Amy Shojai's Blog, page 103
March 21, 2014
STRAYS THE MUSICAL STAGED READING PERFORMANCE
STRAYS THE MUSICAL STAGED READING PERFORMANCE
Tonight our cast gathers at a recording studio to create a cast album of the songs from STRAYS, THE MUSICAL. Stay tuned–I’ll post some samples here on the blog as soon as they’re available!
TOMORROW NIGHT is the big day! Saturday at 7:00 pm, please join us for the FREE staged reading of STRAYS, THE MUSICAL! My co-author Frank Steele and I have lined up a stellar cast to present the complete script and 11 original songs (with full orchestration). The actors portray cats and dogs, and that’s enough to get purrs rumbling and tails wagging, dontcha think? (Your kids will love this, too).
A staged reading (with script in hand) allows the playwrights and cast to figure out, with the help of the audience, what works and what needs finagling, so the show can be improved when it’s finally performed. That means YOU can be a part of the process. Besides that, it’s free!
Here’s a taste of one of my favorite songs, in which cats and dogs alternate singing verses that describe NORMAL behaviors that aggravate owners–it’s a jazz number with RAP section about how to fix the problems!
NORMAL
“Gonna match that scratch
Make my mark, mark, mark.
While they snatch to catch me
In the dark, dark, dark.
Can’t stop my paws–
From making claws.
Ba-a-ad kitty!
Tha-a-at’s Me-ee-ow!”
“Gonna start my diggin
Cuz I been figgerin’
How to dig a hole,
Cuz I been tol’
Ya need to do it,
So the bone’ll fit it.
Yea! Dig-gin’” . . .
So…if you were performing as a cat or a dog in the above lyric, how would you show the audience your character? No “ear and tail” costumes allowed…the actor must do the job and channel his/her inner pet :).
For the staged reading, our actors double up on parts with some playing cats in one scene and dogs in another, and even human owners in the final song. But the fully mounted show likely will include a larger cast including a chorus, and is appropriate for any age actor (or audience). We will mount the full show this fall and will hold open auditions for local performers to join the furry throng.
Thank you to Webster Crocker, the Administrative Director of Sherman Community Players and director of the Theatricks program. He’s opened up the calendar to give this original show its debut.
Please join Frank Steele, Amy Shojai, Gil Nelson, Johnny Flowers, Diana and Aaron Adair, and Lacey Wesson (running audio) Saturday evening March 22 at 7:00 pm at the Honey McGee Playhouse, 313 West Mulberry Street, in Sherman, TX.
Please SHARE this post with anyone who loves cats and dogs and theater. Hey, you may want this show to visit YOUR animal shelter fundraising event in the future!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 19, 2014
Poison Prevention Awareness Week
Poison Prevention Awareness Week
Actually, the whole month is promoted for getting the word out about poisons that can affect our pets. Cats and dogs can get into all kinds of trouble since they meet the world nose (and mouth) first.
I keep my book The First Aid Companion for Dogs and Cats within reach. Knowing what types of poisons affect pets, and what to do, can save their lives.
CLEANERS, INSECTICIDES & PEOPLE PILLS
Some poisons are obvious. Household cleaners, insecticides (especially misused flea products), and people medication top the list. Dogs tend to treat people pills as candy, and even cats may turn capsules into toys to be batted around and mouthed. Washing floors that pets then tread across and lick their pads can lead to ingestion of toxic substances, too. Cats are much more sensitive to some things than are dogs. And companion parrots and birds are even more sensitive than cat!
GARDEN DANGERS
With spring and gardens ready to burst into life, it’s also important to know what plants are safe for your pets. Keeping the “dangerous” plants out of reach in the house–and out of your yard–is the best practice. Pest baits for critters that are tasty for vermin can be tempting for pets, too.
Don’t forget the spiders and snakes, urk! At least three times, Magical-Dawg has had reactions to some sort of bug bite or sting, so I’m extra vigilant when all the creepy crawlies come out. Here in Texas we have fire ants, as well as tarantulas and a friend of mine just found a brown recluse.
