Roxanne Rustand's Blog, page 14

Who’s in Charge? The cat, of course! by author D.A. Featherling

by guest blogger D. A. Featherling

I am such a cat person! I’ve always loved them…more than dogs. Just the way I’m wired. It all started in my childhood when a neighbor had a momma cat (a very pregnant momma cat) wander in and populate them (and us) with a litter of kittens. That litter re-populated, and so on until my poor father finally declared ‘enough.’

I was cat-less for a number of years, going to school, working, getting married. But I finally acquired a cat I consider memorable…Pyewacket.  I didn’t name her; her former owner (a co-worker) did after the Siamese cat in the “Bell, Book, and Candle” book/movie. When his health issues prevented him from being able to care for his pet, he asked if I’d like to have her. Of course I would.

I should have suspected the cat was special when he told tales of her lurking on top of his car waiting for the neighborhood German shepherd dogs to show up. She would taunt the dogs, then as they passed by the car, leap on their backs and ‘ride’ them to the nearest tree where she’d jump off and ascend and smile that superior Siamese smile as they clamored around the trunk.

With a small child in the house, I wasn’t sure how this would work, but was willing to take a chance. Good thing. Pyewacket turned out to be a wonderful companion (well, as much as any cat is…unless they want to be one) and unique (to us) in a number of ways.

She was a lady, but a very assertive lady. If she wanted to go outdoors, she’d come to wherever I was and look at me and give one ‘meow.’ That was my cue to go let her outside. Never two “meow’s”…only one. If I didn’t respond, she’d go to the door and sit beside it and give one more ‘meow.’ By then, I knew I needed to get with it and get the door open and let her out. When she was ready to return, a scratching heralded her arrival to be let back in. Never a meow…only a scratch.

One of the most incredible things I ever witnessed with Pyewacket occurred when we brought home a bird on a stick we’d gotten my son at the circus. You held one end of the stick and twirled the string-attached bird around and it would make a noise and whirl.

Pyewacket went into hunting mode immediately. She crouched on the floor, watched the bird whirl around (powered by us), then sprang – straight up – and swiped at the bird with her paw.

Since we had ten-foot ceilings, this was a pretty amazing accomplishment. And she repeated it more than once, until she connected with the bird too many times and it broke.

Unfortunately, allergies have kept me from having a cat since, but Pyewacket will live on in my memory as the smartest, best cat ever. At least to this cat lover.

When I wrote my romantic comedy, “Kissing Frogs,” the story demanded a cat. Even though I’d not had any experience with white Persian cats, I used one in the story to amuse and astound readers. “Salem” (because he is such a trial!) steals the book and gives readers one more reason to love a cat.

Here’s a link so you can buy Dorothy’s charming new book!

Kissing Frogs  

 Kissing Frogs, Book 2 in the Second Time Around series released September 18, 2013:

“Until she decides to look for a husband, Em Snider is so-o-o-o in control of her life. But her trip on the internet matchmaking highway soon shows her that she can’t control the journey.

Her first encounter is a warning. There are toads out there! A Christian internet matchmaking service provides Em a chance to discover Prince Charming, if she can survive the shocks.Em is soon ready to quit, or will true love still come about in a way she never dreamed, if she’ll quit stepping on the brakes and let God be in control?”

Readers can connect with Dorothy on her website:  www.dafeatherling.com or on Facebook to keep up with her and her books. They are all available in Kindle or softcover from Amazon.com (click the link above the book cover.)

Lobsters. They’re Not Just Food…by author Katy Lee

I’ll be honest. When I think of lobster, my taste buds jump to attention.  In fact, I recently enjoyed a delicious lobster bisque, the cream so thick and filled with big chunks of tasty, sweet meat.  And this big guy in the picture was a prize I won this past summer.  He fed us for days.

Now, I could go on and on with some wonderful recipes you could make with the meat of a lobster, like have you ever tried Lobster Mac and Cheese?  Yummm.

But food is not why I’m here today.  We’re supposed to be celebrating God’s creatures great and small, so I’ll try my hardest to keep my salivating glands from stealing the show and focus on the amazing attributes of the lobster, particularly the North Atlantic crustacean.

