Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 02-28-19

Dear Reader,

When I started the book club, one of approaches I used to snag an appointment, to talk to someone at a publishing house, was chocolate chip cookies. Secretaries would screen my calls (after all that's part of their job). So instead, when I wanted to get a publisher's attention, I drafted a one page letter and sent it overnight inside a box of my homemade chocolate chip cookies. I'd wait until the day after they were delivered and then I'd call. Of course the first person I'd get on the phone was the secretary, and he or she would politely start screening the call. But then I'd ask the magic question, "Oh, and I wanted to make sure that you received my box--the chocolate chip cookies?"

"Oh, you're the cookie lady! Yes, we did. Those are some great cookies. Now, you said you were going to be in New York soon, let's look for an appointment for you."

Homemade chocolate chip cookies bring back warm memories for people of any age. That first bite always takes me back to my grandmother's kitchen. I used to sit on a white, wooden stool waiting for her first batch to come out of the oven. Cookies were such a hit with publishers, soon I started baking for readers at the book club, too.

My chocolate chip cookies are so irresistible that years ago a reader did something, that Mom preached to you, when you were growing up, never to do. Every month, at the book club, I bake chocolate chip cookies and send them to three lucky winners. All you have to do is enter the drawing. But on one occasion, I changed-up the giveaway a bit. It was National Library Week, so I told readers they could enter the cookie contest for the librarians at their local library. If the reader's name was drawn, when they received my cookies, they could take them to their library and thank the librarians for a job well done.

Readers entered, winners were chosen, I baked the cookies and sent them out. Three weeks after the cookie contest I received an email from one of the winners and it went something like this...

"I entered the last cookie contest where you were supposed to take the cookies to your library. I feel so ashamed, the cookies looked so good, I know I shouldn't have done it, but I kept the cookies and ate them all myself. Your cookies taste amazing. But now I'm feeling so guilty, and the only way I could think of to feel better, was to tell you what I did."

Yes, mother always said to tell the truth, and this reader (after eating the cookies), did get around to following one of Mom's Golden Rules. After reading her email, I wasn't a bit upset. In fact I thought the situation was hilarious. So I baked one more time and the repenting reader assured me she would deliver the cookies to the librarians at her local library. Did she follow through, or were the cookies just too much of a temptation? Either way, it was one of the most memorable cookie experiences for me.

How many cookies have I baked for readers and publishers over the past 20 years? Guess the number of cookies, and enter to win this month's drawing for a box of my homemade chocolate chip cookies--delivered right to your front door.

And the good news is, you can eat them guilt-free all by yourself!

See past winners and enter to win, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column 02-27-19

Dear Reader,

I don't know if you're like me, but whenever I take a look back at things I've accomplished in my life, I realize I didn't give myself enough credit for succeeding at the time. Maybe it's because when I start a new venture, I'm striving to reach the next goal, and somehow it feels like I shouldn't be doing any celebrating until I reach the finish line. The online book club is 20 years old this year. We're celebrating that over the next few weeks, but I'm reminding myself that it doesn't need to be a milestone for me to "celebrate" the things I do every day. Readers continue to send 20 year congratulations, and I can't thank you enough.

From my inbox...and please enter today's giveaway (at the end of the column), one of my favorite things, a bubble machine!

"Suzanne, I have been reading with you almost from the beginning. When I found your website you featured several genres and I chose mystery, fiction and nonfiction. I still read the daily downloads in that order. I always read your blog, even if I don't find time to sample the book offering. It's been great to follow your adventures with grandchildren, vacations, parties, anniversaries and everyday life. You have a great joie de vivre! You have introduced me to books and authors I would not have found on my own. It's been an amazing 20 years! Thanks for all dedicated work that you and your staff do every day. Hope you will be able to continue offering your daily reads for many more years--because it's so nice to read with friends!" -- Donna O.

"I have been reading for a couple of years now, and I enjoy learning about new reads to bring to my book clubs. I run three different book clubs, so I am always looking for an interesting read. I have also enjoyed some of your recipes. It is always fun to try something new. I have not won the chocolate chip cookies yet, but I will keep trying. Thank you for the wonderful stories--they make me laugh and have at times opened up some great conversations with friends and family." -- Eileen W.

