Sandra Cox's Blog, page 274

The Fancy Feast Cat

Recognize this kitty?
The Sis has been getting me Fancy Feast Cat Christmas collectibles for years.  Recently, she got her picture taken with one of the Fancy Feast Cats. (As you've probably figured out there's more than one.) Since the company she works for makes pet food, she gets to meet a lot of the celebs in the animal world. Isn't this ball of fluff gorgeous? I had to really study the picture. It looked so perfect, I thought it was a stuffed animal. The Fancy Feast Cats used in commercials that are made in the US, South Africa, Europe or Japan are silver chinchilla Persians. The Fancy Feast kitties that are filmed in Australia are Tiffanies or Burmilla Longhairs.
And that's your cat trivia for the day.

I'm Back...

 
YAY, I'm home.The conference was fun but I'm glad to be back.
It always takes me a day to settle into a different place. What about you? Do you have to acclimate when you go somewhere else?The weather was perfect. The last day there, a balmy 70 degrees. I headed home in shorts. MISTAKE. Balmy wasn't exactly how I'd describe the weather when I got home.
There were about twenty folks at the conference and it was very informal, as in the speakers talking barefoot informal.I got some interesting information. Plus it was good to reconnect with a writing community. Its all too easy for an author to become isolated.  I can't speak for anyone else but I tend to hole up like a mole.
The first speaker was Nalini Akolekar (in the green shirt)with Spencerhill Associates. A little tidbit of info. Remember Kate Duffy? She was Nalini's cousin.
Nalini's advice to writers looking for an agent: check their submission guidelines and have your concerns ready.
The next speaker was Liz Pelletier(wearing purple), publisher of Entangled. Liz talked about the print publishing process for the large publishing house. The main thing I came away with: the editor doesn't make the decision to publish you. She makes her pitch to the publisher and it goes up the line several times where numbers are crunched and a decision is made on whether the book will make money for the company or not. If you make the cut, I recommend buying a lottery ticket. You've been very lucky.
Sundays speakers were:
Signe Pike and Sue Grimshaw.  Sue is from Random House and did a teleconference. FYI: You don't need an agent to submit to her Loveswept line.
Also pictured above is Cynthia Cooke (green shirt), author of Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies and
Rochelle French (striped shirt) Entangled Editor
Did I mention the food...Oh my gosh, it was almost as good as being on the ocean. The last brunch consisted of Mimosas (I sipped mine while walking on the beach), homemade casseroles, cinnamon bread and homemade coffeecake. I swear I carted an extra five pounds home with me.
So what is currently hot? Contemporary
What is forecasted to be? Suspense, historical and YA
Specific to YA: Sci Fi
What is soft? Urban Fantasy, fantasy and paranormal (sob)
But if your love is fantasy or paranormal, keep writing it. The pendulum always swing back.

VBT Kira: Daughter Of The Moon

I'm pleased to welcome romance writer Beth Trissel, a blog buddy from Night Writers.
BLURB:
Kira McClure has waited for Logan all those years, passing herself off as odd to keep suitors at bay––and anyone else from getting too close.  Now that he's back, he seems to be the only person capable of protecting her from the advances of Josiah Campbell and accusations of witchcraft.  And to defend the settlers against a well-organized band of murderous thieves.
Excerpt One:   “My secret in exchange for yours.”     Tantalizing.  He was drawing her into his snare, but she couldn’t resist asking, “How do you know I’ve a secret?”
“To begin with, you’re hiding in a tree.  What from, a wild beast?”  “Near enough.  You.”    He smiled.  “Was I to think you a large red bird, or overlook you entirely?”    Drawing her remaining shreds of dignity around her like a mantle, she said, “This isn’t one of my best hiding places.”    “Indeed?  Where are the others?”      “That would be telling.”     The strengthening breeze tossed the branches around them as he considered.  “You never could keep secrets from me, Cricket.  I’ll discover them and you.”   An assertion she found both disturbing and oddly heartening.   His lips curved as if the deed were already done.  “Why were you hiding?  Am I so very frightening?”    “Oh––I feared you were some sort of warrior.”   The humor faded from his eyes.  “I am.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my children, grandbabies, and assorted animals. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. In addition to American settings, I also write historical and time travel romances set in the British Isles.Historical Romance novel Kira, Daughter of the Moon is available in print and eBook from: Want more Beth? you can catch her at Night Writers or the social networks listed below. Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/Beth-Trissel/e/...The Wild Rose Press http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index... Barnes & Noble http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.c... from other online booksellers.Catch me on my:Blog http://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/Website http://www.bethtrissel.com/Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/bctrisselTwitter https://twitter.com/BethTrisselPinterest http://pinterest.com/bctrissel

Beth will award a digital copy of "Through the Fire" to one commenter, a digital copy of "Red Bird's Song" to one commenter and a grand prize of a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Tour dates can be found here: 
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/09/virtual-super-book-blast-kira-daughter.html

