Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 08-31-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

Today you can do something different and fun. Enter my annual Write a DearReader Contest. Now before you tell yourself you're not a writer, or you can't think of anything to write about, let me tell you about my good friend Linda.

One of the things I admire most about Linda is that she steps right up and asks questions. Inquisitive, in a child-like, fun nature, Linda doesn't think twice about asking a stranger "What are you doing?" or "What is that thing used for?" Asking the why, who, what, where, and when comes naturally to my friend. It's part of her personality, and when she asks the question, there's an interesting story in the answer.

So you see, there are stories all around you, including stories about you. A story from your childhood, a memory about your mother, what you've learned about yourself over the years, or your pet peeves. You have oodles of material. You don't have to be a writer, you might have never even considered entering a writing contest, and that's a good thing. Those qualities make you the perfect candidate to enter and win, because I offer the contest in hopes of giving folks the opportunity to try something different--no pressure--just have fun. And when you enter, it's a real treat for me, because I get to read hundreds of great stories written by book club readers.

If you need more inspiration, read what last year's winners wrote, view the cash prizes and guidelines: http://www.dearreader.com/contest2016/index.html

Please don't be shy, there's a story inside of you, and I can't wait to read it.

* Congratulations to the winners of Rebellion's Message by Guest Author Michael Jecks: Peggy T., Nancy P., Donna C., Yvette and Donna N.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: ROOT, PETAL, THORN (Fiction) by Ella Joy Olsen

Imagine a century-old house, the walls full of secrets. This is a braided story about five women who inhabit this same historic home across the decades.

After her husband's death, young mother Ivy Baygren continues to renovate her beloved bungalow--alone. As she uncovers clues left by occupants past, from a half-embroidered sampler to buried wine bottles, Ivy learns that every story holds some sadness, but hope blossoms.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ROOT, PETAL, THORN to read more and to email author Ella Joy Olsen, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 08-30-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

Buzzz... Everywhere you look author J. Patrick Black's book Ninth City Burning is creating quite the buzz, and we're fortunate to have him as today's guest author.

J. Patrick's publisher Penguin Random House is giving away three copies of Ninth City Burning to book club readers. Email: acerocpublicity@penguinrandomhouse.com (Please be sure to include your preferred shipping address, in case you are a winner.)

You're on Mr. Black. Thanks for visiting the book club...

For me, one of the signs that I'm reading a really great story is that I find myself imagining the inner lives of the supporting characters. We all know them--the Ron Weasleys and Samwise Gamgees, the buddies and confidantes, the geeky tryhards and sometime rivals, who get to look on admiringly as the hero or heroine saves the day. For whatever reason (and I'm sure a good psychoanalyst would have a lot to say about it), I tend to identify with these folks, often more deeply than the protagonist whose story they're caught up in; their peripheral triumphs thrill me in a way the more necessary world-saving never does, and when they're treated poorly--either by the story's central character or its author--my indignation knows no bounds.

When I see a character being styled as an accessory, a mere literary device, thrown in just to be captured or killed off so that someone more important can have the proper motivation to get into the action, to embark on that all-important rescue mission or quest for revenge, I become irrationally righteous on their behalf. Why can't your average Jane or Joe have as much emotional complexity as their narratively central best bud? In the same way, it's uniquely satisfying to meet someone who isn't the story's star but still plainly has a lot going on upstairs. It doesn't need to be some intense drama or tortured past (there ought to be a few people whose parents the evil overlord DIDN'T kill, after all); sometimes all it takes is an unexpected comment--a flash of insight or snark--or an unusual approach to the usual supporting character activities to reveal that, yes, here is a person with their own unique thoughts, feelings, motivations.

Maybe they aren't the ones driving the plot, but they don't serve it either. Maybe they'll show up for only a single scene or chapter, but in that scene or chapter they'll behave like someone who has a story of their own. Maybe they WILL be kidnapped or horribly exploded, and it will matter that much more because they have lives and minds of their own. Maybe they play a small part in this story, but that's fine, because this isn't the ONLY story. That's when a book really starts to live for me: when I discover it's populated with characters who don't disappear when they leave the stage--because they've just stepped into my imagination.

--J. Patrick Black

Email: acerocpublicity@penguinrandomhouse.com to be entered in the drawing to win a copy of Ninth City Burning.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: EASY FOR KEEPS: A Boudreaux Novella (Fiction) by Kristen Proby

Part of my Boudreaux Series, my new novella features Adam, a womanizing bar owner and Sarah, a single mom and social worker. Sparks fly between these two fiercely independent characters from page one. Returning to New Orleans and the characters of the Boudreaux Series is always a treat for me. The city is rich in history and flavor, making it the perfect setting for any love story.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on EASY FOR KEEPS to find out more about the book and the author, Kristen Proby. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 08-29-16

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

Today is the day and it all started in 2005.

