Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column - March 26, 2024

Dear Reader,

Today’s guest author, Christina Estes, received the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest for Off the Air. During her 20-plus years in Phoenix, Arizona, Christina has covered presidential campaigns, public policy, crime, education and business. Her stories have appeared nationally on NPR and CBS. Having worked for several local TV stations, Christina now reports for the NPR member station in Phoenix. 

Equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining, Off the Air introduces Jolene Garcia, a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, splitting her time between covering general assignments―anything from a monsoon storm to a newborn giraffe at the zoo―and special projects. Word gets out about a death at a radio station, and the body is soon identified as Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host. Jolene conducted his final interview, giving her and her station an advantage. But not for long…

You could win one of three copies of Off the Air. Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

Contact Christina at [email protected]

What a GenX Debut Author Learned From a Millennial Billionaire

It's March 2023. I'm in my hotel room in Tucson, Arizona, trying to convince myself if I can breathe slowly and deeply, it'll be okay.

"This is a big opportunity," I remind myself, as if the knots in my shoulders and stomach don't know. "Just breathe right!"

I'm skipping a morning session I wanted to attend at Left Coast Crime to stretch out on a yoga mat and calm my body and mind.

But it's not working. I roll off the mat and come up with a new plan: acknowledge my nerves and move on.

The mantra, "Acknowledge and move on" plays on a loop as I walk into the conference room, down the aisle, and to the stage for my first panel appearance. The topic fits me: writing in the Southwest but not the title. I stare at the name cards: J.A. Jance, Anne Hillerman, Ramona Emerson. And Christina Estes. Christina who? Exactly. What am I, a year away from being published, doing on a panel with such accomplished authors?

"Acknowledge and move on," I remind myself.

When I try to explain that J.A. Jance's novels set in Arizona inspired me to write, that the Tony Hillerman Prize named after Anne's father is how I received my publishing contract, and that Ramona Emerson's debut novel, longlisted for the National Book Awards, blew me away, my voice cracks, my vision blurs, and my nose starts to run.

It's horrifying.

People came to hear these amazing authors tell stories, not me sniffling away tears. I apologize to the audience and panelists and, while everyone is gracious, my embarrassment burns all day.

That night, after meeting debut author Erin E. Adams, I reveal my awful panel experience. Erin empathizes by sharing advice she heard from Taylor Swift: embrace cringe.

Easy for a billionaire singer/songwriter/businesswoman, I think.

Days later, back at home, I look up the commencement speech where Taylor Swift addresses cringe.

"Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime," she tells graduates. 

She's right. Why did I not acknowledge that during the panel? "Learn to live alongside cringe," she suggests.

While I hope my debut journey is not stuffed with awkward, embarrassing moments, I do feel more prepared, thanks to my new mantra: embrace cringe.

-- Christina Estes

[email protected]

Enter-to-win one of three copies of Off the Air. Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - March 19, 2024

Dear Reader,

Our guest today is Olivia Blacke, author of the Record Shop Mysteries and Brooklyn Murder Mysteries, finally found a way to put her criminology degree to use by writing murderously fun, cozy, and caffeinated mysteries. Olivia is a little nerdy, a lot awkward, and just the right amount of weird. Olivia wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.

A recovering ex-Texan, she resides with her husband, Potassium, and their roly-poly rescue puggle, Baileycakes. Olivia's new book
is Rhythm and Clues. It's raining murder in the third book in the Record Shop Mysteries…

It's been months since Juni Jessup and her sisters solved the last murder in Cedar River when disaster strikes again. After a sketchy financier dies outside Sip & Spin Records during a torrential Texas thunderstorm and the overflowing river spits out a macabre surprise, can they catch the killer without missing a beat? The rhythm is gonna get you.

You could be a winner. Enter the drawing to win one of three copies of Rhythm and Clues send an email with your preferred shipping address to: [email protected]

Reach out to Olivia via: https://oliviablacke.com/about/

Welcome to the book club, Olivia Blacke...

I Don't Know What I'm Doing

I've had a lot of jobs in my lifetime. Some have been mundane. Others, not so much.

I've been a carnival barker, a receptionist, a snake ambassador, and an ad copywriter. I've sold movie theater popcorn, scammy insurance, and budget fashion clothing. I've fixed computers, written complex software code, and managed huge networks. I've been a customer service rep for an international electronics manufacturer and a bank teller in a tiny tourist town on the coast. I've worked on Wall Street, at a major amusement park, for a telecommunications giant, and in a warehouse. I even did a stint as a phone operator at a dating service before the advent of online dating.

These days, I like to think of myself as an author.

