Amy Shojai's Blog, page 104
January 29, 2014
Why Do Dogs Roll in Nasty Schtuff
Why Do Dogs Roll in Nasty Schtuff
I’m just back from a wonderful trip to San Diego (details to come on Friday’s blog), and so am a wee bit behind trying to get caught up. I’ve updated this blog, and also made some changes to my website. Let me know what you think! Trying to simplify so that later updates won’t be so massive. I guess you could say that I’m “scooping up the poop-icity” so there’s less schtuff to wade through. 
I’ve written about this topic before in this article about why puppies roll, but here’s also a fun Ask Amy video. So, do your dogs roll in (ahem) crappiocca? That’s one advantage to the cold snap much of the country suffers–the poop-du-jour freezes and isn’t as easily carried indoors on the pet’s fur. Yuck!
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? 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!
January 27, 2014
Dog Viewpoint HIDE AND SEEK Releases!
Dog Viewpoint HIDE AND SEEK Releases!
It’s here! My dog viewpoint thriller HIDE AND SEEK “officially” releases–and those who subscribe to my PET PEEVES newsletter got this info last week (yes, there’s perks to subscribing *s*) but I couldn’t hold in the SNOOPY-DANCE-’O-JOY! any longer. This is the SEQUEL to my first thriller, and brings back the characters you love plus some new ones.
There’s still dog-viewpoint (yay, Shadow!) and now more cat-centric stuff too (go, Macy!). I hope you’ll enjoy the book, post reviews, and recommend to your pet-loving, thrill-seeking friends.
My deepest gratitude to those who reviewed ARCs for advance looks and reviews. Y’all make my virtual tail wag and purrs a-rumble. And without further delay, behold the latest thriller.
******
A mysterious contagion will shatter countless lives unless a service dog and his trainer find a missing cat . . . in 24 hours.
HIDE AND SEEK on Amazon (Kindle & Trade Paperback)
A STALKER hides in plain sight.
A VICTIM faces her worst fear.
AND A DOG seeks the missing—and finds hope.
Eight years ago, animal behaviorist September Day escaped a sadistic captor who left her ashamed, terrified, and struggling with PTSD. She trusts no one—except her cat Macy and service dog Shadow.
Shadow also struggles with trust. A German Shepherd autism service dog who rescued his child partner only to lose his-boy forever, Shadow’s crippling fear of abandonment shakes his faith in humans.
They are each others’ only chance to survive the stalker’s vicious payback, but have only 24 hours to uncover the truth about Macy’s mysterious illness or pay the deadly consequences. When September learns to trust again, and a good-dog takes a chance on love, together they find hope in the midst of despair–and discover what family really means.
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT HIDE AND SEEK!
“HIDE AND SEEK proves Shojai’s masterful skill at blending ripped-from-the-headlines urgency with an emotional story of real characters in escalating dangers. Add in revelatory dose of animal psychology and behavior, and you have a thriller that had me turning pages deep into the night. Here is a novel written with authority and with a deft brilliance that any lover of animals or nerve-jangling thrillers will cherish.” –James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of “The Eye of God”
“Recommended for anyone who likes a ‘bite-your-nails hold-your-breath’ kind of thriller.” –Dr. Lorie Huston, Cat Writers’ Association President
“Featuring a young animal behaviorist struggling to regain her bearings after a shocking betrayal, a reality TV show gone horribly wrong, and a series of murders and disappearances seemingly related to an unthinkable cause, HIDE AND SEEK is a mystery/thriller you won’t be able to put down!”
–Alan Leverone, best-selling thriller author of “Mr. Midnight” and “The Lonely Mile”
THE STORY BEGAN WITH THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
An autism cure will kill millions unless a service dog and his trainer
find a missing child . . . in 24 hours.
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? 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!
January 23, 2014
San Diego Cat Show Fun!
Two Tonk (I think!) kittens performing kitty agility! Image Copr. Pattie Beau/San Diego Cat Club
SAN DIEGO–FOOD & WATER BOWL XXII CAT SHOW
JOIN ME January 25-26 at the Del Mar Fair Grounds in San Diego. That’s THIS WEEKEND!
I’ll be signing books with the amazing ARDEN MOORE and her Pet Safety Cat Zeki the Cool Cat, and JANISS GARZA of Sparkle Cat Blog on Saturday and Sunday. (Zeki will be signing up caring pet parents to take a very important Pet First Aid course.)