Twelve years ago I announced my first annual writing contest, and today is the official launch of the Write A DearReader Contest for 2016. You don't have to be a writer to enter, because it's all about writing for fun.

Write about the day you wore your T-shirt inside out until some kind soul pointed it out to you. Tell us about the stray cat or dog you found curled up on your front porch, and how it was love at first sight. Write about your favorite aunt, a bizarre and whimsical woman who vacuums her living room in the buff. Describe the overwhelming love in your heart when you held your first grandchild, or write about your fear of writing, but start writing about something, because it's time to enter our 12th annual Write a DearReader Contest.

See past winners, cash prizes, rules and deadlines, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/contest2016/index.html

Have fun! And thanks for entering this year's contest.

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

Start writing,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: UNRAVELED (Fiction) by Jennifer Estep

Magic and mayhem are all part of this latest book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Gin Blanco (the assassin the Spider) and her friends are visiting an Old West theme park, but their holiday turns dangerous, and it's up to Gin to save the day. Good thing this assassin brought plenty of knives to the gunfight.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on UNRAVELED to read more and to email author Jennifer Estep, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 08-26-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

Julie, a reader at the book club, sent me her Cold Pasta Salad recipe and she's inspired today's giveaway. Simply weigh-in on the question:

"Do you put salad dressing on after the salad is on the plate, or mix in the dressing with the lettuce and then serve?"

Enter your reply at http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/giveaway.html And when you do, you'll also be entered in a drawing for a pair of very colorful salad servers.

Thanks for the recipe Julie...

Cold Pasta Salad

1 - 16 oz box tri-colored pasta, cooked then rinsed in cold water

In a large bowl, mix together:
Pasta
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped (including green)
1 - 15 oz black olives, chopped
2-4 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I usually use 4)
1/2 package (7.6 oz) sliced pepperoni

In separate bowl, mix:
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Pour dressing over pasta mix and coat well.

Add 1 package (2 cups) shredded 6-cheese Italian Cheese and mix well.

Refrigerate. Best if made day before serving.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

 

 

Dear Reader Column 08-25-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

"Step back and think about it." It's my new self-help therapy program. If you see me in a store standing in front of a skirt display and suddenly I take a giant step backwards and "freeze" in a statue-position while starring at the skirts, no, I haven't lost my mind and I'm not trying to remember how to two-step. I'm working on changing the way I make decisions. Would I be happier with the yellow skirt or the pink one? Should I sign up to volunteer? Should I spend the day working in my flower gardens, or would it bring me more joy if I sat on the porch and read a book?

Decisions, decisions. But more importantly, which one will bring me the most joy? You'd think it wouldn't be so hard to decide, but I don't seem to be in control anymore. Instead of taking a minute to think about the choices I make, I've been allowing my brain to switch to autopilot and make the decisions for me. "Well, this is the choice she's made in the past, so we'll just plow ahead and do what she's always done, even if it's not going to make her happy."

Bad habits are hard to break, and I've decided the only way to break this one, is to take a giant step backwards. No going forward on a decision until I've stepped back and really thought about what will make me happy. It works, but granted it makes people wonder. "Look at that weird woman. She's backing away from the skirts like she's afraid of them. Now look, she's just standing there staring at the skirts."

I'm a weird one all right, but at least I'm happy.

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)
THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND by Katarina Bivald

(Fiction)
WHEN DARKNESS COMES by John Anthony Miller

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

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 08-24-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

This morning I finally took the time to reply to a friend who had sent me an email (I'm embarrassed to admit that they sent it two months ago). Shame on me. Seriously, shame on me. I think the problem is that calling or emailing a friend is one of the things I keep on my "When I Have Time to-do" list. My intentions were good. I thought of my friend each and every time I glanced at my, "When I have time to do list," but I never took the time, and now when I finally am taking the time to reply, I feel a bit awkward.

"Hey it's me. I know you must have thought I died and someone forgot to call you." It's what I want to lead with, because I feel the need to offer an explanation about why I've been silent for so long. And therein lies part of the problem, because that awkward feeling, it makes me want to put off sending an email or picking up the phone, and the distance between us becomes even longer. So I've decided when I re-establish contact with a friend I haven't been in touch with for a long time, I'm not going to offer an excuse. Instead, I'm jumping right into, "Hello, I was thinking of you today. How are things? What's been going on?" And after I listen, instead of reciting a list of all the things that have happened in my life since we last spoke, I'll stay in the present. I'll talk about what I'm working on today and my plans for tomorrow and soon the awkwardness simply feels like two friends sitting on a park bench sharing their heartaches, joys and dreams.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

 

 

Dear Reader Column 08-23-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Michael Jecks, has published 40 titles including the Templar series and the Jack Blackjack series. Mike has been Chair of the Crime Writers' Association, founder of Medieval Murderers and helped create the Historical Writers' Association. He has tutored at Exeter University for two years with the Royal Literary Fund, and Michael is a keen moor walker and dog owner. His latest release in the Jack Blackjack series is Rebellion's Message.

