Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 02-12-19

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Dear Reader,

Bestselling author Travis Thrasher is visiting the book club today. Travis has written over 50 books, spanning genres in fiction, nonfiction and children's literature. His inspirational stories have included collaborations with filmmakers, musicians, athletes, celebrities and pastors.

Travis' storytelling ability has also allowed him to work with others on their books, from musicians like country musician Scotty McCreery and Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain to the Robertsons of Duck Dynasty. Travis lives with his wife and three young daughters in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.

His new book, being released today, is American Omens.

Please email, say hello and welcome Travis Thrasher to the book club. Authors absolutely love to hear from readers. Email travisthrasher@mac.com

Thanks for visiting our book club, Travis Thrasher...

I need to thank the snow.

Today is a snow day for our girls. Working at home now ever since we moved up to the Grand Rapids 16 months ago, I've grown accustomed to not being as productive on these sorts of days. That's okay. I'm fortunate to not have to brave the frigid winds and slippery roads in order to make it to work. I just walk in my office, sit in my chair and start tapping away like I'm doing now.

I love winter and the snow it can bring. As I stare out my window and see the flakes flying around in a hundred different directions, I think about why I love this time of year. It's a vital part of my past and my profession. The seasons are like songs. Certain times of the year can spark a memory just like hearing an old tune might. I can remember the feeling of being fifteen again or I can picture a scene from the year I turned 40.

Second through fourth grades, I lived in Munich, Germany, and I learned to ski in the Alps. Later on I lived on top of a mountain in western North Carolina. Snow days back then were times when the two feet of fresh powder kept the snow plows away. Being snowed in meant you were stuck. During my childhood, phones weren't smart, and there was no Internet to explore. Our family didn't even have an Atari, nor did we have cable of any kind. So I had to entertain myself.

As someone who struggled with reading but not with imagining, I would write. Back then I couldn't binge watch an entire season of my favorite show, much less watch anything on the three channels we had. So I made up stories I wanted to experience.

I don't think I'd be as productive and prolific of a writer if I lived in California or Arizona. The love of being outdoors wouldn't drive me into the sunshine; it would be the guilt I had for not taking advantage of it. On days like today, it's easy to stay inside and watch. And maybe eventually take a break to venture out with the girls and build a snowman.

-- Travis Thrasher
Email travisthrasher@mac.com say hello and welcome him to the book club.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

PRINCESS OF SKY, EARTH, FIRE AND WATER PRINCESS OF SKY, EARTH, FIRE AND WATER by Cassandra Finnerty

This story brings to life the mystical themes from Celtic folklore, where goddesses exerted powers over man and nature. The novel begins in western Ireland, in 1772, amidst the ancient ruins and standing stones. A young woman who inherits an army, a fleet of merchant ships and special powers must prove herself worthy of these gifts. Her journey to the East Kingdom explores the fusion of vastly different cultures. She battles with herself, society, nature, magic--and ultimately, love.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on PRINCESS OF SKY EARTH, FIRE AND WATER to read more and to email author Cassandra Finnerty, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-11-19

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

I've always said that age didn't bother me, but okay I admit it, I can't get it out of my mind lately. I'm really quite surprised that I'm walking around thinking about how old I am. About three times a day, for the past week, I've had a conversation with myself trying to figure out why I feel so much older than two weeks ago. I'm ambivalent about spending extra time in front of the mirror. And instead of saying to myself that I look pretty good, I'm starting to say, "I look pretty good for my age."

This is a type of emergency--a 9-1-1 life event for me. These feelings are foreign to me. I've always taken the attitude that age made no difference whatsoever to me, and in the past, it didn't. In fact I would always tell people that I was a year older than I really was. Because then when my birthday rolled around it wasn't anything new; I'd been telling people I was that age for an entire year. That was my method, always one year ahead of the age game. (Interesting, that I'm not the only one. My son mentioned the other day, that he always tells people he's one year older than he really is, too. It must be in the genes.)