Where else can you view gorgeous felines of dozens of breeds, watch jaw-dropping displays of feline agility, listen to experts offer info on all-things-cat, fall in love with needy rescue kitties needing homes, and shop-till-you-drop at the furry-tastic vendor booths? HINT: Cat shows not only offer great kitty paraphernalia, they also have some of the best BLING-ICITY around!
I’m bringing a bunch of my nonfiction AND the thriller fiction books (yep, all those in the poster, above). Just got word the newest book arrived in time! (No worries, Sherman-ites, I have a local signing scheduled next month, so stay tuned…).
Arden and Janiss also will have books and other fun stuff available to paw-tograph, including:
Stop by for your PAW-tographed copy of your pick of the book-litter, in time for next month’s Valentine’s gifts for your special pet-loving purr-son. (And you’ll get to see some mee-ow-velous cats, too!). And I’ll be speaking about your PET PEEVES and the latest books.
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? 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!
January 22, 2014
What Does Offering a Paw Mean?
What Does Offering a Paw Mean?
“Don’t you give me the paw, unless you wanna back it up with more than woofs!” Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Does your puppy “shake hands” when you ask? How about pawing you when you don’t ask? What’s it all mean?
Today’s ASK AMY video offers some clues. And I’ve got an article on puppy body language that provides even more tips on deciphering what your puppy’s trying to tell you.
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? 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!
January 20, 2014
Monday Mentions: Plagiarism, Collie Stalking & Facebook Woes
Monday Mentions: Plagiarism, Collie Stalking & Facebook Woes
“I use Grammarly’s plagiarism checker because otherwise Magical-Dawg *spit!* takes credit for kitty creativity!” Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
LEGAL STUFF: This post is sponsored by Grammarly. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Grammarly Proof Reading and Plagiarism Checker, but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. Grammarly is not responsible for the content of this blog post (and neither is the *spit* Dawg). You can read my previously posted review of Grammarly here.
It’s interesting that I was asked to do a sponsored post to promote a plagiarism checker and today (as I prepare this post) I’ve had to send a DMCA notice to someone who copied more than half of one of my puppies.about.com articles to another online site. They gave me credit and a link back to the full article, which I appreciate. But About.com owns exclusive online rights to anything on that site. This person is a writer, and should know better. The writer offers no way to contact privately so I left a cordial comment and suggestion for remedying the situation on the post. I have no problem with someone writing their own intro to the subject, and posting 2-3 sentences from the article–and then linking directly to that article. That’s what I suggested.
I also told the person to feel free to delete my comment once that had been done, because I have no wish to embarrass anyone. Perhaps this writer was pressed for time, and planned to update later, or had a bad day. So when I checked back as I continued preparing this post, I saw that within five minutes my comment requesting the material be removed/changed had been deleted. The comment, not my material. I waited another 15 minutes, figuring that surely if a “comment” can that quickly be deleted, so can the content in the post. *sigh* Nope, still up. So I used the “objectionable material” form and sent that with a formal DMCA notice.
Has this ever happened to you? I’ve had books pirated and had to send such notices before. Honestly, that’s like trying to empty Lake Texoma with a sieve, though, so I’ve about given up on book pirate sites. Those folks won’t buy my books anyway, and I risk having a computer virus every time I visit those fly-by-night outfits. But in this case, About.com is my client, and if the person does this with one article, they’ll likely continue to plunder the material, and that damages my income and relationship with the publisher. I subscribe to a couple of services that track my name and certain key phrases, and that’s how I was alerted to this particular infraction. The writer didn’t have to include my credit or link back at all, which tells me they TRIED to do the right thing but are not clear on fair use.
How do you handle such things? Have you ever found yourself plagiarized? Have you ever inadvertently “lifted” too much of someone else’s content (aka “research”). I plagiarize myself all the time and have to guard against this and so routinely check new copy against what’s floating around the internet.
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 bulldog “best day of my life” video, the “collie walk” and “what’s wrong with FB” videos at the bottom, just for fun. 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. For now…enjoy the YouTube cute-icity at the end!
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Best First Sentence Contest open to any associate or active member of International Thriller Writers, OR those registered for the 2014 Thrillerfest in July. Five winners get their first 10 pages critiqued by Steve Berry, Steven James, John Lescroart, and David Morrell—along with CraftFest Director, D.P. Lyle, MD.
