Amy Shojai's Blog, page 148

Monday Mentions: Muses, BlogPaws, Monsters & More Crappiocca

This Chinese Crested puppy knows how to keep cool! Must be talking to the Magical-Dawg.

Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and blogs and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. So I had to share these lovely pictures taken by photographer  Robbie Goodall when he posted them in my Puppy Publishing group on Flicker and there's a Flickr Kitty Publishing group too. A number of these great pictures will also get posted over at the Puppies site but of course you can post 'em directly there with details about your baby dog's gotcha day and more. Check out the links, below, and please don't be shy about sending me your own links or suggestions for others to highlight.

Just back from the chiropractor and after several weeks of  therapy, I'm feeling–well–stretchy. I can bend, I can pick up stuff (with care), I can walk the Magical-Dawg without flinching, and I just regained an extra hour a week to work. That's because I've graduated from twice weekly sessions to once a week.

I needed the adjustment to my attitude and work schedule as much as rehab, though. Sometimes it takes a wallop upside the head–or a pain in the back while weeding now-crunchy roses–to wake up and realize nothing should be taken for granted. Pay attention to the little things so the big stuff won't fall off the truck and leave you stranded. Anyway, that's the plan.

The accompanist at church fell and broke her shoulder this past weekend when her daughter's 100+ pound Labrador took off during a walk and jerked her off her feet. That means I'll be at the keyboard in her place until she heals–or the dog learns to heel, I suppose. That reminds me of the time I broke my wrist while bathing my dog–hurt sooooo bad, and the back injury rivaled that pain.

Now taking care of my back and my health has become part of the daily schedule, alongside checking email, writing the blog, meeting and beating writerly deadlines. When I spend quiet time with the stretches or ice pack or treadmill, it forces me to slow down and think–really think–about what's important, and focus on the goals of the moment, the day, the week. I just wrote and posted 9 new articles over at the Puppies site–and plan to work on fictioning this week. What are your plans?

Writer-icity Info You Want To Know

Writers, didja know about the wealth of cell phone info available? From Dr. Lyle's wonderfully useful blog, great stuff to include in your fiction!

The Printed Book is Doomed–And Here's Why

Another fantastic chock-full-'o-info blog from Jenny Hansen–do writers need presentation skills? You betcha!

The 10 Most Famous Muses of All Time, fascinating stuff. Anyone missing? Who else would you add to the list?

If you're a writer, you MUST subscribe to the Writer Beware Blog from Victoria Strauss to stay ahead of the scams. These days, there's new ones with "editors" and "agents" approaching self-pub'd Ebook authors and others. Know the score.

Google+ Monster? Clash of the Social Media Titans

Pet-Centric Stuff for Animal Lovers

Do you write about pets? Blog about 'em? Then check out BlogPaws and their upcoming paws-itively great conference that's right around the corner.

My latest puppies.About.com article covers proper puppy identification–how do you keep your cats and dogs safe from going AWOL?

Last week's Monday Mentions dealt with doggy poop pick up. My colleague read that and suggested equal time for the kitties.  Franny Syufy has some fanTAStic poop about cat poop–the radioactive kind–and what to do about it. And after all, isn't all pet waste sort of (ahem) glow-in-the-dark-EWW?

Winn Feline Health Foundation Blog–stay up to the minute on cat-tastic health info.

China and dogs–NOT a happy story here when the government bans folks from owning dogs. What would YOU do? Sounds like a horror novel plot to me.

Paws Down on Latest Animal Planet Cat Show from my colleague Sally Bahner. What do YOU think?

AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day, coming to a city near you!

Marvelous elephant reunion–caught on tape! This pair hadn't seen each other for 20 years. Totally moving and worth watching.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Howls & Hisses, Monday Mentions, Uncategorized, Video, Wags & Purrs, Writing Tips Tagged: AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day, Animal Planet, cat books, cat poop, cats.About.com, dog books, dog training, DP Lyle, elephant reunion, Franny Syufy, Google+, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, Jenny Hansen, pet books, puppies.About.com, Sally Bahner, social media, Victoria Strauss, Winn Feline Foundation, writer beware, writer muse, writers conference, writing

Feline Friday: Ask Amy & Teaching Shrinking Violet Shy Cats

Is your kitty shy? How do you bring her out of her Shrinking Violet shell? (Image copr. Missi Hostrup)

Working with fearful cats can be a challenge. Does Sheba hiss at strangers? Dive under the bed when the doorbell rings? Attack other pets (or humans)? And what can you do to stop bad behavior if even a mild correction sends the cat into fearful meltdown? Alexa posted her Ask Amy question to my Facebook page and the answer is in today's video.