But for me, the 'one year older than I really am trick,' I'm losing ground and I can't seem to shake it. I'm thinking my life is half over or God forbid, possibly more than half over. And I just realized that everyone I work with is younger than me. When did this happen?

Oh well these feelings will pass. In the meantime I'll take heart in the fact that I do look real good for my age and as the saying goes: Getting old is just a part of life--but hey, how about you go first!

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
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

WICKED WITH THE SCOUNDREL (Fiction) by Elizabeth Bright

Lady Claire and Colin Smith are complete opposites. She's wealthy, optimistic, and titled, and he's grouchy, pessimistic, and the illegitimate byblow of a viscount. But opposites do more than attract--they incinerate. And maybe, just maybe, they are stronger together than they are apart. I hope you enjoy this story of a woman who believes anything is possible--and is just determined enough to make it happen.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on WICKED WITH THE SCOUNDREL to read more and to email author Elizabeth Bright, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 02-04-19

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

It started with a piece of Dove milk chocolate candy with caramel. It's not my favorite, I'm really a Dove dark chocolate lover, but I decided to change things up a bit. Not only do I love the one-bite treat, I confess I read the little message on the inside of the wrapper, not as a fortune, but for a little bit of inspiration. And the other day, the message inside didn't disappoint. In fact it hit home so much--felt like something I would say--that I kept the wrapper. It read, 'The magic is in the mess.' -- Dorothy S., Louisiana

Dorothy S.? Who was this person? Were these words of wisdom from Dorothy S., herself, or did Dove have a contest asking people to submit their favorite quotes? So of course I immediately Googled, "The magic is in the mess." and discovered that Brene Brown (another person I'd never heard of) was given credit for the quote. From there I went on a bit of a treasure hunt discovering Brene Brown, PhD, LMSW was a New York Times bestselling author of multiple books. From that clue, I went to my library's catalog, and found Ms. Brown's listing and reserved a copy of Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. But the tagline on the front cover is what really confirmed that it would be a good match for me. "If we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall. This is a book about what it takes to get back up." Hey, been there, done that. I didn't particularly feel brave, at times in my life when I failed, but I could certainly jump on board with that kind of thinking.

I'm halfway through Rising Strong and I can confirm, my eyes have been opened. Every single fall, heartache, and feelings of shame, I've experienced in my life, I can see, yes, indeed, there was "...magic in the mess."

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

HAUNTED BE THE HOLIDAYS (Fiction) by Heather Graham

Kody McCoy has left her home in Key West to head to the D.C. area. She's happy to plan her marriage to Brodie McFadden and she's ready to settle in helping at a theater owned by Krewe of Hunters founder, Adam Harrison. But, when the wonder of the theater is threatened by murder, they must work with every possible assistance to solve murders--those of the past, and those of the present--even if that assistance come in the form of the dead.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on HAUNTED BE THE HOLIDAYS to read more and to email author Heather Graham, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 01-29-19

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

Joanna Schaffhausen wields a mean scalpel, sharp skills she developed in her years studying neuroscience. She has a doctorate in psychology, which reflects her long-standing interest in the brain--how it develops and the many ways it can go wrong. No Mercy her second novel features the adventures of police officer Ellery Hathaway and FBI agent Reed Markham. The two characters met years ago when Reed rescued Ellery from a serial killer's closet, and they were reunited by a grisly case in Joanna's first book, The Vanishing Season.

Please welcome this week's guest author Joanna Schaffhausen to the book club.

I'm a firm believer in doing research for my books, but I have a confession to make: I wrote a basset hound without much real-life experience with the breed. I knew they were short, dopey-looking dogs that seemed like prime candidates for the role of "comic relief." But last fall, our family adopted a basset puppy named Winston, and now I see all the important details I've been missing from my stories.

They trip on their ears. Those long, velvety ears were bred to sweep scents in front of their considerable noses while tracking, but when not in the wild, they are hilariously out of place. Ours likes to dangle his ears in the water bowl and leave trails all over the kitchen floor.

