Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column - August 8, 2022

Dear Reader,  

It's such a fine line between a strength and a weakness. I'm reminded of this today because again I find myself saying, "Suzanne, you've been here before, you must pick and choose wisely or things could get out of control."

This problem even exists because I'm a great idea person. Give me a situation and I can instantly come up with several ideas about how to address the problem, especially if it's a marketing problem. It's a gift and I appreciate it, but if I don't watch it, it can also be one of the things that works against my success. It's something that I have to constantly keep tabs on.

My problem is that I come up with a lot of great ideas. I get excited about them and because I'm good at making things happen--if I'm not careful--I can get too many things going at once and whoa...suddenly I've overextended my time and resources.

So I guess at the top of my today's "to do" list I'll be brainstorming solutions to my own occasional over-extension problem...oh no, here comes another great idea...maybe I'll tackle that over-extension problem tomorrow? 

I know, I know, that's procrastination, and that's another "Dear Reader" for another day.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

A DARK AND STORMY TEA (Mystery) by Laura Childs

I wrote this spooky cozy with plot, pacing, and action reminiscent of a thriller--then sprinkled in tea lore and recipes to make this 24th Tea Shop Mystery highly entertaining. 

In a Charleston cemetery, Theodosia encounters two struggling figures and realizes she's witness to a brutal murder. Theodosia recognizes the victim--the daughter of a dear friend. And even though this appears to be the work of a serial killer, she launches her own shadow investigation, discovers multiple suspects, and  stumbles upon a second dead body.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on A DARK AND STORMY TEA to read more and to email author Laura Childs, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column - August 5, 2022

Dear Reader,   

When it comes to my hair, there is one word that frightens me.

Cut.

I'm not joking.

When I need split ends removed from my hair, my hairdresser and I have an agreement. She never uses the word "cut." Instead she tells me that I just need a little "trimmed off the ends."

I'm always very nervous about making any changes to my hairstyle because it's the kind of thing that if I change the style, but then don't like the new look, too bad. I'm stuck with it. At least until it grows out, which can be a painful experience, too. If a hairstyle is in the in-between stage, there are always pieces of hair that won't lay down because they need to be longer or shorter in order to have them blend in with the rest of the style.

But despite the fear of changing my hair, every now and then I find the courage to try something different. I was excited about the possibility of a new look, but I was so nervous about getting my hair "c*t" that I had to have a sip of white wine just to get in the chair.

I always bring books to read when I go to the hairdresser and in the midst of watching long blonde pieces of my hair fall to the floor, I simply kept my eyes focused on the book I was reading and not on the hair falling all around me. And the more I read, the more I forgot about my “little trim,” and it was over before I knew it.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

Dear Reader Column - August 4, 2022

Dear Reader,

One time when I went to the Farm and Garden section of the Walmart Store, customers thought I worked there. I spent over 30 minutes answering customers' questions about plants, fertilizer and topsoil. At the time, I’d only been living in Florida for a few years, so I actually kind of surprised myself. 

All of the employees at the Walmart Farm and Garden were wearing a dark green vest, and on that particular day, my gardening outfit was a plain, dark green T-shirt, tan shorts and tennis shoes. I’d been planting a row of pink Pentas and I was six plants short, so I jumped in the car and headed to Walmart to buy some more. I didn't get cleaned up before I went, so I guess my dark green shirt, and the dirt under my fingernails suggested that I was a seasoned Farm and Garden employee. I didn't mind the questions at all, in fact it was a lot of fun doing someone else's job for a while.

This wasn't the first time that I did someone else's job. I used to write a column called "Sorry We're Closed," years ago when I published a business magazine, and in one of my columns I thought it would be fun to do someone else's job for a day. So I contacted the manager at the local supermarket and asked if I could check groceries for a day and then write about the experience.

The manager thought it would be fun and great PR for the store, so he gave me an employee manual for cashiers and set me up with a two-hour, hands-on training session on how to run a register and check groceries.

When my big day came, I got a smock with the store's logo on it and a badge that said "In Training" and the manager put me in the "10 items or less" check-out aisle. I wasn't convinced the 10 items or less lane was a good choice. After all, when people go through the express line they assume they're going to get quick service. They assume I'm going to know all the codes that have to be punched into the register when you ring up fruits and vegetables--which I had memorized in advance--but those apples can look so much alike. A Gala apple and a Fuji apple look pretty much the same when you don't have the sign in the fruit department telling you the difference--because they're both a pale red color.