Even something as innocuous as cocoa mulch (smells sooooo good!) can kill pets when dogs munch the chocolate-tasting stuff–it contains theobromine, too, the active ingredient in chocolate that’s dangerous for cats and dogs. Beware all those chocolate Easter bunnies hopping into your home in the near future and keep ‘em out of doggy munch range. There also are human foods that can cause problems in cats and dogs.
EASTER CAUTIONS
Speaking of Easter, at my house we keep Easter lilies far, far away. Lilies are toxic to pets, especially cats–check out the video of a few year’s back. The information still applies.
Have your pets ever suffered from poisoning? What did you do? How to protect your cats and dogs from temptation? Do tell!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 17, 2014
Monday Mentions: Coyotes, Tigers & Green Dawgies
Monday Mentions: Coyotes, Tigers & Green Dawgies
“Am I an Irish Sitter now?” Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY! With my Scotch-Irish heritage, I’ll be speakin’ with a bit of a brogue and/or lilt to me voice and wearin’ a wee bit o’ green. Magical-Dawg offered to help out with the “greening” of the blog. And he’s not taking any blarney from $%^&*(O! coyotes.
That picture on the left isn’t terribly clear, but is a view out my back patio window yesterday late afternoon. Remember the path that little Karma took to find his way to our home? Well, a pair of coyotes trotted down that same pathway, beautiful, elegant–lethal. This one stood looking back at me for several minutes, long enough for me to snap a couple of pictures through the doorway.
Living on 13+ acres in North Texas gives us a close-up view of wildlife. And as much as I admire the hummingbirds and deer, feel aggravation toward the armadillos digging up the roses, and appreciate the raccoons, bobcats, owls, hawks and even snakes, I have a healthy respect for the predators. We share this ecosystem and I can’t fault them for their nature–to survive at all costs. But I also must respect that they can make a snack of my cats and possibly Magical-Dawg if he’s lured out to where several of ‘em can gang-attack.
For puppies, small dogs, and kittens, the threat is even more apparent. Be aware that a fenced yard may not offer the safety needed. Pets have been snatched with owners only feet away. You can learn more in this article I wrote for my puppies.about.com site on animal attacks. (It applies to any small pet, including cats.).
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo writer links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Check out the fun video below, too! For new followers to the blog, welcome! and you can expect more cat and dog specific schtuff later in the week on Wednesday and Friday.
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Platform vs Brand, Which Is Better?
ITW Round Table Discussion: Moral Protagonists–Rebels or Visionary?
How To Buy Your Way To Bestseller-dom!
Discoverability (Again) on Samples from The Biz Rusch
HILARIOUS Book Covers! such as “Castration: The Advantages & Disadvantages” and “The Practical Pyromaniac” (c’mon, gang, hit me with your best/worst potential titles in the comments!)
Amtrak Residency Program Examined by Author Beware
Tigers get lymphoma, too. Check out this incredible story from UC-Davis
THIS SATURDAY, 7 pm is the FREE Table Read for STRAYS, THE MUSICAL! at the Honey McGee in Sherman, TX
The Fussy Librarian today features COMPETABILITY(CATS)
FREE FOOD for Slimming Pudgy Pets
LET IT GO sung by all sorts of characters–PAW-some!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 15, 2014
Battle of the Bulge? #HillsPet Has Your Pudgy-Pet Answers
Battle of the Bulge? #HillsPet Has Your Pudgy-Pet Answers
“I’m on a see-food diet…I see food, I snarf.” Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
These days, Karma-Kitten is a bottomless pit and thank goodness I don’t have to worry about cat weight loss…yet. The first few days after he showed up on the back patio, he couldn’t eat enough. Every bowl got emptied, and then he tried to sneak mouthfuls of Seren’s therapeutic kidney diet (oh no!) and even got into Magical-Dawg’s food bowl (yikes!). He’s since figured out he won’t go hungry and isn’t quite so frantic. The kitten-esque tubby tummy has begun to subside but in less than a month he gained TWO POUNDS and is now 10 lbs 2 oz. Me-wow. And while I’ve never had problems keeping 17-year-old Seren svelt (now at 6 pounds, she’s gained half a pound, yay!) or worry about dog weight loss in 91-pound Magic, Karma’s a chunky monkey kitty I fear may very easily tip over into the tubby tabby range.