They are supreme sleepers. I knew the basset hound loves a good nap, but I did not appreciate the sheer depth of his skills. Winston can go from running around in circles to falling over snoring in the time it takes to turn out the light.

They are short dogs, but boy, are they long. The bassets were bred with the gene for dwarfism and are essentially midget blood hounds. They were meant to be the "poor man's hunting dog" and so were deliberately designed to be slow, enabling the humans to keep up on foot. However, they are looooong animals who can rear up and reach a kitchen table, should they deem it necessary (Hint: it's always necessary if there is food out.)

They are strong on charisma. When Winston and I go walking, it takes us forever to get anywhere because he is friendly to all he meets. Basset hounds are uncommon in our area, so many people want to pet him and take his picture. I feel like I am his press agent. People yell from passing cars, "Hi, Winston! How are you today?" However, as he is a short, gangly dog, I am the one who must wave back.

They think they are lap dogs. Winston came to us at 9lbs, but he will eventually clock in at 50-60 pounds. Already he's pushing 30 and doesn't fit on my lap the way he used to when he was a wee pup. This does not stop him from trying repeatedly to wedge every last paw onto my body.

They will make you laugh every day. Winston's current hobby is carrying around the empty mini liquor bottles that the local teenagers toss into the street. Don't judge him--it's hard being the town's most popular puppy.

-- Joanna Schaffhausen

Be sure to drop Joanna a note and welcome her to the book club.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

TEMPTING BROOKE (Fiction) by Kristen Proby

I'm so excited for you to read Brooke and Brody's love story. This friends to lovers tale is full of humor, will pull at your heart strings and leave you smiling with contentment. Brooke loves her flourishing flower shop, Brooke's Blooms. She is excited about her place in her community. But when her childhood friend, Brody, inherits her building, and threatens to sell it, Brooke has to convince him to keep the property, and her business, intact. She just doesn't plan on falling in love in the process!

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on TEMPTING BROOKE to read more and to email author Kristen Proby, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. 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 01-28-19

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

Dear Reader,

I was waiting for my turn at the longest traffic light in Sarasota. The bumper sticker on the car in front of me read, "Live Simply--so that others might simply live."

It caught my eye because making my life less complicated is one of the things that I'm "simply" working on this year. It would be a real accomplishment if the pages in my calendar were blank for one entire week.

Personally I think my daily routine continues to pick up speed because I've internalized the notion that it's not enough to be just me. I feel the need to keep proving my worth.

I'm talented at multi-tasking, but I'm beginning to realize it's not something to brag about. I eat half of my meals sitting at my desk and it's not unusual to see me standing, balancing a plate in one hand and a book in the other. I'm not sure what the answer is to slowing things down. I'm still trying to figure it out. Maybe if I stop trying so hard the answer will "simply" come my way.

* Congratulations to the winners of the January Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway, your cookies are on their way. Susan S., Jason S., Miami Public Library and Justine R., Ralston's Baright Public Library.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

ONCE A LIAR (Thriller) by A.F. Brady

Do you believe a person can change? Set in a world of greed and apathy, Peter Caine, a top criminal defense attorney, gains custody of his teenage son and gets the chance to change his sociopathic ways. When his ex-mistress is murdered, can we believe that Peter has reformed and is no longer capable of evil? Or will his nature bring him down?

Go to AUTHORBUZZ click on ONCE A LIAR to read more and to email author A.F. Brady, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. 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 01-25-19

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

Dear Reader,

When the comedian asked, "How many of you out there are black and white people?" I immediately raised my hand. No need to think about it. I grew up thinking it's good or bad; yes or no; they're ok, they're not ok. There just wasn't much room for in-between. Personally I blame it on Crayola--they must have left the gray crayon out of my box of 64.

