Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 8-31-17

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

I was looking through a series of photos posted online from Hurricane Harvey yesterday, but I couldn't even finish looking at them. It was just too much to take in. And I couldn't begin to imagine how the people in those photos were feeling, how their lives are now changed, the overwhelming grief they must be experiencing from their horrific loss, and the fear and uncertainty they must be feeling for what lies ahead for them.

A grief stricken woman in one of the shelters told a reporter, "People remind me, be thankful for your life, and I am. But when you work your entire life to create something, and you see it gone, it's very hard, very hard."

I can pray, I can donate, and I feel I owe it to that woman to really appreciate each and every day that I spend in my home with family and friends. As I walk through the rooms of my home, I see the window sill our five cats sit on to look out at the squirrels and cardinals eating at the feeder, the china cabinet my Grandma Hale used to have in her dining room when I was growing up, the pictures my grandchildren have drawn for me, the old wooden dining table where I serve Sunday family dinners, and I make a promise to myself to do better. To slow down and take time to appreciate the little things that make my house a home, and most important, to say "I love you" more often to my family and friends.

My prayers are with the victims of Hurricane Harvey.

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:

(Fiction)
HOLD ME by J. Kenner

(Thriller)
PRETEND YOU'RE SAFE by Alexandra Ivy

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ

Dear Reader Column 8-30-17

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

Dear Reader,

If the music doesn't feel good in my soul, there's trouble brewing and writing problems up ahead. Some writers need absolute quiet, but whether I'm writing something serious or funny, I need to do a bit of winding up and that's what music does for me. This very minute I'm boogying in my chair, and listening to Joking (Indigo Girls). It's a guaranteed wind-me-up song. There's a driving, relentless beat, and for certain when there's a pause in the song and a raspy voice counts, 'One, two, three, four,' that's it for me, the words are flowing on the page.

Opening up and talking about what's on my mind sometimes takes a bit of encouragement. When I want to write about something I'm feeling, but it's going to be painful to get there, Collide (Howie Day), or On a Bus to St. Cloud (Trisha Yearwood) never lets me down.

Listening to music while I'm writing invites me to just "say it" and those columns always end up being the ones readers identify with the most. I invite you to put on some tunes and just "say it." Start writing your entry for this year's 13th Annual Write a DearReader Contest.

Anyone can enter. Don't be shy if you aren't a writer. I started the contest thirteen years ago, especially for people who've never written. So give it a go this year. The who, what, where, why--and cash prizes can all be found here.

Have fun and start writing. Entries are already coming in.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 8-29-17

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

When Mary Miley, is not at her computer, she's probably in jail. (Where she teaches a writing class for inmates.)

Today's guest author, Mary Miley, is a historian and author of five mysteries set in the Roaring Twenties.

The latest in that series is Murder in Disguise. Mary has five digital copies of her new release to give away to readers. To enter the drawing or to comment on her column, simply send an email to: mmtheobald@gmail.com

Please welcome author Mary Miley...

Not long ago, a group of friends with a common interest in Virginia wine pooled their resources and plunged into the winery business. They bought a farm in the Valley of Virginia, planted their first vines on a hill facing the southeastern sun, and began turning the barn, farm stand, pre-Civil War farmhouse, and sheds into a tasting room, offices, storage, and event space--all overlooking an achingly beautiful panorama of Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains. They named it Valley Road Vineyards, perfect for a vineyard fronting on the old Rockfish Valley Road that brought settlers into the fertile Virginia farmlands during the colonial era.

The five couples who own Valley Road Vineyards have between them sixteen college and graduate degrees--and not a one of 'em has anything to do with viticulture or winemaking. But by pooling their varied experiences and adding a large dollop of sweat equity, they've made the venture a success.

I'm the writer in the group, the "word person" who helps with naming wine blends and writing copy, and supplies unskilled labor, like planting vines and painting the shed. (Can't wait for the chance to do the barefoot grape stomp!) When I'm not at VRV, I'm home at my desk in Richmond, working on articles or books, both nonfiction and fiction. I have been fortunate to have five historical mysteries published in recent years, all set in the Roaring Twenties when vaudeville, Prohibition, gangsters, flappers, bootleggers, and jazz changed America in profound ways. In my opinion, the Roaring Twenties is the most intriguing decade in American history.

