Dear Reader Column 09-19-16

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,

(Suzanne is on vacation this week.)

Let me tell you about the time my husband and I were on vacation in the mountains and a huge, I mean gigantic, bear was on the back deck of our cabin, looking through the flimsy, kitchen screen door... Think about something that happened to you, write down the first line, and before you know it you'll have finished your entry for my annual Write a DearReader Contest. You don't need to be a writer. Just have fun with it. To read last year's entries, and information and the rules, cash prizes and deadline, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/contest2016/index.html

Please welcome today's guest author, Cindy Woodsmall, a New York Times and CBA best-selling author of eighteen works of fiction and nonfiction. Her connection with the Amish community has been featured in national media outlets such as ABC's Nightline, the Wall Street Journal, and a National Geographic documentary on Amish life. Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains.

Enjoy Cindy's guest column and be sure to enter her book giveaway. The book giveaway is a little different this time: two readers will be winners and they'll each receive two books, Ties That Bind and Fraying at the Edge. Email: cindy@cindywoodsmall.com

Music with a Destination

The earth has music for those who listen.
--George Santayana, Philosopher, 1863-1952

If life experiences are thought of as music, we would probably agree that the earth is filled with all kinds of music and that we move to the beat of it. If we pause to listen, it seems as if melodies are flowing from every direction. Starting at a very young age, we're moved by the sound. If we like it, or think we're supposed to follow it, we travel toward it, which enables us to hear it more clearly and feel its pulse within our hearts.

The notion of beautiful music stirring us to follow it to a specific destination is a beautiful concept. The trouble is that we easily hear music that isn't ours. Perhaps the music is coming from our parents, schools, and a religious or non-religious upbringing that heavily influenced what metaphorical music we heard or thought we heard.

It can take years to realize we're moving to someone else's music. It can take even longer to begin to hear our own music. Jim Rohn once said, "You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight."

Most of us can think of an example from our own lives of when we listened to the wrong music. Or perhaps we played our own music too loudly, trying to herd others in the direction we thought they should go.

One of the beautiful aspects of getting older is that we are much more likely to recognize when someone is blaring their music in our ears, trying to convince us their sounds are the ones we're meant to follow. As we age, we are more likely to allow our music to take us wherever it leads, to a destination that allows us to feed at least a part of our soul.

When we read novels, we are listening to the music in fictional people's lives. We know the sources of the music and why each character listens to it.

I write books with Amish settings, probably because of the many pieces of music I came away with due to my connection with the Plain community since childhood.

All parents play certain pieces of music for their children, and this is often especially true of Amish parents. They play their music loudly and cut off as much access to outside music as possible, trying to direct their children to listen only to the beat of the Amish drum.

But the earth has music for those who listen.

And one of the joys of my life is listening for the music in the lives of the Amish--both real and fictional.

--Cindy Woodsmall

Be sure to enter my book giveaway. I'll choose two winners, and each person will receive two books, Ties That Bind and Fraying at the Edge. Email: cindy@cindywoodsmall.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 PERCHANCE TO DREAM: Selected Stories, by Charles Beaumont. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA745F&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: UNCHAINED: An Eternal Guardians Novella (Fiction) by Elisabeth Naughton

The Eternal Guardians are near and dear to my heart, and I'm thrilled to have this novella included in the 1001 Dark Nights collection. After Prometheus was introduced in book six, I knew he had a story of his own to tell. The growing tension between the mortal and immortal world has reached a breaking point. Whether Prometheus likes it or not, he'll soon be forced to choose sides. His decision is only that much more complicated when he meets a bewitching female who stirs desires in him he didn't know he still possessed.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on UNCHAINED to read more and to email author Elisabeth Naughton, you'll get a reply.

Comments

[Brandy Rendon]

I love you books. When I read them they make me feel like I am a part of the story. Thank you for doing a wonderful job!

[Brenda sterne]

Love your books Cindy

[Maryann]

What a beautiful post Cindy. I know the older I get the more attuned I get to listening to the music! I love Amish fiction and would love to read your books.

[Christine]

I love your books Cindy Woodsmall. The characters are complicated and the stories are intriguing. I never can guess where the story is taking me and that is fantastic. Thank you for writing.

[Jackie Tessnair]

I love your books Cindy!I enjoyed reading this post and how you combined music with life.Thanks so much