Sandi Ward's Blog, page 2

June Early Look at Something Worth Saving

ARCs are here!

What are ARCs? Good question! ARC stands for Advance Reader Copies. These are copies of the book that are "uncorrected" (they may still contain a few typos or errors that will be fixed in the final version). These versions go out to book reviewers or book bloggers who might be interested in reviewing the story.

You'll see in the photo that ARCs have a special icon on the cover, the circle in the bottom right, letting readers know this isn't the final version. These books cannot be sold—they are just for giving away and finding early readers.

I will be giving away a few ARCs myself sometime this summer! You can sign up for my newsletter to be notified of giveaways. You can also add the book to your "Want To Read" shelf on Goodreads to get notifications of giveaways hosted by Kensington Books.

Good luck!

April Early Look at Something Worth Saving

Cover reveal!

I'm very excited today to bring you the cover for my new novel, Something Worth Saving! I love it, and I hope you do too!

I'm working on the page proofs now. ARCs (advance reading copies) should be available sometime in mid- to late-May. So things are moving along! The on sale date is 12/18/18.

Authors With Cats: Meet Rory Williams

 

I always swear I’m going to adopt an adult cat next time, but I'm too much of a sucker for the baby kittehs.  The last time my family was between cats, my kids and I visited the SPCA to play with their inmates (which we do frequently even when we aren’t in the market). We fell madly in love with this super cool little gray-striped baby boy named Jack, but we couldn’t adopt him on the spot because we had a dad to convince first. When we returned to the shelter the following weekend, awesome Jack was gone, but his brother (then named Charlie), an identical-looking cat, was still available. Hoping they were also similar in temperament, we took this little guy home because look at him. How could we not?

But we quickly figured out this cat was no Jack. This cat, it turned out, was a jerk*. I know, I know. How can I disparage my own pet? While others talk about their cats climbing into their laps or onto their computers while they type, the best I can get is a fat monster lying across my feet. Cute, you might think. Alas, he’s usually only there so he can bite my toes or dig his claws into my legs whenever I shift positions. When I pet him, he confuses my hand for a cat toy and clamps down on my arm, absolutely unable to refrain from going full-on attack mode. If that's not enough, when I walk down the hall, he jumps out of nowhere to bite my ass. And yes, he is big enough to reach. He’s a vicious little beast. Did I mention he doesn’t even purr? What kind of cat doesn’t purr? This one.

And yet...over the years, he’s mellowed out a bit. He’s grown more tame than wild, and he’s learned he’s going to have to pay for his free food and sofa cushions by patiently putting up with butterfly kisses and baby talk. Now, when I pick him up and drop him in my lap to scratch him, he’ll hang out for a minute or two before squirming for freedom. When I write, he often flops down somewhere within eye shot of me where he falls fast asleep. He knows he’s safe with us, letting his giant belly unfurl like he’s tempting us with tickle time. Do not fall for this invitation or you may lose a limb.

*Disclaimer: I do love my jerk of a cat, and I've had many, many cats of various temperaments, from sweet to dopey to spastic. I love all the kittehs, meanies included, and would be overrun with them if it weren't for a cat-resistant man in the house.

Mary Ann Marlowe lives in central Virginia where she works as a computer programmer/DBA. She spent ten years as a university-level French professor, and her resume includes stints as an au pair in Calais, a hotel intern in Paris, a German tutor, a college radio disc jockey, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms. She has lived in twelve states and three countries and loves to travel. Her novels, Some Kind of Magic and A Crazy Kind of Love, feature smart, professional women and the sexy rock gods they fall for. She can be found at http://www.maryannmarlowe.com.

A Crazy Kind of Love can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine booksellers.

  

Some Kind of Magic can also be found on Amazon and wherever great books are sold!

 

Authors With Cats: Meet Panther and Suzie

 

Today, meet Panther and Suzie, the cats of author Laura Heffernan! 

Panther and Suzie by Laura Heffernan

Growing up, my family had a few cats. Over the years, and multiple roommates with cats, I was pretty happy living a pet-free lifestyle. Finally, my black clothes weren’t covered in fur! And then, well, they started renovating an old abandoned building across the street from my apartment, sending mice into our building in droves. When I found a dead mouse caught in our folding dishrack, I turned to my husband and said, “Get me a cat.”