If you have kids, check their crayon boxes immediately, because growing up without the color gray can cause all kinds of confusion and can severely limit your options. I did realize at some age that other people were frequently using the color gray, but it wasn't until I was married that it really sunk in.

Early on in my marriage, when my husband and I were in the middle of our first real disagreement and our exchange of words didn't seem to immediately offer a solution, I grabbed my car keys and headed for the door. When he asked me what I was doing, I told him that it looked like we weren't going to be able to agree on this issue and obviously the marriage wasn't going to work, so I was going to a hotel.

"What is wrong with you? Don't you know how to have a disagreement and work something out? There's always an in-between, a middle ground to explore where you can find a solution--a gray area."

Ah, there's that missing color again. I explained to my husband that when I grew up I only colored with the black and white crayons and never learned how to mix the two.

Guess what my husband bought me that day?

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 PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. 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 01-23-19

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

Pilgrimage: a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it’s a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith, although sometimes it can be a metaphorical journey into someone's own beliefs.

The word pilgrimage popped into my mind the other day and it stayed with me throughout the day. So I decided to set out on my own writing pilgrimage and put my thoughts down on paper...

I’d rather live a life where I feel a little uncertain and things are a bit clumsy along the way. Orderliness commands too much energy for the return. Do what you can with what you’ve got. When you set out on the journey Suzanne, even though you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably learn a lot along the way.

There doesn’t always have to be a purpose. You can just begin, put one foot in front of the other and see what happens. Confusion can be a peaceful state of mind--for a while. Sometimes I find myself in the middle of a thing, I’m certain I don’t have a clue about why I signed up for the experience, but then later I realize that I really do know the reason, I’m just not ready to face it yet.

Perhaps it’s time to take a little walk? Perhaps it’s time to set out on a pilgrimage?

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 PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. 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 01-22-19

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

Dear Reader,

Stephanie Barron is today's guest author at the book club. Her newest book is That Churchill Woman, a novel about Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill's American mother. Other titles include historical suspense novels A Flaw in the Blood and The White Garden, as well as the nationally bestselling Jane Austen Mystery series. A former intelligence analyst for the CIA, Stephanie also writes under the name Francine Mathews, drawing on her experience in espionage for such novels as Jack 1939.

Please do welcome her to the book club. Say hello, click here.

January is the Greatest Month

Years ago, when I had small boys underfoot, my sister sent me a slim book entitled A Round of Applause for Mrs. Claus. It suggests that without women and their holiday genius, humanity would wander through the soulless winter howling and alone. In my household, this is indisputable. I alone string lights and stuff stockings and roast pancetta-wrapped beef. It's a tad tiring.

Which is why I am usually down for the count with a noxious disease by midnight, December 31st. One year it was double pinkeye, which my elder son brought home from college. It made me look like Voldemort. Some years it's the flu. But I toddle into the cold embrace of January with as much relief as if I'm sighting the White Cliffs of Dover after four years at The Somme.

January is my favorite time of year.

If April is the cruelest month, January is the best. If it did not exist, if it had somehow been left out of the calendar because it was too busy organizing its off-season getaway to Dubrovnik or Puerto Vallarta, we would have to invent January.

It's a time of fresh starts, regardless of whether we keep our resolutions. It's a caesura between the cynicism of a played-out year and the hope of one yet to begin. I wake up on New Year's Day ready to strip the house of greens and red ribbons and toss everything in the trash. I strip beds. I strip my closet. I strip the dogs.

'I clean out my refrigerator.'

And then I walk downstairs and enter my office.

It has been quiet and dark for weeks. But January--time of lung-stopping cold, of drifting flakes, of landscapes sunk in monochrome, of the soft swish of tires on icy streets, of the silence of a single bird call against the frigid morning branches of a bare tree--January is waiting. It offers a clean, spare, bracing road forward. It offers lowering skies that deny any impulse to fritter away time by wandering out of doors. It offers hair pulled back and monkish discipline. January is the Marine Corps of months.

