Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 03-29-19

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

Isn't it comforting when you realize you're not the only one?

I feel a little smarter this morning, knowing I'm not the only one who's totally overwhelmed reading their car's manual. Emails from car-manual-challenged readers have inspired me to dig into our 2016 Toyota Navigation and MultiMedia manual today (and not to lay my head down on my pillow tonight), until I figure out why, when I'm at home talking on my cell phone and my husband pulls into our driveway, suddenly I can't hear the person on the other end of the phone. But my husband can clearly hear both sides of our conversation--because it's streaming through our car's audio system.
Yes, I admit my car's 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Navigation and MultiMedia 304-page manual scares me, but I declare here and now that it's not going to win this round! I may not get to bed until 3 a.m., but by golly, tomorrow when my husband pulls into our driveway, and I'm talking on my cell phone to my friend, I will be in charge of our conversation, not my car!

"Suzanne, I laughed out loud at your story today about the upgrade in your car to a Toyota 2016 Avalon. About one month ago, we upgraded our 'ride' from a 2007 Toyota Camry to a Nissan Quest 2014. Every week we get in the car and find something new. We have had to search the book so many times, ALL the pages are bent down to mark things. I agree with you about the class, I just need 8 hours to try and understand all of this stuff. We had to order disks to upgrade the Nav system. It has been a challenge! I told my husband, who knew people have been driving with all these gadgets for so long, imagine what a 2019 car has on it!! Thank you for a great way to start my day. Laughter IS the BEST medicine. I have been reading with you for about 12 years now. Love every minute." -- Kathy K.

"I can definitely relate to your woes with the navigation and entertainment system in your car. I have had my 2015 Toyota Corolla for over four years and I like to think I am pretty tech savvy, but I am still learning new things about the system. I love to read, but the 300 plus page manual is not my idea of fun. I have been frustrated with how the radio kept going in and out of clarity while in 'HD mode' since I bought the car and told a friend of mine this. She was recently in the car, pushed a few buttons on the touch screen and showed me how to turn off the HD feature...who knew? Only took four years! Maybe in another four years I will have it all figured out! Thank you again for your stories," -- Rashel W.

"[Your] piece hit home..we leased a new Jeep almost two years ago and still haven't figured it out. We didn't get a manual, just an online link to it. I guess when you don't buy the car, you don't get the manual! Ha. Have a great day Suzanne!" -- Amy F.

"I remember something like this in the early 90s when I was teaching and I had to take a course in computers and programming. After finishing the course I frustratedly mumbled quite loudly "I don't want anything to do with computers until they are voice activated." In 2014 I got my first iPad , followed in 2016 by Alexa, and 2017 by Alexa with a screen--all voice activated. So, maybe your 2026 car (since you seem to keep a car 10 years) will be totally voice activated." -- Karen

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-28-19

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

Dear Reader,

My husband and I bought a new-used 2016 Toyota Avalon. Our new car has all the safety bells and whistles that our 2006 didn't have. I like feeling safer, and I really appreciate the fact that I don't have to read up on how all the new safety gadgets work, because they are do-it-themselves features. No involvement on my part--they work by themselves.

There's also a highly-technical navigation and multimedia system. It would do things beyond my wildest dreams (probably even do my laundry), if I only knew how the darn thing worked. There are two manuals for our new car. One is filled with maintenance and mechanical how-to's. The other is a 304-page manual solely dedicated to how to use that high-tech navigation and multimedia system. It's overwhelming. I flipped through the manual looking for one of those "quick-start" one-page sheets, included with everything you buy these days. But there's none to be found. Just the opposite, the Table of Contents is 12 pages long, there's also a a chapter titled: How to Read This Manual.

I called the Toyota service manager. "Do you offer a class on how to use the navigation and multimedia system?" The guy who answered just chuckled.