Like, for example, did you know a lobster can swim backward going 11 miles per hour?  They curl and uncurl their abdominal muscles to move.  And here I always thought they only poked around the bottom of the sea scourging for their next meal.  They have long bodies with muscular tails and five pairs of legs, both filled with tasty meat.  Oops, there I go again, back to thinking about food.

Okay, so let’s talk about their shells then.  Those are inedible.  Lobsters moult to grow, shedding their shells multiple times a year and living up to 60 years of age.  The largest lobster ever caught was in Nova Scotia and weighed 44.4 pounds.  Each time they moult many species change their color.  Most are a blackish red, but you might find a yellow lobster out there or an orange one.  You might even find the beautiful brilliant blue lobster.  That one I might have trouble eating.  Blue is my favorite color.

I have also found another lobster that I can’t eat.  This one is made of wool and goes by the cute name of Jacques Crusteau.  Get it? Crusteau? Crustacean?  Jacques is actually a knitted lobster pattern I found on Ravelry. Isn’t he cute?  I love his big eyes, and he is so very soft and cuddly. (Click to find the pattern if you want to make one yourself.) http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jacques-crusteau

The reason I set out to find a lobster pattern was because my latest book release, Warning Signs, has lobster pots on the cover.  A lobsterman plays a role in the mystery that happens on Stepping Stones Island, Maine.  But don’t worry, no lobsters were hurt or killed in the making of this story.  Not even in the name of research.

If you would like to win one of these knitted crustaceans leave a comment below with a protected email address, and I will put your name in a random drawing. And here’s a little bit about the story:

Click here to buy Katy’s new book!! 

Warning Signs (Love Inspired Suspense)

WARNING SIGNS

Love Inspired Suspense

by Katy Lee

GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT…

When a drug-smuggling ring rocks a small coastal town, the DEA sends Agent Owen Matthews to shut it down. A single father with a deaf son, Owen senses that the town’s number one suspect—the high school’s new principal—doesn’t fit the profile. Miriam Hunter hoped to shrug off the stigma of her hearing impairment when she returned to Stepping Stones, Maine. But her recurring nightmares dredge up old memories that could prove her innocence—and uncover the truth behind a decades-old murder. Yet Owen’s help may not be enough when someone decides to keep Miriam silenced—permanently.

RT Magazine Review:

4 ½ Stars -   “Miriam is a strong character who is not held back by what others may perceive as a weakness. Acceptance is a key theme as Lee dispels some misconceptions regarding people with hearing impairments.”

As an Inspirational Romantic Suspense author, Katy Lee writes higher-purpose stories in high-speed worlds. Through her writing, ministries, and teaching, she dedicates her life to sharing tales of love, from the “greatest love story ever told” to those sweet romantic stories of falling in love. Katy and her husband are born New Englanders and love to travel with their three adventuresome children.  You can connect with Katy anytime at her website, www.KatyLeeBooks.com. There you will find links to Facebook and Twitter.  Please look me up!

Also on my site you will find details to take part in the Lighthouse Photo Contest.  I hope to receive lighthouses from around the world. So please, take part!

Author Lisa Belcastro, Shenandoah Crossings, and a cat named Ben

Have you ever received a pet as a gift? Even when you weren’t in the market for a pet?

I didn’t want another cat. I was a dog person, especially Corgis. And, we already had two very nice felines living in our home thanks to my daughters. Three years earlier, the girls had begged and pleaded for a cat for Christmas.  Not one cat between them, mind you, but a cat for each of them.  Though they were thirteen and seventeen at the time, I found notes written to Santa and couldn’t refuse their heartfelt pleas.

This past February, I was in my home office working, with Kayla beside me at the table finishing up her homework, when a loud meow echoed through the kitchen. “Kayla, please let the cat in,” I asked.

“Mom, they’re right here,” she said.  I looked over at her and, sure enough, Melody was sitting in her lap and Chloe was on the rug.

The meowing continued. I jumped up and hustled over to the kitchen door.  On our porch, on a day that was a frigid seven degrees and would drop below zero over night, was an emaciated, filthy orange cat. He saw me staring down at him and began wailing.

I opened the door and was greeted by a stench so foul I gagged.

“Mom,” Kayla cried, “You have to let him in.”

