Roxanne Rustand's Blog, page 16

Rita finalist Missy Tippens, on Becoming a Grandmother

Becoming a Grandmother

By Missy Tippens

Yes, I know Roxanne features pets on her blog. So why did I title my post Becoming a Grandmother?  Well, because I now have a granddog! And I’m absolutely crazy over him. His name is Tucker, and we’ve been enjoying dog-sitting for the last two weeks.

Tucker has really been a blessing. The first time we had him with us for an extended visit, our 13-year-old lab named Libby passed away. Our 11-year-old dog Duke had been with Libby since we brought him home as a puppy. He always stood at the door and whined anytime Libby was gone (on a walk or to the vet). I feared for Duke and how he would react to losing her.

But Tucker was here to help with the grief, to keep us all busy, and to help ease Duke into life without his constant companion. I truly think Tucker helped prevent the depression some animals can suffer when they lose another pet they’re close to.

So now we have Tucker in our lives. My son, who lives 2 hours away, got Tucker from a pit bull rescue, and he’s the sweetest, most precious thing! I’m now officially a picture-toting, doting grandma. I can’t begin to imagine what a joy it’s going to be to have human grandbabies someday!

Thank you for indulging me and letting me share a few photos today. Do any of you have grand-dogs or cats? Or do you have a new pet you’d like to talk about?

We all just heard on Tuesday:

MISSY IS A  FINALIST IN THE INSPIRATIONAL CATEGORY of the Romance Writers of America Rita awards!  Being nominated for this national award is a tremendous  honor–think of it as the Oscars and Academy Award of writing!    And Missy’s latest book is available now!

Georgia Sweethearts

Love Inspired

April 2013

by Missy Tippens

A Pattern For Love…

After inheriting her great-aunt’s failing yarn shop, Lilly Barnes is determined to make it a success. All she wants is stability, something she doesn’t think possible in the small town of Corinthia, Georgia. Then Pastor Daniel Foreman rents space in her store to hold meetings for his growing congregation, and this proves to be her lifeline. At first Lilly wants nothing to do with Daniel’s big dreams, but she soon finds herself starting to share his goals. Yet trouble between her customers and his congregation make them both doubt the path they’re on. That is, until practical Lilly shows him that love is a risk worth taking.

4 Stars from RT Book Reviews      “…Tippens imperfect and charming characters learn to lean on God for direction and to use their hurt to help others.”

Find her book at:

Harlequin.com

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

DeeperShopping.com

Available for Pre-order:  Christian Book

Missy Tippens, a pastor’s wife and mom of three from near Atlanta, Georgia, made her first sale to Love Inspired in 2007. Her books have since been nominated for the Booksellers Best, ACFW Carol Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Beacon Contest and RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com.

 

A cat named Raisin, and author Alison Stone

What’s in a name?

by guest blogger Alison Stone

The other day I was “Face-Timing” with my adorable 2 year-old niece. For those who may not know, Face-Timing is video chatting over the iPhone. It is very Jetson-like, if you ask me. And very cool if you live out of town, like my niece.

As we were chatting, a beautiful Siamese kitty elegantly hopped onto the shelf behind her and strolled across the screen. Until then, I didn’t realize my brother and sister-in-law had adopted a new pet. I asked my niece what her kitty’s name was and she proudly said, “Raisin.”

I smiled. My brother told me that when they were discussing names, my niece was in the backseat of the car. She suggested Raisin and Babybel.

The family liked the name Raisin, only to later realize my niece was hungry and suggesting snack ideas, not kitty names.  But her parents decided to stick with Raisin. And now they have a fun story on how they named their beautiful cat.

I always like the story behind a name, human or pet. Years ago, I was kicking around the idea of naming my firstborn Casey. I didn’t share the name with anyone. While I was pregnant, my sister adopted a puppy. Yep, you guessed it. She named him Casey. Needless to say, none of my children share the dog’s name.