But I'm not kidding. I think it's a new business waiting to be started. A one week, 8-hour-a-day (with homework required in the evening) class. If you pass the exam at the end, there's a certificate you can display in your car window. "I'm the proud owner of a highly-technical navigation system and I know how to use every feature!" But alas there isn't any class and truth be told, even if there was a week-long 8-hour-a-day class and I did the additional three hours of homework every night, I doubt I'd pass the big exam--no certificate for me.

In the meantime, I keep leaving the 304-page manual in strategic places throughout the house, hoping my husband will pick up the book and figure out the navigation system for both of us. After all--he's the one who hates to ask for directions.

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) DEFENSE OF AN OTHER by Grace Mead

(Fiction) THREAD FOR PEARLS: A Story of Resilient Hope by Lauren Speeth

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-27-19

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

Dear Reader,

There's a Teen Book Club offered in my line-up of reading genres, but I don't write the Dear Reader column for that one. Instead teens write for teens. Right now there are several openings for teens to write some of the columns before the daily Teen read. Many of our long time writers are heading off to college. If you know a teen who loves to write, and they'd like to explore their talents, please let them know about this unique opportunity. Not only will they gain valuable writing experience, it will be an asset on a college application. I wish I would have had this opportunity when I was a teen.

How does a young person become a writer? Simply start writing.

I started writing when I was a teenager. My friends would ask me to rewrite/edit their papers before they handed them in at school. The practice and skills that I learned when I was a teen, were the beginnings of my writing career, and I love what I do every day.

To inquire about this writing opportunity, contact: Susan at: Teen@DearReader.com

The winners of the March Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway are:
Jean V., Diane B., Crosby-Edith Fae Cook Cole Branch Library and Carolyn G., Glendale Public Library.

Gwendolyn S. is the winner of the writing journal.

Finally, Janet K., is the winner of Of Fire and Lions by Guest Author Mesu Andrews.

Book Club reader Betty emailed last week with a good question...

"Hope you are having a sunny day in FL. I have been in your book club for quite a few years now and have one question: Are church libraries eligible to enter the contests for chocolate chip cookies? I have entered several times but thought I should seek clarification in case this contest in only for public/school libraries. Thanks," -- Betty A.

Betty, all readers are eligible to enter all the giveaways, unless specifically noted. Once you win any giveaway, you are not eligible to win again for six months.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-26-19

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

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Frances Liardet, writes...

I am from the southern English county of Hampshire, a place of chalk hills and beech-woods. I am blessed by a daughter who came to me late in life. This countryside became the setting for my novel We Must Be Brave, and this daughter inspired the fictional child at the heart of my story! Like many older mothers, I have come late and joyfully to children's parties and sleepovers, Calpol--a common fever remedy in England--and inconsolable tears over the loss of cloth bunnies. I read--and write--at the expense of housework and FaceBooking. Although I have to say that social media is growing on me. It's great to connect with readers worldwide!

Connect with Frances

The Square Toilet

'Oh, Mummy, we had an amazing pudding!'

My second daughter, six years old, is just home from school. Like her mother, she's English. In English-English, all desserts hot or cold, even fruit, can be referred to as puddings.

As in, What's for pudding? Apples.

But this pudding is surely no apple or orange. Her eyes are far too wide and shining.

'It was shaped like a swiss roll....' Cupping her palms, she busily pats her way around an imaginary jelly roll. 'But guess what was inside!'

'Jam?'

She shakes her head. Her voice lowers to a conspiratorial whisper. 'Ice cream!'

'Oh, gosh!' I said to her, for what else can you say. 'That's fantastic!' Only then did we turn to the fascinating question of why the ice cream in the Arctic Roll--a widely-known UK desert--had not melted during the cooking of the cake.

This is one of the blessings of mothering young children. You get to delight in someone else's delight at the world, to be surprised by their astonishment at the fabulousness of what we adults mistakenly call everyday existence. My first daughter, who would have been this joyous child's older sister, was stillborn at full term. During the dark days after this beloved baby died, I happened to visit a local tourist attraction where the rest rooms boasted toilets with pans and seats that were rectangular, rather than the usual curved oval, in shape. As I washed my hands I heard a tiny gleeful voice say from a stall behind me, 'Ooh, Mummy, it's a square toilet!' I was forty-three at this point, and I remember thinking as I dried my hands: This is what I will never have. No surprised little girl will ever say that to me, in that heart-piercing tone of voice.