One of the fun and challenging things about creating a new character is inventing an entire backstory for them--and nothing affects their life quite as much as their job. When we meet someone new, one of  the first things we ask is what they do for a living. I shudder to think what my meandering career path says about me, but it's given me one advantage. When I write a character, I have knowledge about a wide range of different occupations to pick from. I know what it's like to be on my feet all day. I understand soul-crushing telemarketing calls and mind-numbingly transcribing numbers into a spreadsheet. I've had amazing bosses and horrible ones. I've eaten bag lunches in the cafeteria, catered spreads in fancy conference rooms, and everything in between. I've sat in traffic jams, teleworked, commuted hours on buses and trains, and racked up frequent flyer miles on different jobs.

All these experiences have shaped me as a person, and in turn, helps me shape my characters. Whether it's working a double, mucking out stalls at a zoo, or rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, I've been there. My resume might be all over the place, but I like to think of it as gaining a wide range of experience I can later apply in a book. I've often found myself in jobs I wasn't fully prepared for, and while I might not always know exactly what I'm doing, I've learned enough along the way to make my characters' jobs believable.

-- Olivia Blacke

Enter the drawing to win one of three copies of Rhythm and Clues send an email with your preferred shipping address to: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - March 13, 2024

Dear Reader,

Please welcome today’s guest author, Kendra Broekhuis. Kendra lives in the city of Milwaukee. For her day job, she stays home with four of her children and drives them from one place to another in her minivan. She's written, spoken, and created non-fiction content for over a decade, and now is excited to be publishing two novels. You can find most of Kendra's sarcastic ramblings and serious encouragement--including the grief of losing her baby at 33 weeks pregnant--in her newsletter and on social media. 

Between You and Us is her first novel. It's about a grieving woman who unexpectedly steps into a different version of her life and must choose between the husband she loves and the daughter she lost.

Sneak Peek at Chapters 1-3: http://www.kendrabroekhuis.com/byau-sneak-peek

Kendra is giving away five copies of her book Between You and Us. To enter the drawing, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: [email protected]

What Makes You Sparkle?

"Mom, what makes you sparkle?" my ten-year-old asked from the back of our minivan.

The question took me by surprise. I'm more used to driving to the soundtrack of sibling wars than thoughtful conversation. "Can I ask why you're asking?"

"I heard it on a TV show," she answered. "They were talking about things they really like and are really good at. Now, I want to figure out what makes me sparkle."

I thought back to the ten years of my life when putting on kneepads and spending entire Saturdays inside gymnasiums playing volleyball made me sparkle. And then there was the decade right after I became a mom when I was passionate about blogging and posting on social  media. Currently, I find reading and crafting novels to be quite exciting. See also: custard.

I shared those with my daughter, and she agreed with me on the custard part. But she still seemed discouraged at not being able to come up with her own. So, I tried sharing a little encouragement for her sweet brain to ponder.

First, I said: You don't have to pick one thing that makes you sparkle.

While there's a few geniuses in the world who know what they're passionate about by age three, it's normal for people to enjoy a variety of skills, arts, hobbies, and jobs. (If your job isn't what makes you sparkle, that's okay too!) Don't limit yourself or try to define yourself by one thing.

Then, I reassured her: Whatever makes you sparkle might not feel so sparkly all the time.

Sometimes, you won't even realize you're passionate about something until after all the effort you put into making it shine. Sparkling requires curiosity, practice, frustration, and even the risk of not knowing what will come of all your work. It's good to remember though, that a mindset of lifelong learning emits a more consistent glimmer than a mindset of "Insta-Famous" arriving.

After, I added: Something might make you sparkle for only a season.

But rest assured, even if the thing that makes you sparkle changes, all that time you practiced and persevered is never wasted. In fact, it probably taught you skills and values that can be applied to the next thing adding glimmers of joy and excitement to your life.

Finally, I had to say out loud to her: The world is better with your sparkle in it.

-- Kendra Broekhuis

Kendra is giving away five copies of her book Between You and Us. To enter the drawing, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - March 12, 2024

Dear Reader,

It’s time for a Penguin Classic!

Today you can sample this month's Penguin Classic and enter the drawing to win your own copy. This month's Penguin Classic is, Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.

Start reading (below) and enter for your chance to win. 

(From the Publisher:)

Thirty years since its original publication, Ceremony remains one of the most profound and moving works of Native American literature, a novel that is itself a ceremony of healing. Tayo, a World War II veteran of mixed ancestry, returns to the Laguna Pueblo Reservation. He is deeply scarred by his experience as a prisoner of the Japanese and further wounded by the rejection he encounters from his people. Only by immersing himself in the Indian past can he begin to regain the peace that was taken from him. Masterfully written, filled with the somber majesty of Pueblo myth, Ceremony is a work of enduring power.