Low Country Retreat

I'm heading to the Low Country Weekend Beach Retreat. Anyone else going? If so drop me a line or leave a comment so I can look for you. 
~*~Oh yeah, we went to see Alex Cross. Once again, I liked it better than the critics. Though, if I'd rated it, I would have given it an R instead of a PG 13 for violence. Not that anything overt was shown on the screen, but there was one torture scene that even with my eyes closed and my ears plugged it was hard to ignore. I wasn't sure how I was going to like Tyler Perry in that role. But it worked  for me. I thought he did a good job. Have you seen it and if so did you like it?~*~She had forgotten her umbrella, again. Head down, she turned the corner and ran full tilt into the arms of a stranger.
“I’m sorry,” Gabby mumbled into an expensive, camel-colored raincoat, her nose pressed against a hard chest.
She felt long arms wrap around her, steadying her. For a brief moment the clean smell of rain mingled with the scent of expensive aftershave and crisp cotton, before the man gripped Gabby’s upper arms and thrust her away, holding her at arm’s length.
Icy green eyes, colder than the wind whipping her hair about, stared into her own. His rain-darkened hair was drawn back in a ponytail and beads of water glistened on his coat.
“May I suggest you watch where you're going?” The stranger stared down his nose at her, his voice brusque, his manner arrogant. Letting her go, he walked away.
Gabby stared after him, as he wove through the throng of pedestrians with the lithe grace of a cat. Still feeling the heat of his hands, Gabby rubbed her forearms as she watched him disappear into a sea of umbrellas. THE CRYSTAL

SBB Dangerous Affairs

  Dangerous Affairs by Diana Miller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Abby wonders if she’s having the nervous breakdown the tabloids claim she already had, especially when sexy, skeptical police chief Josh Kincaid questions her story. When menacing hate mail arrives, Josh’s professional concern for Abby soon evolves into an intense attraction, and the feeling is mutual. And now Josh wonders if her psychic visions are of crimes past—or a premonition of terrors to come.
To survive, Abby and Josh must uncover the truth and stop a killer . . . before Abby’s worst nightmares come true.~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
The doorbell rang, shooting a fresh blast of cold panic through Abby. She opened her mouth, but swallowed her scream—it had to be the police. Bad guys didn’t use doorbells. She unlocked and opened the front door with frozen fingers.
Josh was standing on the front porch, dressed in black jeans and a burgundy polo shirt, his hand on the doorjamb and his eyes narrowed. “What’s such a damn emergency?”
“I got another message. From the person who hates me.”
Josh expelled a clearly exasperated breath, running his fingers through his dark hair. “Look, I know I told you to take the letters seriously, but since the mail carrier delivered it hours ago, this isn’t exactly an emergency. Bring it to the station tomorrow. I’d like to get back to my date.”  “It didn’t come in the mail this time.” Abby’s voice rose an octave, her words tripping over each other. “It’s on my bathroom mirror, written in lipstick. Someone got into my house, and they could get in again.” She sounded half hysterical, but she couldn’t help it. This was in a different category from her normal hate mail.
Josh stepped into the house, closing the door behind him. “You were gone tonight?”
She slumped against one wall of the foyer, hugging herself and struggling to regain her control.
“Maddie and I were at a birthday party for Laura’s youngest son. At Pizzaville. We got home around nine thirty, and I put Maddie to bed. I read in the family room for a while, then went back upstairs. And found it.”
“Show me.” Josh grabbed her forearm and directed her up the stairs.
The message was short and to the point, capital letters written in red lipstick on the wall-size mirror:
LEAVE OR DIE BITCH. FROM YOUR BIGGEST FAN
 AUTHOR Bio and Links:
When she was eight, Diana Miller decided she wanted to be Nancy Drew. But no matter how many garbage cans she dug through, conversations she “accidentally” overheard, and attics she searched, she never found a single cryptic letter, hidden staircase, or anything else even remotely mysterious. She worked as a lawyer, a soda jerk, a stay-at-home mom, a hospital admitting clerk, and a conference host before deciding that the best way to inject suspense into her otherwise satisfying life was by writing about it.
Diana is a five-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award and winner of a Golden Heart for Dangerous Affairs—a romantic suspense novel that shows not everyone in her home state is Minnesota Nice. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family.
My website link is dianamillerwriter.com. I have buy buttons for both Amazon and Kindle on my website, but have no idea what you have to do to insert them since my web designer did it.
The URL for my Amazon page  is: http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Affairs-Diana-Miller/dp/1612186017/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339532353&sr=8-1 

 
The author will be awarding one $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/09/super-book-blast-dangerous-affairs-by.html

Happy Halloween

Wishing you many treats and no tricks...unless they're of the fun variety.