Never have I envied a woman as I did that little girl's mother.

Now that I have my second, only daughter, I treasure those many moments that I nearly missed altogether. The time when she insisted on wearing a plastic shower cap all day, worn very low on the forehead so that her eyelids were squashed down at the corners. And when I asked her at the end of a shopping trip, 'What shall we do now?' and she replied, 'I know. Let's walk along with our hands in our trousers pockets!' And most cherished, her lively exclamation when at last I took her to those same rest rooms in the city attraction that, years before, I had visited in mourning.

'Ooh Mummy!' she said...

--Frances Liardet

Welcome Frances to the book club.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

THREAD FOR PEARLS: A Story of Resilient Hope (Fiction) by Lauren Speeth

I'm like a one-song bird about hope. Set during one of the most politically divisive eras in American history, my coming-of-age tale follows a young girl's journey toward faith and freedom amidst a turbulent family dynamic. "Thread for Pearls" is a story of resilient hope.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on THREAD FOR PEARLS to read more and to email author Lauren Speeth, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-25-19

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

Dear Reader,

Are kids ever too old for an Easter Egg Hunt? Apparently not. Last week I asked readers and they replied...

"Suzanne, my children are 29, 35, and 37. Somehow they never got tired of the Easter Egg hunt...all grown-ups in grown-up jobs. But you would never have known it, by watching them racing around at our cabin in the woods looking for Easter eggs. Last hunt [eggs were filled with] pieces of paper with things like: 'Mom will bake you a carrot cake, one poem written for you, one compliment on demand, a knitting lesson, a fly fishing lesson, help moving, dog sitting,' etc. It was hilarious watching them all scurrying around the yard trying to beat each other to find the most eggs. It was fun and we celebrated throughout the year as they cashed in."-- Gerri D.

"One year when my son was getting older, we made the egg hunt something of a scavenger hunt. Instead of treats hidden in the eggs, there were clues and puzzles that pointed him to where the next egg was, with the final egg giving the location of the Easter Bunny's treasure, which was all the treats and the basket. Our son loved it so much that he wanted to do it every year! -- Jennifer L. M.

"When my three sons, now 33 and 31, got too old for the basket hunt, I asked them what they wanted to do. They said, 'Skip the basket, fake grass, hard boiled eggs and jelly beans. Cut to the chase! We want the 12" high, chocolate bunny.' So the night before Easter, my husband and I crawled around our small house and hid the three bunnies. This was an adventure for us because the boys knew every hidden hole in our small home, but we did it. They had a great time finding the chocolate bunnies and eating them, ear by ear, tail by tail. Have a great hunt!"-- Sue M.

"Hi, Suzanne, If it seems Paul is feeling too old to hunt eggs, consider enlisting his help to plan the hunt for his brother and sister. Older siblings can be very good at hiding things." -- PhilisAnn B.

Thanks to everyone who sent in Easter Egg Hunt suggestions. The Sarasota, Florida Easter Bunny is now filled with ideas.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

DEFENSE OF AN OTHER (Fiction) by Grace Mead

In this legal thriller, a young, closeted gay lawyer named Matt Durant is attacked in an alley behind a club in the French Quarter and fights back, killing one of his attackers. Thrown in Orleans Parish Prison he calls his boss for help. The novel then follows the course of his trial and explores its consequences.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on DEFENSE OF AN OTHER to read more and to email author Grace Mead, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-22-19

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

Dear Reader,

I worry way too much. If you've been reading my daily column for a while, you obviously know it's not the first time I've fessed up to being a worrywart. Hmm, am I using an incorrect spelling? Is it worrywart? Or worrywort? (Great, something else to worry about.)

