Amy Shojai's Blog, page 125

Lost And Found Thriller: Cat-Centric Excerpt

12:05 p.m.

September stumbled from the car and plodded through snow drifts. Her feet clomped like dead blocks of ice. If she fell, she might not be able to get up.

Shadow’s hysterical yelps followed her. She worried his noise might give away her location, but wished she could bring him along. He gave her confidence the same way Dakota had kept nightmares at bay.

Screw post-traumatic stress. She’d been lost without Chris or Dakota, but had to do this without them; forget about fear, find Steven, and call the debt paid. She fortified her resolve and trudged on.

At the property edge, September scooted beneath loose strands of barbed wire supported by century-old bois d’arc fence posts. The open fields surrounded her house with a mix of short-cut winter rye and brambles, so she hugged the fence line for extra cover. Cedar elm, burr oak, hackberry and mountain ash carried mounds of white in skeletal arms. In the knee high grass, prickle vines hidden under the snow clutched her ankles and clawed her pants until her thighs and calves cramped before she’d slogged halfway home.

She slipped, grabbing a nearby tree branch for purchase, and spines of the honey locust speared through her glove. September barely noticed. Hurray for Reynaud’s numbness after all. Too many injuries, along with the combination of cold and adrenaline, anesthetized everything, but her brain revved into crystal clear focus. She gripped the enormous thorn with her teeth, yanked, and spat into the snow. September flexed her hand. It still worked well enough. Time to move. Find Steven. Stop the drug. Save the children.

September plowed another dozen steps before she peeked from the cover of the trees. Light spilled from her office windows. In her rush from the house yesterday she’d left on lights, although she had remembered to triple lock the front door. The place looked empty. Not even the police visit had disturbed more than tracks on the drive.

The drive circled the house in a dog-leg turn to reach the garage, and she couldn’t see inside. That created a blind spot where Lizzie’s cohorts could wait. Danger hid in unexpected places, even places you thought were safe, as she knew from experience. Her breathing quickened, and she almost gave in to the temptation to hide in the bushes outside and call the police when Lizzie arrived.

Suck it up, sweetheart. The old fears wouldn’t rule this day, not again. She’d lost herself for eight long years. She couldn’t let the killers get away. The lives of countless children, not just Steven’s, hinged on her decision.

She looked over her shoulder and satisfied herself that Pam’s dark vehicle wouldn’t be visible from the house. September sprinted in an awkward crabshuffle to the side of the house and the kitchen side door, spending several

nerve-wracking seconds unlocking deadbolts until she could hip-bump it open. The door was such a bitch to latch. For the first time in recent memory, she slammed the door closed but left it unlocked.

The floor was wet. Snow had drifted through the laundry room’s transom before someone—the police?—shut the window. The acrid stink from the dryer still clung to the walls. The 78-degree thermostat setting turned the room into a steam chamber.

“Mrrring.” Macy loped from across the room and wound around her ankles.

“Hey kitty, good to see you, too.” September smiled despite herself when he dropped Mickey on her shoe. But she couldn’t have him underfoot. She needed to stash him someplace safe.

September scooped up and tossed the toy onto the counter and gave the “jump-up” hand signal. The cat obliged. She pulled off her gloves, and spent ten precious seconds nuzzling the cat, thinking it might be their last time together. “We get through the next hour, I’ll buy you a plate of shrimp,” she whispered. “But right now you need to stay out of the way.”

His carrier was somewhere in the garage—where possible bad guys lurked—and would take too long to retrieve. The bathroom wouldn’t work. He could open the door. The rest of the unfinished house wouldn’t contain him, not when he could leap eight feet or more from a standing start.

“Macy, come.” He did, but dragged Mickey with him. She collected the toy. “Macy, jump.” She tapped the top of the refrigerator.

Macy merrowed and vaulted to his favorite perch. He watched September fill his bowl, top it off with several smelly salmon treats out of the canister, and set it beside him. His purr rumbled. He patted her head and settled down to crunch kibble. She prayed he’d stay with the food.

September unzipped her jacket, and moved to the stained glass table. The Number One Bitch mug was still half-filled with cold coffee next to the saucer from yesterday’s breakfast muffin. She emptied her pockets, and stuffed Macy’s mouse toy inside out of sight. Otherwise, once Macy ate he’d demand a game of Mickey-fetch.

Her phone needed juice. September pushed aside the treat canister and coffee maker and plugged it into the outlet to charge. The flash drive was bait, but the phone would spring the trap and, if she was lucky, it would save her life. And Steven’s. She switched the phone to speaker mode, dialed, and hid it from view before anyone answered.