I sit down at my desk. I open a file I haven't touched in thirty days. It is the book half-gestated, almost stillborn, I left unfinished in December. January gives us this power: the cold, clear, commitment to hard work and good dreams.

This month, I wish you discipline and focus. I wish you dedication to a task and the vital things that come from it. A lifetime of Mrs. Claus, in fact--followed by her gift of January.

-- Stephanie Barron
Email Stephanie

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS (Fiction) by Erin Bartels

When Detroit Free Press journalist Elizabeth Balsam meets a great-aunt she didn't know she had, what she learns about her family's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and the Underground Railroad during the Civil War will forever change her perception of her own place in history.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS to read more and to email author Erin Bartels, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. 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 01-18-19

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

Dear Reader,

Just-because and no special occasion are two of the best reasons for inviting people over for dinner. And if someone's coming to dinner, why not make it party? I don't need a holiday date on the calendar to inspire me to decorate my dining room with a Dr. Seuss theme, leis and grass skirted tables for a luau (even in the midst of winter), lions and tigers and bears ("oh my") it's a safari, or a carnival motif complete with games and prizes. Thinking about it now, I just might have a leftover party one of these days combining leftover Christmas, Easter, birthday, Star Wars and unicorn decorations. I suppose I could make all the food two days ahead of time and serve "leftovers", too. Adults and kids alike, when you create something unexpected it translates into fun.

Nancy, another party "girl" and a reader at the book club, offers some of her ideas for fun. She writes...

"Dear Suzanne,

I love that you do theme parties. So do I. Is your Valentine's Day party [going to be] a dinner party, or one with lots of people? I do a dinner party and I have prizes--they all come from Dollar Tree, which has great prizes and decorations for all the holidays. People always offer to bring things and for Valentine's Day I assign appetizers, salad, dessert and a Valentine's Day drink concoction, with the stipulation that they all have to fit the holiday theme, even if it means just throwing red strawberries or cranberries into the salad.

Prizes for best-dressed--most Valentine-y, too, but the best is during dinner, guests have to tell their worst and funniest Valentine story about a date, a present, etc. We always get some hysterical confessions." -- Nancy B.

It's party time at the book club, be sure to enter my Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway. I bake and deliver 'em--all you have to do is "dunk and munch." To enter the Chocolate Chip Cookie drawing, click here.

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 PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. 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 01-18-19

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

Dear Reader,

Just-because and no special occasion are two of the best reasons for inviting people over for dinner. And if someone's coming to dinner, why not make it party? I don't need a holiday date on the calendar to inspire me to decorate my dining room with a Dr. Seuss theme, leis and grass skirted tables for a luau (even in the midst of winter), lions and tigers and bears ("oh my") it's a safari, or a carnival motif complete with games and prizes. Thinking about it now, I just might have a leftover party one of these days combining leftover Christmas, Easter, birthday, Star Wars and unicorn decorations. I suppose I could make all the food two days ahead of time and serve "leftovers", too. Adults and kids alike, when you create something unexpected it translates into fun.

Nancy, another party "girl" and a reader at the book club, offers some of her ideas for fun. She writes...

"Dear Suzanne,

I love that you do theme parties. So do I. Is your Valentine's Day party [going to be] a dinner party, or one with lots of people? I do a dinner party and I have prizes--they all come from Dollar Tree, which has great prizes and decorations for all the holidays. People always offer to bring things and for Valentine's Day I assign appetizers, salad, dessert and a Valentine's Day drink concoction, with the stipulation that they all have to fit the holiday theme, even if it means just throwing red strawberries or cranberries into the salad.

Prizes for best-dressed--most Valentine-y, too, but the best is during dinner, guests have to tell their worst and funniest Valentine story about a date, a present, etc. We always get some hysterical confessions." -- Nancy B.

It's party time at the book club, be sure to enter my Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway. I bake and deliver 'em--all you have to do is "dunk and munch." To enter the Chocolate Chip Cookie drawing, click here.

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 PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.