A friend of mine recently told me a great story. When she first got married, she and her husband adopted a dog and named it Molly. A few years later, she had a daughter and still loved the name. She boldly decided to name her daughter Molly and changed the dog’s name to something else. I love this story. It makes me smile.

Naming characters in a book can be interesting, too. Before I was published, I picked names, including last names, of people I knew to populate my books. As soon as I realized a book was going to be published, I changed most of the names. There are a few exceptions however. I named a character in my latest book to be released in print, Random Acts, after my sister Lisa.

I named the heroine in my current work-in-progress after my niece, Lily. I hope to show it to her on the bookstore shelf someday.   Hmmm? Maybe I’ll give fictional Lily a cat named Raisin. 

 RANDOM ACTS

by Alison Stone

Bitter experience left Danielle hesitant to open her heart. When a family crisis brings her home, the hard-nosed attorney is forced to face the man that let her get away. And that her sister’s accident was staged to mask a beating.

Though Patrick guards his heart, seeing Danielle again reignites their old flame. But no way will he bring her into his daughter’s life, not when her values on faith and family are so different from his own. Yet they must work together to bring a criminal to justice before everything is destroyed—including their second chance at forever.

Originally released in eBook format only, is now available in print.

Links for Random Acts:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Random-Acts-ebo...

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rando...

ALISON STONE writes romantic suspense for Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense and Samhain Publishing. Her debut novel, Random Acts, was a finalist for the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award in the unpublished inspirational category. Alison lives in Western New York with her husband of over twenty years and their four children, where the summers are absolutely gorgeous and the winters are perfect for curling up with a good book—or writing one. Besides writing, Alison keeps busy volunteering at her children’s schools, driving her girls to dance, and watching her boys race motocross.

Website:www.AlisonStone.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alison_Stone or @Alison_Stone

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonStoneAuthor

Blog: http://alisonstone.wordpress.com/

Teddy the bull mastiff…author Noelle Marchand, and A Texas Made Match

Today’s guest blogger is Noelle Marchand!

Teddy was a lover not a fighter. Oh, he could put on a good show for the lawn mower, but when it came right down to it the Bull Mastiff with 100 plus pounds of pure muscle and a booming bark wanted nothing more than an unending supply of treats and a constant belly rub.

He was smart enough to learn a plethora of showy tricks including how to place his big paws on your knee and hide his eyes to “pray”.  One cheery word to him would send him hurrying toward you with his tail wagging so hard that his entire body wiggled. The big sweetheart was with my family eleven years (a few years short of half my life) before he left us to romp around in the fields of Glory.

It has been more than a year since that day but a memory of him can still leave me smiling and a little teary eyed. The unconditional, unquestioning love of a pet is something not easily forgotten. Perhaps that is why the good Lord gave us animals that were so easily domesticated. He knew that we’d enjoy companionship with someone that was always willing to snuggle, play and even listen without understanding a single word.

Ellie O’Brien, the heroine of A Texas-Made Match, has a similar connection with a much larger animal—her trusty steed Starlight. Ellie has been responsible for Starlight’s care and training since the mare was a filly so it is no wonder that

Starlight is a comforting presence and perfect confidant for her. I don’t want to give away too much about the story, but when Starlight gets in trouble nothing will stop Ellie from rescuing her.

Ellie knows what I discovered. We must appreciate the good things in life while they are still here to be cherished, protected and appreciated.

AND HERE’S NOELLE’S NEW BOOK!

A TEXAS MADE MATCH

Love Inspired Historical Romance

Noelle Marchand

March, 2013

Matchmaker—Matched!

For Ellie O’Brien, finding the perfect partner is easy—as long as it’s for other people. Now the townsfolk of Peppin want to return the favor. But how could Lawson Williams be the right choice? The handsome ranch foreman was her childhood friend, but he’s the man Ellie deems least likely to court a tomboy with a guilty secret.