“WZPP, you’ve reached ZAP105 FM Radio, giving you the best easy listening

24/7, how may I direct your call?”

Macy mewed. His ears twitched.

“Anita, it’s September. Put me through—”

“He’s expecting you, hon.” Fish’s broadcast came on the line.

“. . . So for the latest on the Blizzard Murders, keep it tuned to ZAP105 FM Radio. I’m Humphrey Fish servin’ it up fresh.” He paused before saying, “Caller, you’re on the air.”

“Fish, it’s time. Can you hear me okay?” She moved away from the counter, testing the range.

The stairwell door squeaked open behind her. Footsteps clumped on the landing. “I hear you just fine.”

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. CLICK the above BOOK TOUR icon to learn about the next blog tour stop and how to enter for your chance to win paw-tographed pet books including LOST AND FOUND. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, blog tour, book excerpt, cat behavior, cat training, Lost And Found, thriller, www.amyshojai.com

Lost And Found Thriller: Dog Viewpoint Excerpt

12:21 p.m.

Shadow howled frantic harmony to September’s cries. He didn’t know how he could hear her in the car. She wasn’t here. And she couldn’t hear him, though he barked loud and long.

His fur stood at furious attention. He showed his teeth, snapped and snarled, eager to defend. She was his person. A good-dog protected his people. He had to find her. Shadow keened and paw-punched the cage.

“Stop it.” In the front seat Teddy clapped his hands over his ears. “Shut up. Be a good-dog.”

A good-dog obeyed people. Shadow paused and flattened his ears. He licked the wire of the crate and whimpered. September screamed, and Shadow threw himself against the wire again. The latch jiggled. So he did it again. And again.

“Quiet, no, no, no, no. Bad dog.”

Shadow ignored Teddy’s growls. He didn’t care. He’d be a bad-dog on purpose. How could he ignore September’s screams?

“Shadow, please stop. You’ll hurt yourself.” Teddy turned around in the car seat and his brow wrinkled. His eyes rained wet.

Shadow paused. He whined. Maybe Teddy did understand. His tail wagged the hopeful question, and he tap-danced in place. He willed Teddy to understand.

“I called the police. They’re on the way.” The old man made no move to open the door. He just sat there, and ducked his head each time September screamed. “We just got to wait.”

Yelping in frustration, Shadow bit the wire mesh of the door, growled, and snarled. Tugged—like with Bear-toy. His gums split on the sharp wire. Salt-copper tang raised his arousal. His tail churned the air and battered the cage, a drumbeat counterpoint to the tug-contest.

The old man’s scent chemicals choked the stale air, and cried “uncle” louder than puppy pee. Teddy had given up.

Shadow grabbed the wire and shook it. Bloody drool spattered the floor of the crate.

Teddy covered his ears. He surged forward, fiddled with something, and September was silenced.

Shadow cocked his head. He licked his lips, shuddered at the copper taste, and stared at Teddy. Shadow woofed, yawned and whined, the most persuasive tone he could. He pawed the door. Two claws had torn loose, and added to the blood on the floor. He couldn’t make it any clearer. He needed out.

The old man waggled his head. That meant no. Shadow furrowed his brow, cocked his head. But he was right. He knew it. To protect Steven, he’d learned to think for himself, to make right choices, no matter what. It was a good-dog’s job to know when to disobey. That time was now.

Shadow laced back his ears, lowered his head. He hurled himself against the front of the crate. Backed up and did it again. He’d force the door open. Get out. Go to September. Because he belonged with her. Because they belonged together. Because he must.

His body battered the cage like a furry mallet, and jiggled the clasp open increments at a time. The fastener worked like his kennel at home. He’d get out. He didn’t need Teddy. Shadow wasted no further breath on howls.

“Please stop. I can’t let you out. Be a good-dog, shush, just calm down.”

Shadow knew the man was staring at him, but didn’t pause. Each grunted impact moved the hasp closer to opening.

Teddy swiveled, flung open the door, and lurched out of the car. Shadow redoubled his efforts. He pawed the hasp. It moved in his favor. Another claw caught, and he yanked it free with a yelp. But the latch almost opened. He uttered frustrated whines, and he switched paws to continue the onslaught.

Teddy rushed to the back of the car and opened the tailgate. “Damn dog.” He reached to secure the fastener. “Hell, it’s nearly open.”

Shadow roared.

The old man flinched and yelled, “Back off!”

Teddy’s sudden command stopped Shadow dead. He watched, suspicious but hopeful. The man stared at him.

