Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 03-17-17

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,

The tailor was marking the hem in my skirt when a woman raced into the shop. Her arms were filled with clothes and without the slightest hesitation she pushed back the curtain and walked right into the room where the tailor was doing my fitting.

"I have a lunch appointment in 20 minutes and I'm a frequent customer," the woman was babbling. And then for added emphasis, she did a little hemming and hawing with an ever so slight sighing expression thrown in. And she stood staring at the tailor.

Now the tailor and I both knew the woman was expecting all work to stop and he did turn and start walking toward her. (Squeaky wheel gets the oil, you know.) But I quickly interrupted, "We're just about finished here," I told her, "when the tailor is done marking my hem, then it will be all about you."

I don't think the woman liked me.

"It's all about me." It makes for a cute character on the old Boston Legal TV show, "Hello, I'm Denny Crane." But in real life, people who think it's all about them are unbecoming to be around and I am thankful for today's reminder, because sometimes I catch myself being one of them.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

KIDS BUZZ: "Star-Crossed delighted me! Barbara Dee has a light touch and a pitch-perfect middle school voice," says Gail Carson Levine, author of the bestselling ELLA ENCHANTED. Find out for yourself! For a chance to win a FREE copy of STAR-CROSSED by Barbara Dee, say hello to authors and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE ENCHANTED APRIL, by Elizabeth Von Arnim. Click the link below to start reading, and be sure to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1A55E35225F&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: RED FIRE, Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (Nonfiction) by Wei Yang Chao

In August 1966, a 14-year-old boy in Beijing is thrust into violence and chaos as the Cultural Revolution begins to blaze across China. Fifty years later, this new book offers the first intimate account from someone who lived through the turbulent events and survived. Wei Yang Chao gives readers a rare glimpse into the social upheaval, a riveting story told with real force and heartbreaking honesty.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on RED FIRE to read more and to email author Wei Yang Chao, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 03-16-17

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,

"I may wake up tomorrow and realize this is all a big mistake."

I read that line in a book, can't remember when, but I know it was important to me when I read it, because I dog-eared the page. Sometimes when I'm reading a book it's the plot that draws me in, but other times it's the essence of the writing that keeps me mesmerized. Great writing inspires me to do great things in my own life and so when I come across a word, or a sentence that makes me pause, I turn over the corner of the page, so someday I can spend time with those words again. When I finish the book, it goes on my shelf and the next time I'm looking for inspiration or direction, the pages are waiting for me.

It's a little game I play with myself. Every marked page holds a clue to the mystery of "why"? What was so important to me? Was it an idea I wanted to use in a column? "I found patience and fortitude that I didn't know I had." Now that would make a great opening line. Or was it simply the way a sentence made me feel; "There is no point in hurrying because you're not actually going anywhere." Or then there was the time I read, "Fear tends to dampen the imagination." It hit way too close to home, so I marked the page and left it behind for another day.

But sometimes when I return to the page, searching for the words that meant so much to me, I can't find them. The mystery remains unsolved. I guess at the time it was something I needed to hear, but since then I've moved on; "You can reinvent yourself regularly," and so that becomes part of the mystery, too.

"Inspiration is everywhere," on every dog-eared page, or then again, "I may wake up tomorrow and realize this is all a big mistake."

* Today's the last day to enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. I'm ready to bake a big bag of my chocolate chip cookies for three randomly chosen readers. But you have to enter to win. 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
[email protected]

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

(Thriller)
THE FIFTH PETAL by Brunonia Barry

(Thriller)
ONE PERFECT LIE by Lisa Scottoline

(Thriller)
CHURCH OF SPILLED BLOOD by Jesse Miles

(Nonfiction)
RED FIRE, Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Wei Yang Chao

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE ENCHANTED APRIL, by Elizabeth Von Arnim. Click the link below to start reading, and be sure to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1A55E35225F&c=CLASSICS

Dear Reader Column 03-15-17

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,

Based on the incredible true love story of her parents' whirlwind romance and marriage in World War II, today's guest author, Dandi Daley Mackall's released her latest book, With Love, Wherever You Are. It's a unique adult historical fiction novel, told through hundreds of wartime love letters and authentic artifacts that captured the heart of their remarkable sacrifice, enduring character, and steadfast faith, which thereafter became a lasting legacy for this family to share and pass down through generations to come.