* Start Reading this month’s Penguin Classic and enter to win your own copy.

 

We’re celebrating 25 years of the DearReader.com Online Book Clubs. Many readers have written to tell us what they love about the book clubs…

“Happy 25th, Suzanne!!! I’ve been reading with you most—if not all— of those years! Thank you for doing what you do!” – Carolyn L.

“Congratulations on 25 years for the book club. I think I've had the privilege of being a member for at least twenty of those years.

And what fun your parties sound like! Back when my daughters were in kindergarten in Japan, we used to throw an American holiday-themed party every month and invite five students from each girl's class. It was a way for me to repay the other moms who did so much to help me

over the language and culture barriers, and a way for our daughters to learn about and celebrate American holidays. We had fun making the decorations and adapting games to fit Flag Day or St. Patrick's Day. But I think my girls grew up thinking that all Americans partied every month--not just your family and ours.” – Margaret O.

“I really love having a chance to read excerpts of books that wouldn't typically come across my radar. I also enjoy the giveaways, Suzanne's column, the recipes, and the feeling of sharing all of this with other readers!” – Amy P. 

"Suzanne, I've written a couple times to let you know how much I enjoy the clubs. While I am not always a fan of some of the authors you pick, I usually enjoy the selection and wind up getting the book(s). I do share with several friends and they marvel at the breadth of the selections I share. I tell them it's your doing and a couple of them have signed on now, too. You are so right that it's great to read with friends!" – Carol G.

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

Celebrating 25 years at the book clubs,

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - March 5, 2024

Dear Reader,

Author Natasha Siegel is joining DearReader.com 25th Anniversary party this week. Giving readers the opportunity to "meet" and correspond with guest authors has become a popular addition to the book club. Natasha has written the 769th guest author post for the book club.

If you've never emailed a featured guest author, feel free to send a note and be sure to enter the giveaways. Authors are inspired when they hear from readers.

Natasha Siegel, a writer of historical fiction, romance, and fantasy. She was born and raised in London, where she grew up in a Danish-Jewish family surrounded by stories. Natasha’s next book is historical romance, The Phoenix Bride. It follows the love story of a Jewish doctor and a young widow fighting to overcome plague, fire and prejudice in Seventeenth-century London. (Photo credit: Alex Stevens.)

Natasha is giving away a copy of "The Phoenix Bride'' to five book club readers. To enter the drawing, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: [email protected]

Remembering Odette Siegel

I never had much of a relationship with my great grandmother. I did meet her several times, but we never even carried a conversation--we didn't share a language. She spoke only French; the most powerful memory I have of her is her scent, the baby-powder floral haze of Hermes Calèche which she spritzed on her wrists, her neck, her pillows and even her curtains. Her husband owned a perfume store, but for her entire life, she only ever wore one scent. There was something beautifully stubborn in that.

She died when I was ten, but it often feels as if I know her better now than I did then. Since she passed away, we have had a series of chance encounters. I found her in my mother's scrambled egg recipe (saucepan, low heat, plenty of butter); I bumped into her in strolls down the street of central Copenhagen with my grandmother (here was her favorite chocolatier, and here, the cafe she went to when she ran from the care-home, where she smoked a cigarette and demanded in French that the baffled Danish waiter bring her moules frites); and I see her all the time in photographs, gold and pewter frames scattered around my family's homes. She was a model in her twenties. Several of her photos from the 1940s stand on my parents' windowsill. She never smiles in them, but sometimes, if you look at them long enough, it seems like she might.

I met my great-grandmother, too, in stories of our family's perseverance during the war. I have been told many times how, when fleeing the family apartment during the German occupation, she defiantly put a handwritten sign on the front door as she left. It said, Nothing left to take. Later that day, she stuffed my six-year-old grandmother into a fishing boat and fled by cover of

night to Sweden, beneath Nazi searchlights and across a half-frozen ocean. I imagine the bottle of Hermes perfume rattling around in her suitcase, beside the fur stole she was wearing the last time I saw her.

I think it's marvelous, the way she has left a perfect coffee-stain on the tablecloth of our family's history. We passed only a handful of words between us, and still I know her--that was the kind of person she was, so singular, so dynamic, that to remember her, even vaguely, is enough to provoke a sense of familiarity. Those are the best sorts of people, I think. The people that stick.

-- Natasha Siegel

Natasha is giving away a copy of "The Phoenix Bride'' to five book club readers. To enter the drawing, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]