Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 2-14-17

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

Dear Reader,

Happy Valentine's Day! Our family always celebrates with a family dinner, so this past weekend it was party time with everybody's favorite menu: spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad, corn on the cob, garlic toast, deviled eggs and homemade chocolate cupcakes adorned with fancy Valentine boxes.

Paul, my 10-year-old grandson, decorated the dinner table (see photo in the link at the end of column), and eight-year-old James made the deviled eggs with Grandpa. After Paul finished decorating he got out the vacuum and went from room to room tidying up. I think next year I'll get Grandpa and the boys to take care of everything, and being a lady of leisure will be my Valentine gift. And to top off the day, my daughter sent me a surprise package with a gorgeous watch inside along with a note, "Will you be my Valentine?"

And that's my question for you today... "Will you be my Valentine?" Enter today's Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway and you could be one of three readers to receive homemade chocolate chip cookies from me. I'm ready to bake, so enter today. To enter the drawing and see photos of our Valentine dinner and my new watch, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie-02-14-17.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 02-13-17

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

Somebody else's couch is always more comfortable than my own. I could fall asleep on this sofa in the middle of the salon. Take a nap like my dad used to do everyday after he ate lunch.

"Don't wake your Dad, or you'll be in big trouble."

Wouldn't be able to wake me if I fell asleep on this sofa. Cushy pillows--one for my head, one to fold over and cradle in my arms. Turn on my side, set my glasses on the floor, and tuck them safely underneath the edge of the sofa.

Close my eyes and sleep. I wouldn't know people were staring.

"Who is that woman, that grown woman, sleeping on the sofa in the middle of the salon?"

"It's art--real breathing art," that's what they would tell them.

Ahh, now people would be impressed. They would look at me differently. The salon could charge more. People would expect it because there's a woman asleep on the sofa.

"Woman Asleep On the Sofa" Print...$499

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: TEMPT ME (Fiction) by Julie Kenner

I'm giddy that the sexy, fun conclusion of the romance between Ryan Hunter and Jamie Archer--is finally here! When Jamie first popped into my head as Nikki's best friend in Release Me, I knew she had to have her own story. But for a girl like Jamie, one story just isn't enough...

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on TEMPT ME to read more and to email author Julie Kenner, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-10-17

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

My first thoughts when I wake up can set the course for my day. Lately, I've been on a crash course. I haven't figured out why yet, but the first thing I do in the morning, after I open my eyes, is start running a problem list through my brain. And if there aren't any problems within instantaneous reach, my mind goes hunting for possible future disasters.

"What if the flowers in the front of my house never recover, because I forgot to water them last week? What if I can't get the spaghetti stain out of the white shirt I had on the other day?" As you can see, these are ridiculous, trivial concerns, but even ridiculous can be a huge jolt to one's system early in the morning.

So until I figure out what's really bothering me, every night before I go to sleep, I review the day and pick out at least one thing that makes me feel happy or proud of myself. It's part of my Emergency Interruption Plan. For instance, the last couple of weeks I've been spending time with Denise Austin every day, down on the floor doing an intense 10 minute ab workout. So yesterday morning when I woke up, by the time I'd reached worry #4 on my morning problem list, instead of moving on to item number five, I started thinking about what a great woman I am--I did my exercise program yesterday! 'Good job Suzanne!'

My Emergency Interruption Plan has been a tried-and-true savior for me, but in order for it to work, I have to figure out how I'm going to interrupt negative thinking before it starts and I have to practice. I can't devise an interruption plan in the middle of a worry session. If I haven't planned in advance, worry wins out every time.

Worry and problems are determined little stinkers. If I don't give them the proper attention they feel they deserve (because I successfully interrupt them with good thoughts), they try again later in the day. So now I've added additional arsenal, cooking has become one of my Emergency Interruption Activities. I love to cook and when I'm in the middle of a recipe, there's no room for anything else in my mind. Hot and Sour Soup, goulash, brownie cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies were the interruption activities that saved me the other day. I'd cooked way too many things for my husband and me, so I delivered some to friends and family. And boy, were they appreciative.

Maybe a little too appreciative, because when my friend called to tell me how much she loved the Hot and Sour soup I'd given her, she also inquired, "Suzanne, are you sure there isn't anything bothering you today?"

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: BATTLEFIELD EARTH: A Saga of the Year 3000 (Science Fiction) by L. Ron Hubbard

From New York Times bestselling author, L. Ron Hubbard, Battlefield Earth--a saga of intrigue and suspense, love and war, power and vision. In a matter of minutes, the human race is nearly wiped out by an alien invasion. After 1,000 years of dystopian terror, one man attempts to gather the remnants of humanity to take the planet back against all odds.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on BATTLEFIELD EARTH to read more and to email author L. Ron Hubbard, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-09-17

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Dear Reader,

The fear has got me this morning. When it happens it's tough getting out of bed. The aches, the pains, the emotional feelings, I get hit hard. Foot on the ground, head for the shower, make some coffee, push anything negative out of my mind. Don't know why I'm under attack anyway, nothing immediately comes to mind. I'm sure if I went looking I'd find the culprit. But I don't have time today. I need to get my stuff done.