Even Google couldn't squelch my spelling worry--seems you can take your pick. It depends on whose entry you want to believe. But I did find some worrywart comfort as I was researching the origin of worrywart. You know how if you have some affliction and you find someone else who has it, you're not happy they suffer from the same thing you do, but for some reason there is a bit of comfort in discovering you're not the only one.

Well I discovered there are oodles of us worrywarts, but we shouldn't worry that we're to blame. In researching worrywart, I think that cartoonist J. R. Williams is somewhat responsible for our worry afflictions. Mr. Williams took little, every day worries and put them centerstage in a popular cartoon strip called Worry Wart back in the 40s. Worry Wart was the name of a character who caused others to worry. Yes, Worry Wart stayed worry-free but only because he passed his worries onto all the people around him, including my dad who loved to read the funnies, and then my dad passed the worrywart thing on to me. Okay, so I don't know that for sure, but at the moment it sounds comforting that my worrying isn't all my fault.

"Help yourself not to worry," therapists tell us worriers. And one of the techniques they preach is, "Don't worry about worrying, just accept the fact that you are worrying."

So I'm trying not to worry, that I'm worrying, instead I'll acknowledge the fact that I'm worrying--but isn't that the problem with worrying? I know I'm worrying, I acknowledge I'm worrying and I just keep on worrying. This is all getting too complicated for me. This column is going nowhere. I'm worried that I can't make this work today...so I'm outta here.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Don't worry about your waistline when you eat my chocolate chip cookies. Today is the last day to enter and I'm ready to bake for you. To see smiling faces of past winners, and enter the this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

HOLD ON (Fiction) by Samantha Young

When I finished writing "As Dust Dances" I knew the hero's sister Autumn not only needed her own story, but deserved something truly magical. Is there anything more exciting and tumultuous than an instant love connection? Not only did I get the chance to unite reader favorite Autumn with Grayson King--a sexy, loving, alpha hero--I got to do it in the beautiful world of Kristen Proby's Big Sky series. I hope when you dive into their story you feel the joy I felt writing it!

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on HOLD ON to read more and to email author Samantha Young, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-21-19

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

Dear Reader,

I'm an advance planner, so the Easter Bunny is on my mind today. I'm in a bit of a quandary about this year's egg hunt. Three of our grandchildren live nearby here in Sarasota: Hadley's five, James is ten and Paul is 12 years old. I know Hadley and James will be up for the Big Egg Hunt this year, but I'm wondering about Paul. Are you ever too old to look for the colored eggs filled with treats?

Since I'm concerned Paul might not be wowed by the hide-the-eggs-around-the-yard hunt, maybe it's time to pull out the stops and do a repeat performance of our family's 2012 egg hunt--when my husband and I met up with the Easter Bunny in the Red Bug Slough Preserve, here in Sarasota.

We learned that not only is the Easter Bunny a professional basket and egg hider, he's also an environmentalist, touting a master's degree in Environmental Science. In case you're wondering what a slough is, the big white bunny explained it to us this way, "A slough, pronounced 'sloo,' is simply a creek that runs through a marsh."

In addition to the creek, the slough had picnic tables, a wooded area with trails, a playground, plenty of parking and brand new bathrooms, making it the perfect spot for our egg hunt. It was an elaborate search in the woods, for our two young grandsons (Hadley wasn't on the scene yet), complete with clues on pink and green signs--"This Way! Turn Left! Go Back, You Missed Some Eggs!" My husband and I hid 40 eggs in groups of five, keeping track of all the eggs on a map, so we didn't leave any behind. The big hunt ended with hidden Easter baskets filled with goodies.

This wasn't the first time my husband and I organized a non-traditional egg hunt. When Bailey, our granddaughter (who's now 24 years old), came to visit for Easter vacation, when she was seven, instead of searching for Easter eggs in our yard, Grandpa took her on a treasure hunt. Eggs were hidden on the beach, in trees, behind statues, and Bailey and Grandpa even paddled to an island to retrieve some hidden eggs, too.