“You convinced me, dog. It’s your choice. And your grave.” His voice caught. “So okay, you crazy sonofabitch, you want out?” He reached for the crate door.

Out, yes! Shadow didn’t wait for Teddy. A final body-slam rocketed open the latch. The metal grate whipped into the man’s glasses and sliced open his cheek. Teddy toppled backwards into the snow.

Shadow vaulted from the car, and cleared the sprawled figure with one joyous leap. He found September’s scent, and hop-scotched and bulldozed through snow so deep it scraped his belly. But the bloody paw prints left in his wake spelled a message of fear, hope, and determination only good-dogs could read.

Read a new review of this book here!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. CLICK the above BOOK TOUR icon to learn about the next blog tour stop and how to enter for your chance to win paw-tographed pet books including LOST AND FOUND.

Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, blog tour, book give away, dog training, excerpt, Lost And Found, thriller, www.amyshojai.com

LOST & FOUND Tour & Pet Theme Prizes

Follow the Book Tour & Enter the Give Away

Prize: Dog-centric or Kitty-styled basket

Find Your Lost Cat-Luv Basket:

Includes “paw-tographed” to the recipient, books Lost and Found (authors debut thriller) as well as the nonfiction books Complete Care for Your Aging Cat and a “surprise” cat book from another colleague. It would also include an assortment of cat toys/treats/products. (Believe me, I have a BOATLOAD of toys/books ready to ship!)

Find Your Lost Dog-Luv Basket:

Includes “paw-tographed” to the recipient, books Lost and Found (authors debut thriller) as well as the nonfiction books Pet Care in the New Century: Cutting-Edge Medicine For Dogs & Cats and a “surprise” dog book from another colleague, assortment of dog toys/treats/products. (You cannot imagine the AMOUNT of toys/books I need to send!)

Open to: 18+, US

Giveaway period: Starts at 12:01 am on November 5, 2012 and continues until 11:59 pm on November 25, 2012. All times are Eastern.

How to enter: Rafflecopter – Log in with your name and email or Facebook.

Click “Do It!” button to read the instructions for each entry option.

*If the rafflecopter form doesn’t appear, please wait a minute for it to load.

CLICK THIS LINK TO REACH THE ENTRY RAFFLECOPTER!

Seren has been my in-house editor for years. She thinks Magic has no taste . . .until he decided to read LOST AND FOUND for thrills.

Then join Amy at these blog hop stops along the tour to read reviews, book excerpts and more about LOST AND FOUND, a thriller with BITE!

PLEASE SHARE the furry luv–Tell others about the book with dog viewpoint thriller with a kitty hero who “nails” the bad guys. Howl about it! Hiss-and-tell! *sorry, couldn’t resist*

November 6

http://mommyreadstoomuch.com

http://identitydiscovery.net Excerpt

November 7

http://mommylessonplans.org

http://readingrainblog.com

November 8

http://craftymomof3.com/

http://savingfor6.blogspot.com/

November 9

http://andisbookreviews.blogspot.com

http://mymommysworld.com

November 12

http://inspirationsbysimone.blogspot.com

http://nikita-mattes.blogspot.com/

November 13

http://ginaslibrary.info

http://livingatthewhiteheadszoo.blogspot.com

Magical-Dawg is a discerning reader.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, book give away, cats, dogs, Lost And Found, prizes, thriller, www.amyshojai.com

Monday Mentions: Trampoline Dogs, Celebrity Cats & Hero of the Year

Lots of cat (and dog) book fans at the CWA conference book signing–here I am with two of my titles.

I’ve just returned from the 19th Annual Cat Writers’ Association Conference–this was our 2oth Anniversary, wow! We were in Los Angeles and will return again next year (mark your calendar for the 1st weekend in November).

Since this was our 20th anniversary, and since I was one of the founders, Friday night I gave a 20 minute presentation that contained more than 500 photos from the past two decades of CWA events. More than a few tears were shed, along with (at times) uproarious laughter. I plan to put together the presentation for a YouTube share, as it contains not just fun memories but the history and heritage of our organization. A few more pictures follow–but honestly, I was having too good of a time to stop and take photos so I look forward to those taken by others who attended.

Jackson Galaxy was one of our featured speakers. Here he’s with Keith Bowers (of Catster and Dogster) also a speaker.

Copr. Angie Holland Bailey

Yes, I was a speaker and gave an overview of my Kindle-ization journey. We went a half hour longer than scheduled answering questions and discussing the E-pub opportunities. There were a host of great sessions, from how-to panels by agents and editors, to clicker training sessions for cats (Bengals were in attendance!) and sessions on social media and more. Here’s a short review from one of our attendees, so glad he enjoyed my session, too!

