on the grass carefully arranging a semi-circle of all black stones around a torn iridescent blue butterfly wing.

She was engaged in some secret rite that only she understood. But I didn't have to understand to see the transformative look on her face. Audrey was living magic in that moment--the magic of creativity, of invention, of fantasy. The magic of imagination.

I believe in ghosts. The kind that visit us in shadows or haze as well as the kind that live in our minds, haunting us, soothing us, keeping us company. I believe magic too. And mystery. And that it's all around us but we miss so much of it.

By writing about it in a slightly exaggerated way I hope that I draw attention to it.

If you look, you can find magic in almost anything. Like the stones my niece found. I too was fascinated with stones and rocks as a child. I still remember a present from my parents--a white box with a dozen compartments and inside each was a different stone.

I came to understand that stones have a more important--even integral--role in our world that goes beyond the glitter and polish.

Stone are magic. They can be ground down to make medicine or paint. They can be used to build shelter. Or used as tools to help us cook and prepare our food. They can be amulets and talisman's. Things of beauty. Of value. We walk on them. They are our very foundation. I think we are connected to them in a very complicated and profound way.

The world can be a cruel place. Every hour it seems there is more dire and upsetting news about a new tragedy somewhere in the world. There are days when it seems that we can't absorb any more. That it's just too overwhelming.

But if we heed Einstein's warning and focus on magic just a few minutes little every day--even if its just to pick up a black stone at the beach and think about its composition and the miracle of how it was formed--we will start to notice all the magic and mystery around us and it might just be get us through the day.

--M.J. Rose

Please email M.J. and welcome her back to the book club. Email mjrosewriter@gmail.com to say hello and to enter the book giveaway.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7F25&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: WHITE BONE (Thriller) by Ridley Pearson

Faced with the extinction of the African Elephant and White Rhino in the wild, I decided to travel to Kenya to investigate. The result is my new suspense novel, White Bone. During my stay in Kenya I was in Nairobi when a terrorist bomb blew up an open air market, killing 18, and was staying at a safari lodge when a rhino was poached less than a mile away. Hopefully this book not only keeps you turning pages, but makes you look at the world a little differently.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on WHITE BONE to find out more about the book and the author, Ridley Pearson. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 7-18-16

 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,

Readers share their memories of the first time...they won! Today is the last day to enter my Surprise Package Giveaway. To enter, click here.

"In the late 60's, I was divorced and a single mom. Needless to say, I was very short on money since my ex was not paying the child support. I entered a drawing for a CB Radio and won. Someone in the CB Club (my dad was a member) made me an offer to buy it. I sold it for $150 and thought I was rich. The money came at a time when I really needed it. It is great reading with you."--Bonnie M

"Oh, my! I'd forgotten the first thing I ever won--a year's supply of men's underwear! Woolco had a grand opening event in my town in the mid-1960's, and I had entered their prize drawing. I was just starting high school and was SOOO embarrassed to claim the prize, but my dad was grateful. Yes, I do enter your drawings occasionally and maybe I should do it more often--I might be luckier than that first time! Thanks as always for this priceless service."--Mary B.

"I won a lawn chair in a Woman's Club raffle in the small town where I was then living. My last name is Cazan. The headlines in the town newspaper the next day read, "Cazan Gets Chair."--Wilma

"I was one of those kids who filled out a bunch of forms at a local convenience store, and I won an Icee Van (the frozen drink from a machine), which was a go cart with a fiberglass van on the top. You had to climb in from the opening in the top of the van. Being the only girl with three older brothers, I can tell you they were jealous and always asking to drive it!"--Kristin I.

"I remember attending a school carnival when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. I was totally enthralled with the Cake Walk. While music played, contestants would walk around in a circle stepping on numbers that had been placed on the floor, until the music stopped. Then a number was drawn, and if you were standing on that number, you won! The prize was a choice of a cake from the cake table. This was awhile ago, so the cakes were all homemade, two and three-layers, beautifully decorated (at least to my young eyes). I just knew this was something I could win, so I used all my tickets, going round and round that circle. It took many turns, and the woman in charge really started to feel sorry for me (and may have cheated to help me win), but I still remember how excited I was when I finally won! I have no idea what cake I chose, but I do remember the thrill of (finally) having my number drawn. I haven't won much since, but I have clung to my Cake Walk victory my whole life."--Val

If you've never won anything, this could be your lucky day. But you have to enter right now. No hints about what it is, but you know me, so it will be fun. To enter, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Devoted (Fiction) by Lexi Blake

I envisioned my new book as a romantic, sexier version of those old Rock Hudson/Doris Day films I grew up loving. You know the type. Handsome and a little shady, the hero plays a game with the heart of gold heroine only to find himself head over heels in love and backed into a corner of his own making. Business can be war, but love's the ultimate prize. I hope you enjoy reading Flynn and Amy's sexy skirmish as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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

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This month's PENGUIN CLASSICS book is THE MYSTERIES OF PARIS by Eugene Sue. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag, click here.