He actually got me two. The local rescue had two cats who had bonded, and both were so shy, they were terrified of meeting people. They’d been at the rescue awhile, so they were offering a deal: two cats for the price of one. They were sweet but shy, and I wanted to give the poor things a forever home.

Panther

Cat? Or a black sweater? Who can say?

Panther is, truly, the neediest cat I’ve ever met in my life. He needs to sit as close to me as possible, all the time. There are many, many pictures like this one. (He’s black, which makes him tough to see.)

 

 

Sometimes, when I’m working, he’ll poke at me to ask why I’m not paying attention to him. Honestly, sometimes it’s a wonder I get any words on the page at all. He’s actually poking around at my feet as I’m typing this.

Suzie

Meanwhile, Suzie is super chill. Most of the time. Her favorite thing to do is stare at me creepily each morning from the first second I show signs of being awake until I feed her. She also likes to beg for belly rubs. And who could say no to this?

Laura Heffernan is living proof that watching too much TV can pay off. She’s the author of the Reality Star series, which follows millennial Jen as she navigates the precarious world of reality television. Visit Laura’s website at www.lauraheffernan.com

 

 

  

The Reality Star books, including Reality Wedding, are available on Amazon, Apple iTunes, BN, and other retailers.

 

Authors With Cats: Meet Kitsy and Charlie

 

Today on my blog, meet the cats of author Anna Dowdall! 

Kitsy and Charlie by Anna Dowdall

I’ve had many cats in my life, and they have allowed me to experience the gamut of emotions, from love to loss and more.  Beginning when I was a very small child in a gritty neighbourhood where cats roamed free and I couldn’t resist trying to love them, which got me plenty of scratches. My sister managed to snag us one of them. It had a unique semi-adopted status in the family, which meant that it didn’t have a great life because my mother didn’t want it in the house and the only time it visited a vet was for the purposes of euthanasia. Later I repeated the experiment, and once more our family’s ambivalence to love shone through and the cat died.  

Kitsy and Charlie

Was it from this early trauma that I adopted too many street strays in my twenties, or because my baby urge was strong? I had quite a few for a while. One died from a septic wound inflicted by another cat. I had to find new homes for the others eventually, due to precarious employment, the need to move far away. I don’t know what happened to the ones I gave away and whether they had good lives afterwards. At the time I felt like one of those reckless single mothers sending babies they couldn’t care for into the ether. I still think about them all. 

Time passed and I got suckered into getting a dog for my daughter, a dog person. Our dog didn’t last too long, it died of cancer, but before that we got a cat to be a companion to it. Because, deep in the recesses of my mind, I believed all wasn’t well with this dog and I was trying to anticipate my child’s sense of loss. I may have anticipated it, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t mitigate it. 

Well, more time passed, that cat began to seem lonely and I got worried, and so I got it a friend cat.  Now I’ve still got the two of them.  One very old one, quite sick, and a middle-aged one, its frenemy. These are their pictures. They look thuggy, and here are very deliberately blocking my access to my morning coffee, which, as everyone knows, is as mother’s milk to a writer. But they are gentle souls, inclined to torpor, unkempt due to atypically strong feelings about grooming. 

I dream about cats often, dreams about peril, insight, love, loss. In that sense do they inspire me as a writer?  I think of myself as a cat person, but in fact what does that mean?  It’s a path paved with many things, besides cats.

Anna Dowdall writes stories full of suspense and intrigue. She is the author of After the Winter and The Au Pair. Learn more at her website: www.annadowdall.com. 

 

 

Anna's latest book, The Au Pair, can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at other fine booksellers! You can read reviews of her novels on Kirkus Reviews.

 

Authors With Cats: Meet Apollo

 

Today, meet Apollo, a cat with attitude! Apollo is the cat of author SJ Sinhu. 

Apollo by SJ Sindu

This is Apollo, but he only answers to Kittay. Not Kitty. Kittay pronounced KEE-TAY. He comes when he's called, and takes the superiority attitude of cats to a whole new level.

