Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 09-30-19

Dear Reader,

Only one week left to enter the Write a DearReader Contest. You don't need to be a writer to enter. The contest is about writing fun. Read last year's winning entries and the rules and deadline, click here.

Readers had a lot to say about my column last week about cursive handwriting not being taught in schools anymore...

"Another of your columns has struck a note with me. My grandsons don't even know how to write their names in cursive. And if I write them a note they cannot read it. So parents now have an additional means of keeping their children in the dark about events simply by writing.

We spent years with those penmanship booklets copying the ideal way to form letters. Many of us thought it was over done, but when I write now, people say, 'You must have been a teacher to write like that.' No, just a student of cursive. Enjoy your columns every day, continue to share." -- Barbara N.

"Good morning, Suzanne! I heard about this a few years ago, and I am still shocked and appalled that cursive isn't part of the curriculum anymore. I'm 35, and my graduating class was one of the last to learn cursive. When I took the GRE, I had to copy a paragraph stating I understood the rules before I could enter the room--and it had to be in cursive. You'll probably get a lot of librarians telling you this, but recently the ALA shared an article about the Richland Library in Columbia, SC, and their youth program for teaching cursive. I nearly cheered in my office when I read it. Once again, librarians step in to fill the void. Thanks for sharing your thoughts every day. Yours are my favorite emails." Rachel C., MLS

"Typing used to be taught in high school as a career skill. Now it's an important LIFE skill and needs to be taught at a young age. In middle school my two kids had a laptop provided for them to use in their classes by the school. Starting in high school they each had her own laptop issued by the high school that they could bring home.

At schools now, every paper and assignment (other than math) have to be typed--so typing skills are much more important than handwriting. Most assignments are submitted electronically--paperless!

High school and college students definitely use laptops for school work--to prepare them for their future jobs--so it makes sense to focus on keyboard skills rather than handwriting. With decreasing school budgets, any item added to curriculum (keyboard skills taught in elementary), means something has to go. I agree with you, it's a shame, but practical none-the-less." -- Becky S.

"I have been so upset about this for the past year when I found out at a wedding shower! The bride to be could not read the note I had enclosed with the gift! It is an outrage in my opinion. Your reading friend in Hudson Florida" -- Kerry N.

"Shocking, isn't it? I think it is a BIG mistake not to teach cursive! We need to do it at home, if they're not doing it in the schools! Blessings," -- Martha H.

(Note from Suzanne:) When I was searching the internet for information about why cursive isn't taught in school anymore, I discovered a delightful article...

"Ten year-old Sara, from Maryland, wowed the judges. Sara was born without hands, but on her own, she figured out a method of cursive writing, by gripping the pencil between her arms. Sara is the winner of the 2019 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest." (And rightly so. Her handwriting is beautiful!)

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

Get writing, I'm waiting to read your entry,

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

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

INDULGE ME (Fiction) by J. Kenner

Nikki and Damien Stark have been with me for six years, six novels, and over ten novellas, and I still enjoy writing their journey. In this newest novella, this power couple are still recovering from one of the most horrible traumas a parent can face. Against the romantic setting of Paris, they come together to help each other heal and, in the process, take their already strong relationship to an all-new level.

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

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-27-19

Dear Reader,

It's a good thing books aren't written in cursive, because in a few years no one will be able to read them, or the Constitution of the United States, or the Declaration of Independence, because both documents are written in longhand.

I may be the last to know, but just the other day I discovered that cursive isn't automatically taught in schools any more. My almost 13-year-old grandson doesn't know how to write in longhand, or read it. I was shocked. There must be some mistake. But unfortunately the Internet search confirmed it: "Cursive handwriting will no longer be taught in schools because it's a big, old waste of time." The assumption seems to be that everyone will be using keyboards in the future.

My grandson isn't the only one. A friend of mine said her daughter called her from work, because she'd received a packet of medical records from an 85-year-old, who had included a handwritten note with the documents. My friend's daughter emailed her a photo of the note, so she could help 'decipher' the cursive writing. One of her daughter's twenty-something colleagues actually thought the note was written in a foreign language.