So Mr. or Ms. Fear, whatever your gender and your real name, you're going to have to make friends with someone else today. I know all the tapes, you're playing nothing new and I'm not buying. "I'm a loser, people think I'm something I'm not, I don't really have any direction, I don't really know what my life is all about. What if?, What if?" But I'm not buying today. Get out of here. Leave me alone, I've got no time. I'm gonna make it a good day even if it takes everything in me to do it. You're not winning today.

This is the part where I cry. Go ahead and cry Suzanne. Let down and the fear moves on. Bye, bye.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these titles deserve your attention:

(NonFiction)
THE SUCCESS INTERSECTION by Pat Williams

(Fiction)
THE FREEDOM BROKER by K.J. Howe

(Fiction)
THE MOTHER'S PROMISE by Sally Hepworth

(Science Fiction)
BATTLEFIELD EARTH: A Saga of the Year 3000 by L. Ron Hubbard

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

 

Dear Reader Column 02-08-17

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

"Go with what you're given and add something to it."

My husband was reading an article about improv and when he shared that line with me, it felt golden--a recipe for my life. I learned that an improv comic's main mission is to be more concerned about others than herself. Because when you make your teammates look good, you'll come out a winner, too. You've gotta trust somebody other than yourself along the way, because you can't set up the joke and bring-it-on-home alone. It requires working together.

"No," is a dirty word in improv. Instead, say "yes" to what you're given and add something to it. Life doesn't always work out like we plan--even on stage. Maybe you were anticipating the joke to be about a mother-in-law (a funny come-back was all set up in your mind), but instead your teammate handed you a crotchety, old veteran who never stops talking about the "Big One."

Yes, "Go with what you're given and add something to it." Straight from the Improv bible, but some days it feels like it was written especially for me.

You see I spend a lot of time going back and replaying conversations and situations in my mind, trying to figure out why things didn't turn out like I'd envisioned. It's a useful tool for a writer, but only if I can let go of what I wished would have happened, and take the improv sage advice, "Go with what you're given and add something to it."

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE MOTHER'S PROMISE (Fiction) by Sally Hepworth

In my new novel, four women are alone. Alice is that single mother diagnosed with a terminal illness. Zoe, her daughter, suffers from social anxiety disorder, Kate, Alice's nurse, is alone in a decision which could shape her family's future. Sonja, Alice's social worker, is alone in her marriage. Over the course of the book, each woman is forced to face her greatest fear to ensure that one girl is never alone again.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE MOTHER'S PROMISE to read more and to email author Sally Hepworth, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-07-17

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

It's my pleasure to introduce today's guest columnist, author Tom McAllister.

Tom lives in New Jersey, teaches at Temple, is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, an editor at Barrelhouse, and the author of a memoir, Bury Me in My Jersey: A Memoir of My Father, Football, and Philly. His newly released debut novel is The Young Widower's Handbook.

Please take a moment and send an email to say hello. Authors love to hear from readers. It's always a treat. Email: tom@mcallister.ws

Welcome to the book club, Tom...

As I write this note, my dog, a ten-year-old beagle/basset mix, is staring at me impatiently. I've moved several times to try to break the laser focus of her eye contact, but she moves right along with me, so that, at every moment I know a) she is there, and b) she would very much like to be outside right now.

But also as I write this, my sidewalk is covered in ice and the wind chill outside is in the single digits. Due to a birth defect, she has no pad on one of her feet, which makes her very sensitive to the cold ground. Going outside for more than a few minutes is really not an option. For the rest of the day, she'll follow me around the house, and for the rest of the day she'll be disappointed.

Being a dog means often being disappointed--when your owner leaves, when they go to the kitchen without feeding you, when they decide to stop throwing the tennis ball. But this dog is also very hopeful. No matter what happens, she wags her tail, convinced that the next thing to happen will be very good indeed.

I envy that optimism and persistence, and I think there's something to learn from it. For me, as for many writers, the biggest obstacle in writing is my own self-doubt. If I could harness just a fraction of her limitless faith in the process, I would be a much more productive worker.

Tomorrow the temperatures are supposed to rise, and then we'll take a walk. She'll trot along, thrilled to be outside again, and sometimes looking back at me as if to say, See, outside is fun. She'll wag her tail and smell everything and be in love with the world.

--Tom McAllister
Email: tom@mcallister.ws

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE FREEDOM BROKER (Fiction) by K.J. Howe

There are 25 elite kidnap negotiators in the world. Only one is a woman. Thea Paris. Thea deals with the most challenging case of her life when her oil billionaire father is kidnapped.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE FREEDOM BROKER to find out more about the book and the author, K.J. Howe. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 02-06-17

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

Why do I think things always have to have a purpose?

Every time I think about doing something, before I begin, I feel the need to qualify it. "What purpose will this serve?" If I can't file it in a respectable, worthwhile category, I tell myself that I shouldn't be wasting my time and I should move on to something else.