We often feel that our fur-kids must have been abused and feel bad to make THEM feel bad. But they still need to know limits. One of my favorite ways to train is using positive rewards. Instead of waiting for kitty to scratch the wrong object and then interrupting the behavior–why not REWARD her when she scratches the RIGHT object? Using kitty clicker training can also build confidence in shy cats by teaching them what happens is in their paws. Over at my puppy-centric site, y'all can find similar tips for how to clicker train puppies. Yep, it builds canine confidence, too.

While a normal dose of caution keeps cats from becoming coyote kibble, extreme fear makes cats miserable and disrupts your happy home. Hiding cat may not bother you, constant anxiety increases stress that can make cats sick. For instance, stress can aggravate bladder inflammation (cystitis), which in turn prompts hit-or-miss bathroom behaviors. Even when the bladder doesn't hurt, anxious cats use potty deposits or will increase scratching behavior as a way to calm themselves—sort of the way nervous humans bite their fingernails. Here are tips for helping your scaredy cat.

Do you have a shy cat? How does s/he react to strangers or new situations? What tips have you used to bolster confidence? Are you concerned (like Alexa, below) about damaging your pet relationship during training?  How do you avoid that?

Of course you can find lots more fur-kid care tips in the pet books. But I hope anyone with a burning furry question (or heck, ANY question! *s*) will share in the comments and perhaps it'll be a future Ask Amy feature!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, cat books, cat training, clicker training cats, clicker training puppies, dog books, dog training, how to train cats, puppies, puppies.About.com, shy cats, video, why are cats fearful, writing

Thoughty Thursday: Hummers, Writers & Antsy-R-Us

How do you feed your hummer soul and kick buggy butt?

Ants invaded the hummingbird feeders. This isn't two or three , but a thundering horde. They squiggle into the birdy faucets, clog up output, and commit ant suicide in the sugar water. This doesn't seem to bother the hummers–more protein, yum!–until the floating ant DOAs exceed a half inch depth.

Setting the pole in a pan of water works for half a day until the 110-degree weather steams it away. The little bit left provides the bugs with water ski opportunity. The little buggers cry, 'WHEEEEE!' as they slalom a pathway to reach a drink.

Smeared Vicks on the holder won't keep them at bay. It just clears tiny ant sinuses so they appreciate the sweet taste all the more.

These days, fiction writing time gets clogged up with ant-icity just like the hummer juice. Some of these "bugs" offer necessary protein. They suck away a modest amount and bring in $$. And hell, these days the economy–like Texas temperatures–creates a climate that demands everyone bow to the forces of nature. House payments come due, AC goes out, fur-kids need kibble in the bowl–life's funny that way. But when lots of the ant-icity bring nothing to the table other than a giant sucking noise, something's gotta give.

The fiction am a-calling. So's the play. Two more nonfiction books are on the to-do list. All those projects feed a writer's soul the way hummer juice switches on birdy delight.

You're a writer. You know what I'm talkin' about. Yet ant-distractions demand more and more time.

When the ant-load gets too deep for sparkly tennis shoes to navigate, the hose comes out. The hummers–and writers–deserve a bit of uninterrupted beverage, after all.

How much ant-icity clogs up your soul? What are your limits–2 or 3 bugs in the juice, a dozen, a half-inch of floaters? When do you cry UNCLE and get out the hose? How do you flush away the the sucky parts so you can enjoy the nectar?

Cuz I don't want the hummers to get chased off by #$%^&*!@#$%T^&! ants.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Thoughtful Thursdays, Writing Tips Tagged: Amy Shojai, books, cat books, dog books, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, writer inspiration, writer muse, writing

Woof Wednesday: Ask Amy & Poop-Eating Poochies

At 9-1/2 weeks, Magical-Dawg perfected the grab-poop-and-run technique. Don't let the innocent look fool you!