I used to roll my eyes when my parents and grandparents would say it, but "What's the world coming to?" I think it's coming to people signing their names with an X on a document. The only good news is that we won't have to worry about being able to read our doctor's handwriting, because she or he will be printing instead.

Printing out an "I Love You" note to your sweetheart, just doesn't feel as romantic when it doesn't have hand-penned swirls of cursive. Those fancy fountain pens of mine, they might be worth something someday--I'm going to include them in my will. And then there's the handwritten letters my 25-year-old granddaughter has sent me over the years. I've been saving them to give to her someday, so she could enjoy looking back over the events of her life. Not only will she enjoy reading them again, but I can clearly see Sotheby's auctioning them off: "A Rare Vintage Collection of Cursive Written Letters" from back in the olden days. Those letters could be a cash cow for her retirement. Cha-ching!

* Tell a story, win some cash, buy some new shoes or a fishing pole, impress your friends and family. Sound like fun? It could happen to you, but first you need to enter my annual Write a DearReader Contest. You don't need to be a writer to enter. The contest is for writing for fun. To read last year's winning entries and information about the rules and deadline, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-26-19

Dear Reader,

When I type email, or send a card or letter to someone, and I get to the sign off, I stop and really think about the last few words I choose to use. Beginnings are important, but I've discovered the endings, the last words, the final thoughts, those are the feelings that stay with me.

"Hi Suzanne,

I read your column every day. I enjoy your warmth, humor, and wisdom. Today's column on 'it's better to be sad than happy' really touched my heart. I am going through a difficult time and your wisdom and perspective lifted me up. Your article was so beautifully written. I am saving your article in my inspirational quotes folder to refer back to. Just wanted you to know that you comforted me today and that means a lot. You're a good lady! Many blessings to you my friend. Much love, Jean"

Jean says she's keeping a copy of my column to refer back to, and I was so touched by her words, that I've saved her email for months. How could I not find inspiration in rereading her sign-off words when I was having a bad day? "Just wanted you to know you comforted me today...You're a good lady...many blessings to you my friend."

Simple words at the end, yet a huge impact. Jean's email inspired me to start a list of endings that have left me with good feelings.

You always make my day.
God bless you real good.
You're a wonderful person.
I admire you.
You've inspired me.
Thank you so much.

You'll never know how much this meant to me.
Your words comforted me today.
Thank you kindly.
You are such a joy.
You're an amazing person.

Make today an exciting adventure,
Find a moment of peace today,
I hope it's a real good day,
With sincere thanks,
Your help is greatly appreciated,

Beginnings and endings, those experiences might be the perfect subject for you to write about in this year's Write a DearReader Contest. There are less than two weeks left to enter. I'm excited about reading your entry. Remember, you don't have to be a writer to enter. It's writing for fun. To read all the other information you need, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-25-19

Dear Reader,

Congratulations to September cookie winners, Brenda G., St. Charles Parish Library; Robin L., Hasbrouck Heights Library and Linda S., UA Little Rock, Sequoyah National Research Center.

Ask questions and in the answers you'll discover things you can write about for this year's Write a DearReader Contest. Questions and answers inspired this column a few years ago...

My husband cringes and tries to duck out of sight whenever he hears me say to a stranger, "I realize this isn't really any of my business, but I'm just curious..." I admit the first few times I ventured into the "unknown," that even I felt a little uneasy. But in the end, I've never been sorry that I asked, because usually I hear an interesting story.

"Why was the man in front of me in the grocery line wearing a green ribbon, with a fancy bow tied around the bottom of his pant leg? No, he wasn't a cyclist. He said he's always forgetting important things, (well, that's what his wife tells him) they made a bet, he lost, and his wife didn't think that a string tied around his finger for a day was big enough penance.

And then there's Gretchen, a book club reader. She sent me an email the other day and her signature line read:

From the desk of Gretchen S.
Soprano & Office Manager

Okay, I had to ask. Soprano & Office Manager??