Enter Dandi's book giveaway, three copies of With Love, Wherever You Are, are waiting for lucky readers. Please welcome Dandi to the book club, and when you do, you're entered in the drawing. Simply email: [email protected]

'MEMBER WHEN...?

Even as a kid, my favorite words were "'member when...?" My mother came from a family of 13, and every year, uncles, aunts, and a herd of cousins convened in Cissna Park, Illinois, for a German feast. Kids ate in the kitchen, a swinging door separating us from the grownups in the dining room. I longed for the rite of passage that would seat me at the long table.

Our food was as good as theirs, but I rarely ate. As soon as the kitchen cleared of adults, I'd sneak to the swinging door, ear to the crack, and wait for those magic words to introduce a world of stories, each better than the last:

"'Member when Duke stole the ball and took it to the rim the year we won conference?"

"'Member when Wilbur was going to punch Clarence, and little Helen jumped between them and said Wilbur would have to go through her to get him?"

"'Member when Vin fainted in class and got out of the spelling test?"

"'Member when Helen went flying out of the buggy on a midnight adventure because one of you dummies hitched Nellie up wrong?"

But I was waiting for Grandma Eberhart. Sooner or later, one of her kids would get the story out of her. I held my breath, waiting...

"I was nine years old, without a word of English, when I left Germany and crossed the ocean to make a new start in America. I remember that my stomach did not like the waves, and as I leaned against the ship's railing, I made many, many fish happily full."

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait for another year to pass before hearing my longed-for words. I heard them from my parents:

"'Member when," Dad would begin, "we literally ran into each other when we met? I was going into the men's restroom on base, and you were coming out?"

Mom usually countered: "And 'member when you took me for a canoe ride and tipped it on purpose, only to discover I couldn't swim?"

At our house, we still repeat those stories for our kids and grandkids. They come to know relatives they never met. No one in our family ever says, "Stop me if you've heard this one." This year, as daughter Jen and I carted my 8-year-old granddaughter, Ellie, to guitar practice, my daughter turned to her daughter: "Your great-great grandmother came to America when she was only a year older than you."

"Tell me, Mom," Ellie begged.

I'm still holding my breath, soaking up those hallowed words: "Member when?"

--Dandi Daley Mackall

Email Dandi, say hello, and when you do, you'll be entered in the drawing for a copy of her new book, With Love, Wherever You Are.
[email protected]

More About the Author: Dandi Daley Mackall is the award-winning author of nearly 500 books for children and adults. She visits countless schools and presents keynote addresses at conferences across the United States. She is also a frequent guest on radio talk shows and has made dozens of appearances on TV. Her awards include the Edgar Award, ALA Best Book, and NY Public Library Top Pick. Her novel My Boyfriends' Dogs is now a Hallmark Movie.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

KIDS BUZZ: "Star-Crossed delighted me! Barbara Dee has a light touch and a pitch-perfect middle school voice," says Gail Carson Levine, author of the bestselling ELLA ENCHANTED. Find out for yourself! For a chance to win a FREE copy of STAR-CROSSED by Barbara Dee, say hello to authors and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE ENCHANTED APRIL, by Elizabeth Von Arnim. Click the link below to start reading, and be sure to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1A55E35225F&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: CHURCH OF SPILLED BLOOD (Thriller) by Jesse Miles

Jack Salvo is a wisecracking L.A. private investigator who teaches philosophy part-time. He knows how to handle himself as he chases kidnappers, finds bullet-riddled bodies near the Hollywood Sign, and dodges bullets. Then he finds himself in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He's a fish-out-of-water--an L.A. private dick in a strange land. Then things get tough.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on CHURCH OF SPILLED BLOOD to read more and to email author Jesse Miles, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 3-14-17

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,

There's an extra Classic bonus waiting for you today at the book club. To sample the Penguin Classics book, The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth Von Arnim, click here to start reading. And be sure to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin tote bag.