Oh, chubby pets are soooo cute! Right? Here’s a statistic that should get everyone’s attention about overweight cats and why weight loss in dogs is so important. Tubby Tabbies and Pudgy Pooches die about two years sooner than lean pets. Ouch!
The thing is, how do you know if your pet is at an ideal weight? Fond glances color human perceptions so we’re likely to overlook what might be obvious to an unbiased person–or your veterinarian. “He’s a big boned doggy” or “He’s just a fluffy-muffin kitty, not fat.” Or perhaps we realize he’s put on table muscle and do everything right, find a low-cal food, increase exercise, cut out the treats–and the Pooch-aholic or Kitty-kins swipes food from the other pets. (Sounds like what Karma would do!).
I have a desk treadmill because I hate going to the gym or running in too hot/cold weather outside. And I still don’t use it often enough. Our pets are no different–and when they turn on those sad kitty/puppy eyes to declare I’M STARVING! most of us give in. You’re normal. And you’re not alone. Get a load of that lovely cat in the video, below. Strikes a chord, doesn’t it? 
According to surveys by Banfield Pet Hospitals and the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, in the US, 53% of dogs and 55% of cats are now overweight or obese. Over the last five years the incidence of overweight dogs has increased by almost 40% in the US, while the cats have more than doubled that incidence to an astonishing 90%.
Well, there’s a new fat-sheriff in town ready to slim some overweight tails. It’s called Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, comes in dry, canned and treats, and is available for both cats and dogs. This ain’t the “traditional” diet food, either, and has some way-kewl-science behind it.
Hill’s is celebrating the successful one-year anniversary of this formulation by asking me and other bloggers to spread the word and offer a chance for your (ahem) “fluffy” fur kids to try it out. Here’s the legal stuff: This post is sponsored by Hill’s, and I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic Food, but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
With that kind of increase in pudgy pets, you can bet your tubby tabby I believe this info is relevant! Get this–You don’t have to change HOW you feed your pets–just swap out what goes in the bowl, and you’ll see a leaner, more playful pet in just 60 days. In fact, a bunch of pet parents just like you and me got to test the food in a blinded study that included a mix of 314 dogs and cats. They didn’t even know it was a “diet” food or that it was made by Hill’s. And at the end of the two-month trial, 88% of pets had lost weight!
Of course, all your pets care about is if the food tastes good, or if they’ll feel hungry. According to the above trial, the answers are “yes, it’s tasty” and “no tummy rumbles” but you can try it out for yourself to see.
It’s free for 10 lucky winners to try who have overweight dogs or cats! (see below, for details)
Karma has some serious tummy-muscle these days. Since he’s only 7 months old and still growing, I expect most of that pudge to turn into svelt adult cat. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
TRADITIONAL VS WOW-APPROACH
Some time ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Todd Towell of Hill’s Pet Nutrition about nutrigenomics, the science of utilizing nutrition to potentially change gene expression. Wow, right? That’s been implemented with Metabolic Advance Weight Solution with great success.
Traditional weight management foods use a variety of methods to dilute calories–adding water, or fiber or “puffing” up the kibble, for example. Instead, Dr. Towell says the Hill’s food scientists looked at changing the metabolism of overweight pets.
“As a consequence of becoming overweight, the pet’s cells don’t normally metabolize energy from the food they consume,” says Dr. Towell. Lean cats and dogs are programmed biochemically to store fat, but energy metabolism is turned down in obese pets in the same way a rheostat dials down a light switch. Metabolic Advance Weight Solution adjusts the ingredients to change the pet’s profile from fat-storing to fat-burning.