Gretchen explained it this way: "I have two lives. My life I love--a working musician as an operatic soprano/voice, teacher/performer, which doesn't quite pay my bills yet! And my other life--that supports the soprano part of my life I love--office manager at a small accounting firm! So, Diva, soprano, office manager, I am! Diva by night, office manager by day!"

I like her idea. It's a great way to "market" what you want to be or what you'd rather be doing from 9 to 5. "How-to" gurus are constantly preaching, "if you want to make a change in your life, think the part, act the part, until it happens." Think of the possibilities:

Sailor / VP Public Relations
Single and still looking / Accountant
Perfect Game Bowler / Retail Clerk
Author / Postal Carrier

Want to be thinner / School Teacher
Scrabble Champion / Butcher
First Baseman / Lab Technician
NASCAR Driver / Waiter

So what would be yours?

* Less than two weeks left to enter my annual Write a DearReader Contest. You don't need to be a writer to enter. The contest is for writing fun. To read all the other information you need, click here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-24-19

Dear Reader,

Little Lovely Things, is the debut novel by today's guest author Maureen Joyce Connolly--and she has five copies to give away to readers. Enter the giveaway for a copy Little Lovely Things, email [email protected]

Maureen is a former owner of a consulting firm that helped specialty drug companies to develop medications for ultra-rare diseases. Her background in science and love of the natural world informs and inspires her writing. Little Lovely Things is her debut as a novelist. She is also an award-winning poet, published in diverse outlets such as Emory University's Lullwater Review and Yankee Magazine.

Maureen is a foodie and appreciates interesting recipes. She also enjoys painting (especially flowers and sycamore trees), competing in races with her dragon boat team (Go Fierce)!, and reading (of course). She relishes spending time with her three children, her husband and her pets; a ridiculous terrier named Huckleberry, and a plump orange cat, Pumpkin.

Welcome Maureen, say hello and enter her book giveaway. Email: [email protected]

Foray to HoJo's

My mother was probably the most imaginative and least earth-bound person I have ever known. She remains my absolute inspiration.

I can cite many instances that encapsulate her unique world view, which was a mixture of uncompromising certitude combined with obliviousness. One of my favorites is an incident that occurred in the early 1970's, when we were off to our cabin for the weekend and stopped for lunch at Howard Johnson's along the way.

My mother allowed my sister and I to each bring a friend. So within our fire engine red station wagon came two girls from the neighborhood and Kitty Kartz, our tuxedo cat with a personality that ranged from nasty to downright malicious. Not long after we hit the road, a familiar, we're hungry, chorus arose from us kids. Within minutes the iconic orange and turquoise building appeared on the horizon. We stopped, unloaded ourselves, and single-filed it into Ho-Jo's past my mom holding the open door. I entered last with Kartz fully visible in my arms. We casually grabbed stools at the lunch counter, me at the end, with a clearly irritated cat squirming on my lap.

The kid behind the counter sized up the situation up before speaking in the universally flat tone of adolescents.

"Lady. I can't serve you. You have a cat."

Uh oh. All eyes went to our mother just as Kartz figured it was time to unleash his claws into the flesh of my thighs. I squeezed him tighter. My mom demanded to see the manager.

A red-faced blonde man with a paper cap tilted to one side of his head, appeared. I noticed he was sweating. Kartz began to flick his tail and growl.

"You can't have a cat in here lady." His tone was incredulous. "You need to leave."

My mother sat tall as if stymied by some great cosmic injustice and stared at that manager in disbelief.

He grimaced and shook his head.

Appalled at his intractability, my mother announced in her best queen-of-England accent, "In that case, we shall all leave."

Kartz by now had sunk his incisors into my forearm. I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from yowling in pain. My mother lined us up and lead us out, with me in the rear, struggling cat now crushed to my chest.

Once we piled back into our station wagon, she gunned it over to the Dog-N-Suds drive-in, where we were served curbside after ordering hot dogs (one for Kartz) and root beer through a speaker attached our car.