Retrieving the old German Shepherd crate from the basement, I snuggled him into the huge box. He collapsed.  Between you and me, I doubted he would make it through the night.  Hours later, before I went to bed, he was still sleeping. (Yes, I checked to make sure he wasn’t dead.)The next morning he was alive, awake and hungry. I opened the crate and he crawled into my arms. My heart melted. I was a goner. I named him Ben after the hero in my first book.

Knowing what I had to do, I called the local animal shelter to report a stray. They had a report for a missing orange male.  My heart sank. I drove to the shelter praying it wasn’t “my” cat.  The missing pet turned out to be a neutered male, not my Ben.  Nonetheless, Ben had to stay for one week while the shelter examined him, called the neighboring vets, and posted his “found” status on the Internet.

The following Friday, Ben came home with me. He was bathed, neutered and vaccinated. Over the last seven months Ben has grown to triple his size. He’s fit, healthy and gainfully employed. Ben, you see, is now my office manager. He sleeps on the desk beside my computer all day while I work. Every couple of hours he stretches out across the keyboard to let me know that we need a break. He’s tried typing, but honestly his words don’t add much to the story.

I didn’t want a cat, but God knew better. And I thank Him daily for the gift of Ben.

 

Click here for  an Amazon link to buy her latest book:    Shenandoah Crossings

Shenandoah Crossings

by Lisa Belcastro

Oak Tara Publishers

Released August, 2013

The second novel in the Winds of Change trilogy

Tess Roberts may live on Martha’s Vineyard, vacation spot for movie stars and presidents, but the Island feels anything but idyllic. Tess has had it with lousy dates, lying, cheating men, and the rules that forbid her from working on her family’s centuries-old schooner, Shenandoah.

Lucky for Tess, she knows a secret—the Shenandoah has magical powers. Her best friend, Rebecca O’Neill, once stayed in Cabin 8 and discovered a time portal that transported her to 1775. A month after Rebecca’s “disappearance,” Tess’s father, brother, and Shenandoah’s annoying first mate, Hawk, plan to shut down the time travel for good by dismantling the cabin. But what if Rebecca might someday need to come home? What if Tess isn’t ready to say goodbye forever?

Sneaking onto the ship late at night, Tess slips into Cabin 8 and drifts off to sleep. She wakes anchored off the New England coast amidst the American Revolution in 1776. The British frigate HMS Greyhound has seized Shenandoah and taken the crew, cargo, and all onboard hostage. To make matters worse, Hawk is relentlessly tracking her, determined to bring her back to the twenty-first century against her will. Sparks begin to fly, from more than cannonballs and gunpowder….

www.lisabelcastro.com

www.facebook.com/belcastrolisa

9-11-01

Just a short message today…in memory of the tragedy that took nearly 3,000 lives twelve years ago.  We were in town today, and seeing flags at half-mast, hearing commentary on the radio and reading the newspaper this morning brought back vivid memories of how the events unfolded that day.  I remember so clearly exactly where I was that morning–at this same desk, working on a book, when a friend called and told me to turn on the TV.  Neither tower had fallen yet…and the horror, grief and disbelief were overwhelming.  My thoughts and prayers today are with the survivors, and the families of those who were tragically lost.

It’s still just so terribly, unspeakably sad.

All the best to you and your loved ones,

Roxanne

Nanook the Husky, and author Laura Hilton

Guest blogger Laura V. Hilton 

Our first dog was a Siberian Husky. She was a red and white dog, with icy blue eyes.  My son wanted a sled dog team at the time and he had a bunch of wintery/Alaskan names to pick out.  He named her Slush.  Unfortunately, an accident took Slush away too soon, and Michael got a second dog, a  Siberian Husky mix. He also is red and white, but he has brown eyes.  We named him Nanook.

Nookie thinks he’s a human.  He wants to be inside with the family – but if he is outside, he wants to lay on the front deck so he can see anyone who comes. He hates black or brown trucks, so he hates the UPS man.  It got to the point that some packages come with labels – “beware of dog.”  He’s never bitten the UPS men though.  Yet.

He’s nine years old, and Michael says he’s lazy since  he sleeps all day. Nookie thinks that’s part of his job though. As is inspecting the mail and packages, and killing any animal intruders that dare enter our yard. Unfortunately, that means baby bunnies. He’s treed the neighbor’s cat multiple times, and tangled with a skunk.