Hello!

Kittay and I have been together a long time. I actually got him the same summer I started working on my first novel, Marriage of a Thousand Lies. He was four years old when I got him from a friend of a friend who couldn't take him with her when her family moved. For three days, he hid behind the TV and growled whenever anyone got close, but on the fourth day, I was at home writing on my laptop. Kittay came out from behind the TV, climbed onto my lap, and fell asleep. And that was that.

Working on a screenplay.

Kittay continued to sit with me while I wrote and rewrote the novel for the next five years, and while I went through the three-year emotional rollercoaster of publishing. I'm so grateful for his shenanigans and support.

Apollo thinks the manuscript is looking good.

SJ Sindu is the author of the novel Marriage of a Thousand Lies (Soho Press, 2017) and the hybrid fiction and nonfiction chapbook I Once Met You But You Were Dead (Split Lip Press, 2016). http://sjsindu.com

Marriage of a Thousand Lies is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other fine booksellers!

 

 

March Early Look at Something Worth Saving

First, a bit of news: the publication date for Something Worth Saving has been moved to January 2019! I'll post here when the novel is available for pre-order.

In January and February, I introduced the cat narrator of Something Worth Saving (Lily) and the dog of the family, a German Shepherd (Gretel). You can check out those posts here: January and here: February.  

I thought that for March, I could talk a little about the setting. As with The Astonishing Thing, this novel takes place on Cape Ann. Cape Ann is a rocky piece of land on the ocean, in northern Massachusetts. It's made up of four towns: Essex, Manchester-by-the-sea, Gloucester, and Rockport.

I imagined that the Anderson family home, described as a cottage on the way to the beach, might be similar to those on the road to Wingaersheek Beach in West Gloucester. But there are areas of Ipswich and Essex that would also be a good fit for the area I've imagined. The Andersons live across the street from a sailing club, and one flashback chapter takes place on the dock—in a snowstorm—so, not the safest place to be.

The marsh in Ipswich, MA.

Here is an excerpt from the novel, where Lily talks a little about their home:

The fact is, our house is small and cramped on the inside—but oh! We have a wonderful outside! The river attracts magnificent white swans, green-headed mallards and long-tailed wood ducks. Behind our house is a small garden, and beyond that there are woods full of deer, voles, daddy longlegs, dragonflies, big black ants and bats at dusk. The forest floor is covered in dry, spiky pine needles, and beneath that is the cool sand. I go exploring all the time. 

One thing Lily does not like, however, is the river itself. She once fell in the water, and found it terrifying! So while she loves the great outdoors, she keeps a bit of distance from the river.

Something Worth Saving will be available January 2019. 

 

 

Authors With Cats: Meet Lola

 

Today's post is from author Claire Marti. I always love to read about rescue cats! My own cat Winnie was adopted from our local SPCA, after someone found a litter of kittens outside, near a radio station.  

Lola by Claire Marti

Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets…

I proudly admit I’m the Crazy Old Cat Lady in Training. I’ve had cats my whole life and been rescuing them as long as I can remember. Each one holds a special place in my heart, but today’s tribute is for Lola.

She seduced me the moment we met. She was six months old and the last kitten left from a litter born outside in the woods. Her foster mom told my husband and me that Lola hid from every potential adopter until she met us. We like to believe she was waiting for us.

Lola having a rest by the window.

A beautiful tortoiseshell tabby, or torbie, Lola exudes spunk, sassiness, and a sliver of shyness. Her repertoire of meows is vast so you know where you stand with her. She trills when she is pleased, purrs when she is happy, and squawks when it is time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Reading the latest manuscript...

Lola sits on my writing chair and supervises my work. Occasionally, she will review my manuscript and offer feedback. She’s spoiled rotten, so the song does apply…Lola gets whatever she wants. 

Claire Marti is the author of the Finding Forever in Laguna series. These smart, sexy romances feature strong heroines and dreamy heroes. Visit her website at: clairemarti.com.

 

 

You can find Second Chance in Laguna on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Here are the links to Book 2 in the Finding Forever in Laguna series, titled At Last in Laguna: Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

 

Authors With Cats: Meet Sterling and Spencer

 

This post is from author Orly Konig. She often posts great photos of her cats on Instagram, so if you enjoy this post, make sure to follow her on IG!