Michael enjoys hearing from readers and would like to hear from you. He replies to readers and when you send an email, you're entered in a drawing for one of five e-copies of Rebellion's Message. Email: mail@michaeljecks.co.uk

Please do welcome author Michael Jecks...

There are many dangers associated with writing.

A good friend, also a writer, once succumbed to an industrial injury; he broke his leg. He was sitting at his keyboard for so long that his leg went to sleep, and when he stood to make a cup of tea, he fell and broke it.

So, while most readers may not realise it, writing is dangerous. Even life-threatening.

Some years ago, my family and I went for a day out. When we got home, my eight-year-old daughter was tired, and I suggested she might want to sit in front of the TV for a while. All was well until I heard her crying, and asked what was wrong.

"The ceiling's falling down!" she wailed.

"Don't worry about that. Come and tell me what's happening," I said boldly.

Luckily she came straight out. And yes, the ceiling was falling. It took six props to save it that night.

Why was it coming down?

Well, I'm an author. I've written forty odd novels. You may not realise, but publishers tend to give the author twenty or more copies of each title. In every imprint. At that time I had written only, perhaps, twenty five books, but each of those had been published, and each time the publishers gave me twenty odd copies of the hardback, and more of the paperback.

That's not the end of it. Each of the books was sold abroad, so my German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and other publishers sent me copies. The Spanish company reprinted it two or three times, and each time I received another twenty books in the new format, as per contract.

Then I won a US deal with HarperCollins, who duly sent me twenty five of each title, and then another twenty five in error. So I had fifty of each.

What does this have to do with the sitting room? Well, where do you store things? In the attic, obviously. So that's where I put it. Above the sitting room.

That room was an extension built by a DIY enthusiast twenty years ago who didn't comply with building regulations to save cash. The rafters were half the thickness and depth they should have been. Since the room is long, he had nailed the rafters together in the middle to make them reach--but then he had the ends resting not on the walls, but on the plasterboard. It was a miracle that the whole ceiling didn't come down.

As I said, writing is a dangerous pastime.

--Michael Jecks

Say hello and enter to win an e-book copy of Rebellion's Message.
Email, mail@michaeljecks.co.uk

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: WHEN DARKNESS COMES (Fiction) by John Anthony Miller

Three lives intertwined in Nazi-occupied Paris: Paul, a brooding banker, Rachel, a teenage Jew, Claire, a bookstore owner--all confronted by an infamous Nazi collaborator. They hide thousands of Jewish refugees, leading them to safety--until an innocent bystander notices something amiss and their entire world collapses around them.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on WHEN DARKNESS COMES to find out more about the book and the author, John Anthony Miller. Send him an email, he'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 08-22-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

I've been daydreaming about staying in a house by the ocean. No work schedules, no deadlines, no responsibilities, for an entire month.

I know this house well. I've never actually been there, but my "house by the ocean" daydream is very familiar to me. It's the fantasy that I always start thinking about when I feel like I need to regroup. It's a great daydream. I've added a few new things over the years, but it always begins with a friend saying, "Suzanne, you look like you need to get away. Why don't you spend next month at my beach house? No one is using it, and I just put a new spa in the bathroom." (The spa is one of the new things I've added to my daydream.)

Ah, the use of a friend's ocean front property for free. And of course, my paycheck keeps showing up in my bank account, even though I'm not working for 30 days. See what a great daydream this is? Well, it gets even better.

My friend's beach house has a bungalow, eclectic feel to it. Nothing really matches, no two dishes are alike, yet they look like they were made for each other. Unusual objects show up in unexpected places throughout the house, but yet you know it took the talents of a high-priced interior decorator to give it that disheveled, expensive-feel-to-it look.

The feather bed is covered with a handmade quilt. Six pillows are propped against the antique wooden headboard. Each pillow offers a different firmness for a perfect night's sleep. The kitchen is loaded with gourmet appliances--not that I'll have to do any cooking, unless I want to, because a chef shows up late in the afternoon and cooks dinner for me every evening. The main room of the house, the side facing the ocean, has a set of doors that slide back and completely opens up the room to the outdoors. I can hear the rush of the surf.