Copr. Arden Moore

My colleague Arden Moore (former editor of Catnip and currently writing for Vetstreet.com) brought “Zeki” to help spread her message of pet-information and author empowerment! Zeki is a Texas kitty who survived a horrific abusive experience and now lives as a spokes-cat with Arden, traveling to many author appearances. Arden and Zeki will return to Dallas in January–stay tuned! You won’t want to miss that event!

Copr. Angie Holland Bailey

My roommate for the conference, Dusty Rainbolt, is the current VP of the Cat Writers Association. And yes, she’s from Texas, too…you can tell by the sparkles. *s* We always dress up for the CWA Awards Banquet. And both of us won. I received two MUSE MEDALLION awards, the first for my PETiQuette newspaper column and the second for this online article 10 Tips to Keep Your Cats Brain Forever Young.  Dusty won several awards, including the SHOJAI MENTOR AWARD for helping two newer members accomplish their publishing dreams.

Yes, CWA is that kind of organization.

The “after” party. L-R: Maryjean Ballner, Amy Shojai, Dusty Rainbolt, Kim Thornton…celebrating a successful conference, following the awards banquet. Copr.  Arden Moore

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. I’ll be playing catch-up this week after the conference so today’s post may be a bit thin…but I’ll make up for it the rest of the week. Be sure to check out two awesome videos–first, a bulldog bouncing and rolling with glee on a trampoline. And then at the bottom, a nominee for CNN Hero of the Year–a dog trainer who deserves your vote.

WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF

Deconstructing BEFORE Re-Writing, a great blog by Anna DeStefano

How to Create Your Own Marketing Team, I talked a bit about this at the Kindle-ization talk

What To Put In Your Author Newsletter

Shut UP! Or We’ll Make You a new way to stop people talking with a verbal “gun” — neat to add to your plot!

How To Keep Your Book in the Top 100 lots of “indie” advice

Removing Reviews–Why They Go Away

Screenplay Replay Contest, look out–from Author Beware

Agents Self Publishing & Mysterious White Glove what the heck IS that? If you know, please share.

PET-ASTISTIC SCHTUFF

Voting In the Animal Kingdom, very interesting.

Doggy Trampoline this video is HILARIOUS! This bulldog is having so much fun

Pet Insurance Info could be helpful in choosing for your special pet (note, some info may apply only to UK pet owners)

Watch Out for Dog Shampoo…it can be dangerous, from the fine folks at Dogster

Human Perceptions of Kitty Coat Color...note, this is PERCEPTIONS not necessarily reality, LOL! This takes kitty typecasting to task.

Dog Noses On Trial is dog sniffing allowable by Fourth Amendment?

HSUS Cats Outdoors Conference in December

Hurricane Sandy & Rats! and more on Sandy and pet evacuations

You have GOT to see this video–and then VOTE! Hey this isn’t about the election, it’s about CNN Hero of the Year, someone helping partner veterans with needed service dogs. Check out the black GSD named SHADOW in the video, partnered with a veteran suffering from PTSD. Sound familiar? Wow… *wiping eyes*  Yes, I voted for Dog Trainer Mary Cortani.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, Arden Moore, cat behavior, cat care, cat writers association, Catster, CNN Hero of the Year, cWA, dog care, dog training, Dogster, Dusty Rainbolt, Jackson Galaxy, Keith Bowers, Kim Thornton, Mary Cortani, Maryjean Ballner, www.amyshojai.com

How You Hiss Off Your Cat

“Oh no you DIDN’T!” Image Copr. Bernadette Miller/Flickr

We love our cats but still complain about their “behavior problems.” Our blood pressure goes off the charts when Sheba and Tom scratch the furniture, baptize the bed, and caterwaul at 5:00 a.m., even though we’re purr-fect owners!

Our cats love us back. But there’s no doubt that kitty’s tail gets in a knot over a human’s “behavior problems.” In fact, I wrote a whole book about it in ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multicat Household. But here’s the short version–Here are 8 common things you do to hiss off your cat.

Clawing Angst: Cats claw to mark territory, to exercise and relieve stress. Owners hiss off cats by not providing the kitty-correct claw object and location. Cats don’t care if it’s color-coordinated to human taste. A nasty-clawed-ugly-old-post with scratch-graffiti is like a child’s favorite binky and can’t be replaced with a spanking-new post. Hiding it away means claw-art won’t be seen. Cats re-train humans by clawing kitty-correct objects of the proper texture and location—like the sofa.