Do your dogs eat poop? C'mon, confession is good for the soul, you can spill the …er, uhm, BEANS. You're among friends! I'll go first.

"My Magical-Dawg indulges in poop-munching."

Well, he used to, anyway. Thank heaven's he outgrew the nasty habit or I'd own stock in doggy breath mint products.  Just why do they do it, and how can you curb the poop-icity? Today's brand new Ask Amy video offers some tips for dogs with Shih Tzu breath. And I've posted an article with 10 tips for stopping puppy poop eating.

Seems like people who live with and love pets must deal with a lot of crap. What are other irksome issues you've struggled to solve with your dogs? What did you do? Please share tips, or post questions in the comments and I'll feature in a future Ask Amy.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Ask Amy, Bling Alert!, Howls & Hisses, Video, Woof Wednesdays Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, cute puppy pictures, dog books, dog training, http://www.amyshojai.com, puppies, puppies eating poop, puppies.About.com

Tuesday Tips: Karin Slaughter Thrilling Tips & WordPress-icity

Debut Thriller Authors, Class of 2011. (I hate them...)

Those who frequent this blog already know about my 9-part Tuesday Tips series on DIY Kindle-ization. I'll return to the topic from time to time and point y'all at shiny objects that catch my eye. Last week, though, I shared a video of the Thrillerfest interview with master author R.L. Stine, and today I've got more goodies in store from that event.  You can check out a boatload of Thrillerfest pictures here.

Although I've had 23 nonfiction pet books published–yes, I am a VERY lucky dawg!–that doesn't stop me from green-icity envy attacks. See all those folks in that picture? They're DEBUT THRILLER AUTHORS. That's what I want to be when I grow up.

Well actually I want more than that as they do, and go beyond that first fiction thrill-ride (write). So the speaker at the Thrillerfest Debut Author's Breakfast this past July offered some fantastic advice and tips for aspiring, debut, and established fiction authors. Even for old-dawg nonfiction authors. This video is only a small taste, of course, and you can get the full deal recording (and those of the other panels) of CDs, MP3s and DVDs of Thrillerfest here.

WORD PRESS FOR DUMMIES (Hey, that's ME!)

I'm also a fan of Kristen Lamb's blog and online workshops that teach folks how to blog effectively (hey there, folks, you can tell me…is it working?). But how do you get all the bells and whistles to work on WordPress? One of the current students, amazing writer/blogger Carrie Spencer posted some GREAT techie tips on the Romance University blog. Follow along on her series:

WordPress for Non-Techies Part 1

WordPress for Non-Techies Part Deux

WordPress for Non-Techies Part 3

WordPress for Non-Techies Part 4

WordPress for Non-Techies Part 5

WordPress for Non-Techies, The Finale

Are you an aspiring writer, a debut author, or an established professional? How did you start out as a writer? How do you define "success"–is it that first book, the fifth, increased sales, Mom's approval? What words of wisdom can you add to help with the teeth-gnashing angst of pursuing a writerly dream?

I started out scraping crap off the bottom of dog and cat kennels, and then sold a few of my "how to" vet tech tabletop talks and personal experience stories to the pet press. These days, I still channel my furry muses.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Tuesday Tips, Video, Writing Tips

Monday Mentions: Wildlife, Writer-Life & Crap-icity

Gorgeous "Peri" loves posing.

Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and blogs and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. So I had to share these lovely pictures taken by photographer Sherry Aldrich Sineath when she posted them in my Flickr Kitty Publishing group (thank you Sherry!). There's a Puppy Publishing group, too–please do NOT post if you don't want your pictures shared here or on my other venues. Yes, I'm getting a weeeee bit testy about that.

On another note, I've finished posting all my Ask Amy videos, to date–and have a list of questions y'all have sent. So stay tuned, new ones am a-coming atcha this week! And if you have a pressing question, feel free to post in the comments section.

LOST PET INFO

Of course, I hope that Peri-Kitty and her friends know their way home and have identification and safe places to play and enjoy the glorious sunshine and grass. So are your pets microchipped? Do they have safe outside play areas? In North Texas, coyotes come up on the back patio looking for snacks–living, breathing snacks. Seren would make one mouthful. Magic would invite the critters inside to play. So we're very careful about outdoor excursions.