Lawson can’t help enjoying the town’s efforts to push him together with Ellie, though marriage isn’t in his plans. Yet Ellie’s become a warm, spirited woman who could chase away the clouds of his past. And with a whole town on their side, they could claim a love as big and bold as Texas itself….

Website: 

Howdy–from the March Madness Blog Hop!

Howdy!

Today is the start of the March Madness Blog Hop involving 36 authors from many genres; and across the spectrum from inspirational/sweeter type romantic fiction (me!) to hotter books, and every step between. There are wonderful prizes in the overall drawing.  Read on, to see how to enter the raffle, and you’ll also find that there’s an extra prize at this blog, just from me!

If this is your first time at the All Creatures Great And Small blog, here’s a very warm welcome to you from the very snowy upper Midwest!

We’ve had one lovely snowfall after another, and as I write this in my cozy office, I’m looking out over our ten acres of pastures and hayfield, at snowflakes drifting down and adding to the five inches we got last night.

Though we now live in Iowa, both my husband and I grew up in Minnesota, and I love the snow. We find it sort of amusing though, when the local forecasters give us their predictions about “major winter storms.”  I mean, really!?  Five inches is a major storm?  LOL!

When I went out to do my horse chores this morning, I took these photographs. I like the one with the three of them, because it’s so typical.  The horses at the left are outside, the one at the right is inside, and all three want to be where they are not!

 

 

 

As you can see from this blog, I love country life and I definitely love animals. In addition to my own posts, I often feature posts by other authors who are animal lovers, too.

I’ve had over thirty books published thus far– all romantic suspense or mystery, with the exception of three that were romance.  I started with Harlequin Superromance, with an Everlasting and a trade paperback for public radio along the way, and now I’ve been writing inspirational romantic suspense for a while.

Almost all of my titles have been light romantic suspense, strong on a warm community of characters, often with inter-generational elements, and often set in small towns, ranches or out west.   A lot of my books have included animals with considerable personality. I had great fun using one of my childhood horses in Christmas at Shadow Creek, because Cherokee was a horse who took himself on a lot of adventures when he managed to escape our pasture!

I hope you’ll come back again, and also join me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roxanne.rustand    At Facebook, I’m always teetering at the edge of 5,000 friends and thus can’t add friends unless someone drops off,  but email me (through this website) or message me (through FB) to let me know, and I will watch out for your friend request!  You can also just subscribe, or click “follow” at the top of the profile.

To enter the March Madness Blog Hop raffle for lots of great prizes, go to:

Rafflecopter.  

The Tale of Bad Bart, the Border Collie

Guest blogger Sharon Dunn

I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there [in Heaven], I believe he’ll be there.      Rev. Billy Graham

Bad Bart is not a pirate. He is my spastic border collie. If you think Marley of Marley and Me fame was the worst dog ever, stand aside, Bart is in the house. Bart eats socks. Bart eats dish rags. Bart eats my kids’ homework (yes, they actually used that as an excuse to their teacher and weren’t telling a lie)

Bart waits until we are relaxing for the evening to start doing the above activities. I know he does it for attention. Here’s the baddest part of Bad Bart. Bart barks at baby carriage and small children. They freak him out.

Here’s the saddest part of the The Tale of Bad Bart. Even with all of that, I love Bart. I’ve never been around an animal who was so devoted and so tuned in to each member of the family. He laid beside my husband when he was recovering from chemo treatments. He makes my son who has Asperger’s feel super special with the way he greets him and loves him without judgment and lots of doggie kisses. He is the best company when I am writing. He lies on my feet (not at my feet) when I’m working at my desk.

Bart was a shelter dog. All we know about him is that he and his mom were found abandoned in a rental house. In his defense, not all Bart’s behavior is entirely Bart’s fault. When we adopted him, the man who helped us with the adoption said that with border collies, it’s not just about  keeping them busy physically. Border collies are so smart they need a lot of mental stimulationas well.