The "Bunny" is open to new ideas this year. If you have an Egg Hunt idea, I'd love to hear from you.

Have you entered the cookie giveaway yet? Past winners who "dunked and munched" my chocolate chip cookies, sent thank yous and photos. To see some of those smiling cookie faces, and enter the March Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, click here.

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)
CRAZY IMPERFECT LOVE by K.L. Grayson

(Fiction)
WORTH FIGHTING FOR by Laura Kaye

(Fiction)
NOTHING WITHOUT YOU by Monica Murphy

(Fiction)
HOLD ON by Samantha Young

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-20-19

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

Dear Reader,

Readers dunked and munched my chocolate chip cookies, sent thank yous and photos to celebrate the book club's 20th birthday. To see some of those smiling cookie faces, and enter the March Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, click here.

Thank you for writing. I sure do appreciate hearing from you.

"Hi Suzanne, I received the homemade chocolate chip cookies I won in your giveaway. They arrived safely. Not even one was broken, which could have been because of all the pretty tissue paper wrapped around them! Including a nice card in the package really gave it a special touch. As I expected, the cookies are 'bomb' (which, according to my 18-year-old daughter, means 'great'). With four of us in the house, they won't last long! Thank you so much for the book club. Monday through Friday, we get to read your amusing, enlightening, and sometimes humbling, anecdotes. I have also been introduced to many books I probably would never have considered reading. I hope you never run out of stories to tell!" -- Melissa S.

"Dear Suzanne, waiting for your cookies to arrive felt like waiting for the Wells Fargo Wagon! I was so excited and your cookies did not disappoint! Thank you so much!" -- Sharon R.

"I received the cookies today in the most carefully wrapped package I have ever seen! I will be serving them this Saturday at gathering of work colleagues who are also serious readers. Photos will be taken. I did break into the box and ate one. I had to sample it, right? The rest are in the freezer until Saturday, so I don't eat them all, as a prior cookie recipient did. Thank you for you cookies," -- Sue M.

I love to hear from readers. I'm at your service. Just send an email...

"I really enjoy the book club not only for the books, but for the awesome recipes you share with us. I'm contacting you today because I seem to have lost your recipe for the meatball casserole dish you shared with us. It's cool and rainy here in mid-Missouri and a tummy warming dish sounds perfect.If you would please send it to me, I'd really appreciate it! Thank you, in advance." -- Patty M.

Did you know that most of my favorite recipes can be found at my recipe blog? You'll find it by clicking here.

To see smiling cookie winners' photos, and enter the Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

NOTHING WITHOUT YOU by (Fiction) Monica Murphy

I'm so excited to tell you about my newest book, and how it's a part of the Kristen Proby Crossover Collection! When your friend reaches out and asks you to participate in her newest project, you of course say yes, and that's exactly what I did. Writing Tucker and Maisey's story and setting it in Kristen's fictional town Cunningham Falls was such a fun experience. These characters of mine--and Kristen's too!--reached right into my heart and never let go. I hope they do the same for you.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on NOTHING WITHOUT YOU to read more and to email author Monica Murphy, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-19-19

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

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Christi Daugherty, writes...

As a newspaper reporter, I began covering murders at the age of 22. I worked as a journalist for years in cities including Savannah, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. Eventually my work took me to England, where I wrote my international bestselling Night School series under the name CJ Daugherty.

The Echo Killing was the first novel in my Harper McClain Mysteries series. A Beautiful Corpse book two in the series (set in Savannah), was just released.

Email me at: ChristiDBooks@gmail.com

The Night of the Sniper

When I was a crime reporter in Savannah, I had a unique ability to stumble into the middle of the crime scenes I was trying to cover. This was never better illustrated than the night of the sniper.

Quick backstory: I was twenty-two and extremely earnest. I climbed over fences to get closer to house fires, trudged through hypodermic needles to get a good look at drug dens. I was 'dedicated.'

