"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.

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! *

 

www.etsy.com/shop/ReprievesCorner

 

 

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. ;)

 

NaNoWriMo 2012

Hello!

I'm happy to announce that it's officially National Novel Writing Month (affectionately dubbed "NaNoWriMo"). The goal of writers across the globe is to write an entire 50,000 word novel within the 30 days of November.

This is my second year participating in the event. During November of 2011, I wrote a fun "choose your own adventure" story. I had a blast writing it and I succeeded in reaching all of my NaNo goals.

This year, I'm compiling a collection of short stories about pets and animals. So far so good. I'm just a few days in but I've already written a little over 16,000 words. It's another fun project because many of the stories come from first hand experience. I've had animals entire life. I even spent my early childhood living on a small farm in Connecticut. I'm having fun taking a trip down memory lane and writing about all of the goofy, funny, and touching moments with the many pets that I've owned over the years. I even talked my mother into contributing a few of her own stories-- and I'm working on convincing a few other friends and family members into doing the same.

I've tentatively titled the book "Paw Prints." If all goes well, I intend on self publishing it within the next few months. Wish me well!

As always, thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and help support my writing career. I really appreciate the support!

~~ H. S. Contino

Florence Festival of Books

Hello!

I'm happy to report that the 2nd annual Florence Festival of Books was a big success. The event had an even bigger turn out than last year. I had a great time chatting with visitors and fellow writers. I also sold a few books and got an invitation to speak at a local library next year (I'll post more details at another time).

 

We were fortunate to have much better weather this year. Last year, it rained off and on all day. By the time the event was over and we were all lugging our displays and boxes of books back to our cars it started down pouring. It was insane!  We all got soaked, so for the entire hour drive home I had soggy socks. (chuckle) It certainly made for a memorable experience!

This year, the day of the book festival was gorgeous. We could feel fall in the air, but it was still sunny and clear. I for one was happy to drive home with dry socks on my feet!

Unfortunately, my drive home was not uneventful. Just south of Florence I noticed that all of the cars in front on me had slowed down and were preceding cautiously. At first, I wasn't sure what was going on. I simply followed the others lead by slowing down and keeping an eye out for danger. A few moments later I spotted a green SUV in the northbound lane. The vehicle swerved off the road, hit a dirt embankment, basically bounced, and ended up on it's side blocking the lane. It was insane!

I immediately turned on my hazard lights and pulled over to call 911. I could see that some of the other cars had also stopped and some of the people were approaching the SUV. They had to open the back hatch in order to get the guys out. Fortunately, everyone was alright. One of the passengers had a few scrapes and bumps, but no one had to go to the hospital.

A few of us had to wait around for about an hour since we had witnessed the accident. We were interviewed by a state trooper about what happened and what we saw. One of the other drivers, who was much closer to the accident than myself, said that the SUV had been swerving in and out of it's lane for some time. Another driver claimed that the driver had been drinking. I don't know for sure, but I do know that while we were waiting for the state trooper to come talk to us another officer removed some suspicious items from the overturned car. I suspect that the driver will be facing DUI charges.

In the end, everyone was okay and we were allowed to leave the scene. I'm happy to report that the rest of my drive home was uneventful!

~ H. S. Contino

Coos Bay Fun Festival

Hello!

As many of you already know, I enjoy splitting my time between writing and crafting. This weekend the city of Coos Bay, Oregon will be hosting their annual "Fun Festival." I've rented a booth space and will be there selling my handmade jewelry, hand painted wooden signs, greeting cards, and other small gifts.

My little shop is called "Reprieve's Corner." Our booth will be open on Saturday from 9 am until 6 pm and on Sunday from 10 am until 4 pm.

 

There will be numerous other vendors there selling crafts, produce, and snack foods. Other Fun Festival events include a classic car parade, the Prefontaine run, and more!

For more information, please visit the official web page:

http://bayareafunfestival.com/

I hope to see you there! Please, feel free to stop by my booth to say "hi"!

Florence Festival of Books

Hello all!

I'm happy to announce that I'll be attending the 2nd annual Florence Festival of Books in Florence, Oregon on Saturday, September 29th. The event will be held at the Florence Events Center between 10 am and 4 pm.

For more information please visit the Florence Events Center web page:

http://www.ci.florence.or.us/eventscenter/florence-festival-books


I'll have autographed copies of Shipwrecks of Coos County available for sale and I'll be available to answer questions about local history.

I hope to see you there!