Declawing Growls: Surgical claw removal offends many cats on an emotional and physical level. It strips away normal kitty defenses, and changes kitty stride/balance. Yes, some cats manage to suck it up and soldier on, but others demonstrate hissed-off status by avoiding the litter box (it HURTS to dig with sore toes!), or biting more often in defense.

Litter-ary Woes: Hit-or-miss potty behavior is the top complaint of cat owners—but we bring it on ourselves. Most standard commercial boxes are too small for jumbo-size cats so they hang over the edge or look elsewhere. Kitties hate being surprised in the potty, and dislike strong odors from perfumed litter or stinky deposits—a covered box condenses smells and blocks the view. Do you have a favorite TP? Cats get attached to favorite litter, too, and switching prompts some cats to take their business elsewhere. Having to “share” facilities is like you discovering somebody forgot to flush—ew! Extra boxes will reduce the hiss-quotient for kitties.

Carried Away: Cats love the status quo. Changes to routine annoy or frightens them. Being stuffed into an unfamiliar cat carrier and then grabbed, poked and probed by scary-smelling strangers (vet alert!) makes cats hit the panic button. Couldn’t the vet at least warm up the thermometer? Savvy kitties teach owners a lesson by disappearing each time we reach for the S’carrier. Make cat carriers part of the furniture and add catnip toys or fuzzy bedding to take the “scary” out of the equation.

Left Behind: Vacations hiss off many cats because it messes with feline routines. Your felines get used to being fed, petted, played with, and snuggled at certain times and the owner’s absence throws a furry wrench in kitty expectations. It can take kitty a week or longer to become used to a new schedule of you being gone. Your return disrupts the newly learned kitty schedule all over again, so the cat has a double-dose of kitty angst from owner vacations.

Sleeping Late: Why would owners want to sleep late, when a kitty bowl needs to be filled? Cats raise a ruckus to point out food bowl infractions or other owner irresponsibility. Felines become quite adept at training us simply with consistent purr-suasion, causing sleep deprivation until we give in.

Indoor Incarceration: Cats that have experienced the great outdoors can become distraught when “jailed” exclusively indoors. Never mind they’re safer indoors away from dangers—closed doors and barred windows drive these cats crazy. Bringing the outdoors inside with puzzle toys, cat towers and a kitty house-of-plenty can calm the feline freedom fighters.

Unfaithful Owners: Owners may think kitty is lonely and wants a friend, but they never ask the cat! Bringing a new pet (especially a cat) into the house turns up the hiss-teria. How would you feel if asked to share your potty, dinner plate, toys, bed—and love-of-your-life human—with a stranger off the street? To the cat, the interloper looks funny, smells scary, and disrupts that all-important familiar routine. It can take weeks or months for cats to accept newcomers as family members.

There are always feline exceptions. Your cat may not have read the kitty rule-book, and perhaps throws hissy-fits over other issues. Understanding what concerns our cats helps us be better owners, and enhances the love we share.

Go ahead–admit it! What have I missed? What are some other things you (or maybe someone you know *ahem*) do that get kitty’s tail in a twist?

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cat problems, competability, how you hiss off your cat, litter box advice, pet peeves, www.amyshojai.com

Halloween & Pet Guilt

“Oh the shame of it all…” Actually, he wagged his tail and only looks hang-dog cuz his ears are covered.

Happy Halloween! I just posted a spanking-new article explaining why dogs act guilty–and nope, it can happen even if they don’t get into the Halloween candy! Do your pups feel shame? Do they “apologize” when they’ve done something wrong? Or do they “tell on themselves” if they’ve be bad? And yes, I feel a bit guilty about dressing up the Magical-Dawg like that, but it was for a good cause–and I got to review the costumes here.

I gotta tell you, it’s true–they do ACT guilty and ashamed. But is that the same thing as really FEELING contrite? What do you think? Here’s my take, and it may surprise you why dogs act guilty.

Tonight is that time of the year with the kiddos arrive in droves, ringing the doorbell and driving your fur-kids to distraction. Last week’s post covered all the must-knows about proper pet-to-kid introductions, but you’ll want to take extra care tonight.

Keep the candy out of reach so the pets won’t have any reason to act guilty. Chocolate is poison, and so are some kinds of nuts and even the fake sweetener in gum can poison pets.

Watch out for door-dashing pets. Even the most well trained pooch may become frightened or overly-eager and head out the door.