"Thank YOU for the Book Club and your 20 years of dedication! I've been reading your emails for at least five years now and really look forward to it every morning. As a self-employed entrepreneur for 33 years, my schedule doesn't allow much time for business book reading and your column makes it so easy to find books that are truly relevant for me. I've been lucky enough to win one book and took 3rd place in one of the writing contests. I especially love that you respond when I comment on an e-newsletter. Thanks for the connection! Congratulations and best of luck on your next 20!"
-- Karen S.

"I do not remember how I became aware of the book club, but I am so glad I did! Your columns are like a quick daily catch-up with a best friend. I could totally see us blowing bubbles, making chocolate chip cookies, of course sporting a stain or two on our shirt while we giggle and plan our next party before taking a break to relax and read in the Florida sunshine. Keep spreading smiles with your kind and thoughtful ways that make you YOU!" -- Lynn E.

Lynn, one of my favorite things--bubbles. Enter today's 20th Birthday Celebration Giveaway, a bubble machine. Plug it in or it operates on batteries. I bought one for myself and I'm planning on walking downtown with the bubbles flowing. To enter, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column 02-26-19

Dear Reader,

We're celebrating 20 years at the book club!

One of most popular giveaways I've featured at the book club was the garage sale "find." My mother and her second husband were the inspiration for the idea. Below is the original column...

They lived in Wisconsin most of the year, but spent the winter months in Florida. Every winter-warm Florida afternoon around three o'clock, my mom and her husband, Ron, would pull into my driveway, open up the back of their van and holler for me to come out and see their new "stuff." I don't think the two of them had ever stopped at one single garage sale when they were in Wisconsin, but when the snowbirds landed in Florida, they became garage sale junkies.

Every morning Ron would buy a copy of the local newspaper, circle the garage sale ads, and make a map based on "location" and then they'd hit the road--my mother, Ron and their dog, Brandy. And every afternoon, the garage sale trio would return with more "stuff." It wasn't that they needed any more "stuff"--the fun was the "story" behind the stuff.

"See that cooler," Ron said, "we were looking around at a sale in Venice and when the lady asked me if I saw anything I was interested in, I spotted this cooler sitting way back in her garage. It didn't look like it was with the garage sale items, so I asked if it was for sale."

At first the woman said no, but then she seemed to get caught up in her own buying and selling atmosphere, "What would you give me for it?"

Five bucks was Ron's offer.

"Sold! And it's even filled with my husband's beer," the woman was smiling, "You can take that along with you, too."

What a deal. Ron was beaming as he was showing me the blue cooler filled with ice and beer. He didn't really need a cooler, or the beer, but it wasn't the cooler or the beer that Ron was buying, it was the story. And Ron must have told four slightly different versions of the "cooler" story, before my mother and he left my house later that evening. Knowing one person's junk is another person's treasure, I asked my visiting snowbirds to 'find' items we could give away at the book club--and the Garage Sale Giveaway was born.

Today's 20th Birthday Celebration giveaway is a garage sale find my husband and I found over the weekend. You won't want to miss taking a look at it, and you just might win it. To see the original Garage Sale Giveaway item (my mother and her husband found) and to enter today's Garage Sale Giveaway (you'd never guess what it is, but you'll want it), click here.

I promise, it will be a real conversation piece. Just imagine the great story you'll be able to tell your friends if you win!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read (and party) with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column 02-25-19

Dear Reader,

Wow! It's been 20 years! Happy Birthday to the original Online Book Club.

In 1999 when I started the online book club the Internet was sketchy. "Under Construction" signs were parked at future websites while people were trying to figure out how to make a living using the Internet. And the even bigger question that bamboozled everyone, "What the heck is the Internet anyway?" No YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Facebook, and the sites that were up and going, people could log on, but they had to be patient for their slow, dial-up phone connections to connect.