Don't forget to enter the Halloween E Download Contest at:
Nightwriters.
Last time I checked we didn't have any entries so your chances of winning are extremely good:)
E's given away to one random entrant:
No Job For  A Woman
Crewkin
Vampire Island
Sally's Answer
Somewhere My Love
The Harvester

VBT Healing Notes

BLURB:
Rachel Cullen grew up in Scotland with a fiddle in her hand from the age of four. She couldn't imagine life as anything but a musician. When her husband brought her to America she was immediately embraced by the Celtic and Bluegrass communities. But after her divorce, Rachel's life is a mess.
A year of trying to prove to herself that she's woman enough for any man, and then a vicious rape while on tour with the band, leaves Rachel reeling. When she meets Noel Kershaw, an English teacher who is poetry in motion, she is definitely attracted. But he has a young child and he's suffering from his own divorce. The last thing Rachel needs in life is more baggage.
First, Rachel must reconcile who she is, what she wants, and how to get there. Maybe then she'll know how to be a part of the family she's always wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:
As she reached for the handle, the door opened and a little girl rushed out, maybe six or seven years old, with beautiful long blond hair caught up in a blue denim bow.  She ran to a light blue sedan next to Rachel’s and giggled as she skipped through puddles circling the car. Rachel couldn’t help but smile at the child’s carefree innocence.
After three circles, the girl stopped at the back end of the car, cocked her head and waved two fingers at her. “Hi.”
“Um, hi.” Rachel raised her hand and waved back. “Did you forget somebody? Your mommy maybe?”
“Claire, I told you to stay close.”
At the sound of the tenor voice beside her, Rachel started.  A man three to four inches taller than her had stepped out. In one hand he held several colorful ribbons attached to a bright pink, heart-shaped helium balloon that read Happy Birthday. He looked toward the car where the child was still giggling.
The little girl raced back. Skidding to a stop in front of Rachel, they bumped and Rachel teetered slightly toward the wall.
“Careful there.” A weathered hand reached toward her and wrapped around her elbow. His touch was softer than she expected, but her knees still locked, ready to spring if she needed to move fast. He held her up with one hand. Deep brown eyes, emphasized by his full head of short, wavy blonde hair, looked at her then turned toward the girl.”
“Apologize, Claire. You almost knocked her over.”
“I’m sorry.” A small hand lifted to touch her other arm.
“That’s okay. Really.  I should have been paying more attention.” Rachel smiled and pointed to the balloon. “Latha breith.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, I…” She had lapsed into Gaelic.  Something she hadn’t done in public since Kavan left her almost three years ago. “I said ‘Happy Birthday.’” 

AUTHOR Bio and Links: Maggie Jaimeson writes romantic women’s fiction and romantic suspense with a near future twist. She describes herself as a wife, a step-mother, a sister, a daughter, a teacher and an IT administrator. By day she is “geek girl” – helping colleges to keep up with 21st century technology and provide distance learning options for students in rural areas. By night Maggie turns her thoughts to worlds she can control – worlds where bad guys get their comeuppance, women triumph over tragedy, and love can conquer all.
HEALING NOTES is the second book in the Sweetwater Canyon Series of four books.  The final two books will be available in 2013.
Website: http://maggiejaimeson.comBlog: http://maggiemeandering.blogspot.comF... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-... @maggiejaimeson
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/09/super-book-blast-healing-notes-by.html
Maggie will award one autographed cover flat to a randomly drawn commenter at each blog stop.  In addition, she will award  a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner's choice) as a grand prize to one randomly selected commenter on this tour

D.I.V.O.R.C.E

Its nerve racking and traumatic.  I don't think there's a woman alive that's not been through it.

During the first few months of being together everything is wonderful, perfect. Then as time goes by things change. There's a carelessness and sloppiness that wasn't there before. The color's not quite right.  The cut that was so good one month that you could weep is so bad the next month you do.  You stay even though its no longer good for you because you've developed a relationship and you'd feel guilty leaving.  Then something so heninous happens to your cut, color or perm that you can no longer ignore it and you decide to divorce.

I'm at that point. I'm divorcing my hairdresser. Or maybe she's divorcing me. She stood me up....again.  Only this time she didn't return my calls, like she usually does when she 'forgets' the appointment. I stood waiting outside the salon that was locked up tighter than a drum.  I swear people gave me pitying looks as they drove by.

Okay, I can take a hint.  This time its official, I'm  looking for someone new. Hmm, I wonder if I can find a hairdresser on match.com.

It's The Weekend

'Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’ ~ Charles M. Schulz But don't lie awake tonight. Its the weekend. Enjoy. Sleep in.~*~ When I remembered last night, heat crept through me. The puma witnessed my change.
He’d remained motionless. His beautiful ocher eyes glittered, while I’d stood naked in the moonlight. It seemed so natural at the time. Only now did I feel embarrassment.
Why should I be embarrassed? What difference does nakedness make to a cat…unless, like me, the puma is a shifter? MINDER

Movies...Just My Opinion

Saw Looper
I didn't care for it as much as the critics did.

Taken 2
I liked it better than the critics did.

Big Miracle
We rented this. It didn't hold the hubby's interest, but it sure did mine. I thought it was a beautiful movie.






Talking whale? Captive beluga had learned to mimic human voices