Here is a series of 8 Spooky-centric articles on everything from dog costumes to safety issues. That last one is key–have fun but be SAFE. Your dogs will thank you for it. Enjoy the video–but don’t be scared, get your ferocious pooch to protect you!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, do dogs act guilty, dog costumes, dog shame, Halloween, pet safety and halloween, www.amyshojai.com

Tuesday Tips: Wizard Cats & Busy-icity

Mewdy Blue showing his true colors in wizard outfit. Thanks for sharing! Image Copr. Andrea Dorn

I’ve been so darn busy with the book launch of LOST AND FOUND, including some absolutely stunning and awesome reviews, as well as getting ready for the Cat Writers Association 20th Anniversary Celebration (leaving Thursday for L.A.!) that the Magical-Dawg and Seren-Kitty are feeling neglected. Just as well, I suppose, or else I might dress them up for Halloween and I don’t believe Seren-kitty would be nearly as calm as my colleague’s cat Mewdy Blue in the picture.

I’m giving the Friday night presentation with over 400 photos from CWA’s 20 years and some insider insights into how/why it was founded. I’ll also present my seminar on my Kindle-ization Journey for both the nonfiction books (with photos), and the fiction as well. And yes, there’s a mass pet book author signing event, right in time for the holiday shopping season. You can register at the door for the seminars. I hope to see you there!

I can’t remember the last time I missed posting a blog. That’s why I had to turn Monday Mentions into a Tuesday Tips.

My bad. I even missed my hair appointment so will go to the conference all poodle-esque instead of well coifed. Throw on enough sparkles and I’m sure no one will notice. But I did design and have printed some book plates (SQUEEE!) so that folks who want to purchase one of my print books can request a paw-tograph and I can easily provide that and snail-mail to them. You can email me your address with “paw-tograph” in the subject line, and specifics how you’d want it inscribed–to you, a friend, a special pet. These are printed on peel-off mailing labels and solves the problem of few print copies on store shelves.

Tuesday Tips (aka 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. If you have pets who like to dress up for Halloween, check out the fun photo contests available in the links today.

WRITER-ICITY SCTUFF

Random House & Penguin Merge Forget about the Big 6…it’s down to 5

Looking For A Job in Publishing, lots of opportunities

How To on Queries

Publishing Process–In Pictures! Funny stuff.

Writing Contests, Grants & Awards from Poets & Writers remember to do your due diligence

Beware High Fee Contests going along the caution of the above, from Author Beware, plus learn about America’s Next Author Contest

13 Worst Ever Reviews.…now I feel better!

Candy Cautions, Halloween Scares–Truth & Fiction

The New Vanity Press–Traditional Publishing oh wow, that will raise some hackles!

Popularity, Visibility & KDP Select an insiteful post from from David Gaughran, as well as his take on Amazon opening Kindle Store in Japan

World Building–City by City–for Writers here’s a neat how-to for you fiction authors out there

You Don’t OWN Kindle Books, You Lease Them interesting explanation

PET SCHTUFF

IMPORTANT! World Vets Blogger Disaster Response Network I signed up, have you?

Halloween Photo Contest for Pets, Babies & Kids at iVillage, check it out!

Archeological Cat! thanks to Karyl Cunningam for sending link

Bling-Alicious Dog Collars  boy oh boy I want one! Gorgeous from Dakota’s Den blogger (love them Shelties!)

Adopt-A-Shelter Pet Photo Contest, more fun stuff

How To Make Doggy Halloween Costumes, from Fidose of Reality (fun fun fun!)

Fun Cat Halloween History Lesson from a UK Blogger, some I hadn’t read before

Raw Food Not Enough? if you want a big brain…

Can Cats Get The Flu? from awesome blogger Cat Stanley

Save The Bats! Perfect for Halloween, don’t you think?

Cat Boarding Facility Charms from great cat blogger Jo Singer (there’s a nice video, too)

Fidose of Reality online doggy mag gets make-over, You’ll love this!

Complementary Healing for Animals Conference Nov 11-12 this looks great.

Cat Rules for Humans a calendar your cats want you to have, from Janiss Garza and Sparkle Cat

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cat care, cat writers association, dog care, dog training, Lost And Found, publishing, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com

Attack Cat!

Is your kitty the Masked Avenger, ready to protect life, limb and property? Image Copr. Karla Spence

Is your pet an attack cat? Does he or she serve as a guard kitty, able and willing to keep bad guys at bay?

Debbie Russell, one of my IAABC behavior consultant colleagues, recently read my debut thriller LOST AND FOUND and posted a lovely and very positive review that said in part, “I also loved Macy’s role at the end of the book.” (Thank you, Debbie! read the rest of the review here.)  For those who haven’t (yet read the book, Macy is the trained hero cat who literally “nails” one of the bad guys.