I often reflect that everything I'm doing at Valley Road Vineyards would have been illegal in the 1920s. In fact, the vineyard's very existence would have been illegal, due to the Prohibition laws that destroyed America's wineries, breweries, and distilleries and turned law-abiding citizens into criminals. Thankfully, I'm in no danger of being hauled off to jail, as are most of the characters in my novels. And I've been able to incorporate some of what I've learned about winemaking into my plots, which helps make my stories more realistic to the period.

--Mary Miley
Email: mmtheobald@gmail.com for a chance to win one of five digital copies of her brand new title, Murder in Disguise.

** The 13th Annual Write a DearReader Contest is here! Get ready to write and have fun, because you just might win! Anyone can enter, but don't be shy if you aren't a writer. I started the contest thirteen years ago, especially for people who've never written. So give it a go this year. The who, what, where, why--and prizes can all be found here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

PRETEND YOU'RE SAFE (Thriller) by Alexandra Ivy

My favorite inspiration for a book always starts with a true story. Which is precisely what happened with my new suspense novel. Living next to the Mississippi River, I'm accustomed to the occasional floods. But when the water receded and a body was discovered in a nearby field, a buzz of horror swept through our area. It made me wonder what would happen if a serial killer's burial ground was disturbed, and how a small town would react to the knowledge that they were living with a monster.

Go to AUTHORBUZZ click on PRETEND YOU'RE SAFE to read more and to email author Alexandra Ivy, you'll get a reply.

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Dear Reader Column 8-28-17

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

I'm excited because today is the day...

Thirteen years ago I announced my first annual writing contest, and today is the official launch of the 2017 Write a DearReader Contest.

If your first thought is, 'I'm not a writer,' set that aside, because if you don't think of yourself as a writer--that's a good thing. In fact, I created the contest for someone just like you. Anyone can enter, even a writer, but my ongoing wish for the contest is to get every person writing.

I've been writing a daily column since 1999 and the columns that readers resonate with the most are the ones where I simply sit down and say what's on my mind, and in my heart. And that's what I'd like you to do, too.

If the blank screen looks overwhelming and scares the bejeebers out of you, do what I do sometimes to get "myself" out of the way. When I sit down to write and edit every thought I have, even before I start typing, I get so disgusted with myself, I finally wave my hands in the air and shout:

"Just say it...say it, say it...just say it!"

And that's when the magic begins, and it will for you, too.

Don't be shy, there's a story inside of you and I can't wait to read it. So get your hands in the air and announce to yourself, "Just say it, say it!"

For rules, deadlines, prizes and to read last year's winning entries, click here.

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

Start writing,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

HOLD ME (Fiction) by J. Kenner

I adore Nikki and Damien Stark--their passion, their connection, their vulnerability to each other. One of my greatest joys has been writing their after "happily ever after" stories as their relationship grows and changes. This new title is especially dear to me because it delves into the challenges this couple faces when work and family collide, and hard choices must be made--the story is so real and true to me, and I hope it rings true to you, too!

Go to AUTHORBUZZ click on HOLD ME to read more and to email author J. Kenner, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 8-25-17

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

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

This coming Monday inspiration will strike, and you will start working on a column to submit to this year's 13th Annual Write a DearReader Contest! Anyone can enter. Don't be shy if you don't think of yourself as a writer. I started the contest thirteen years ago, especially for people who've never written.

If you're looking for a topic to write about, today's email from Jack, a reader at the book club, could be your inspiration. Like Jack, do you break the rules when you're following a recipe? Or you might write about your worst disaster in the kitchen. How about the time you bought store-made potato salad, cut up a hard boiled egg and arranged it on top to make it look homemade. Do you have a favorite apron? Do you dance in the kitchen while the mixer is whirling around?

And if you're looking for something to bake this weekend, Jack, reminds us that the Snickerdoodles recipe I posted from Jennifer, another reader at the book club, is an absolute, his-grandkids-love-it-winner!

"Suzanne, I just stored Jennifer G's Snickerdoodles recipe in my recipe folder. I wanted to tell you that I asked my wife to put chocolate chips in the Snickerdoodles. She did, and now the grandkids always want them that way. Try it!"--Jack C.

JENNIFER'S SNICKERDOODLES

1 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (this is my secret to making soft cookies)
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix butter, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.

Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.

Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop one inch globs of dough into the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.

Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDS BUZZ: "Kat Greene mixes Harriet the Spy with some Windex and a dash of humor for a compelling story about the lengths we'll go to for the people we love. A sparkling debut!"--Erin Donne, author of The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. For a chance to win free copy of KAT GREENE COMES CLEAN by Melissa Roske and learn more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

Dear Reader Column 8-24-17

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

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

Dear Reader,

I was a grumpy girl the other day. I hadn't had enough sleep; things were busy at work; I was upset with someone. And when I went out to do a little shopping, the traffic was unbelievable.

I had an opinion about everything I saw and everyone I came into contact with. I didn't share my criticisms, but no doubt, anybody who stepped in my path picked up on my vibes and quickly headed the other way.

"Oh, what a stupid driver that woman is. Look at that idiot--he keeps speeding up and slowing down." I certainly wasn't any fun to be around, but I didn't realize just how obnoxious my behavior really was until I ran into "me" in the office supply store.

I was buying some computer labels and the clerk was being very helpful--making sure that I got the best discount they offered--but it was taking some extra time. Then my credit card wouldn't work in the chip machine, so my number had to be hand-keyed in, and all of this hoopla was driving the man behind me nuts. He was pacing, scowling, rolling his eyes, exhaling with that little emphasis that said, "Lady, you are a pain." He was acting like an ill-mannered fool. It was almost too much for me to take--even in my own cranky state. I thought about stepping aside and asking him if he would like to go ahead of me, because I could hardly stand it. What a negative person to be around.

And when I walked out the door, it dawned on me that I'd encountered myself.

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 this title deserves your attention:

(Fantasy)
THE MAGUS; Elk Riders Vol. 5 by Ted Neill

Dear Reader Column 8-23-17

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

What did you want to be when you grew up? Readers' lives have taken some interesting turns and twists along the way...

"When I first read the question you posed, 'When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?' I couldn't remember ever wanting to 'be' any specific occupation. Then I realized it was because all I ever wanted to be was a mom! My mom went back to work as a teacher when I was two and my brother was a baby and we were cared for by my grandmother on my dad's side. My grandmother was and always has been the person I emulate, or at least attempt to emulate. She was an incredible woman in all ways and taught me so much about love, kindness, respect and the joys (and sometimes tears) of being an at-home mom. My personality was so similar to hers that the years we spent together made me yearn to be the same kind of wife and mom.

While my mom and I were polar opposites, I learned much from her about the value of an education and being a strong, independent woman. I pretty much had the best of both worlds! I became that stay-at-home wife and mother to three wonderful kids and loved every minute of it, thanks to my grandmother. But thanks to my mom, I also earned a college degree and went back to work as a children's librarian when my oldest was in high school, that basically put all three kids through college! Thanks to two amazing women, I became all I wanted to be and more! Thank you for the wonderful question!"-- Jan B.

"When I was a young teenager, all I wanted to do was travel all over the world. I thought I'd be a street artist in Paris or some other famous tourist places. I also learned shorthand and typing so that I could back up my artist's wages with secretarial work. I never had such a transient job, but I was fortunate that my first job was with an airline and I've traveled all around the world and still love to do so."-- Jackie S.

"Suzanne, I amaze myself when I read things I wrote when I was child and find that all I truly wanted was to be a mother with twins and a station wagon and live in the suburbs. I became the mother with three children and a van and do live in the suburbs, but I also became an insurance agent, a mechanical engineer, and a middle school media specialist. It has been a wonderful, surprising life so far."-- Maureen L.

"And how did I turn out? What I wanted to be was: dead. How I turned out: I'm alive.

Why did I want to be dead? I assumed there was going to be a nuclear war. I didn't want to be one of the survivors. I assumed that the cleanup was going to be horrendous: uncomfortable at best, painful & slow death at worst. I assumed that my adults were idiots. Talking about keeping gas in the car so that we could make a dash for the middle of the country. (We lived in the northeast.) Drilling us in sheltering under our desks in case of attack. (Much good that would do us against nuclear missiles.). With idiots in charge of the country, nuclear war was inevitable & the aftermath worse than anyone could imagine.

Can you tell that I was a child during the Cuban Missile Crisis?"-- Julie C.

"The very first time I was asked this question I said I wanted to be a ballerina. Why? Because I could stand on my toes, of course! But I am now a librarian, my true love."-- Brenda B.

"I didn't really much want to grow up, but as I kid I played cowboys and superheroes, and then I wanted to be the next Sandy Koufax or maybe Jerry West, and then, as I got a little older...

I wanted to be a writer or a teacher.