You'd love it. Feel free to borrow my house on the beach, anytime.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND (Fiction) by Katarina Bivald

An unlikely long-distance friendship between two women whose plan to meet in person, after months of writing letters, goes terribly awry--leaving one of them marooned in a small Iowa farm town so broken it's almost beyond repair. It's a heartwarming reminder of how books find us, change us, and connect us.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND to read more and to email author Katarina Bivald, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 08-19-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

I sure do love it when readers email photos. Thanks so much. Marlys emailed to say, "Thank you for the Braised Shrimp with Vegetables recipe. I made it yesterday. It was delicious and easy to make. I enclosed photos."

To see Marlys' photo of the Braised Shrimp with Vegetables she made, and the original recipe go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/shrimp.html

The sauce in the recipe goes great with anything. So if you don't like shrimp, you can leave it out, adding instead whatever vegetables, noodles, fish or chicken you have. Throw in leftovers from your refrigerator and you'll have a new creation.

Do you have a versatile recipe favorite? Send it this way. I'll make some of the reader recipes I receive and share them in my column.

* Congratulations to the winners of The Darkness Knows by Guest Author Cheryl Honigford: Nannine D., Jean B., and Pam N.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE FALL OF TRIPURA (Fiction) by Ganesan

Are you fascinated by lost continents like Atlantis that vanished eons ago? What would happen if an extinct super-civilization arose from its grave and conquered our planet? Fasten your seat-belt as you prepare to follow Nakul and Diane on their perilous adventure as they come face to face with a diabolical airborne kingdom from India's mythical past.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE FALL OF TRIPURA to read more and to email author Ganesan, you'll get a reply.

 

Dear Reader Column 08-18-16

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

 

Dear Reader,

It wasn't a feeling I wanted to carry with me, because it changed the thread of who I was. I tried my best to push it down and most of the time I could. But still, two years after the encounter, whenever a homeless person would ask me for money, I couldn't simply walk by without giving it any thought, or just say, "No." Instead, the anger and judgement were suddenly seething through my body--but then I sent the hot dog man a letter and everything changed.

Two years ago, when I was waiting in front of the library for my husband to pick me up, two men were standing nearby. One was a homeless man, the other an elderly veteran who was waiting for his wife to come out of the library. When the homeless man asked the elderly man for some money, he shook his head no, so that's when the guy started pitching his "tale" of despair.

"Well, I wouldn't ask," the homeless man said, "except my mother is ill with cancer, and my house burned down a month ago--I lost everything, and my sister died last week so I need money for the funeral, and the cat fell off the roof..." Soon he realized the man still wasn't going to give him any money, so he tried a new approach. "I see from your patch that you're a veteran. I am too. I was injured in the war and have had nothing but troubles since. I just need a little help. You know how it is for veterans."

I could see how pressured and uncomfortable the elderly man was feeling, and I couldn't take it anymore. Before I even thought about the possible consequences, I walked over to the homeless guy and loudly announced, "Leave that man alone. You and I know your stories are a con and you have no right to keep hammering away at that man. He told you no, so leave him alone."

The homeless man was furious and started yelling at me. I told the elderly man to go into the library, and thank heavens my husband pulled up a couple of minutes later. Ever since then, whenever I would see a homeless person I judged them and felt angry inside. This feeling of judgement was strange for me, because when I lived in Madison, Wisconsin, I created a nonprofit where for eight years I prepared and served a meal every Friday to 150 homeless people. There wasn't ever any judging on my part about whether someone was homeless, or how they got in that situation. My "assignment" was to serve people who showed up. It brought great joy to me.

I desperately wanted to change the way I was feeling about homeless people, and that's when I read about the hot dog man in the newspaper. Every Sunday, Bob, lovingly called the hot dog man, serves hot dogs with sauerkraut and a bottle of cold water, from the back of his hatchback to 40 some people. He's not affiliated with any organization, he just decided to start doing it years ago, and now his customers are always lined up waiting for him. Bob mentioned in his newspaper interview that three or four Sundays during the year, he and his wife are out of town, but other than that, he serves every Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

As soon as I finished reading the article I knew this was the answer to my problem. If I filled in for Bob when he was out of town, not only would I be doing a good deed, I knew in my heart, I would find my way back to being nonjudgmental. And that's exactly what happened. Bob loved the idea of my substituting, and when I showed up Sunday to learn the ropes, each time I handed someone a hot dog I received a gift of grace.

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)
FALLING UNDER YOU by Laurelin Paige

(Thriller)
GOD OF THE INTERNET by Lynn Lipinski

(NonFiction)
WALKING THE LLANO: A Texas Memoir of Place by Shelley Armitage

(Fiction)
THE FALL OF TRIPURA by Ganesan

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