In the midst of all this change, I was looking for a new adventure for myself. "Do what you love..." they say, and since I loved books (I consider them "instructional" manuals for my life), I decided to try to come up with an idea to make it easier for people to find the time to read more. So I took the approach I use with most things in my life, when I'm trying to add something new to my everyday routine. I break down whatever I want to achieve into little segments, because I want to set myself up for a first time positive experience..For instance if I want to start a walking routine, in the beginning, I tell myself I only need to walk around the block. If I do that, I can pat myself on the back, "Yeah!" and I feel great because I met my goal. Of course after walking around the block for a few days, I'm enjoying myself so much that I venture a little farther into the neighborhood, and pretty soon my 5-minute walk around the block is a 35-minute stroll, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

So I decided to approach reading in the same way. People love to read, but schedules are harried, and finding the time is challenging. What if folks could sample a book five minutes a day? And the idea for the Online Book Club was born. Five-minutes-a-day, sample a book, start reading right at page one, and at the end of the week (or anywhere along the way), if you like the book you can reserve a copy at your local library.

Okay, so I loved the concept, but I had no idea how to get permission to share material from a book. I knew nothing about publishers, but I wasn't afraid to use the phone, so I started dialing. The first publisher I approached was Random House. I was under the naive, small-town, notion that when you called a publisher, they would call you back. Fortunately I was (unknowingly), extremely naive so I kept dialing. The days turned into weeks of calling, but finally I connected with someone. I was persistent and eventually they did agree to give me a try. When I launched the book club, I featured one book every week (fiction or nonfiction). And soon after that I approached libraries with the idea, too.

Twenty years later, there are 11 different book genres featured at the Online Book Club, weekly guest authors, AuthorBuzz, my column, an annual Write a DearReader Contest, and a lot of crazy-fun giveaways every week. But the key ingredient that's made the book club successful and a lot of fun are the readers. You are amazing! Thanks for taking the journey with me.

I'd love to hear from you. How long have you been reading at the online book club? Share a favorite highlight? What do you read first in the daily email? Have you been a chocolate chip cookie winner? Do you remember a favorite book you discovered at the book club?

And what's a birthday party without decorations? To win a supply of Happy Birthday decorations and to share your comments about the book club, click here.

Thanks for reading with me--for 20 years! It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column 02-22-19

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

Dear Reader,

I've always been an early bird. So I don't wait until the last minute when it comes to organizing a party. Family birthday parties, I host them all, complete with elaborate decorations, and a theme that's carried throughout the food and festivities. Four days before the party starts, decorations are floating down from my dining room ceiling, the table is set and I'm adding last minute creative ideas. So this detailed gal is ready to go, to start celebrating at the book club.

One, two, three, four, five, keep counting, there are 20 candles on the birthday cake. Over the next two weeks we'll be celebrating 20 years at the Online Book Club!

Taking a look back over the past 20 years, I've done some eye-opening math. Can you guess how many cookies I've baked for readers? The number of books that have been featured at the book club? How many columns have I've written? Presents (giveaways) every day at the two-week birthday party, and we'll take a second look at some memorable crazy, fun we've had. You're gonna love the walk down memory lane.

But hey, why wait? I know it's only Friday, but this early bird is ready to go, so let's get the party going today.

"B-I-N-G-O is hands down the game my family loves the best when we have a party," I was explaining to the woman at the bank. While she was helping me with a transaction, she was telling about how her family was coming for dinner and she wanted an activity they all could do together. I suggested BINGO and did my best to reassure her that it would be a winner. I even offered to lend her my BINGO set. But I didn't really think she was planning on following through. I was wrong. The next time I was in the bank, I was a hero. "Suzanne, you won't believe how popular BINGO was. My son-in-law frowned when I mentioned BINGO, but after playing for two hours, he was insisting we do another couple of rounds."

Yes, when you first mention BINGO to some people they think it's childish and shy away from the idea. But I'm here to tell you, adults get even more serious about winning than the kids. It can get a little intense, like the energy of an auction. "Come on call B3, B3--is all I need to BINGO." Two people calling out BINGO at once, can lead to a BINGO rumble if I don't call it a tie--so they both get prizes.

Celebrating 20 years calls for BINGO. So enter my BINGO game giveaway today, click here.

* Congratulations to Michelle C., the winner of my Valentine Decorations and Robin W., the winner of a new LED flashlight.

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

Happy Birthday to the Book Club!

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

 

Dear Reader Column 02-21-19

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

Dear Reader,

Every now and then I get a little obsessed with myself. I notice some flaw in my appearance, like a peanut butter spot on the front of my skirt. I hone in on it and it's all I can think about for the rest of the day. Everywhere I go, I feel like there are blinking neon lights attached to me, shouting, "Look at me! Hey, did you notice this spot?"