WANA-CON 2014 Feb 21-22 an online conference you can attend in your PJs! Register here.
Facebook Insights for Authors (And Others) a great group lead by Lisa Hall-Wilson
SLEUTHFEST 2014, February 27-March 2
Politics & Prose Books On Demand yep, they’ll PRINT your POD book for you in about 5-10 minutes. The wave of the future? Will these machines be in your neighborhood soon?
IRIS, IndieReader’s New Instore Service
PET-CENTRIC SCHTUFF
Dignity for Animals neat essay
Altruism & Pets does it happen? what do you think?
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? 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!
January 17, 2014
Cat Scratch Solutions
My friend and CWA member Ann Moss from The Cat Site share this, their first info-graphic. Pretty kewl, huh? What would you add?
By the way, this weekend my PET PEEVES newsletter goes out so if you haven’t yet subscribed, do it NOW. There’s some breaking news you’ll get early that way…and yes, it’s about the new thriller HIDE AND SEEK. 
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? 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!
January 15, 2014
How To Stop Dog Chewing
Aww…Magic was a cute puppy!
Puppy chewing is a fact of life and learning how to stop dog chewing can save your relationship, and sanity. If you have a Holiday puppy, a primer on chewing basics may be welcome about now!
What’s the worst thing your dog ever chewed up and destroyed? Some items may seem funny–like stealing socks–until Monster Pup eats it and it takes emergency surgery to get it out. Our first dog chewed my husband’s brand new steel toed work boots that had cost a mint–not funny. And Magic has left teeth marks on the windowsills. Urk.
Don’t blame the dog! Here are 8 training tips to help stem the chewing. And today’s Ask Amy has advice, too. How have you managed your chew-aholic dog?
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? 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!
January 13, 2014
Monday Mentions: Publishing Scam, Puppy Glam & Dancing Jam
Monday Mentions: Publishing Scam, Puppy Glam & Dancing Jam
Meet “Echo” and read about the Belgian Tervuren in this article (click the picture). Image Copr. Teoti Anderson)
I’m hacked off. With the new year come new ways to lure in unsuspecting writers to scams that serve only to line the pocketbooks and fleece the authors. I’ve written about some of these before, but it’s good to have a reminder. Heck, in my early years I got “taken” by some of these folks, too, so don’t feel bad if you got tempted by the promises and paid–just learn and avoid snakes in the future.
Which snakes? There are many. IPR License is one of the newest, and wants authors (and also editors and agents) to join for a fee. Authors upload their books and available licensing, and editors/agents get to “shop” for properties they want to publish, represent, produce in films. IPR License is for “showcasing your work to over 50,000 publishers and agents in over 90 countries.” For authors, the “initial annual membership is £99 (+VAT) and for others, there are “price bands” as follows:
Under (£) 500K turnover
£249
(£) 500K – 1M
£599
(£) 1-5M
£999
(£) 5-10M
£1,499
(£) 10M+
£1,999
Why would publishers list with this service? Honestly, I’m not sure–for those fees? Author members get listed on the website. But wait, there’s MORE! They also produce a newsletter (for subscribers) and a catalogue that goes to the major national book fairs, yada yada yada. Sorry, if you attend BEA as a publisher, will you spend time paging through their publication to find your next breakout book author? Oh, and I’m NOT a member–yet half a dozen of my books are listed. For me, this is a “I don’t get it” moment, and when that happens, it’s a major pass.
The most recent in my in-box come from GLOBAL TALK RADIO, and I get these offers several times a year. It purports to produce 5- and 10-minute professional interviews for their “top rated IN THE NEWS” program. They list all kinds of added perks for “this week only” and shout about a reduced rate for these offers, and there are “only 5 spots left!” Here’s the offer, taken from the website:
50% DISCOUNT — FIRST 5 APPLICATIONS ONLY!! — Interviews are available on a first-come, first-served basis at a low, fixed price! 5-Minute interviews are $97 (regularly $200) and 10-minute interviews are only $147 (regularly $300). This special package price includes: a professional interviewer, studio engineering, web hosting and streaming of the archive, a downloadable MP3 copy of your interview, and a FREE thumbnail ad (your picture or graphic) promoting your interview on our home page! OFFER ENDS FRIDAY, JANUARY 10th!