I pray you'll never need it but should your pet become lost, check out Find Toto for lost pets–My pet writer colleague Betty Sleep (check out her gorgeous cats & books!) says, "They have an automated robo call type service that will call X number of the residences surrounding where the animal was lost, giving its info, and where to contact the owner."

PREDATOR HIDE AND SEEK?

What Happens When Predators–Wolves, Cougars, Bears–Disappear?  Food for thought–nature abhors a vacuum, so what will fill the empty spots? What do you think?

It's unusual for raccoons to target cats--as in this pic, mostly they just target cat food!

Raccoons Target House Cats offers yet another reason to keep Kitty safely inside. Have you ever had wildlife swipe pet food? Or swipe a pet (horrors!).

And now researchers seem to target house cats, blaming them for cancer. Wow, sounds like a plot for a science fiction book–and IMO you do need quite an imagination to buy into the premise. You can read a rebuttal here.

Dolphins & Sea Lions Go to War — and some GORGEOUS photos at incredible blogger/writer Danielle Meitiv's blog.

PUBLISHING, EDITING & AGENTING, OH MY!

David Gaughran's Blog covers self publishing with excellent how-to advice and commentary.

Looking for an agent? Know someone who is? Then check out the 2011 Backspace Agent-Author Seminar. Two days of panel discussions and small-group workshops with more than 25 literary agents on the program! Check the Frequently Asked Questions section, or write to Backspace Administrators Karen Dionne (karendionne@bksp.org) or Christopher Graham (chrisg@bksp.org). By the way, you really should check out Karen's environmental thrillers, they rock!

Are you an editor looking for a gig? Carina Press, the Ebook arm of Silhouette Books, is looking for Freelance Development and Content Editors (be sure you read the details).

WHAT A LOT OF CRAP-ICITY

You have GOT to watch (and then share!) this video–for all the folks who sling crappiocca (or let their dogs do-do-diggidy-do it!). What do YOU do when your doggies do that doo-doo thing?

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Kindle, Monday Mentions, Video Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, Backspace Agent Author Seminar, Carina Press, cat behavior, cat books, cats cause brain cancer, cute kitty pictures, cute puppy pictures, Danielle Meitiv, David Gaughran, dog behavior, dog books, dog doogity, dog poop, dolpins, FindToto.com, Karen Dionne., microchips, pick up dog poop, raccoons eat pet food, sea lions, www.scooppoop.org

Furry Friday: ComPETability & Seeing Eye to Eye

"Racy Mooner" cools off, courtesy of Lisa-Maria Padilla.

It's too darn hot–and even the cats know it. When the temps hit 102 degrees, my colleague Lisa-Maria spread a towel on the deck to protect tender kitty paws, set up a kiddy pool and . . . well, at least one of the clowder accepted the invite. You can click on the pic to see the other cats' reactions.

Dogs react a bit differently–at least, my Magical-Dawg does. You can check out his summertime fun in the video (below), and these days the cat thinks he's insane. But nothing new about that. Most cats don't "get" everything about dogs. And dogs remain pretty clueless about cats, too. If we're lucky, they still get along fine and just figure the aliens have landed. That's why I wrote my book ComPETability.

Our pets simply don't see the world in the same way. Literally. For instance, the eyes of cats and dogs are quite similar to our own, but how are they different?

The cat has the largest eyes of any meat eater; if our own eyes were proportionally the same, human eyes would be eight inches across. But it goes beyond the looks-pun intended. In fact, the way pets see influences how they interact with each other-and with us. This Paw Nation article offers some insight (whoops, there's another pun…I'd say "sorry" but I'm not. *s*) on seeing eye to eye.

Do your cats or dogs watch TV? Or do they have trouble finding that teeny-tiny last kibble in the bowl? How else are cats and dogs different? Betcha dogs would welcome that climbing and leaping ability that cats manage with poetry-like finesse. And I betcha cats would really like to be like dogs in…wait…well…

Nope. Cats have no dogmatic aspirations whatsoever. (Seren made me write that–I think she saw the video, below).