It's weird. (Shrinks probably have a name for it.) I don't want anyone to see the peanut butter spot, but for some reason I feel the need to point it out. I'm here to tell you it takes some kind of skill to work a peanut butter stain into a conversation at the office. Just imagine the humdinger of a transition sentence I had to come up with to jump from discussing ways to cut overhead to explaining why there's a peanut butter spot on the front of my skirt.

Yes, I do realize that nobody cares one iota if there's a piece of lettuce stuck in my back tooth, if I put on two different socks this morning, or if it's apparent that my roots need tinting.

Do other people obsess about these things? I thought it was time for a reality check, so I asked my husband, "Dear, do you ever obsess about things like this?" He does not.

OK, it's my own little quirk and here I am obsessing about my obsession. See this spot? I was eating a peanut butter sandwich and...

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

Celebrating 20 years at the Online Book Club!
Get ready to party, starting the week of February 25th!

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise this title deserves your attention:

(Fiction)
CONTROL by K. Bromberg

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

Dear Reader Column 02-20-19

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

Dear Reader,

I hope he's lookin' for love in all the 'right' places. But I'm thinking he might need a little help.

Our old, slowly-dying oak tree has been a home to two yellow-bellied woodpecker families, and if I can get this "single guy" on the right track, who knows, maybe soon I'll hear more babies chirping in the tree.

The yellow-bellied suitor spends most afternoons tap, tap, tapping, calling out for a bride-to-be. "See how strong I am? Whack, whack, whack, my beak against the tree. I'm crazy for you baby." But I haven't seen a female answer his call. Maybe our woodpecker needs to register at a dating site to get things going? This rat-a-tat tapping, could it be that's old school, and the girls just don't fall for that anymore? Or could it be the houses he's offering? There are already two old woodpecker dwellings carved into the tree (because a female won't consider marriage unless she has more than one home to choose from), but I think my guy better start working on a third house. Because the other two dwellings have been there awhile, and that could be another one of his problems.

If he's trying to go cheap and rely on the old apartments, that still have shag carpeting on the floor and lava lamps in the bedroom, they need a remodel. And if there aren't granite countertops in the kitchen, the gal he courts might say that's a deal breaker--kitchens are a very important room of the house--even to woodpeckers.

I'm doing my part to help my guy find a bride. I hung a woodpecker feeder, made for two, in the tree. So when he finds a prospect he can invite his gal out to dinner. A table with a view. The feeder is surrounded by my flower gardens and the squirrels in the trees provide plenty of entertainment chasing each other, jumping from branch to branch. Dinner and a floorshow. Now that ought to get her attention.

I'll keep you posted on the woodpecker's progress, but in the meantime, take a look at this video my husband took of an earlier family who set up housekeeping in the same tree, click here. (Click on "download" if the video doesn't start playing right away.)

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

Celebrating 20 years at the Online Book Club!
Get ready to party, starting the week of February 25th!

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column 02-19-19

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

Dear Reader,

We're in luck, today Sarah Beckman is our guest author. Sarah is also a national speaker and communications trainer. Her new book Hope in the Hard Places helps people walk through struggles with tangible help, biblical truth, and a heavy dose of hope. She also wrote the bestselling book, Alongside: A Practical Guide for Loving your Neighbor in their Time of Trial.

Sarah and her husband live in Albuquerque, NM and have three grown children and a big white pup. She loves to travel, hike, eat green chile, and spend time at the lake with family and friends.

Sarah is giving away five copies of her new book, Hope in the Hard Places. To enter the drawing, email [email protected]

Please welcome Sarah Beckman...

We have had a lake home in Northern Minnesota for almost a decade. Our first summer I gave every creature a name, from Charlie the Chipmunk who tried to sneak into my house via the screen door, to Billy the Bat who lived in the umbrella on the patio, and Eddie the Egret who languished on one leg on my floating swim raft. But none were as precious to me as the elusive loon couple I nicknamed Lenny and Lucy.

Of all my newfound friends, the loons quickly became the object of my obsession. If you don't know, common loons are duck-like birds that live on remote lakes in the northern part of the US and Canada, but ironically they are anything but common.