-- Maureen Joyce Connolly

Enter the giveaway for a copy of Maureen's new book, Little Lovely Things, email [email protected]

* You could be featured as a guest writer in my column if your entry in this year's Write a DearReader Contest is chosen as a winner or receives honorable mention. Cash prizes, rules and deadlines, along with last year's winning entries, read all about them here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-23-19

Dear Reader,

There are only two weeks left to submit your entry for this year's Write a DearReader Contest.

Need some inspiration?

Read Cynthia R. Temple's winning column from 2016...

Let me tell you about my childhood. I don't share this because I think my childhood was extraordinary. I'm sure there are many who experienced the joy and wonder of being a kid. I share this because when I describe my childhood, the first words that come to mind are "well played."

My sister and I were expert players. Please don't think I'm referring to organized sports. Neither of us was particularly athletic. We were players of the highly creative variety. I would have to say, the prep for these "games" took just as much time as the actual play.

Playing "Library," for example, required us to remove all of the books from my mother's bookshelf. We inserted a card (usually a playing card) into each book, so it would be ready for check-out. Checking out would be done by shining the gooseneck lamp on my desk down on the book, and turning it off and on. Though real-life libraries of that day still used stamping for checkouts, our imaginary library had progressed to photocopying. Did I mention we were also visionaries?

The next heavy-prep job was playing clothing store. Of course, we had to take the clothes from our closet and attach tags, and put them back in the closet which doubled as a changing room for our invisible customers. A manual typewriter with the keys jammed together provided the perfect sound of a ticking cash register.

I should tell you about our attire. My mother was and is a small woman, so we rarely clomped around in her heels because they nearly fit us. We were content instead to wear her old purses stuffed with tissues and of course our extremely long hair. To accomplish the "hair" we put tights--the little girls' equivalent of stockings--on our heads and styled them in very attractive "dos." There was the beautiful, long twisted braid, which hung daintily over one shoulder or the lovely French bun which was held with bobby pins and imagination. I don't know how my mother kept a straight face when she saw us "ladies."

We had other games like "Restaurant"--which was only open when my mother was away, as it required the kitchen, living room and dining room, and closed suddenly, the moment we saw her car pull up. We tried "Beauty Shop," but that game was short-lived, once we had given enough of our doll customers disfiguring haircuts. We played "Movies" which was achieved, easily enough by watching TV in the dark. In the early years, before we could make popcorn, we settled for wrapping round crackers in aluminum foil to resemble a certain chocolate, peppermint filled treat. It was not nearly as delicious as we pretended. The imagination can stretch but so far.

My mother inspired our favorite game--Teachers. She was a teacher and we loved the profession. She bought us a large blackboard which fit snugly into an alcove in our room. A chalk line down the middle and it became two classrooms, occupied by the invisible students who attended on our beds. We had complete written rolls, which we called daily. We had posters, lesson plans and worksheets. At lunchtime, the dining room became the cafeteria and we ate with our classes, though we had to repeatedly jump up and turn off the lights, scolding that," I can't even hear what Mrs. Paige is saying!" When my mother insisted we go outside and get some air, you guessed it. Recess! I can't remember whether we removed the tights first.

I don't suggest that we were unique. I'm sure some of you drove living-room-sofa station wagons with vinyl record albums for steering wheels. You probably also fitted bobby pins on your earlobes to make dangling earrings, or made attractive jewelry out of aluminum foil.

I not only salute you, but to you all, I say..."Well played."

You could be this year's winner, but you have to enter to win. Cash prizes, rules and deadlines, and last year's winning entries, read all about it here.

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

I'm looking forward to reading your entry,

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-20-19

Dear Reader,

Did my mother go to college?

What was her first job?

How did my mom and dad meet?

I was an only child, why didn't my parents have other children?

With one exception, we never went on family vacations when I was a kid. In 1967 my parents loaded a borrowed camper, on the back of a borrowed truck, and we drove to the World's Fair in Montreal, Canada. I can't imagine what possessed them to take the trip. It was totally out of character, such a strange decision for them to make. To this day I wonder why?

What were my parents' proudest moments in their lives?

Did their lives turn out like they expected?

I do know my father had to quit school when he was in the 8th grade and get a job to help out his family financially. Times were tough, he was the oldest, and there were four other brothers and sisters.