Today, people around the world are celebrating Pi Day. (Pi is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant--the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter--which is approximately 3.14159. [March 14th is 3.14.] Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point.) I'm not quite sure what all that means, so I'm celebrating Pi Day a little differently. Since I like to play with words, I'm taking liberties with the word Pi, changing it up a bit, and celebrating with a big slice of my homemade, warm, right-out-of-the-oven cherry Pi--topped with vanilla ice cream.

If you'd like to join in the Pi celebration, I've included, in today's column, my recipe for an easy, scrumptious cherry pie, and my crust recipe, too.

Dunk 'em, share 'em, store 'em in the freezer so you can indulge one at a time, you'll love my homemade chocolate chip cookies. I'm ready to bake a big bag of my chocolate chip cookies for three randomly chosen readers. But you have to enter to win. Do it today, click here.

CHERRY PIE

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 cup flour
One splash almond extract (optional)
3 - 16 ounce cans pitted cherries in water (drained)
Grated zest of one small lemon

Place sugar, cornstarch, flour, salt and lemon zest in large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add the cherries and stir carefully. Then, if using, splash with almond extract. Pour mixture into bottom pie crust. Cover with the top crust.

Cover edge only of crust with aluminum foil and take it off the last seven minutes of baking. Cut slits in top of pie, or insert pie bird. Bake at 425 degrees in a preheated oven. Bake pie until crust is brown and juice is bubbling, about 35 to 45 minutes.

NEVER FAIL PIE CRUST (Makes 5 crusts)

4 cups all purpose flour (lightly spooned in a cup)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 3/4 cups shortening (not lard or butter)
1 egg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients well and divide into 5 balls. Flatten with hands (so it looks like a giant hamburger) and refrigerate till cold if using right away. Or freeze for later use.

This dough can be re-rolled and it won't get tough. Freeze in a freezer bag and you always have a pie crust on hand.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: ONE PERFECT LIE (Thriller) by Lisa Scottoline

In my new book a handsome stranger gets a teaching job at a Pennsylvania school--but everything about him is a lie. He befriends a student to use as a pawn in a secret plan, but why? And how many will pay the price?

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ONE PERFECT LIE to find out more about the book and the author, Lisa Scottoline. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 03-13-17

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,

Inevitably when people find out I'm a writer and I publish a daily column, they ask me what my column is about. You'd think I'd know, wouldn't you? After 18 years I still stumble a little with an explanation. "Oh, it's about small, everyday things. Sometimes the column is humorous, sometimes sad, and sometimes I hope it inspires people to reflect on their own lives."

But after receiving an email from Ashley, a reader at the book club, I like the line she uses to describe what I do best. "Thank you for living an examined life that you regularly share with the rest of us." And she reminds me it's time to bake for readers again. Be sure to enter today's Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway. Ashley gives my cookies a thumbs-up and I think you will, too.

Ashley writes:

"I absolutely love your columns (and your homemade chocolate chip cookies which I was lucky enough to win one time)! Your vulnerability, good humor, zaniness, creativity, zest for life, love for family, culinary abilities, originality, generosity, kindness and friendliness inspire me daily. I have forwarded your columns to folks in my family 'cause they're just too darn good to keep to myself. You are the genuine article and it is always refreshing to read your thoughts about things. Most of the time, you and I line up as twin sisters. Thank you for living an examined life that you regularly share with the rest of us. Your courage and strength give us all hope that we, too, can thrive!"--Fondly, Ashley F.