Sterling and Spencer by Orly Konig

When I started working from home several years ago, I pulled rank and went to adopt a cat. A as in one cat. My husband was not a fan of the idea but agreed to one small cat — after all, how much of a footprint does ONE cat take? Surprise! Walking through the shelter, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned to see who wanted my attention, a large kitty reached up for me to pick him up. And while he was hugging me, his equally large brother wrapped himself around my foot. That was it, I was officially theirs. 

Writing with cat.

These two are my constant shadows. Where I am, they have to be. Which is one reason I find myself working on the kitchen table more than in my office (well, space for the cats and it’s closer to the espresso machine). I’ve found countless typos that I fully blame on cat paws. Sticky notes that stuck to cat bellies inside of manuscript pages. Sterling has a tendency to shred pages if I’m spending more time writing than petting him. And Spencer has been found guilty of drinking from my lattes when I’m not paying attention. I wouldn’t have it any other way (well, except for sharing the coffee!).

Not one, but TWO cats.

Catnapping.

Orly Konig is an escapee from the corporate world where she spent roughly sixteen (cough) years working in the space industry. Now she spends her days chatting up imaginary friends, drinking entirely too much coffee, and negotiating writing space around two-overfed cats. She is the founding president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, a member of the Tall Poppy Writers, and a quarterly contributor to the Writers in the Storm and Thinking Through Our Fingers blogs. Her debut women’s fiction, The Distance Home, released from Forge May 2017. Carousel Beach will release on May 8, 2018. You can find out more about Orly on her website at www.orlykonig.com

You can find The Distance Home on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at other fine booksellers! 

 

 

  

Orly's second novel, Carousel Beach, will be out on May 8, 2018. You can pre-order now on Amazon! 

 

Authors With Cats: Meet Rainbow Chili

 

I don't limit myself to American cats on this blog. Today, you can meet a cat who lives on the other side of the world, in Singapore. Her name is Rainbow Chili. She is definitely not the cat of author Clarissa Goenawan...or is she? You be the judge.

Rainbow Chili by Clarissa Goenawan

Let me start by confessing first: This cat is actually not mine. In fact, Rainbow Chili doesn’t belong to anyone.

I live in Singapore, a tropical city (which is also a country) in South East Asia. Just like most Singaporeans, I live in a government-built flat.

It’s not uncommon to see stray cats loiter around the public housing estates. You can easily spot them curling up under public benches or inbetween parked bicycles.

Many locals are cat lovers. They’ll walk around their neighborhood armed with cat food and sometimes, even a container of water. Passersby, young and old, often stop to pet the cats. So even though they are stray animals, these cats are well-loved and well-fed.

When my youngest daughter turned one, she began to walk steadily and we started going for walks around the neighborhood. During one of these strolls, a certain stray cat took her interest.

At first, my little girl would only stare at the cat for a very long time. But soon, she started looking for that particular cat; ‘my cat’. It didn’t take long before she named the cat ‘Chili’. My elder daughter—who is a big fan of My Little Pony’s Rainbow Dash—suggested adding ‘Rainbow’ to the name, and that was how we got ‘Rainbow Chili’.

My daughters and I are always looking forward to seeing Rainbow Chili—in the morning when we leave the house, in the afternoon when the girls return from school, and in the evening when we check the letterbox. Even though Rainbow Chili is not our cat as per se, she brings us a lot of happiness.

Clarissa is an Indonesian-born Singaporean writer. Her debut novel, Rainbirds, is the winner of the 2015 Bath Novel Award. Her short stories have won several awards and been published in various literary magazines and anthologies, such as The MacGuffin, Your Impossible Voice, Esquire, Monsoon Book, Writing The City, Needle in the Hay,
and many others. She loves rainy days, pretty books, and hot green tea. Find out more at her website: www.clarissagoenawan.com.

Clarissa's novel Rainbirds (look at that beautiful cover!), debuts today. Yes, today: March 6, 2018. You can find the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at other fine booksellers.