But I realized the other day that other than a few bits of information, I don't know anything about my parents' lives. I never asked and they never volunteered. There was a mom and dad and me, three of us living in the same house, but we were never really a family. We never talked about anything, especially feelings. I wish we had. My parents and grandparents have all passed away, so now it's just me, and it's too late to ask questions.

But maybe you can still ask your parents or grandparents questions about their lives? And who knows, you might be able to spin a great column from their answers for this year's Write a DearReader Contest. I'd love to hear your story. For all the information, deadline, cash prizes, word count, and to read last year's winning entries, click here.

Have a great weekend--and start writing!

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

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 Column 09-19-19

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,

Today's column started when my husband forwarded an email to me...

"Eating black beans can practically save your life. Okay, so I may be exaggerating a bit, but the current poop on black beans is they're number one for cardiovascular health, a nutritional powerhouse chocked-full of calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. No more constipation, and if you want to lose weight and reduce your waist circumference, start eating those beans."

Who can I attribute that quote to? I have no idea, my husband cut and pasted the info from something he read. Nevertheless, this girl loves black beans and it seemed to me that all those benefits sounded reasonable, so I decided to Google black bean recipes.

My theory about eating healthy is If I'm eating something that's good for me, it gives me an excuse to eat something that's not so good for me. I call that a balanced diet. So when I Googled black bean recipes, and the first one to pop up on my computer screen was Black Bean Brownies, it satisfied both of my qualifications for a balanced diet--I had a winner!

I haven't made the recipe yet. It doesn't look difficult. The most important step seems to be--whirl those black beans around in a food processor--the author of the recipe says "really blend well...and the taste will be much better." Okay, so that scares me just a little bit.

But what even has me more worried is the instruction, "Add 2/3 cup chocolate chips. Not optional. Omit at your own risk!"

I don't know. I'm still working up the courage.

Is there a recipe you'd like to try, but it seems too complicated or the ingredients frighten you a little? That may be a great topic for this year's write a DearReader contest.... Cash prizes, rules and deadlines, along with last year's winning entries, read all about it here.

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)
BEYOND THE MOON by Catherine Taylor

(Fiction)
MOON WATER by Pam Webber

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

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-18-19

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,

To inspire you to enter this year's 15th Annual Write a DearReader Contest, I'm taking a look at Judith C. Brightman's winning column from 2013...

THE BUTTON BOX

An old wooden box sits on the shelf in Nana's closet. Made of dark wood, it has dovetailed corners that Gramps had hand-cut. Yankee thrift allows no waste so buttons from worn-out clothing are saved in the box.

To keep me amused, Nana lets me sort them. There are metal ones from overalls, rubber ones from union suits, shirt buttons, coat buttons, dress buttons, trouser buttons, wooden ones, plastic ones and some that look like bone. They are cool to the touch and smell faintly of camphor and lavender.

While I string them into sets, Nana begins to tell the buttons like telling rosary beads.

"These are from Gramps' coat, the black one. You remember; oh, no, 'twas before you were born. Well, there, the black plait in the braided rug, that's Gramps' coat."

"These little blue ones from your father's first shirt, matched his blue eyes like a cloudless sky. He was too soon grown and gone. It's not natural, you know. Mothers should go first."

"The red are from my house dress, the apple print one, the one in the quilt in the spare room."

Tiny black ones like the eyes of a teddy bear caught my attention and I looked at her with the silent question.

"They're shoe buttons, from the shoes I wore when I graduated from Normal School, in Adams, you know."

"The green are from Uncle Harry's wool shirt. He was a gandy dancer for the railroad. Wanted to be a signalman, but he was colorblind. Found that shirt hanging on a nail in the barn, years after he'd passed on. Mice had found it too, but I saved the buttons."

"The tiny pink ones are from Baby Sarah's only dress. She never was very strong, that one, sickly from the first. Buried her in the family christening dress. Some thought it a waste, but it was mine to do with and so was she. Little bit of a thing she was. Looked so pretty and peaceful."