Dunk 'em, share 'em, store 'em in the freezer so you can indulge one at a time, you'll love my homemade chocolate chip cookies. But you have to enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway to have my delicious cookies delivered to your door. I'm baking for three randomly chosen readers this month and one of them could be you. 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
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: THE FIFTH PETAL (Thriller) by Brunonia Barry

The 2014 death of a teenage boy reopens Salem's most famous cold case, the 1989 Halloween murders of three young women, all descended from victims of the infamous Salem Witch Trials. With the accusation of Rose Whelan, once a renowned scholar who has fallen on hard times, the story becomes a modern day witch-hunt. A triple mystery with mythical roots.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE FIFTH PETAL to read more and to email author Brunonia Barry, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 03-10-17

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,

Reader inspiration from Tuesday's column...

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."--William Morris

"Thanks so much for sharing the William Morris quote. It reminds me of something home interior designer Nate Berkus always says, 'Your home should rise up to greet you.' From the first time I heard him say that, I've always kept those words tucked into the back of my mind when I'm working on decorating my home. For example, I needed to transplant some of my houseplants into new pots yesterday, so I went to Lowe's and could have bought the plastic planters for $2 which were fully functional, but instead splurged on the ceramic ones that were blues and greens and remind me of the ocean and sea glass. Anything that can emotionally transplant this Dallas resident to the beach is worth it in my opinion, and my plants make me smile now because I went for the planters that actually spoke to me...Making decisions like this has actually made for better investments over the years too, because I don't get frustrated or tired of something just because it had a utilitarian purpose. Now it needs to be both useful and beautiful, just like William Morris said. By the way, I'm enjoying your letters. Thanks for sharing your life with us!"--Jathan F.

"Thanks for inspiring me, I have been meaning to clean out and 'spring clean'! I have been ill and things have been piling up, but that is fixing to change. I will remember the quote as I go through my house! Thank you for sharing and here is to cleaning out! One man's trash is another's treasure as they say!"--Debbie L.

"I have SO-MUCH-STUFF. I've kept it all for so many reasons, but just looking at it stresses me out. Your thoughts today have given me 'clarity' and now I can go through and get rid of a lot of it... Some things were given to me and have sentimental value, even though I don't like them. What to do, what to do? I know, I will put all those things together and take a photo of them and then get rid of them. That way I can still look at the photo, and take my trip down memory lane. Easy, peasy."-- Kathi M.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

KIDS BUZZ: When a whole class goes gorilla, they learn the importance of balancing passion and creativity with cooperation in PRISCILLA GORILLA, a charmer of a picture book from the New York Times bestselling duo, Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley. For a chance to win a FREE copy, say hello to authors and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

AUTHORBUZZ: MIDAIR (Nonfiction) by Craig K. Collins

Midair one of the most remarkable tales of survival in the history of aviation--a collision at 30,000 feet by two bomb-laden B-52s over a category 5 super typhoon in the South China Sea at the outset of the Vietnam War. Jump into the cockpit--if you dare--with combat pilot Maj. Don Harten for a ride you'll never forget, complete with 185 mph winds, 70-foot waves, and, of course, sharks.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on MIDAIR to read more and to email author Craig K. Collins, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 03-09-17

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,

Let's get right to it. Carol, a long-time reader at the book club, cooked up a literary feast in her Weber grill...

"Hi Suzanne,

Sometime ago you wrote about your grandmother's journals, saying they were mainly about her cooking, housekeeping, etc. Well, like her, I also have journaled for about 50 years. When your column hit the email, your readers wrote back with all kinds of different stories about their own journaling. Their [emails] struck a real chord with me...

One writer said that her journals contained 'the good, bad, and the ugly!' I have to say my journals fell in the camp with the reader who took the journals and BURNED the whole lot. Yes indeed, the good, along with the bad and ugly, went up in a blaze and returned to charred dust in my Weber grill. And what a great weight was lifted from my psyche. My children will never have to fret and fume over what their mother wrote when she was supremely happy, or feeling down and out."--Fondly, Carol M

(Reply from Suzanne): Carol, I think every good writer needs an editor. My daily editor, she's indispensable. Sometimes she suggests I need a rewrite, because the words I wrote might have made me feel good in the moment--everyone needs to vent--but they really wouldn't be constructive for anyone else to read. I write a daily column because my hope is it will comfort someone, knowing they're not the only one who feels "this way." So I'm bold in writing down my feelings good and bad, but without harsh words. Because I've never learned how to be kind, considerate, or understanding from unkind words people have said to me over the years.