Oh darn, the offer has ended. Woe is me. What’s wrong with this offer? YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF FOR FREE! They have NO added marketing push that is helpful to an author/business person–yes, it stays online forever, but so what? Who sees it? Is GLOBAL TALK RADIO your go-to source for learning about the latest book, business, etc? And if you do want radio (aka Internet Podcasts) you can find many more online with a targeted listenership for your topic, they often give ALL these perks as well…and they don’t charge you a dime! Most are hungry for great guests. My own Pet Peeves radio podcast is still online with 80+ shows archived, and today the network hosts 60 animal topic shows (and no guest is charged). That’s just one example.
Deeeeeeeeeeeep breath. I need a puppy-licious fix! Click that picture up above to read one of my newest short articles on my Breeds At A Glance series. I’ve also got new ones on the Malinois, Basset Hound, Beagle and more (all with cute pix!).
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 that DANCING VIDEO at the bottom, just for fun. 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. For now…enjoy the YouTube cute-icity at the end!
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Your Book Rights & How to Exploit Them
Social Media & Avoiding Drama from the always cordial Carol Bryant
Facebook Marketing Tools & Tips
Author Beware: Scribd an interesting development, you’ll have to decide for yourself. Possibly a new venue for indie publishers? (and yes, I’ve found some of MY books illegally there).
Writing Fiction Dialogue Tags here’s a great concise blog on the subject.
Buying Fake “Clicks” & Facebook “Likes” I wish this surprised me, but it doesn’t *sigh*
Resurgence in Bookstores? The “New Hybrid Reader” very interesting article!
And the opposite–Texas Library Has Only E-Books!
Astroturfing “Memes” in Publishing from the always entertaining David Gaughran
Blogger Jailed Over Free Speech Issue oh, my…Thanks to Darlene Arden for sharing the link
PET-CENTRIC SCHTUFF
Media Kit for Bloggers (And Others) hey, this works for pet writers or ANY writer, great tips! And yep, I gotta do this…
New Years Resolutions for Dogs from Carol Bryant and Dexter
Tips For Feeding Pets & Preventing Illness from the CDC (how many of these rules do you break? ) And here’s also a list of all the pet food recalls/withdrawals for 2013. Paws crossed, non yet for this year!
Sharing Special Moments with Kitty from one of my all-time fav bloggers, Ingrid King (seriously, you need to follow her blog!)
How To Know “It’s Time” my friend Rumpy Dog, a question we all struggle with
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? 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!
January 10, 2014
Why Cats Groom So Much
Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Do you groom your cats? Why do cats lick themselves so much? And how do you keep cat claws in good shape? All pertinent questions for me, based on yesterday’s adventure in pets.
Last night, I heard a ruckus downstairs while I was still in my office working. Seren-Kitty mee-wow-wow-wowed, while the Magical-Dawg whined and cried. I figured he was pestering her, and so I called downstairs to them,
“Magic, chill! Leave the cat alone.”
The complaints didn’t stop. So I hurried down to check it out and found Seren halfway up the back of a chair, with one claw caught so she couldn’t get away. Magic continued to whine and yelp until I got his cat-friend free! GOOD DOGGY!
And BAD AMY…see, I keep her claws trimmed very blunt and short these days because Seren’s arthritis prevents her from pulling in her claws. She clicks when she walks. And I’d trimmed claws just a day before, but (her paws must be tender) she stopped me before I could finish. So yep, it was that one errant sharpie that got her in trouble.
Claw trimming is just one part of keeping cats well groomed and they do a very good job on their own, for the most part. I wrote this article on why cats groom for cats.about.com and today’s ASK AMY has additional info. (Let me know if the video won’t play, have had problems with this and don’t know why!)
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? 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!
January 8, 2014
How To House Train Puppies
Nothing beats a puppy for the holidays! Image Copr. Francesc B/Paco56/Flickr
Did you get a new baby dog over the holidays? What fun! Last week posted about kitten litter box training and today it’s the dog’s turn with tips on house training tips.
Today’s Ask Amy has some basic puppy potty training tips. How have you managed training for your new pups? Please share your tips in the comments–and feel free to add some SQUEEE! cute kitten pix, too. Of course, the puppies.about.com site has many more details on all-things-puppies including these potty training tips and also how to clean up those WHOOPS mistakes on the carpet.
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? 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!