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Feline Fridays, Furry Fridays, Video, Wags & Purrs Tagged: Amy Shojai, books, cat behavior, cat books, cats, dog behavior, dog books, dog training, dogs, hot weather, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, Lisa-Maria Padilla, PawNation.com, pet books, puppies.About.com, water

Woof Wednesday: Heat Stroke, Hot Weather Games & Pit Bull-Kitten Luv

Savannah takes a dip in her water bowl to cool off.

Dogs may be "man's best friend," but parrots, cats, lizards and horses also form connections to human beings. Not only can having a pet cheer you up and reduce your stress levels, but your pet could save your life. These pets may be able to detect diabetic crises, seizures, migraines and Parkinson's "freezing," helping owners get timely — and often critical — help.

Dogs can actually be taught to detect cancer. Melanoma is the least common but most deadly skin cancer, accounting for 79 percent of skin cancer deaths. Diagnosis relies mostly on the way the skin looks — even though many melanomas are invisible to the naked eye. But cancer causes the body to release chemicals into our urine, sweat and even breath that smells different than normal. My most recent Huffington Post article gives even more cool details about how pets can avert human health crises. 

Of course, it's up to the human part of the equation to keep our pets happy and healthy. At my house, PLAYTIME offers great brain candy and mental health breaks for both the furry and two-legged family members. But this $%$%^&^&! hot weather makes that a challenge.

What games does your puppy play during hot weather? Do you know how to give your pet first aid for heat stroke? When the temperature climbs near to 100 degrees, pets have trouble staying cool. But they don't know any better and can over-exercise and risk death—yet they need healthy exercise. What's a pet parent to do?

I've come up with some options for the Magical-Dawg. I've shared a few of them in this article about safe hot weather games for dogs.  Of course, the Seren-kitty (aka "coyote bait") doesn't go outside even in comfortable weather. I found a fun YouTube video that offers suggestions for cat-dog games and couldn't resist sharing.

What creative games do your fur-kids play? Do the dogs and cats get along? Seren's fav game of all is getting Magic in trouble. Please share your furry foibles!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Video, Wags & Purrs, Woof Wednesdays Tagged: Amy Shojai, cancer detecting pets, dog behavior, ESP Pets, first aid, heat stroke, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, Huffington Post, kittens, puppies.About.com, seizure alert dogs, veterinary care

Tuesday Tips: Scary-Funny Interview with R.L. Stine

For the past nine Tuesdays this space focussed on DIY Kindle-ization. I'll return to the topic from time to time and point y'all at shiny objects that catch my eye. For example, David Gaughran covers Ebooks in his daily blog including some pretty nifty how-to advice that's particularly helpful to international authors. He's also Epub'd a how-to book.

I just received an inquiry from an Italian publisher about foreign language rights for the Aging Cat book, yee-haw! That never would have happened without bringing the backlist er, uhm, back. *s*

My next Kindle-ization project won't happen until a massive revision/update of the award winning Purina Encyclopedia of Cat Care–which also will require a title change since I'm no longer affiliated with the company and that license expired. So what should I call the book? Love to have suggestions for a new title! It's still an A-to-Z encyclopedia but expands the care/health sections with first aid, aging specific issues, behavior, and WOW-cutting edge. Hey, I have to put some THRILLING stuff in there! But I'll remove the short breed descriptions and pictures because others do that way better than I can. Let me know and I'll refer you to colleague's books that do a fantastic job with kitty breeds.

I'm hard at work editing my current fiction WIP–oh yes, I make up crappiocca, too! The story includes SURPRISE! dogs and cats and vets, oh my! No flying monkeys. Yet. A few dead bodies. Those who frequent this blog know I'm a fan of thrillers and recently attended Thrillerfest. You can check out a boatload of Thrillerfest pictures here.

Even though my kids have four feet and fur, I'm familiar with R.L. Stine's successful GOOSEBUMPS series. These days, YA fiction is hotter than Texas in July. (We had rain this morning that sizzled when it hit the ground.) So when the schedule said the amazing James Rollins (fan-girl moment!) would interview Mr. Stine, I had to be there.

Who knew R.L. Stine could have a second career in stand-up! Or that he was not an overnight success. His publishing path gives established and yet-to-be-published writers hope, and offers some great insight. This video is only a small taste, of course, and you can get the full deal recording (and those of the other panels) of CDs, MP3s and DVDs of Thrillerfest here.