“If the pet eats a combination of specific foods you can actually trick those cells, and turn them back to being like they were when the pet was lean,” says Dr. Towell. “Pets eating Metabolic burn their excess fat as an energy source and therefore more effectively lose weight by losing fat, and maintain their lean muscle mass.”
She says it’s not one magic-wand ingredient (darn! I wanted to try it myself!) but rather a combination of everything in the food. “Metabolic has a higher fat content than traditional foods but it’s a healthy fat (such as coconut oil).” She says the profile of nutrients is similar to the human Mediterranean diet with lots of phytonutrients (natural chemicals that come from plants), vitamins and antioxidants that come from fruits and vegetables, a balance of soluble and insoluble fibers, and a moderate amount of high quality proteins.
GIVE IT A TRY, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? (pun intended…)
Image Courtesy of Hill’s Pet Foods
Image Courtesy of Hill’s Pet Foods
For your pet’s opportunity to try Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution for free we’re giving away10 Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution trial kits with your veterinarian’s authorization. It’s a $70 value!
To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment and tell us about your pet (a CAT or a DOG) who can benefit from Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. Be sure to include all of the required information below:
What is your pet: dog or cat
Pet’s age
Pet’s current weight or close guess
Your name
Your email address
Just like us, before starting a weight loss program a doctor should be consulted. Your veterinarian’s authorization is required before starting Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution food.
Now then…ready, set, POST YOUR COMMENTS! Is your pet too “pudgy?” What have you tried to slim ‘em down? Is your dog or cat a candidate for the new food? I’ll use Random.org to choose winners, and remember, your veterinarian must give approval for your pet to try the food since it is a therapeutic diet.
This giveaway is limited to one winner per household and is for U.S. residents only. Be sure to use a valid email when leaving your comment so we can contact if you are chosen as a winner.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 14, 2014
7 Considerations for Picking Pet Insurance
7 Considerations for Picking Pet Insurance
At 17, Seren gets prime sun bathing ops. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
I’d planned to take the rest of the week off but instead, I wanted to share this latest article with y’all. After seeing the health care my friend received in the hospital, I know that probably insurance made much of that possible, even as she ultimately lost her battle. With the state of health care in this country under scrutiny, it’s not a bad idea to also take a look at pet insurance coverage for pets–especially if you have a roughneck young pup or devil-may-care kitten. Babyhood and old-fogy pets have the highest care costs of all.
This past week, 17-year-old Seren had another schnorkle flare up, and stopped taking her Lysine treats that help ward off the upper respiratory issues. She choked so much on Wednesday morning that I rushed her to the veterinarian and (thank the cat gods!) was NOT in respiratory failure. The antihistamine that we’d used before makes her foam and become ill, so a new gel-type of L-Lysine HCI offers a better option. She’s eating her “kidney” diet even better now that she can breathe and sniff more effectively.
Magic loves cat toys—that’s a blockage waiting to happen! So yep, being very diligent these days (despite kewl photo ops!). Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
The first year we had Magical-Dawg, he managed to rip open his paw once, tear a claw (both times requiring sedation), and twice needed treatment for allergic reaction to some sort of bee sting. He’s since had a couple more issues with unexpected health issues. Once, he had a “sterile abscess” caused by nothing the veterinarian could find–other than perhaps a bruise. Only my dog seems to have these “rare” situations.
Karma has discovered the sink. Hoo boy… Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Karma-Kitten is still in that clueless go-go-go adolescent stage. So far for him, it’s been routine neuter and vaccinations. But he’s at the best age to sign him up for pet insurance, to get him into coverage, before any “pre-existing” conditions develop. Because just like human health care, pet insurance may not cover health issues that your pet already has.