I think a lot of the sock eating and homework consumption has to do with that. It’s not easy to stay mentally ahead of a border collie. They are so smart. Because he was bred to herd animals, Bart anticipates our movement. And I’ve never had a dog that could move backwards like he does.

Bart is not your standard issue lay in the corner until called kind of dog. He’s interested in what everyone in the house is doing and he actually runs patrols through the house checking on everyone and peering out each window to make sure no one is approaching the house. Gotta love that kind of dedication. Bart has added so much to my life. I can’t imagine it  without him.

 

Guard Duty

Sharon Dunn

Love Inspired Suspense

March, 2013

Rookie Police officer Valerie Salgado can identify a murderer who is probably a member of the crime syndicate that has plagued the town of Sagebrush Texas for months. With a death threat hanging over her head, she has new responsibilities caring for her niece and proving herself as a member of the K-9 police unit. When FBI agent Trevor Lewis comes into town looking for a fugitive, he offers her protection in exchange for her help.  A troubled childhood has left more walls around Trevor’s heart than a maximum security prison.

 

 

 

Guard Duty is the third book in the Texas K-9 Unit series from Love Inspired Suspense.    If you’ve missed the first two books in the series, you can find them at eharlequin.com,  barnesandnoble.com,  christianbook.com, and Amazon.  And don’t forget–the final three in the series will be coming out the first week of April, May and June–available in your local book stores and online!

Baxter–Life through the eyes of a Shnauzer –by Kathleen Y’Barbo

Meet Baxter.

Baxter has very little stress beyond whether his water bowl stays full, his food bowl is consistently replenished, and his trips outside are not withheld.

In short–which he is–Baxter is a low maintenance guy…er, dog.

Unfortunately, this fellow has one rather annoying habit. He likes to walk a half-step ahead of me while looking back to be sure I am following.

Not the best way to make progress of any kind. In fact, life would be much less complicated if Baxter would just let me do the leading while he does the following.

I said this recently. Aloud. Yes, to a Schnauzer. And as the words left my mouth, I was struck with the thought that maybe I am guilty of the same thing.

How many times have I gotten ahead of God only to realize He wasn’t having any of it? How many more times did I think I knew exactly where God was going–or what He was going to do–only to realize I was nowhere near close in my guess? Just as Baxter sometimes barks when there’s nothing there, I too, let nothing (in the form of fear, worry, angst, or just plain imagination) grab my attention and hold it.

For all his foibles, Baxter has another side to him, a loyal and faithful side that I adore. Where I am, Baxter wants to be. My return from a brief trip away sends him into a crazy dance of joy that requires several rooms of the house to adequately perform. My presence is his source of joy and comfort.

So, the thought struck me: what if I looked at my relationship with God like that? What if I found contentment and joy merely in resting in his presence? What if I followed Him rather than leading? What if…

I learned something years ago about this journey called the Christian life. The more I learn about the Lord, the more I realize how much I do not know and how very far away from any sort of perfection I am. That knowledge is sobering. Humbling.

As 2012 closes and 2013 begins, many are dusting off their resolution lists and coming up with their word-of-the-year or making their promises of improvements to themselves and others. I think this just might be the year to follow a different course, a simple plan of finding rest and reverence. And for that, I can thank my Schnauzer.

I wish you could all meet Baxter.

AND HERE IS KATHLEEN’S NEWEST RELEASE!

FLORA’S WISH

Harvest House, February 2013

By Kathleen Y’Barbo

4 1/2 stars and Romantic Times February 2013 Top Pick!