Loons have a beautiful black and white speckled body, a swath of white on their necks, a dark black head and bill, and beady red eyes. They aren't very good at flying, but they are fabulous at swimming and diving because their webbed feet sit further back on their bodies.

I admire their loyalty to one another, as they almost always live in pairs. But what they are known most for is their call. The loon's songs are a delicate balance between beautiful and haunting. Sometimes they make a low, continuous moaning call, and other times it's a high pitched, fast-paced trill. And then there is the territorial yodel, which is perhaps the most recognized of all.

To know a loon is to love them. It's hard not to be fascinated by their habits, movements, singing, diving and flying. And did I mention that they carry their babies on their backs when they're born? What's not to love about that? When Lenny and Lucy had a baby a few summers after we arrived, we named him Lucky.

Because I'm loon obsessed, one of my favorite pastimes at the lake is to stalk the loons in my kayak, sneaking up on them so I can watch their movements from a closer vantage point. Inevitably they dive under the water whenever I gain optimal proximity for a photo. But I love the quest...and the occasional gift when they remain in place and allow me to soak in their presence.

The lake and loons are synonymous for me now. And when I lie in bed at night and I hear their haunting call echoing through the darkness, I know I'm home.

-- Sarah Beckman

Sarah says she would love to hear from you. Email her at [email protected] to chat about writing, loons, or anything else you want to know--and be entered in the drawing for a copy of her new book, Hope in the Hard Places.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column 02-18-19

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

Dear Reader,

A man can never have too many flashlights.

That's what my husband tells me and I hope he's right, because I've taken him at his word. A flashlight has been one of the staples of my gift choices for a man. In fact, I'm so sold on the idea that I keep an emergency flashlight gift-wrapped, and ready to go out the door on a moment's notice.

I'm amazed at how many styles, shapes and colors of flashlights there are--and I think my husband just might own one of each. It seems a bit excessive, I mean come on, how many flashlights does one man really need? But then again, those are the words of a woman who keeps six different types of lotion on her dresser.

In my defense, each lotion has its own distinctive use. But when they're lined up in front of me, side-by-side sitting on my dresser, it does seem a bit overindulgent.

Then again, I could just envision them as little flashlights, couldn't I?

*Guess what today's giveaway is? (My husband is so happy!) It's a flashlight! To enter for your chance to win, click here.

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

Celebrating 20 years at the Online Book Club!
Get ready to party, starting the week of February 25th!

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

** AUTHORBUZZ **

CONTROL (Fiction) by K. Bromberg

It's been a year since I delved into the world of Sunnyville and the Malone brothers in my Everyday Heroes series. While you loved Grant, Grady, and Grayson, many of you were curious about the smart-mouthed, tell-it-like-it-is best friend, Desi Whitman. This is Desi's story. I can't wait for you to laugh at her sharp tongue and swoon as Reznor tries to calm her fears and win her over.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on CONTROL to read more and to email author K. Bromberg, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-15-19

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

Dear Reader,

Grandma, that's me, is charge of family birthday and holiday celebrations. Yes, our family was going to get together for a Valentine dinner party this year. The date was set two weeks ahead of the holiday to work around school activities. But then one of my grandchildren got sick, so I rescheduled the party for one week before Valentine's Day, but then another grandchildren came down with a bug, so I rescheduled again. You'd think third time might be a charm, but it wasn't for my poor five-year-old granddaughter. Hadley had to have her tonsils out and there were some complications. So I've decided to pass right by a Valentine's Day family dinner this year, and as soon as everyone is recovered, I think we'll have a BINGO family dinner. Our family loves to play BINGO. (Grandma buys great prizes.)

So, I have some Valentine decorations--a lot of them--that need a good home. They'll make quite a party for someone next Valentine's Day. Or, be bold. Surprise your family and friends in July with an invitation to a Valentine's party. To enter the drawing for Valentine decorations, click here.

You'll be glad you did. Nancy G., won the dinosaur decorations from my grandson's birthday party. They were just too cute to toss.

"Hi Suzanne! The dinosaur packages arrived on Saturday. We were watching our granddaughter, Juliet (28 months), that day when the mailman rang the doorbell. As we opened the boxes she was soooooooooo excited. She loved playing with the colored plastic toys. What a generous gift!!" -- Nancy G.

Enter to win the Valentine's Day decorations, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Celebrating 20 years!
[email protected]