But clearly some of my best ideas come to me when I'm doing something "just because" with no real purpose behind it. Why am I writing this? Oops, there I go again searching for a purpose.

Signing off, with no intention or purpose in mind...at least for now.

* Congratulations to Susan G. the winner of the Yellow Legal Pad Giveaway.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: THE SUCCESS INTERSECTION (NonFiction) by Pat Williams

We all want to find fulfillment and success in our work and life, don't we? I wrote my new book to guide you in finding just that--the sweet spot where your talents and passions meet. It's where you will find your greatest personal accomplishment and satisfaction. And it's how you can make the greatest impact on the world.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE SUCCESS INTERSECTION to read more and to email author Pat Williams, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-03-17

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

The other day I observed someone making a choice that would impact their life in a negative way, and it irritated me immensely. I couldn't understand why they would make such a bad decision when the right one seemed so clear. But later on when I thought about my own life, I realized I used to walk around with way too many loose wires in my own mind, and frankly, it took longer than I like to admit to recognize some of my own poor decisions.

I guess we all have loose wires inside of us at some point in our lives. Those times when for some unknown reason, we just can't get-it-together. We see other people participating in this "life thing" with more ease than us and we wonder, "What's wrong with me? Why can't I get plugged in, too?"

Thankfully for most of us, including me, those loose wires connect at some point and we become aware of a new sense of the realities and possibilities in our lives. And we find the best part of our life is now clearly within our reach, because we've discovered the missing connection.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 02-02-17

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

A reader at the book club, sent an email that made me remember something I did a long time ago...

"I enjoyed today's column about your yellow-pad method of decision making. Mine is somewhat similar. When I am wrestling with a difficult decision, I sit down to my computer and write a letter to 'Dear Abby.' Of course, I never send that letter anywhere. I don't need to. By the time I get the problem all written out, Abby's common-sense answer is pretty obvious. Like you, I don't always like that answer, but it usually turns out to be the right one."--Karen

Karen, your email made me remember...

When someone tells me no, it's ok, because the most important confirmation comes from within.

Twelve thousand people (including me) submitted their resume when the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper was looking for a replacement for Ann Landers in 1987. My rejection letter is framed and hangs on my wall.

Looking back, the powers to be were right in their decision to reject me, because I don't really like giving advice. I'm a complicated person who's busy 24/7 with issues of her own. At first I admit, I felt more than a little crushed when I read the letter. But a couple of months later I realized that my rejection wasn't a failure, but rather a stepping-stone. A "Yes" or "No" from the decision maker at the newspaper wasn't important. Either way, I still won the prize. Because believing in myself enough to even try, opened the door to a higher plateau of the possibilities I could accomplish.

So thank you Karen for making me remember. I agree with you, the best confirmation comes from within--but sometimes we need to write a letter to "Dear Abby" or in my case, "Ann Landers" to work it all out.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these titles deserve your attention:

(NonFiction)
RISE by Cara Brookins

(Fiction)
THE ROAD TO ENCHANTMENT by Kaya McLaren

(Fiction)
I LIKED MY LIFE by Abby Fabiaschi

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

 

Dear Reader Column 02-01-17

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

 

Dear Reader,

Suzanne shares one of her favorite columns today. Be sure to enter the giveaway.

Decisions, decisions.

When I can't decide what to do, I grab a yellow legal pad, and draw a line down the middle of the sheet of paper. Add two headlines, Pros/Cons, one on each side of the line, and then I start making a list of the good and bad that might befall me because of this troubling decision. Black and white, written down in front of me, suddenly I can see clearly what's best for me.

I might not agree with the truths I'm staring at, and sometimes I choose to do what I know will probably cause me grief later on. But at least I can clearly see where I'm headed.

I could go 'green' and simply think about the problem in my mind, but as I'm cycling the options through my brain, round-and-round, pretty soon I'm stressed and more confused than when I started.

Time out--get me the legal pad!

Friends help friends, so if you're like me and you need to see things on paper, you're going to love today's giveaway. Need to make a decision? Or if you've got the feeling a whopper decision is headed your way, be sure to enter. You could win 12 yellow legal pads, 50 sheets of paper in each pad, which adds up to 600 decisions. You'll be ready for anything!

To enter, go to:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/giveaway.html

* Congratulations to the winners of Dust Bowl Girls by Guest Author Lydia Reeder: Susie W. and Glendel W.

And the luck winners of I Liked My Life by Guest Author Abby Fabiaschi are: Heidi Z., Angie G. and Valerie K.

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

May you be problem free today,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: I LIKED MY LIFE (Fiction) by Abby Fabiaschi

As a teenager I happened across Adrienne Rich's sentiment: "If we could learn to learn from pain even as it grasps us." Mourning the loss of a friend, I took comfort in the idea that insight hides within grief. In my new novel, the characters learn exactly that, in their own imperfect way.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on I LIKED MY LIFE to read more and to email author Abby Fabiaschi, you'll get a reply.