I used a Siberian Husky in one of my books, basing him on Nanook.  Awakened Love doesn’t have a Siberian Husky in it, but it does have puppies!

Here’s a link to buy Laura’s newest book release on Amazon:

Awakened Love (Amish Of Webster County V3)

AWAKENED LOVE

Laura Hilton

Whitaker House Publishing

 Katie Detweiler grew up Amish, never knowing she was adopted as an infant. Now an adult, her new job as cook at an Amish bed and breakfast doesn’t bring about the euphoria she hoped for. Just as she’s getting her menu perfected, the Englisch family and severely ill sister she never knew existed enter her life and strain her Amish relationships. Plus, Katie suddenly has two different men vying for her attention—one Amish, one Englisch—and she wonders if one of them could be the man of her dreams. But when her Englisch sister’s health worsens, Katie must find a way to balance her heart, her job, and her faith while risking her own life for the sister she never knew.

 

About the author:

Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and their five children make their home in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools three of her children. Her two oldest children are homeschool graduates and are in college. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts, and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love. Surrendered Love and Awakened Love,  releasing September 2013. A nonAmish book The Appalachian Ballad Quilt will release November 2014 from Abingdon Press. She is contracted for another three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport, releasing in April 2014, September 2014, and April 2015.

Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with over a thousand book reviews published at various online review sites.

My Canine Writing Assistant by Collette Cameron

Guest blogger:  Collette Cameron

The last time I was a guest on Roxanne’s blog, I wrote about Kiki, my dachshund who died last October. I wasn’t going to replace her. After all, I still had four dachshunds and a lab, but after a month of watching me cry, my husband and daughter begged me to get a  puppy.

How could I replace Kiki though? She was so devoted, calm, and loving. To make them happy, I half-heartedly began  searching for a doxie pup.

My first choice was to do a rescue, but because I have other doxies and I work very part-time teaching, I was turned down.  Quite by accident, I came across an advertisement for mini doxies. They were located in my hubby’s hometown.  So after contacting the seller, my daughter and made the trip. I still wasn’t too keen on the idea of getting another dog.

A new puppy?  Lots of work;  just like having a baby in the house. And the housetraining?  Did I really want to go through that again?

The seller had five puppies available.  Two black, two chocolate, and one red. There was one female whose picture had touched me. She’d look terrified and had an odd scar on her forehead.  When I picked her up (a whopping two pounds), she crawled onto my shoulder and snuggled against my neck. I looked at my daughter. She had that look on her face.

The puppy had picked me as dachshunds do.

I named her Ayva after the A-shaped scare on her forehead. The vet said it was most likely caused by a strep infection when she was born.  Ayva was sweet, shy, and timid…for about a day. Then the real puppy emerged. A fearless imp that had no idea she was at the bottom of the doggy ladder. She chewed up nearly 60 things in the first three weeks: shoes, rugs, books, dog toys, purses—anything and everything she got her teeth on.

My hubby affectionately called her an alligator on day. I said, “No, she’s the Ayvagator.”  The name stuck. We call her Baby Gator as often as we do Ayva.

Hence my journey writing my second novel, The Viscount’s Vow commenced with Ayva on my lap. She nibbled the keyboard, licked and chewed on me, but also spent hours asleep on my lap. We bonded so closely those first months that to this day, she has to be within sight of me. Though she’s a mini doxie, she’s outgrown my lap and prefers sleeping on the back of a overstuffed chair in my writing room.  She reminds me when I need to take a break from writing by sticking her head between my knees and staring at me.

I named a maid in The Viscount’s Vow after her. It’s just my way of having this rambunctious little darling live on forever.  By-the-way, my current work in progress has a doxie named Kiki in it.

You can click here to buy Colette’s new book on Amazon!

The Viscount’s Vow (A Regency Romance)

The Viscount’s Vow

by Collette Cameron

Release date September 4, 2013

 Amidst murder and betrayal, destiny and hearts collide when scandal forces a viscount and a  gypsy noblewoman to marry in this Regency romance, sprinkled with suspense, humor, and inspiration.

