Tag Archives: cats in the mirror

National Pet Day Honors

Since it’s National Pet Day, a quick post in honor of all of our fur babies seems appropriate.

Buddy isn’t with us anymore, but he is an important character in my series so I include him in my table display at book events. Tabitha/Slinky also lives under another roof now that “Mindy” has gotten big enough to move out. Hey, that sounds like a good book plot.

I’ll be posting more next week with Springfest on the horizon, but today I’m editing a murder mystery for Pen-L Publishing and writing on “Slinky Steps Out.” Preparation for the Eureka Springs Junior/Senior Prom is also beginning upstairs for “Leia.” Duck and cover, everyone!

More news on the release of “Max’s Wild Night” coming very, very soon. Just waiting for the ebook formatting to be complete.

Self-Publishing Journey: Week 4

Week 4: Publish Your Book Like A Professional

There are two kinds of self-publishing authors: those who slap it together themselves for cheap and throw it at an unsuspecting public and those who treat their book as professionally as a traditional publisher would. I stand with both feet firmly planted on the second strategy. I take this publishing step as seriously as I took the writing step. Otherwise, what was the point of working so hard on writing it?

When I made this leap into self-publishing, it wasn’t without serious consideration. What I came to understand was that “Why Kimba Saved The World” was never going to appeal to a mainstream publisher. I just had to face up to that fact. The real photos in the book (which some readers love and others don’t) made it different. I’d never published a book before, so that made me an unknown variable. Without an agent to bang down doors for me, I could spend years submitting and getting nowhere. Probably not even getting read. If I wanted “Kimba” to ever see the light of day, I was going to have to do it myself, but I had no idea where to start.

It was now mid-2012, and self-publishing had become the easiest and least expensive it had ever been. I don’t remember the exact train of events, but I had connections with publishing experience from my years of freelancing. Through conversations with other writers and former editors, I was hooked up with a “book guide.” This is an individual who has even more connections, knows how the self-publishing process works, and can walk you through and help you create a book. I had never met Carol Hohle, but I had rubbed shoulders with her husband during the time I worked in Boston doing research and compiling “Blessings of Forgiveness” for the Writings of Mary Baker Eddy. Her help guiding me through the process was invaluable.

Self-publishing is rather like building a house. I remember my sister griping about having to make a billion little decision on the house she built years ago. “I don’t care what kind of hinges are on the kitchen cabinets!” Creating a book is the same way. You need to be clear on exactly what you want the final product to look like and make lots of little decisions along the way.

What size will the book be? What size font are you going to use? Which font? How large are your margins going to be? What will the chapter beginnings look like? That’s not even touching on what the cover will look like. Don’t forget the text on the back of the book. Hugely important! Then there’s the whole process of getting the book set up on CreateSpace and KDP—just the business end of things. It can be overwhelming, but it has to be done right. A good book guide can walk you through the whole thing.

As we have evaluated the costs associated with the production of my first three books, we have already made some changes to move things in-house. That can save on cost, but I would only do this if I felt the end product would look as professional as it did in other hands. There were MANY discussions, and Scott and I didn’t always agree. There are some corners I refuse to cut, no matter how much he sighs.

Carol was heavily involved in both of my first two books, but by Book 3 I was ready to take on some of that on my own. Frankly, I had to. Formatting using InDesign is a time-consuming process, so it’s expensive to pay someone else to do it. Knowing that we are in this for the long haul, we decided to get a subscription for the whole Creative Cloud package (which also got us the invaluable AdobePro system). As a teacher, I can get it at a great price. I also use InDesign to create flyers and table toppers and ads, so it is a really useful program for the business of creating books and marketing them.

There is one point in the process I will never take in-house. You will hear it said from one end of self-publishing to the other, and I won’t be any different. DO NOT CREATE YOUR OWN BOOK COVERS!!! Unless you have serious cred as a graphic designer and artist, do not do it yourself. This is self-publishing suicide. Readers absolutely judge a book by its cover. It’s what attracts them and gets them to pick it up (click on it) instead of the million other books wafting by. I will pass up a freebie if the cover is for crap. And, sadly, I’ve done this more than a few times. To me, it sends a message that the inside will be for crap as well. That may not be true, but I’m a consumer, just like the rest.

I could write a whole blog on cover design, but that’s not my goal here. You can do your own search on that. My point, for my purposes in this series, is that we are not considering taking cover production in-house even though it is now the most expensive part of the production process for us. It is just too important to take a risk on. Scott is not always in agreement on this one. He really wants me to learn how to use all the programs I now have access to through Creative Cloud. For me, it’s not worth my time – also suspecting that I’ll just end up back with my cover designer to help me clean it up.

As I said, what I have started doing is formatting the text through InDesign on my own. This cuts $1,500 to $2,000 off the production costs. It takes weeks to do, and I messed up the book size on “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge” and had to go back through the whole thing. Lesson learned. For me, this was still worth it because the CFO across the hall was ready to put on the brakes on Book 3 for a while. I had to do whatever I could to keep that from happening.

There are lots of ways you can format a book. Word documents can be downloaded to amazon.com. Scrivener has its own system of ebook formatting. Writers I know sing this program’s praises to the moon. Be sure you check it out. I’ll be looking into that more myself in the future. I spend a few hundred dollars having someone create my ebooks, so that program might be helpful. Here’s where the books I am specifically creating are different than adult books or some kids books. I need genuine formatting.