 

There is no gadget that ingenious Pinkerton Lucas McMinn can invent to rid himself of the Natchez heiress “Fatal” Flora Brimm and her ridiculous idea that the man Lucas intends to arrest for murder is the same fellow she will wed in order to save her family’s plantation. McMinn is hot on the trail of Will Tucker, the thief who broke his sister’s heart. When he discovers the slippery fellow with Flora, he thinks they are in on the devious plot together. Will Flora be able to convince Lucas of her innocence? Will Lucas catch the elusive Mr. Tucker? you like your historical romance Southern with a dash of steampunk, you’ll love

Pre-order: Christianbook.com Barnes & Noble Amazon

 

 

K a t h l e e n   Y ‘ B a r b o  -  T u r n e r

www.kathleenybarbo.com

Writing is a decision…

RITA, Carol, & Romantic Times Career Achievement Award nominee!

Her Holiday Fireman - 4 stars from Romantic Times

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck -4 1/2 stars and a Romantic Times Top Pick! RT Readers Choice Book of the Year nominee!

 

Texas K-9 Unit series…and Margaret Daley

Guest blogger  Margaret Daley

The second book in the Love Inspired Suspense continuity for this year is about K-9 dogs in a Texas unit. Each dog has a specialty. One is a tracker. Another sniffs out bombs. Kip, my border collie, is about to find dead bodies buried in the ground (a cadaver dog).

In the story Kip is used to cover the forest because the authorities think bodies are buried in the woods. As I was researching about K-9 dogs, I was amazed at what they could do. Their sense of smell is keen–far superior to ours. There are even cadaver dogs that can smell a dead body that is under water.

 

Detection Mission

Love Inspired Suspense

2nd book in Texas K-9 Unit Series

February 2013

by Margaret Daley

Who is she?

While looking for a missing child in Sagebrush, Texas, K-9 detective Lee Calloway and his border-collie partner find someone else. A mystery woman running for her life, scared and injured. But she has no idea who she is—or why someone is after her.

Lee’s unit suspects “Heidi” is a criminal who knows more than she’s saying, yet his gut instinct says she’s innocent. Lee vows to protect her until her memory returns, but now someone is desperate to ensure that never happens.

This is a wonderful suspense series–by six wonderful Love Inspired Suspense authors.  The books will be out monthly, January through June.  Watch for them! 

Winter in the country….

Here in Iowa we’ve had considerable drought conditions throughout 2012 and January wasn’t looking much better.  Hay and feed prices have gone up and up–I can’t imagine what feed costs must be like for the beef, dairy and hog farmers, much less the folks who breed and raise horses for a business.

But glory be, we had some rain a few days ago that turned to a coating of ice….and today, we had rainy, warm weather–in the 50′s!  And now we’re looking at a night of rain, then sleet and ice, then 4-7 inches of lovely snow tomorrow.  Whatever, however we can get some moisture, it’s a blessing!

Earlier in our marriage, my husband and I raised quarter horses on a small scale and later, thoroughbreds.  We’ve now just just three mares and I thoroughly enjoy them–the pleasure of doing chores everyday, seeing them out in the pasture, having a chance to ride at a moment’s notice when the weather is decent.

Not that weather ever stopped me as a child—I rode bareback all winter long no matter how deep the snow, the soft warmth of the horse’s thick winter coat beneath me, loping down snow covered roads, heading out through fields of snowdrifts.  I look back and just shake my head at some of my daredevil inclinations…but I guess my guardian angel worked overtime.

Here’s a photo of our daughter Emily enjoying a snowy ride a couple years ago, and some current winter photos from around our place–from ice covered branches to a fencepost with a snow hat.   I just love the magical beauty of winter!

And it’s also a perfect excuse to stay inside with a hot cup of tea, and to work on some future book proposals, with our dog curled at my feet and the wind buffeting my office windows.

I hope you are having a wonderful winter, wherever you are.  I’d love to hear about it!  Roxanne

 

 

 

AUTHOR CAROL POST & TUBBY, KITTEN EXTRAORDINAIRE!

By guest blogger Carol Post

All of our animals have been rescues of some type. Smudge (a/k/a Tubby) was no exception.