Debbie also emailed me. She said, “You’re probably aware of this, but cats, when they bite, can absolutely savage the target before nerves even have a chance to respond to, “hey, I’m being bitten!”  I once had a cat land three deep bites before my CNS could even begin to yank my arm back.  I cringed on Macy’s attack.”

She also gave me permission to share these two true fascinating tales of cats defending their owners/territory:

We had dinner with a couple, and the husband told us of the following event. He was a teenager, sleeping and awoke due to some noise coming from the living room.  He picked up a bat and went forward towards it. His Dad, whose bedroom was on the other side of the living room, heard it also and came from that side. What did they see?   Their giant Maine Coon had a man on the ground, behind the couch, totally torn up. 

He was screaming “Get it off of me!   Get it off of me!”  

They tried. It wasn’t easy. Apparently said MC hadn’t learned “aus”. (“Aus” is the German release command used with dogs.)  When they approached, he’d just growl. I imagined him thinking, “MY PREY!  I can eat off of this for a month.  Go find your own.”  

Eventually they got him off the guy, police arrived, etc.  However, this cat had even managed to tear through the intruder’s leather jacket.  Impressive, huh?

And a second story . . .

I can’t remember where I heard this, but remember it as true.  A woman awoke to see blood splattered in her stairwell leading to the upstairs bedroom.  She called the police.  Based on the blood splatter, they determined that the Siamese must have launched him/herself at the intruder’s head from the stop of the stairwell.  Yikes.  Can you imagine?  

Yes, I can imagine! My cousin once told the story of their cat that liked to lounge on the top of the refrigerator, next to the back door. A burglar entered the house, and…you guessed it…kitty launched an attack from on high, and drove the intruder from the house. As I recall, they knew because of the blood stains and door left open. Does this sound familiar? Where did you think I got the idea for that Macy scene?

I’ve also had consults with cat owners to help them diffuse territorial aggression and “guarding” areas of the home, especially when visitors enter. One client’s cat wouldn’t let the pet sitter to enter by the back door (the cat “owned” that area) but was fine if the pet sitter arrived from the front door. Cat-to-cat aggression is much more common (and discussed with tips to solve it in my ComPETability-Cats book). But cat-to-people aggression can be horribly dangerous and terrifying.

Then there are cats who sleep through strangers coming and going, while others probably would show burglars where you hide the silver. Where do your cats fall in the scheme of things? Do you have stories of cats running to your rescue–if not physically, perhaps sounding a warning? Please share!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, attack cat, cat aggression, cat behavior, cats, hero cat, Lost And Found, www.amyshojai.com

Oh Baby! Introducing Dogs to Kids–Safely

Learning how to touch and handle puppies predicts good relationships as they mature.

A cat writing colleague called me last week after someone asked about tips for introducing babies to dogs. The person wanted to know how to teach the dog that the Baby was “alpha.”

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!

Think about it. There is so much WRONG with that statement I really don’t know where to begin. You bring an infant home from the hospital, a creature that makes funny, weird (scary! prey-like) sounds and moves in a (scary! prey-like) strange way, and has enticing (scary! food-like) odors–milk, baby lotion, poopy-treats–

And you expect the dog that’s lived in your house, shared your lap/sofa/bed and received his share of attention and love to suddenly say, to this helpless and obviously puppy-esque creature–YOU DA BOSS!

You can try, of course. I don’t recommend it, and here’s why. A baby physically and mentally and emotionally–in reality–cannot be “alpha” over anything. That’s a contradiction in terms. “Alpha” implies being in charge. I hate that term, by the way, it’s so over-used and incorrectly thrown around. A dog may certainly tolerate the new baby and even come to love the infant but not at the baby’s behest, but because your dog respects, trusts, and loves YOU and your relationship.

My ComPETability books detail a whole lot more about how dogs think (and also how cats think), and both books include detailed step-by-step advice on what to do when you bring an infant into your home.

Toddlers are a whole other matter. The ComPETability books also have details about introducing toddlers and older kids to pets.

That’s vital not just for parents, but important for grandparents and visiting relatives to know especially over the holidays. Young kids may, indeed, think they are in charge of things and act that way, but the dog still knows better! I even covered this issue in my LOST AND FOUND thriller with the relationship between a highly-trained service dog and Shadow’s seven-year-old boy partner. How would Shadow have reacted to being struck repeatedly if he hadn’t been trained and drilled over and over again to expect and accept such treatment–and even then, that’s no guarantee a hurt dog won’t lash out.