I wound up getting to be both for my whole adult life (so far).

I still want to be a cowboy."-- Marsh C.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDS BUZZ: "Kat Greene mixes Harriet the Spy with some Windex and a dash of humor for a compelling story about the lengths we'll go to for the people we love. A sparkling debut!"--Erin Donne, author of "The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet". For a chance to win free copy of KAT GREENE COMES CLEAN by Melissa Roske and learn more, see KIDSBUZZ.

Dear Reader Column 8-22-17

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

Dear Reader,

You never know how your life could change direction when you enter a writing contest. Leah Weiss, today's guest author, cut her writing teeth on short story contests, reasoning that the prompt gave her direction, the word count gave her parameters, and if her story didn't win (which it never did at the start), she could view the winning entry and learn something new.

Leah retired in 2015 from a 24-year career as Executive Assistant to the Headmaster at a private school and now pursues writing full time.

Congratulations to author Leah Weiss and her debut novel, "If the Creek Don't Rise."

(Who knows what might happen if "you" enter this year's "Write a DearReader Contest." All of the details and prizes will be announced in my column on August 28th.)

Please welcome author Leah Weiss to the book club...you can reach her at leahstories@live.com

MOUNTAIN HIGH

Thank you, Suzanne, for this chance to contribute to your marvelous column on DearReader.com. You gave me a broad scope from which to choose, and I want to write about a place I love.

I was born in the flatland of North Carolina with its sandy soil and soaring pines. Where tobacco was king once-upon-a-time. Where peanuts were stacked in the field to dry, and baskets of sweet potatoes lay under feed sacks. But it isn't the flatland of my birthplace that tugs at my heartstrings when I need to go home. It is the blue mountains of Appalachia, along the arch of its spine, where the push-pull of days is held at bay. It's where rutted roads zigzag into the clouds. It's where peace resides.

I've often wondered why people are pulled to a certain kind of place--to desert or ocean, the sweeping plains or wooded hills. I believe it's a distinct imprint on the heart, this affinity that rises up and lays claim to where it belongs. Being in that right place feels like coming home. There's kinship with the air you breathe there, and the vistas your eyes rest upon. It's the magnetic pull you can't explain that takes you to where your soul longs to be.

For sixty years I've lived in sight of these blue hills, and two years ago I retired. The freedom that followed has often taken me to the mountains where I join similar souls. We walk steep, rocky trails, snap photos of Jack in the Pulpits, or Shaggy Mane mushrooms, and someone can identify birdsongs and animal tracks on the creek bank. The climb to claim the mountain tests lungs and aging knees, but the journey is satisfying, and--oh my heavens--the rewarding views. On clear days, the staggered layers of blue stretch into tomorrow. On cloudy days the mist swirls around ancient boulders and gnarly trees. Everything is grounded in such a magical place.

It is no wonder my book's characters live in these mountains. I knew that for a long spell I would spend time writing in isolation, spinning this tale and knitting together words, and I wanted to love going there. To the familiar brush of wild ferns along a path. To the rush of clear water tumbling. To the canopy of tall trees where spires of sunlight strike the earth, and to be awed.

--Leah Weiss
leahstories@live.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 8-21-17

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

Dear Reader,

It's back to school week at the book club. I asked, "What did you want to be when you grew up?" And readers replied...

"I will never forget sixth grade (which was way back in 1963). My family had just moved into that community the year before, so I was still getting to know a lot of my classmates. I developed quite the intellectual rivalry with one boy in the class named Stephen. He was used to being the top scorer in everything academic, and I was challenging him on every front.

Well, one day in class the teacher did the, 'What do you want to be when you grow up' exercise, going around the room for each of us to have a turn. I planned to say that I wanted to become a doctor. However, the teacher called on Steven before she got to me, and HE said doctor! I had to think of something in a big fat rush that WASN'T doctor (so it wouldn't look like I was COPYING him!!) but was equally mentally challenging. So I said that I wanted to be a scientist. And that is what decided my future career for me.

I majored in chemistry in college and worked as a research chemist for my first 12 years out of college. And believe it or not, our oldest child, a daughter, has become a Ph.D scientist in microbiology and biochemistry who is involved in cancer research.

So a little thing like a rivalry can have long-term effects...

(By the way, Stephen did not become a doctor. Instead he became a lawyer.)" -- Ellen M.

"When I was young, I wanted to be a professional singer. Today, I AM a singer. And my stage is my car when I travel alone."-- Annamarie R.