One rainy Sunday night after church, we pulled into the carport, and our daughter heard a kitten crying. My husband had done some yard work the prior day and stacked limbs beside the road. Huddled under a clump of Spanish moss, soaking wet and shivering, was a tiny white kitten. I brought him inside, blow-dried him, then fed him.
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Since we already had two cats, my husband said there was absolutely no way we could keep him. I put him in the play room where he would be separated from the other cats until I could take him to the Humane Society.
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But after clunking him in the head with the door a couple of times and wondering why he didn’t get out of the way when he heard us approach, I figured out he was deaf. There was no way we could turn away a “disabled” kitty, so my husband softened and we became a three-cat household.

Next was the task of naming him. He had two gray smudges on the top of his head, so we called him Smudge.
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As he got older, the smudges disappeared. He kept the name Smudge, but acquired a couple of nicknames along the way – Tubby (for obvious reasons – rations are hard to control in a multi-cat household) and Roadkill (because his favorite position was on his back with his legs in the air).
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Since he was deaf, he wasn’t afraid of anything. When cleaning, I had to nudge him with the vacuum cleaner to get him to move. He loved going for rides in the car and taking walks. When he would see me get his leash out of the closet, he would start purring, knowing he was going somewhere. He made several trips with my husband and me from Florida to North Carolina, and one trip to Connecticut and back.
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We always stopped at rest areas along the way and let him get some exercise at the dog walks. People would glance down, do a double take and say, “Oh, my goodness, that’s a cat!”

My parents loved Tubby, and when my dad was dying of cancer in 2007, we made monthly trips to North Carolina, Tubby in tow. Mom said several times how Tubby’s presence there comforted and cheered her. Animals have a way of offering unconditional love and bringing a calmness to trying circumstances.

Tubby has since crossed that “Rainbow Bridge,” and we will always miss him. But he lives on in my debut novel, Midnight Shadows.


Carol Post,   

Jean C Gordon welcomes you to Tinhorn Farm!

by guest blogger  Jean C Gordon

If someone had told me 15 years ago that I’d now be living on a pig farm, I would have told that person he or she was crazy. But 14 years ago, my husband and I bought a small farm in Upstate New York with our daughter and son-in-law — ostensibly for them to grow fruits and vegetables.

A couple of years later, my son-in-law brought home a pair of Yorkshire pigs and started Tinhorn Farm, his pastured pig operation. Pastured pigs are pigs that are put out in fields to root and roam, rather than kept penned in a barn. Among our resident pigs, we have Yorkshires (Benny, as a youngster), Old Spots (Clarence), and Berkshires (Nubbins).

Having pigs can be exciting. For example, one snowy winter evening, the first year we had them, I came home from work and turned into our driveway to see 400-pound Benny, his 300-pound partner Mama, and their two half-grown offspring marching toward my car. They’d broken the fence surrounding the barn. My daughter and son-in-law and their family were in in Florida visiting his father. My husband was working late. I called a farmer friend and he and I got the group back into the barn. When my husband got home, they repaired the fence.

Tinhorn Farm now has much better fencing, along with the watchful eyes of Mr. Buttons and Xena, both black lab/boxer mixes, to keep the pigs in their pastures.

Shameless family promotion: You can follow Tinhorn Farm on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tinhorn...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s some information about Jean’s new book — no pigs involved!

Lessons in Parenthood

Love Inspired

Small-town electrician Neal Hazard gave up his dreams years ago to raise his daughter. Now it’s his turn to make

those dreams a reality. But when his community college advisor turns out to be his high school prom date, he can’t believe his eyes. Widowed Anne is more beautiful than he remembers, and completely wrapped up in her career. But when she suddenly becomes guardian to an orphaned toddler, it’s Neal’s turn to teach Anne a few things. Maybe together, they’ll learn how priorities, parenthood and love truly fit together to create a family.

Keep in touch with Jean on Facebook and Twitter

www.Facebook.com/JeanCGordon.Author

@JeanCGordon

And check her website for a chance to win one of

three copies of Small-Town Dad, www.JeanCGordon.com