Eventually, I did get in the groove. By the time the lunch rush started, I was ringing up items like a pro.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

Dear Reader Column - August 3, 2022

Dear Reader,

“Suzanne, earlier in the summer you asked readers to share some of their favorite summer recipes. Well, I have been meaning to send one of my family’s favorites…a no-bake chocolate cookie. Variations of this recipe have been around for years, but so many of my son’s friends had never had them before, so I decided to share the recipe. Thanks for all the recipes YOU share.” – Vickie D.

Chocolate Cookies–No Bake

2 cups sugar

4 T cocoa powder

1/2 cups butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup peanut butter, can be creamy or chunky

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 cup oats (quick or regular)

Pinch of salt

Combine sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then add peanut butter, vanilla, salt and oats. Stir well until peanut butter is melted. Drop by teaspoon onto parchment/wax paper lined baking sheet. Allow to cool and set.

Store in an airtight container.

Variation: Coconut Chocolate Cookies: Substitute one cup flaked coconut for 1 cup of oats.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

Dear Reader Column - August 2, 2022

Dear Reader,

Ava Glass, today’s guest author, is a pseudonym for an internationally bestselling author who has sold over two and a half million copies of her books worldwide. She is a former civil servant and journalist who once worked closely with spies. She lives in the south of England.

Her new book Alias Emma, is set against the backdrop of London, a city of spies. Where Russian agents, intent on righting an old wrong, have one man to kill. Emma Makepeace intends to keep him alive.  You can drop an email (authors love to hear from readers), to Emma at: avaglassbooks@gmail.com

Enter her drawing to win one of five copies of Alias Emma. Email: AtRandom@randomhouse.com 

Me and a Spy

Long before I wrote Alias Emma, I worked for one of the British government departments responsible for security and counter-terrorism. I wasn't a spy, but my job involved working with people who probably were. I am aware that sounds a bit vague, but I can assure you that spies did not walk up and introduce themselves as spies. Quite the opposite. Everyone had a job, and none of those jobs was "spy" and yet a significant portion of them were.

You can't really ask if someone actually is a spy. It serves no purpose, anyway. The response is always a tilted head look of cool curiosity, followed by something like, "If I were, and I told you that, I'd be a rather terrible spy."

This is why I didn't know Ellie was a spy when I met her. Back then, I'd only just started working in the office and my security clearance still hadn't come through. I had very little to do while I waited. In this setting, Ellie's sudden interest in me was a relief. She was friendly and chatty, about twenty-six years old, with wavy blonde hair, and an open smile. She asked a lot of questions about my family and my background, my relatives in the US, and how I ended up working for the government after a career as a journalist.

"Your brother was in the military? How interesting. When was that? Was anyone else in your family in the military? Oh I see! And your uncle?"

In the light of her attention I grew loquacious and helpful. Information poured out of me. I didn't really notice how little information she offered about herself, or how one-sided our conversations were. She had a knack for asking the kinds of questions that threw me slightly off kilter and meant I was always, somehow, explaining myself. But I liked her. She was charming and funny, and for several weeks we were office pals, grabbing coffee or lunch and a chat.

Until one day without warning, she disappeared. Her name evaporated from the office email system. It was as if she'd never existed.

That same week, I received my full security clearance.

No one ever told me Ellie was investigating me, but I have no doubt at all that she was the first spy I met.

I'm sure she never thought about me again, but I've thought about her often since then and wondered if she still works in intelligence. She was so young and coolly confident in such a dangerous and opaque world. I have a feeling she's gone far.

– Ava Glass

Enter to win one  of five copies of Alias Emma. Email: AtRandom@randomhouse.com

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

 

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

 

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

THE HEIST by (Fiction) C. W. Gortner and M.J. Rose

To catch a leopard wear diamonds.