"The plain white ones came from here and there. Some I found and some came from hand-me-downs that only made it to the quilt scrap box."

The big black ones with the diamonds are her favorite. "Gramps brought me these from the city. Wanted me to put 'em on a fancy dress. Never had call for a fancy dress. If I'd wore it to meeting, people would have thought I was putting on airs."

She seems tired and lost in thought. Slowly I gather them up and put them back into the box. She stands on a stool to put the box back on the shelf.

Everyone is gone now, but I remember well the hours we spent studying family history with the button box.

You could be this year's winner, but you have to enter to win. Cash prizes, rules and deadlines, and last year's winning entries, read all about it at here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Today is the last day to enter September's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. If your name is drawn, I'll send you some of my homemade cookies. They are amazing. To enter the cookie giveaway, click here.

KIDSBUZZ: For any kid who has ever felt underestimated, look no further than WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, a just-right for middle-graders novel by Brigit Young. For a chance to win a free copy and learn more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. 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 09-17-19

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,

Be sure to enter September's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, I'm baking cookies for three lucky readers. To enter, click here.

Today's guest author, Erin Lindsey, has lived and worked in dozens of countries around the world, but has only ever called two places home: her native city of Calgary and her adopted hometown of New York. In addition to the Rose Gallagher mysteries, Erin is the author of the Bloodbound series of epic fantasy novels and the Nicolas Lenoir series of dark fantasy mysteries. Her latest novel, A Golden Grave, follows the continuing adventures of housemaid-turned-Pinkerton agent, Rose Gallagher, as she and her partner track a killer with shocking abilities in Gilded Age New York.

Please welcome Erin Lindsey. Send an email and say hello.

Here's the thing about New York. No matter how much you love it, it's never going to love you back. That's true of most cities to some degree or another, but New York takes it to another level. The pure indifference of the place, whether you're a starving artist or a Wall Street titan or a movie star... It's like a superpower. And really, can you blame it? New York came into its own in the Gilded Age of Teddy Roosevelt and Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

Who can compete with that? Whoever you are, whatever you do, New York is far too cool for you. In spite of that, or maybe because of it, millions of people love the city. 'Desperately.' They crave its attention and approval--because, after all, if you can make it there, etc. etc.

I'd visited New York a few times in my early twenties, but I didn't properly fall in love until I moved there in 2004. I hadn't been there a week before I decided New York was The One. It was crude and loud and brutally honest, fascinating and random and positively 'thrumming' with energy. It was the center of the universe, and if it felt a little like it was tearing at you from all directions, that was just the price of standing in the vortex. I knew right from the start that if I ever left, it would be kicking and screaming.

I was right about that, by the way. It took almost a decade, but when I did finally move, it was with great reluctance. And every time I came back to visit, it was like bumping into an ex you never wanted to break up with in the first place. 'Take me back,' I wanted to cry. 'I still love you.' (I did move back eventually--sort of. I live there part-time. I guess you could say New York and I have an open relationship. But I digress.)

Small wonder filmmakers and novelists are obsessed with the place. Which is great, because until they invent time travel, it's the only way you can experience some of New York's most iconic decades--which is to say, all of them. The Gilded Age of Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence, and the roaring twenties of The Great Gatsby. The gritty Depression of Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man, and the glamorous 1940s of Breakfast at Tiffany's. I honestly couldn't choose a favorite. In whatever form it takes, I heart NY.

-- Erin Lindsey
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* You could be featured as a guest writer in my column if your entry in this year's Write a DearReader Contest is chosen as a winner or receives honorable mention. Cash prizes, rules and deadlines, along with last year's winning entries, read all about them here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
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** AUTHORBUZZ **

MOON WATER (Fiction) by Pam Webber

Any lover of historical fiction who has experienced the throes of young love, endured a long, hot summer of discontent, survived tragedy, and learned life lessons along the way will love this poignant story. There is intense action, humor, soul satisfying courage and redemption on a scale that every human being understands. A novel that promises to stay with you a lifetime.

Go to AUTHORBUZZ click on MOON WATER to read more and to email author Pam Webber, you'll get a reply.

This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.