So do you have pet insurance for your fur-kids? To date we’ve “self insured” our pets, but I’m debating whether to sign up now we have three. Proper care can become pricy, and I don’t ever want to have to forgo needed care due to finances. Pet health insurance is something that even if it takes ten or fifteen years for you to use it, you will.I just finished an article on How to Choose Pet Insurance here for my Puppies.About.com site. There are 7 considerations for choosing your top pick:
Early Age Enrollment (age of pets)
Accident Limitations (preexisting health issues)
Illness Limitations (costs per incident vs per year vs per lifetime)
Exclusions (genetic/heritable/breed specific limitations)
Picking Your Vet (can you use your vet or only group approved vets)
Alternative Care (not all allow for “holistic” or high-dollar experimental treatments)
Check Deductibles (cap limits)
So what about you and your furry family? Have you considered pet insurance, or do you have it? Was it worth the premiums? Do tell! And to see more details and a list of various pet insurance plans and other neato options, read the full article here.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 11, 2014
Jessie Stephens, Mentor & Friend
Jessie Stephens, Mentor & Friend
L-R (top) Amy, Jessie, Margie, Cherie & Sherrie (bottom) at an outing during one of our Cuchara Writers Group trips.
Last week the pet writing world lost a friend, and left our community deeply saddened. Now I’ve lost another friend, Jessie Stephens, and my heart is broken.
As y’all know, writing is a very lonely profession–perhaps not so much now as when I first started out as a writer. No Internet, no Email, few resources or folks to ask for help and support. I’d started writing a monthly column for the paper at the request of the local VMA, but I really didn’t know other writers in the community.
And then Jessie called and introduced herself. She invited me to attend a small gathering of local writers, a support/critique group. Lordy, was I scared and intimidated! But I went.
Another group shot: LR-Carol, Sherrie, Cherie, Amy, Margie, Judy, and Jessie in front.
At that meeting more than 20 years ago, I met an incredible group of women. Jessie brought us together first as critique partners, nurtured and mentored us, and soon we became friends. And as we celebrated our successes, shared our frustrations, laughed loud and long, cried and mourned, and supported each other through all that life threw our way, we became more than a writer’s group, more than colleagues. We became family.
We clean up good! at the Chocolate Indulgence fundraiser for CASA. L-R: Amy, Judy, Jessie, Margie, Cherie, Sherrie. (Additional members not pictured: Carol and Bobbie)
Jessie threw me a launch party in her home when my first book was published in 1992, the beginning of my book-writing career. And 20 years later, Jessie edited my thriller before I submitted for publication, leading to a series and launching my new fiction writing career. In between, we lost one of our members–Bobbi Grant–but she’s still with us as those who make such a positive impression never leave your heart.
Now Jessie has, as her husband eloquently stated, “…gone to that undiscovered country.” And we make room in our hearts for her memory, as well.
A reporter contacted me to ask about Jessie for a front page story in the paper about her–(She’s been a columnist with them for years now as the local expert on all-things-gardens and birds). I didn’t know what to say. She loved birds. She loved her garden. Her dream was to run a small garden shop–and she got to do that for a time. She loved writing, and mentoring others. She traveled the country lecturing about writing, and she taught on the college level. She wrote three books, created her own publishing company (before “indie” was cool!), and published countless short stories. She loved her friends. And she adored her husband Tony.
And we, the Cuchara Writers Group, loved Jessie.
Folks, I’m taking a break from blogging for the rest of the week, but will have a post for you on Saturday that you WON’T want to miss! (It’ll be a happy post, I promise *s*). Until then, please go find the people who matter most to you–and tell them. This isn’t a sad post–this is a celebration of a life well lived. May I be half the person to others that Jessie was, and is.
That is all.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 10, 2014
Monday Mentions: Pet Bloggers Insights, Free Getty Pix & Pet Grief Tips
Monday Mentions: Pet Bloggers Insights, Free Getty Pix & Pet Grief Tips
“My name is Amy, and I’m a Pet Blogger.”