And when police reported a man with a hunting rifle shooting from the roof of a Victorian row-house downtown, I was ready.

A photographer and I raced through the rain to the scene only to find we couldn't get near the action. Police had taped off dozens of blocks.

For a while we sulked, listening to our scanners. But then the photographer thought of something. Motioning for me to follow, he walked off. A block away he turned into a dark alley.

"It occurred to me they wouldn't think to crime tape the alleys." He shot me triumphant look. "I was right."

Soon, we could hear the crack of gunfire, and the occasional thudding of feet as police ran in one direction or another nearby. The only problem was, we couldn't see anything, and we had no idea where we were. Alleys don't have street signs and we'd been walking quite a while. After a while, we separated. He went out to the main street, I stayed in the alley, looking for the main crime scene.

As I walked in the darkened lane, the gunshots, grew louder and louder. In the canyon of buildings, it was difficult to tell where they were coming from. They seemed to be all around me. Suddenly, without warning, someone grabbed me around the waist and dragged me into the shadows behind a row of garbage cans.

Terrified, I struggled, finally twisting around to see that I was being held by a SWAT officer, dressed in all black, and glowering at me.

"Are you trying to get your ass shot?" he demanded.

"Of course not!" I replied. "I'm a reporter."

"Well you were nearly a dead reporter." He pointed up.

I looked where he indicated. A police spotlight was trained on the top floor, almost directly above our head. In its glow I made out the line of a rifle barrel.

No one died that night. The police talked the man down. The crime tape kept the public safe. The police chief personally complained to my editor about our invasion of the crime scene.

The editor complimented me on getting a great story.

And so it goes.

-- Christi Daugherty
ChristiDBooks@gmail.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

WORTH FIGHTING FOR (Fiction) by Laura Kaye

Imagining meeting someone with whom you have an immediate connection, one so intense you share a scorching hot night together. And then you find out that you now work at the same job--a job that both of you prize as your chance for a fresh start. That's Jesse and Tara's standalone love story, and it's so sexy, fun, and emotional! And watching them give in and fight for what they've found is so very satisfying!

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on WORTH FIGHTING FOR to read more and to email author Laura Kaye, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 03-18-19

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

Dear Reader,

Digging through my old recipe files over the weekend, I came across an old favorite: Chicken Waikiki Beach. I used to make it practically every other week, but I realized I hadn't made it in years and I wasn't really sure why.

Maybe I overdid it and my husband and I got too much of a good thing? It wouldn't be the first time we got carried away and ate so much of something, that we couldn't stand to look at it for quite awhile.

Years ago when my husband and I lived in Madison, Wisconsin, there was an Italian restaurant on Park Street that had a reasonably priced lunch menu and their spaghetti and meatballs was "to die for"...and eventually we did. Spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, that's what we ordered every day for six weeks straight, the waitress didn't even have to ask anymore.

Finally one day when it was time to order lunch, we looked at each other and in unison proclaimed that we couldn't bear the thought of ordering the usual. And that was the end of our spaghetti and meatballs stint.

Chicken Waikiki Beach is one of those dishes you can eat, and reheat, make some more, and eat, and eat day after day, before you get tired of it. And it's one of those recipes that looks like a big deal to make, but it's not. It's an easy to follow step-by-step recipe that will impress your family and friends--and oh my, does it taste good!

To get the recipe and see a photo of the finished dish, click here.

Send me an email if you try it, and let me know what you thought.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

CRAZY IMPERFECT LOVE (Fiction) by K.L. Grayson

I'm delighted to be a part of the Kristen Proby crossover collection and share this sweet treat with you. The only thing I love more than a strong, independent woman with a vulnerable side, is a man with the same qualities. This is a story of following your heart--even if that heart leads you to a quaint mountain town and into the arms of a way-too-sexy-for-his-scrubs surgeon.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on CRAZY IMPERFECT LOVE to read more and to email author K.L. Grayson, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, by Sally Roesch Wagner, with an introduction by Gloria Steinem. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.