Half Romani, half English noblewoman, Evangeline Caruthers is the last woman in England Ian Hamilton, the Viscount Warrick, could ever love—an immoral wanton responsible for his brother’s and father’s deaths. She thinks he’s a foul-tempered blackguard, who after setting out to cause her downfall, finds himself forced to marry her—snared in the trap of his own making.

When Vangie learns the marriage ceremony itself may have been a ruse, she flees to her gypsy relatives, declaring herself divorced from Ian under Romani law. He pursues her to the gypsy encampment, and when the handsome gypsy king offers to take Ian’s place in Vangie’s bed, jealousy stirs hot and dangerous.

At last, under a balmy starlit sky, Ian and Vangie breech the chasm separating them. Peril lurks though. Ian’s the last in his line, and his stepmother intends to dispose of the newlyweds so her daughter can inherit his estate. Only by trusting each other can they overcome scandal and murderous betrayal.

“A brilliant tale combining Regency romance with exotic Romani culture.”

Collette would love hearing from you.

http://collettecameron.com

http://blueroseromance.com

 Here’s an Amazon link to buy Collette’s previous book, HIGHLANDER’S HOPE!

Highlander’s Hope

So many years….

Sometimes it’s hard to believe how fast time flies.  It seems like yesterday that I was in college for my undergraduate degree…and those were the days! I loved school.  Every semester, a brand new world–interesting things to learn, different people, new challenges.  Fortunately, I had a good job and could support myself and my horse (I worked part time as a dental hygienist), so I stayed in school for years, changed my majors several times and just enjoyed every minute. Skiing in the winter and horse shows the rest of the year filled my spare time.

Then  I got married, moved away (with horses and cats in tow!) and enjoyed the adventure of small town life in Illinois.  Quite a change from living in St Paul to attend the U of M!    A year later we moved to  eastern Iowa, where we’ve been ever since, on ten acres with our horses and kids.

And how that time has flown. I guess I’m feeling a tad nostalgic, because yesterday was our 37th anniversary.  How can that be?!   During that time I got my Master’s degree, we had three amazing kids who are now grown and married to wonderful people,  and we raised a lot of horses.  There’ve been good times, and some rough times, but I’m so very thankful that we were able to weather the storms and are still together.  I appreciate my husband now more than ever!

So…what are some of your happy memories from the past?

Roxanne reviews “A Big Little LIfe”

Horses, writing and the end of summer

We’re nearly to the end of August already, and I can hardly believe it!  My husband and I have traveled a lot this spring and summer, and the time has just flown.  I’ve been meaning to post photos from our trip to England and Ireland in May/June, and will get to that soon. In the meantime, I thought I would share some others.

Here’s one of the mares, enjoying a lovely, cool August day.  It’s been such fun to ride this summer.

Back in the day, we used to raise quarter horses, and always had broodmares and young stock but nothing to ride. Now we just have three–all quiet, well broke mares who are  enjoyable to ride, but even if there isn’t time for that, it’s such a joy to simply look at them, and to do my barn chores.  Winston Churchill is credited with saying,  “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”  He was so right!  It just does my heart good to look outside and see my girls.  Last week we got our second cutting of hay into the barn, so now we are set for winter–and that is a wonderful feeling, too!

When not playing with the horses, I’m in my office writing.  But now and then, I get away–and last weekend was wonderful!  The Blue Belle Inn in St Ansgar, Iowa is the most beautiful B&B I’ve ever seen.  Innkeeper Sherrie Decker is also a writer, and she plans writer retreats every other year.

Oh, my.  The food is always wonderful, the setting is gorgeous, and the room are utterly charming.  Check out her website at www.bluebelleinn.com  and see what I mean!  This year four of us were speakers:  Lyn Cote (in blue), Erica Vetsch (in plaid), Mary Connealy (in red, upper right) and me (in the baggy white shirt. Which was clearly a fashion mistake!)  Then again, I spend most of my time in jeans, boots and T’s, so I suppose anything is an improvement.

But now, I’m home and it’s time to get back to work…no more socializing with other writers for me until the  Novelist’s Inc conference in October!

So…what were the highlights of your summer?  I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Trails,

Roxanne

Roxanne reviews The Art of Racing in the Rain