A year after The Bait, Ania Throne is on the prowl. Gone into hiding, she's planned her next move to perfection, intent on winning her dangerous game of cat-against-cat with the Leopard. But Ania doesn't know that even the best-laid heists have hidden flaws. Jerome Curtis has taken a job at a Hollywood movie studio to try and put his life back together. When a familiar face from the past shows up unexpectedly, Jerome realizes that much as he's tried to forget her, there's no escaping Ania. And this time, what she's about to do could be her doom. The heist is on. From the glamour of late 1950s Hollywood to a desperate chase in the ravines of Los Angeles, two leopards must hunt each other to the end. And only one of them can bring down its prey.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE HEIST to read more and to email authors C. W. Gortner and M.J. Rose, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column - August 1, 2022

Dear Reader,

If you're the type of person who likes to get a head-start on things... "Heads-up" this year's Write a DearReader Contest launches August 22nd.

Sitting in front of your computer and facing a blank screen can be daunting and depressing--especially when 20 minutes later the screen is still blank. When I'm having trouble getting started, I make a one-liner list of topics I could possibly write about. Here's some ideas to get you started...

Being friends with your grown children

Pet peeve, refrigerator handle sticky

When I think of retirement, what does everyday look like

Things I'd like to change about myself

When I need to cheer myself up, what image comes to mind

When I think of my father/mother/brother/sister/friend/neighbor, I always remember...

What's my "hot" button

What I did this summer

Best techniques I use to defuse an argument

What do I have to stop myself from "preaching" about

Both of my parents have died, I'm next on the runway

What trait about myself that I don't like, but can't seem to help myself

Where do I find answers to my problems

Something that would be fun to do, but I'm too embarrassed to do it

Am I afraid to write about what I really feel

I see it in other people, and it drives me crazy, (but maybe it's because I do it too?)

How do you listen without giving advice

Why I decided to enter this writing contest

I hope you're inspired to start writing this weekend.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

CORINNE: A Novel by Rebecca Morrow

Have you ever felt haunted by an old love? Or wished for a second chance with someone, even though you know all the hurdles you'd have to face? Corrine is an astonishingly intimate novel about two people up against time, family turmoil and religious trauma--and the extraordinary lengths they'll go to be together.

Win one of five copies, to enter the drawing, click on the link to Authorbuzz and the book jacket or email:  austin.adams@stmartins.com

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on CORINNE to read more and to email author Rebecca Morrow, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column - July 29, 2022

Dear Reader,

It's the slow and easy time here in Florida. Time to use my Crock Pot instead of heating up the oven. Ginger Pork Tacos is one of my favorite slow-cooker recipes. Enjoy and let me know if you give it a try.

Ginger Pork Tacos

(It's very good--no kidding.)

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

3 T grated ginger root

3 T honey

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

3 cups coleslaw mix

2 T rice vinegar

12 flour tortillas (8 or 10 inch)

Remove fat from pork. Mix ginger root and honey in slow cooker. Add pork, turn to coat with honey mixture.

Cover and cook on low setting 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender.

Remove from slow cooker. Use 2 forks to shred pork, then return to slow cooker and stir in hoisin sauce.

Toss coleslaw mix and vinegar until well mixed. Spread 1/3 cup pork mixture down center of each tortilla. Top with 1/4 cup coleslaw mixture (or to taste) and roll up tightly.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

This month's Penguin Classic is I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg. Start reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.

Dear Reader Column - July 28, 2022

Dear Reader,

A reader emailed the other day telling me she loved reading my "Dear Reader" but that, "it must be difficult to write five columns every week." 

The tough part isn't really writing every day. I enjoy It. The difficult part of my job is trying to remember if I've written about something before. I try not to repeat myself, but then again, life does eventually repeat itself, doesn’t it?

Frequently I search through past columns looking to see if I’ve written about a specific topic before. Or maybe I just told the story to someone when I was chatting with them. You can see my dilemma. 

When I first started writing a daily column, I thought I might run out of ideas to write about. But thankfully I'm a strange, different sort of person, whose life is never dull. Actually, writing the daily column gives me a built-in excuse to do a lot of weird stuff, because I can always justify it by saying, "Well, I have to try it…it will probably make an interesting 'Dear Reader.'"

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

This month's Penguin Classic is I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg. Start reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.

Dear Reader Column - July 27, 2022

Dear Reader,

Whenever I ask my husband to help me flip our mattress, he always gives me his smile that says, "Oh, aren't you being cute." He doesn't think it's really necessary. (Everybody else in the world seems to know you're supposed to flip your mattress once a month.)

But okay, I guess I could be wrong, so I decided to call an expert, Bill, the manager at the Sleep King. He was supposed to be my savior, but he let me down.