You do NOT want a dog to try and teach a child his/her “proper place” (from the dog’s perspective–and hey, it’s normal for dogs to do this!) and so tips for introductions and supervised interactions are vital.

I’ve offered some of these tip on my puppies.about.com site for preparing dogs for new babies, and introducing dogs to young children. How have you handled these situations with your pets? This is an opportunity to create a loving and lasting relationship with pets that can build and grow for a lifetime! Please share your tips.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cats and babies, competability, dog behavior, dogs and babies, introducing pets to kids, Lost And Found, www.amyshojai.com

Monday Mentions: Neuters, Bats & Crazy Writers

“How’d you get a squealing cat inside this thing?”

Why the musical instruments? Because in another life I’m a musician, singer, composer. And yesterday I had a ball at the first rehearsal for Suessical, The Musical where I’ll be playing cello in the pit for the children’s theater production. It’s brain candy! Of course, the Magical-Dawg is always a critic.

I’ve a quick update on the THRILLERS WITH BITE front for everyone in the N. Texas area. The lovely students at Grayson County College will host a book launch party this Friday, October 26 from noon until 1:00 pm. Please come! I’ll offer some super-insider-neato information about how my debut thriller LOST AND FOUND came to be, read a bit from the book and answer publishing/writing questions for those interested. And hey, if I don’t know the answer I’ll just make schtuff up…that’s what fictioning is all about, after all!

I’m delighted at the most recent review, which said in part: “Lost and Found is Amy Shojai’s debut novel, but you’d never know it. Packed with stunning imagery, great pacing, intense characters (some lovable  some not), and a story with heart, she’s going to be an author to watch. Her ability to mix lovable pets, caring humans, corporate greed, and a child with autism makes for a thriller like none other.” Read the rest of the review here.

A note/reminder: THANK YOU to those who have posted reviews, and I encourage you to continue that favor–for my books and any other author’s books. That’s truly a great gift you can offer to the writers you enjoy, and helps other readers find the books more easily.

I’m even more delighted to be part of a colleague’s awesome book launch. Michael W. Sherer is a best selling thriller and mystery author and NIGHT BLIND releases TOMORROW! Woot! He’s got a contest with the grand prize of a Kindle Fire plus a boatload of best-selling thriller author books in a give-away basket–they include books by Allison Brennan, Hank Phillippi Ryan, JT Brannan, Traci Hohenstein, Amy Shojai, and Eyre Price. (Yes, you can win a copy of LOST AND FOUND in the bunch, kewl beans!) Of course the LOST AND FOUND give away continues over at Good Reads, too, through November 15.

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. There are LOTS of fun links today. The two featured videos today are all about pet care cuz I know most (if not all) of my readers ADORE their furry muses, too.

Fair warning, guys–the first one may make you cross your legs.

WRITING SCHTUFF

Do Sniffer Dogs Violate Privacy Rights? interesting Supreme Court cases, and could impact how we write our novels, too.

Creativity Is A “Mental Illness”  and Writers Prone to Schizophrenia, ya know this explains a lot!

Newsweek Drops Print Edition the end of an era

3 Ways to Sell More Amazon Books

Children’s Books Sales Surge

Red Tree Literary Open to YA and MG Submissions

Twitter Hosts Fiction Festival in November

Fill The Shelves Initiative brings books to underfunded school libraries

Essentials Of Creating A Hero from Jodie Renner

Depression–More Than Sad blogger Louise Behiel offers great insights helpful to writers and characterization

E-Originals vs Paperbacks, an interesting discussion from agent Richard Curtis

Adding It Up, Jenny Hansen (techie maven extraordinaire) offers tips on keeping a total of Ebook sales in a snap.

PET SCHTUFF

SHELTER ALERT! Grant-Funded Training for Zeuterin, the zinc-injection neuter technique from Ark Charities seeks qualified nonprofits interested in being trained. Deadline is Friday October 26, contact Anne M. Bolzoni, Executive Director  1-877-346-4664 ex.10, www.arkcharities.org Here’s a story that explains more and the video below has more info–neutering without surgery for dogs! Could be a game changer for our animals.

Save The Bats! an initiative from the awesome folks at Morris Animal Foundation

Bobcats & Parasites, boy I could see some basis for a sci-fi or medical thriller

RK Anderson, A Legend in Pet Care, Has Died

Dog Whispering in the 21st Century a long and very detailed (referenced) article trainers will want to read–and dog lovers will find enlightening

Britain Politicians & Cat Fights (not what you think!)

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, 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!

Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cats, dog training, dogs, Michael Sherer, pets, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com