Whew, glad we got THAT out of the way. *s* You’ll notice by the badge that I’m a BlogPaws Pet Blogger Influencer Group Member. That means I participate in weekly surveys that help inform pet marketers and brands exactly what I, as a blogger, might have to offer and what I expect in return for sharing their information, causes, products here on Bling, Bitches & Blood. That infographic, above, is the result of the first survey–pretty kewl, eh?
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’m pretty selective, and that I cover both dogs and cats (and writing). I don’t recommend schtuff unless I really believe in a product, use it myself, and/or believe readers would benefit by learning more about it. For instance, The Honest Kitchen offers folks a free sample bundle here of their most popular pet foods, and Karma-Kitten is smitten with the food (Magical-Dawg lusts after licking the bowl clean, too!). And if you shop online, you can find just about anything pet-related for your fur kids from Pet360 with free shipping.
Now, that doesn’t mean I believe you automatically buy/use/recommend everything that’s mentioned here–I love y’all cuz my Sweet Peeps care so much about their pets, y’all want good solid info to make up your own minds, right?
You’d think all that would go without saying. But you’d be surprised at the amount of inappropriate “pitches” pet bloggers receive. Ahem.
Anyway, how do your pet-spending habits line up with what the bloggers say? Do you shop mostly online, or locally? Would you borrow money to fund a pet’s health care needs? Are some of those human products also in your pet’s care kit? (I’m guessing we’re pretty similar).
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo writer links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Check out the fun pet-centric video below, too! For new followers to the blog, welcome! and you can expect more cat and dog specific schtuff later in the week on Wednesday and Friday.
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
DIY Ebooks for Writers Webinar This Friday March 15! use the code GO INDIE for $10 off registration
Writers & Other Animals Blog a great new addition to the blog-osphere
Facebook Did Something & Marketers Will Screw It Up thanks from my friend Lisa Hall-Wilson for sharing
Rights Concern for Contest from Writer Beware
Do Identical Twins Have the Same DNA? well yes…and no, very kewl info for your plot twist from the always intriguing Dr. Doug Lyle
Getty Images Going Free? oh my…and down the road at some unspecified time will those images suddenly go away, or generate ads, or collect your traffic info for nefarious reasons, or or or…
PET-CENTRIC SCHTUFF
What’s New in Feline Medicine? great blog post (and videos) you don’t want to miss!
Pet Loss Survey from Washington State University gathering info on how your remaining pets reacted, please contribute
How to Help Pets Through Grief an excellent article by Marilyn Krieger (works for both cats and dogs)
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 7, 2014
Cute Kitten Pix (and a Dawg)
It’s been kind of a rough week here at Shojai Central, so today I’m treating myself to sharing some cute-icity.
Karma LOVES his toys! Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Karma loves his Magical-Dawg, too–and the feeling is mutual. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
…and Karma finds all the neato-torpedo hidey holes, great spots from which to tease the Dawg. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Karma’s chair in my office–thank goodness he didn’t try to take Seren’s spot! Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Let’s continue the cute-icity! Share your cute kitty (or doggy) pictures in the comments. *S*
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 6, 2014
5 Reasons You Should Kindle-ize Nonfiction
5 Reasons You Should Kindle-ize Nonfiction
“Today is the best time to be an author, especially of non-fiction.”
Ebooks for Writers Webinar March 15!
Ebooks are the current gold standard of publishing…at least for the next 60 seconds or so, LOL! This presentation is designed for all levels of writing and publishing experience, for writers, authors and bloggers who want to learn the ins and outs of DIY “indie” publishing. You’ll get a step-by-step how-to process that covers:
Pros & Cons of Ebook Publishing compared to “Tradititional”
Options Available from DIY platforms to for-hire services
Kinds of costs involved
What you can (and should) do yourself
What you should hire professionals to do
Resources for helpful self publishing software, editorial assistance and cover design help
Practical step-by-step how-to “Kindle-ize” your manuscript
Formatting tips for illustrations, covers, sidebars and table of contents
Promotional must-knows including DO’s and DON’TS!