How did you start out as a writer? For the successful established authors, how long did it take? What words of wisdom can you add to help with the teeth-gnashing angst of pursuing a writerly dream? As for my small success as a pet writer, I started out scraping crap off the bottom of kennels, and these days I just write about it. Exactly the same, only different.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you'd like answered? I'm nearly ready to record a bunch of new ones, so be sure to get your requests in the comments. 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 with pet book give-aways!

Filed under: Ask Amy, Howls & Hisses, Kindle, Tuesday Tips, Video, Wags & Purrs, Writing Tips Tagged: Amy Shojai, books, cat books, dog books, funny video, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, James Rollins, puppies.About.com, RL Stine, Thrillerfest, writers conference, writing

Monday Mentions: Cat Art, Dog Sperm Detectors & PhD Sheep

Bernadette captures the essence of cat-ness in her illustrated calendar.

Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and blogs and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. To start off the blog right (or is that write?), I've two books to feature of the pet persuasion.

My colleague Bernadette Kazmarski has published her first book Great Rescues Calendar that sings the praises of the many cats she's met over the years. As an artist specializing in cats, Bernadette certainly has a purr-fect eye for feline beauty. She writes, "It falls under the category of things created via feline muses. I'd hardly have published this, or done all those portraits that are in it, or done any artwork at all in fact–who knows what I'd be doing–if it weren't for my cats and their guiding, inspiring presences in my life." Each picture includes the cat's rescue story, year the portrait was done, artistic medium and size of the finished portrait. For instance:

Christie's happy ending story.

Bernadette continues to do feline portraits so AFTER you purchase her gorgeous calendar, see about contacting her for a portrait of your special feline friend (maybe it'll be included in a future book!).

I met Robert Scott–virtually met him–over at KindleBoards and Smashwords while bringing my backlist pet care books back to life as Ebooks and POD. Folks, pets touch us all in many marvelous ways and the legacy they leave behind can be powerful indeed. You can read about Robert's journey that lead him to write about losing his beloved canine companion and perhaps his book will help others going through the same experience.

Today's list of Mentions covers all kinds of furry, weird and writerly topics, so browse and enjoy. And remember, those who have a new book, blog, article, fill-in-the-blank that might be a fit, please email me (amy AT shojai.com) with the particulars of your book/work and I'd love to feature you on a future blog. Hey, it's all about helping each other out, right?

I suspect thriller writers (including those with an artistic or spiritual bent) appreciate some of the biting tidbits in today's blog. Enjoy and share.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

My colleague Sara Basore has been named Editor-In-Chief of G.IS.G Heavenly Publications. She writes, "We are taking submissions for an anthology called Spiritual Awakening: Stories of Praise and Redemption. We want a variety of stories from all genres, from Young Adult to Nostalgia to Horror to Romance and all in between." She also says her cat Ginger will help by walking across the laptop keyboard.

WEIRD & KEWL CRAP

Will an Antibody Profile replace DNA identification? Great blog post from my fav forensics expert D.P. Lyle (who writes great thrillers, by the way…)

Rapist caught by sperm-sniffing K9 officer–folks, you can't make this stuff up!

New study reveals sheep are smarter than monkeys! That's to baaa-aaa-aaaad.

FANTASTIC FURRY CONTENT

Another of my favorite artists, Kim Santini, offers portraits of dogs, cats, horses, cows–you name it–and even has a newsletter Painting A Dog A Day, check it out.

The myth of the "hypoallergenic dog"  What do YOU think? One of the email lists I'm on has had quite a spirited discussion about the topic.

Cat Wisdom 101 blog from my colleague Layla Morgan Wilde covers all-things-cats, from book reviews and SQUEEEE! lovely kitty pictures, to interviews with experts, rescue matters, and a variety of fun to serious subjects. Check it out–tell her I sent you!

Like kitty TV? Sally Bahner's awesome Exclusively Cats blog kibbles about the good, the bad and the so-so meowy programming.

What exactly does "human grade" mean in pet food? Excellent explanation from my colleague Kim Thornton over at Pet Connection.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, "like" me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with pet book give-aways!

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