Friday, January 25, 2013

"Paw Prints" Available Soon!

Hi!

I'm thrilled to announce that my latest book will be available for sale soon. I've submitted the final draft to the publisher. I'm just waiting for the proof to arrive so I can do one final read through. I'll have one last chance to catch any sneaky typos or other mistakes. After that I'll be able to release the book into the world. Yea!

My latest project is called "Paw Prints." It's a collection of short stories about pets and animals that either myself, my friends, or my family members have known over the years. I've included quite a menagerie. There are cats, dogs, guinea pigs, fish, horses, a donkey, a goose, goats, crabs, a rooster, crayfish, and even a chimpanzee-- just to name a few! The stories are as diverse as their subjects. There are funny stories, sad ones, and a few that are "stranger than fiction."


For fun, I invited a few friends and family members to contribute stories to the collection. I'm happy to announce that Debbie Newman, Brenda Salzano, and Mindy Mallory-Newman chose to participate. Their contributions help to add depth, diversity, and a different perspective to the stories in the book. Thank you all for participating!

The Kindle version of the book should be available by the end of the week. The print version will take a little bit longer. I'm hoping to have both on the market prior to Valentine's Day. I'll be sure to update this blog as soon as I have more details.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Shop Special!

* Shop Special: In honor of the post holiday shopping lull, I'm offering 25% off all purchases with the coupon code "StarvingArtist." Simply enter the coupon code while checking out to recieve the discount. Thank you for your support! *
 
 
 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

New Year, New Projects

Happy New Year! Here's hoping we can all have a lucky '13!
 
I'm happy to report that I've been hard at work on a new project. I'm in the process of editing a manuscript that I'm calling "Paw Prints." It's a collection of touching and funny pet stories. Most of the stories come from my personal experience but I've also invited several friends and family members to contribute stories of their own.
 
"Paw Prints" is a laid back collection of stories. My goal is to write the stories as if I'm sitting down having a conversation with someone. I've had animals my whole life and I can't ever imagine a time when I wouldn't have at least one pet sharing my home with me. The animals have been a constant source of companionship, amusement, and (at times) exasperation. There are funny stories, sad ones, and stories that are "stranger than fiction."
 
Although the majority of the stories are about cats and dogs (my two favorite pets), there are also stories about pet snakes (my brother's), horses (my mother's), tarantulas (which we caught as children living in Arizona), and more!
 
At the moment, my plan is to self-publish the book through a print-on-demand publisher. I'm hoping to publish the book by March. I divide my time between writing and crafting (www.etsy.com/etsy/ReprievesCorner). The craft fair and festival season begins in April, so I'm hoping to have "Paw Prints" already published so I can bring copies of it with me to the Farmer's Market and other events to sell.
 
Since the stories are focused on pets and animals, I've decided to donate a portion of the sale of each book to one of the local non-profit organizations, Pacific Cove Humane Society. Although they're a small group, their devoted volunteers work hard to find homes for animals. They also provide vaccinations, low cost spaying/neutering, and foster homes for animals that need rehabilitation. It's a great organization. To find out more, please visit their webpage: www.PacificCove.org.
 
Well, I'll keep everyone posted. I'm really looking forward to hearing the feedback on "Paw Prints" once it's published!

The cats doing their best to prevent me from working-- they're sprawled across my desk chair. ;)