Includes valuable links to further information, available as a down-load/handout at the end of the class.
March 15 from 2-3:30 New York Time, attend in your jammies or listen to the recording later. *s* Use the GO INDIE code for $10 off!
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE…MY STORY
In the time before, I had a high-powered agent. Together we published more than a dozen non-fiction pet care titles with New York publishers, from Ballantine and Penguin/Putnam to Rodale Press.
In the time before, a book on “new century pet care” slated to publish in late 1999 was delayed until late 2001. The information was no longer “breaking news” and also had been eclipsed by world events when the Towers came down.
In the time before, my agent trusted me to know my subject and my audience, and editors offered contracts based on credentials, expertise and track record. But pet books meant to be revised and updated and live 9 lives instead were dropped, and my editor declined a project she loved when Marketing complained I wasn’t a veterinarian. That same marketing team tried (and failed, God bless my agent!) to replace my name on a book cover with the “veterinary adviser” who had not written a word of the text. I hadn’t changed—publishing changed.
Self-Publishing and Non-Fiction
After feeling sorry for myself for far too long, I embraced the time after. Thank goodness my agent got my out-of-print book rights reverted, and that launched my indie career. Today, I’m proud to be a hybrid author, choosing the best path for each title. My backlist has been updated and released on all Ebook platforms as well as print (and some in audio). And I’ve published original titles, too.
Fiction gets a lot of attention in the DIY publishing world, but with the new tablets and expanding technology that makes photos and illustrations (and maybe audio???) do-able for interactive books, nonfiction is poised to take off. My sales are increasing. And yours could, too.
5 TOP REASONS NONFICTION ROCKS INDIE PUBLISHING
Timing for Publication. Every author must polish, edit and best prepare their work to be professional quality. And while some fiction has timeliness factors, such as a Christmas themed work requiring holiday publishing dates, non-fiction more often demands specific scheduling for best effect. Tying a non-fiction book’s publication to a calendar event that is important to that work can impact marketability. With indie publishing, the author has control and can plan the book release and promotions for the ideal time. My “cutting edge” book lost the traction it might have garnered had its coverage of cloned pets coincided with in-the-news hand-waving publicity, for example. Anniversaries of historical events can be tied to non-fiction books on these subjects.
Updates/Revisions. Yes, any indie author can update book’s digital file quickly to orrect a typo or improve an edit. Non-fiction authors benefit even more from the ability to revise and release updated versions of informational and prescriptive works. Several of my non-fiction pet care books offer prescriptive medical and behavioral advice, and as veterinary medicine constantly evolves, they require updates. These can be done easily and quickly, while books published traditionally cannot be revised until/unless a set number of sales demands a new edition. Having books with outdated information can hurt the non-fiction author’s reputation and platform, so self-published non-fiction has great advantages.
Platform and Reputation. Niche non-fiction sales have dropped or gone away entirely in traditional publishing. That makes sense, because the book must sell enough to “feed” the agent, the editor and the publishing house staff and expenses. For the self-published author who has the reputation, expertise and audience, niche non-fiction books sell steadily and well and can be a renewable resource. They also increase the author’s expertise, offer credentials for speaking engagements and endorsements, and can lead to many other opportunities. Non-fiction is much easier to market—every TV and radio show wants to speak to an “expert” on the subject. In particular BLOGGERS can leverage their expertise, publish collections of blog posts and have a click-able immediate “impulse buy” from their online venue.
Pricing. All self-published authors have the ability to price books as they see fit, and change that price as needed. Non-fiction books can be priced higher than fiction, and generally sell better at a higher price point. I price my e-book non-fiction at $5.99 each, a deep discount compared to trade paperback but still much higher than many fiction books.
Control. This for me is the biggest advantage of all, and covers everything else. The non-fiction author knows what appeals to his or her audience, and has the ability to choose the cover of the book, timing of the release, pricing, revisions and more to best leverage the book’s launch.