I do want to leave written thoughts behind for my children and grandchildren to read. I won't be there beside them, so maybe instead, my words can "wrap my arms around them." But I agree with you, there's no need for my kids and grandkids to be reading my first drafts--what I wrote on really bad days, or when I felt upset towards them. My kids know things weren't perfect, that I had my faults, but there's no need advertising them when I'm gone. I am constantly changing. So the choices and feelings when I initially wrote them down, they may not be the way I felt, or saw life when I left the world.

Fortunately, I don't have to make the choice about whether to fire up the Weber grill or not, my columns and my book, they've already been edited. Not to hide my worries and fears, but to leave a realistic picture of the mom and grandmother who did the best she could each day and loved her family so very much.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

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

(Fiction)
LAST NIGHT WITH THE DUKE by Amelia Grey

(Mystery)
PEKOE MOST POISON, Tea Shop Mystery #18 by Laura Childs

(Fiction)
THE CASE OF THE GREEN-DRESSED GHOST by Lucy Banks

(Nonfiction)
MIDAIR by Craig K. Collins

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

 

Dear Reader Column 03-08-17

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,

When I was visiting my friend Linda, I noticed a small wooden plaque on her wall:

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."--William Morris.

Where has this William Morris guy been all my life? I like his way of thinking. How many times have I bought something--can't return it--but I keep using it even though it doesn't fit or it's driving me crazy.

After I looked William Morris up on the Internet I realized his name was probably in one of my high school textbooks and I wasn't paying attention. But I should have been, because I could have saved myself a lot of misery over the years.

I was instantly inspired by his words, went home and walked around my house throwing things into a big box to give to charity. The "not-so-cherished" things aren't broken--they'll work perfectly fine for someone else, just not for me. They're cumbersome to use, or in my eyes, far from beautiful.

My heating pad was the first thing into the box--it drives me crazy. The old plastic cover, it's not square and isn't comfortable to my touch. I bought a new one yesterday and I absolutely think it's the most beautiful heating pad I've ever seen--can't wait until I pull a muscle so I can spend a little time with it.

There's a light blue bowl in my cupboard and I don't like it. Can't really say why, after all it does the basic job, it doesn't leak. But I just don't like it. I bought it on sale four years ago, used it once and have never used it again. Every time I reach for it I change my mind. But not today--goodbye bowl!

It's a quaint, antique nightstand, even has two drawers in the front for storage. I've had it for ten years, but it's never really lived up to my expectations. I wanted something handy and big enough to hold a water bottle, a couple of books, eyeglasses and maybe a box of tissue, yet slender enough to slide into a small space. I live in a historical home and the look of the nightstand fits right in, but the stuff I'd planned to keep on it: the tissues, glasses, books and water, at least twice a week I knock everything off the stand because it's too narrow. Goodbye nightstand!

I've always hung onto things that drive me crazy or things I don't like because they weren't broken, so what would be my reason for getting rid of them?

Inspiration from my old friend Linda and my new friend William Morris: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

KIDS BUZZ: When a whole class goes gorilla, they learn the importance of balancing passion and creativity with cooperation in PRISCILLA GORILLA, a charmer of a picture book from the New York Times bestselling duo, Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley. For a chance to win a FREE copy, say hello to authors and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

AUTHORBUZZ: THE CASE OF THE GREEN-DRESSED GHOST (Fiction) by Lucy Banks

My childhood was spent in a "strange" house--where odd things happened all the time and was a bit scared of all things supernatural. I soon realised we shouldn't fear the unknown. I wrote my new book in an attempt to normalise the supernatural. It's the first book in the series, Dr Ribero's Agency of the Supernatural, that unites the realm of the strange with the everyday world. It's a place where chaotic spirits rub shoulders with businessmen, and nothing is quite as it seems.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE CASE OF THE GREEN-DRESSED GHOST to read more and to email author Lucy Banks, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 03-07-17

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,

Sally Hepworth, author of The Things We Keep is today's guest columnist and I love her topic, because my family teases me, "That's mom's cup." And they smile because I have something in common with today's guest author's aunt. What a great column, I absolutely love it!