Here's the scoop: It's true the rule used to be to flip your mattress once a month. But manufacturers have now changed mattresses and the rules. For instance, the Simmons brand mattress is a "spinner." You spin the mattress instead of flipping it. As for the rest of the manufacturers? Well, most of them have changed their warranties too, and they don't require us to flip our mattresses anymore. But Bill still recommends it.

How do you know when you need a new mattress? Bill said everyone needs a new one every 8 to 10 years to be guaranteed a comfy night's sleep. He said most people discover they need a new mattress when they stay overnight at a friend's house or a hotel that has a great mattress. When they get up in the morning they realize that they haven't slept that sound in a long time, and it dawns on them the reason is probably because their mattress at home is shot. Jokingly, I told him that what he should do is allow customers to sleep overnight in his store. "Well we do offer 2-hour naps," he said. Now come on Bill, seriously, no one ever comes in and lies down for longer than 5-minutes on one of your mattresses do they?

Well, I was wrong again. In fact they do. The mattress store is next to a bookstore and Bill said that there are a few regulars, older men, who take advantage of his offer. Their wives want to go to the bookstore and they want to be dropped off at Sleep King--they're going to nap. "Wake me up when you're done shopping, honey."

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

This month's Penguin Classic is I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg. Start reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.

Dear Reader Column - July 26, 2022

Dear Reader,

Today’s guest author, Mary MacCracken, shares her latest memoir, The Memory of All That: A Love Story about Alzheimer's, with five book club readers. To win one of the copies, email: marybmaccracken@gmail.com

The Memory of All That: A Love Story about Alzheimer’s tells the story of her love affair and long marriage to her brilliant husband Cal--and how, when Alzheimer's hits, Cal's courage and Mary's resourcefulness help them triumph over the challenges raised by his disease. Mary died shortly before finishing the book she promised Cal, so her daughter, Susan Thistle, saw it through publication.

Mary wrote four earlier bestsellers about her work with autistic and learning-disabled children: Circle of Children, Lovey, City Kid, and Turn-About Children, which have recently been republished and still attract a wide readership. For more information about Mary and her books please see https://marymacracken.com

 

The St. Lawrence River was always Mary's favorite place to spend summers. Below are a few of her memories.

The River

I first went to the river, the St. Lawrence River, when I was two years old. I have only one memory of my first summer. My aunt had taken me down to the flat rocks on the shore in front of the cottage to swim, then took off my wetsuit, toweled me dry and led me up to get dressed. The cottage had just been painted, a rich dark brown. The afternoon sun shining on the wet paint made it look just like chocolate to me. I pulled away from my aunt, running as quickly as I could, and pressed my chubby little body up against the warm paint. Splat! I can still remember how good it felt.

Of course later I had to be scrubbed down with paint remover and then put in our round tin tub with sudsy water and scrubbed some more, and the cottage had to be repainted. I was told I'd been bad, and I knew this was true--but it still seemed worth it.

My mother and brother and I spent each summer there with my grandmother; my father coming up on weekends. I could have stayed forever. At the river I had my older brother Robbie to myself. He taught me how to fish, catch frogs, dive, spit watermelon seeds, feed red hots to the raccoons (poor things), and net minnows.

The summer I was fourteen a group of older boys was around. My two girlfriends and I had a wonderful time. One of them, Art, had the bluest eyes in the world, and sang to me while we danced. Then he invited me out for a paddle one evening in his canoe. I remember shivering with excitement waiting for him, chills running through me as I thought of what might happen. We paddled up the river, moonlight spilling across the water, and just drifted most of the way back down to our boathouse. Standing on the dock under the stars he gave me my first real kiss. It couldn't have been more romantic.

But shortly afterwards, as I lay in bed on the screen porch where I slept that summer, I began to feel awful. My stomach grew queasy; I broke out in a cold sweat. I rushed into the kitchen and threw up in the sink. "Oh no," I thought, "I'm allergic to kissing!"

Of course I wasn't. It was only the flu, and many years later I was able to enjoy many kisses and wonderful years with my beloved husband, Cal MacCracken.

-- Mary MacCracken

To be entered in the drawing for one of five free copies of "The Memory of All That," send an email to marybmaccracken@gmail.com (which her daughter, Susan, is maintaining). 

(Photo Credit - Cal MacCracken)

 

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

This month's Penguin Classic is I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg. Start reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.