Today my non-fiction expertise also colors my fiction work, so I’m able to leverage the existing non-fiction audience to build on for the dog-viewpoint thrillers. Indie authors of fiction shouldn’t overlook the advantages of non-fiction publishing, and bloggers are in a unique position of having ready-made content and audience hungry for your work. It’s value-added to your publishing toolkit.
Get all the details of how to DIY in Ebooks for Writers Webinar, Saturday March 15 from 2-3:30 New York Time. Attend in your jammies or listen to the recording later. *s* Use the GO INDIE code for $10 off! (please share!)
Portions of this post was originally published on the ALLi site here.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
March 5, 2014
Marion Lane, Retired Person–A New Star Is Born
Marion Lane, Retired Person–A New Star Is Born
Audrey Pavia standing behind our friend Marion Lane holding Zeki the Pet Safety Cat, taken at the 20th Anniversary CWA Conference, November 2013. Picture courtesy of Audrey Pavia
I write this through tears, having just received a note that Marion Lane died suddenly Monday night of complications from congestive heart failure. I didn’t know she was ill. The pet-writing world is stunned in its surprise and grief. My deepest sympathies to her husband and family.
Marion Lane was a gifted writer, passionate pet advocate, brilliant editor and mentor to writers both new and established. I first met Marion when she worked at the ASPCA, and I was honored to write for her when she served as editor of the award-winning ASPCA magazine. She also authored two books, Heritage of Care: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and The Humane Society of the United States Complete Guide to Dog Care: Everything You Need to Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy.
Marion speaks at CWA’s 10th Anniversary 2002 in Kansas City. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
When the Cat Writers Association was in its early years and seeking support, it was Marion who approached the ASPCA on our behalf and secured sponsorship that continues to this day. She was also involved for many years with the Dog Writers Association of American, served on the DWAA board and after her retirement from the ASPCA she briefly served as editor of the DWAA newsletter.
I always got a great kick out of her email signature, which had always been the formal credentials of her position at the ASPCA until she left. Henceforth she signed herself, “Marion Lane, Retired Person.”
This dry recitation of facts doesn’t begin to paint a picture of the Marion we all knew and loved. Many of us are better writers today because of Marion–and dare I say, a few got their start because of her generous help. I never saw Marion without a smile. I never heard or read anything from Marion that wasn’t cordial, helpful, and at times pointed but always honest. At our most recent CWA conference, Marion attended–a seasoned pro who could have (and had!) taught many of us what it means to be a writer–and yet she sat in the audience, attentive, asking questions, encouraging newer folks and making the speakers feel like we truly had something worthy to offer. She did put up a fight over who got to hold Zeki, a lovely demo kitty visiting the conference, and of course Marion won!
I saved one of her last email notes of encouragement and praise of the CWA preview of STRAYS to share it with the cast, and now I’ve added it to the STRAYS page as a tribute to her. That’s just the kind of person she was, offering kewl uplifting and unexpected gifts–and I hope we live up to her expectations.
She always had kind words, it seems, and I wish…oh, how I wish!…I’d told her more often how much that meant to me. Please tell your mentors, tell your friends, tell your colleagues NOW what a difference they make! Don’t wait. Sometimes “later” never comes.
Marion loved her family. She loved her pets. And she loved and supported her friends. And we loved her.
I will miss her, deeply. But now the heaven’s have a new star. May we all be worthy of the light Marion continues to shine upon us.
Audrey writes, “If you would like to honor Marion’s memory, please consider making a donation to the ASPCA in her name. Marion was a former editor at the A, and was a strong believer in their work for animals.”
And friends of Marion, feel free to leave a note about a special memory in the comments, possibly to be included in a future CWA piece about our colleague.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? I’m a new Brand Ambassador for The Honest Kitchen and you can get FREE samples here, check it out! (Karma loves this!). Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Pet-centric Writer-icity & Thrillers With BITE!