"I wanted to be a nurse with the newborn babies, and then I wanted to be an editor living in New York. I am a quirky writer, painter, and crafter and my purpose in life has always been to rescue family, friends and animals."-- Angel L.

"When I was little I wanted to be a teacher. My sister and I often played school with me as the teacher, most of the time. She was younger and I was sure she didn't know how to be teacher properly. We are both now librarians. Not far from my goal."-- Nancy C.

"Hello Suzanne, When I was perhaps six years old, I must have been in awe of Ann Sothern and her TV show Private Secretary. When asked what I wanted to be I proudly said, 'A private secretary who sits on her boss's lap and takes notes.' However only half of my prediction came to pass! I had completely forgotten about this until reading your column--thanks for the memory!"-- Jo

"Hi Suzanne, My dream, while growing up, was to become an archaeologist. To actually find and dig up the remains of an old civilization, and get a glimpse of the past. In college I took anthropology and geology classes. I guess I'm an earthy kind of person. However, I ended up working at the reference desk, in the children's department, at our local library. I still like to dig around a bit, but it's usually in my garden."-- Jan J.

"'What do you want to be when you grow up?' I never did have any answer for that question and still don't, even at age 54! Love your columns!"-- Linda O.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

***** AUTHORBUZZ *****

THE MAGUS; Elk Riders Vol. 5 (Fantasy) by Ted Neill

It's been a wild adventure but as they say, "All good things..." To celebrate The Magus, the fifth and final volume of the Elk Riders series, I'm giving away to one lucky reader all five volumes. Write me at tenebraypress@yahoo.com

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE MAGUS to read more and to email author Ted Neill, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 8-18-17

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

Dear Reader,

It's back to school week at the book club and my question for readers is, "When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how did you turn out?" If you haven't replied, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at: Suzanne@DearReader.com (And while you're pondering the question, your answer might make a good topic for your entry in this year's Write a Dear Reader Contest, that launches August 28th.)

When you grow up in a small town, you're never more than five minutes away from Main Street. In my small town, Main Street felt "uptown" because that's where everything was when I was a girl. An IGA Grocery store, a movie theatre, the Five and Dime, a burger and pizza place, Minnie's Candy Store, a barber shop, the post office, two corner bars with a few extra bars mixed in between, the drug store and three gas stations--my dad owned one of them.

My mother worked at the Five and Dime. It was a great place to get school supplies, because I got first pick at everything before it was put on display. But the Five and Dime was my worst nightmare when it came time to buy school clothes. If my mother couldn't buy it at the Five and Dime, then in her mind, I didn't need it.

The Dime Store's fashion statement was the same every year: a short sleeved striped cotton shirt (in four different colors) with a button down collar, and a few A-line cotton skirts. Who ordered this stuff anyway?

My mother never understood fashion. She only understood her big employee discount, and if I didn't have a coupon for another store that matched it, then in her mind, a short sleeved shirt over top an A-line skirt was going to be my look for the school season.

But that wasn't the look I'd been dreaming about, and that certainly wasn't the look that was going to impress my friends. So I spent my summers babysitting, and selling lemonade and nightcrawlers. Any odd jobs to earn money, so I could afford to buy my own school clothes.

My babysitting job was really more like supervising. The two kids that I watched were older, so they only relied on me for lunch, and my only other responsibility every day, was some light housekeeping. The rest of the time I spent sitting in the sun, listening to Neil Diamond, and looking through my "wish book". Actually it was the JC Penney catalog. Pencil in hand, I'd grab the catalog, stretch out in the lawn chair, and turn the pages of my own personal dreamland. Looking through the catalog was just as exciting as the day my new clothes arrived in the mail.

Every hour I babysat, I put another 50 cents in my school clothing fund, and there wasn't an A-line skirt on the list.

It's back to school week at the book club, and my question for readers is, "When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how did you turn out?" If you haven't replied, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at: Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: SEVEN BIRDS (Fiction) by Amy Sargent Swank

Fez Bradlee, at the age of 52, is struggling with a crumbling marriage, financial ruin, and a teenage daughter, Hazel, who is becoming more and more withdrawn. Then Fez is hit with a major shock; she has an older sister, Penny, about whom she never knew, who was institutionalized at the age of four because of an extremely low IQ.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on Seven Birds to read more and to email author Amy Sargent Swank, you'll get a reply.