Please email and welcome Sally Hepworth to the book club. Authors love to hear from readers. Email: [email protected]

Take it away author Sally Hepworth...

I have an aunt who always wears bright lipstick. Whether she's headed out for groceries or to go the gym, her lips are always coated in coral or fuchsia or magenta.

Some of her lipsticks are expensive, some are cheap, and at any one time, she has half a dozen in her purse, and more in her pockets. Lipstick is everywhere.

As a child I remember seeing my aunt come out of the bathroom after a shower, her hair wet, a towel around her waist. With her face clean and makeup free, she was almost unrecognizable.

"Where are your lips?" I cried.

My aunt just smiled and grabbed a lipstick out of her pocket (yes, she kept lipstick in her bathrobe) and swiped it on. And just like that, the world made sense again.

But here's the funny thing...my aunt isn't just a lipstick addict, she's a 'pusher.' Every time I see her she is always trying to force lipstick on me.

"Go on," she'll urge, thrusting several tubes at me. "Put some on."

"Why?" I always ask, perplexed.

"Because," she insists, "it makes you look like you're on top of your game."

Sometimes I put some on, sometimes I don't. But I have to admit, I've never totally understood.

Until.

Two weeks ago I had my third child via C-section. The morning before, I was anxious.

I showered, dressed, and got in the car. As I waited for my husband, I noticed my red lipstick peeking out of my purse. My favorite red lipstick--Ultimate Shiraz. But I couldn't wear lipstick to an operation, could I?

My aunt's voice whispered in my ear. "Go on."

I applied a double coat.

"I love your red lips!" a nurse said as I was wheeled into theatre.

"Oh, gorgeous," said another.

"Wow," said my obstetrician. "I've never seen a C-section patient look so on top of her game."

Silently I thanked my aunt. And for the rest of my stay in the hospital I kept the tube in the pocket of my bathrobe.

--Sally Hepworth

Email Sally, [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: PEKOE MOST POISON, Tea Shop Mystery #18 (Mystery) by Laura Childs

When tea shop owner Theodosia attends a "rat tea" at a fancy pants mansion in Charleston, she's knocked out by the waiters wearing white gloves and rat heads--and stunned when the genial host chokes to death on his tea. But the victim's wife begs for help, so Theodosia tries to narrow down the suspects from a certifiably crazy cast of characters.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on PEKOE MOST POISON to find out more about the book and the author, Laura Childs. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.

Dear Reader Column 03-06-17

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,

A little Monday morning fun. Ask yourself this question? What's your least favorite thing and what's one of your most favorite things? No editing your response. No pondering, just ask yourself the question and see what immediately pops into your mind.

I conducted this little, do-it-yourself therapy shrink session the other day and my responses were interesting and oh, so true.

To see photos of my least favorite thing and my absolute, I'm-in-love-with favorite thing, and to enter a drawing for one of my favorite kitchen things, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/mosquito.html

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

Suzanne Beecher
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AUTHORBUZZ: LAST NIGHT WITH THE DUKE (Fiction) by Amelia Grey

Every romance reader loves a bad boy hero. Griffin has never lived down his reputation as a rake. But hiring a chaperone for his sisters is the only thing on his mind--until he meets the intriguing Esmeralda. In ways he couldn't have expected, she arouses more than his curiosity.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on LAST NIGHT WITH THE DUKE to read more and to email author Amelia Grey, you'll get a reply.