For my Cats in the Mirror books (and Max’s companion book, now in the works) I wanted specific fonts and have fancy chapter beginnings with an icon photo next to the number. There are photos inserted throughout. My books need to be genuinely formatted in a system that will make them look exactly how I want them to look. This was beyond important to me. I wanted to sit on the shelf next to a traditionally published book and look just the same, if not better. Do a “look inside” at amazon.com to see what I mean.

For example, when we first got the ball rolling, Carol asked me what books I thought my books were like. Which books did I want them to look like? After doing some research, I settled on the Humphrey the Hamster series. The cover was like what I had in mind—a real photo mixed with cartoon elements—and it was for the same reading level. That decision drove everything else from the size of the book to the font we used. It helped my cover designer know what style I was looking for.

Can you see how similar the style is??

Lesley Hollinger Vernon worked on the cover for “Kimba” with Carol as our intermediary. I never talked directly with her. For “Vacation Hiro” we talked directly to save on time/money. For Book 3, Carol was not involved, but I still went right to Lesley. Developing that relationship and understanding of the style of a series is HUGE! Book 1 went through several stages of cover design and changes to background color and animation. Book 2 had a few changes from the first proof to the final. Book 3 was almost perfect from the first draft. We just tweaked it a bit for color and minor details. We have developed a style for the series, and it never occurred to me to go with anyone but Lesley for Max’s book this spring. Finding that person for your cover design is huge. Don’t skimp on it. I absolutely know that I have sold paperback books, often all three as a set, without the books even being opened. I can talk about the plot, but the covers sealed the deal and sold them. That’s what you need!!

So, in our final analysis, going with a book guide was right for us. Carol saved me tons of headaches and redos, especially in dealing with CreateSpace. But as we have learned and progressed, we were able to take on everything she was doing for us. You may be happy to leave all of that in someone else’s hands. That’s okay too. For us, it was really financial. Carol was worth the money, we just didn’t have it to spend. And, I have to admit, I enjoy doing the formatting myself. I am a proudly professed control freak. I love making little final tweaks to the text as I move it from Word to InDesign. I’ve even changed words so they fit on the page better (never hyphenating words is a decision we made on Book 1). I can end up with everything exactly how I want it. That’s a move I’m glad we made.

Over the next year, I’d really love to learn more about the ebook formatting process and making changes to what is already done. I love the ones I have, and it’s not terribly expensive, but making updates when a new book comes out can add up. It’s also somewhere that design is not really an issue. I’ve already done that. There’s just technology to be learned. I doubt I will have the time to do that before “Max’s Wild Night” is ready to go, but I’ll be poking at it to update the Cats in the Mirror books with links to the new book. Maybe I can figure it out!

There are a hundred ways you can produce your book (ebook or paperback or hardcover). Plot it all out well. Consider everything along the way. Again, are you hoping to make money from this process? You are going to have to take it all as seriously and professionally as a traditional publisher would. You are establishing your reputation as writer and as a self-publisher. Give it 100%.

Do you have a book guide or a cover designer you would recommend?

Next Week: Where to Publish

Self-Publishing Journey: Week 1

Week 1: Introduction

Starting off 2015, I’m taking some time to review the self-publishing journey that we have been taking here at Serenity Mountain Publishing over the last three years or so. When thousands of hours and dollars are being invested in any venture, sometimes you have to stop and take stock of the situation. What worked? What didn’t? What REALLY didn’t? As my business partner (my husband, Scott) and I makes notes and regroup, I thought I’d share what we have learned and hopefully help others who are in the middle of the same journey or wondering if they should make the leap. This is not going to end up as a book. There are enough of those. You can just be a part of our mental download and evaluation sessions after the whirlwind that started in 2012 when we decided to self-publish my first middle grade book, “Why Kimba Saved The World.” It is now Book 1 in a best-selling, award-winning series, so I think we made the right call!

The Cats in the Mirror trilogy.

In case you have just stumbled on my blog, I’ll give a brief resume of what I brought into this journey. I’m not just someone who decided to write a book and throw it out into the world. I have been writing, well, for as long as I knew how to put sentences on paper. In 5^th grade, a picture book I wrote won a contest at the University of Illinois. I can still remember sitting at my school desk and writing more adventures for those characters while friends waited to read them. I journaled and wrote poems (one was even published when I was in high school) and majored in Public Relations because it was in the Journalism Department and had the most writing-related classes. I really wanted to be a teacher, so I returned to school at the graduate level and earned my certification and Master’s Degree in Education, but I continued to write freelance and published dozens of articles in newspapers, magazines, and on web sites while I was teaching. For a year I wrote a column for www.religionandspirituality.com called “Spiritually Significant Cinema” and had the opportunity to interview some major celebrities. I love doing interview pieces! I’ve won first place in regional writing contests, and my self-published books have won international honors.

What I’m saying is that I came into this self-publishing world as a professional writer with some street cred, but that doesn’t necessarily prepare you for the business side of being your own publisher. We have stumbled along, very blindly at times, and taken advice that was both excellent and terrible. Based on the statistics and averages, we have actually been successful. Our hope is that by really taking a look at what has worked for us specifically we can have an outstandingly productive 2015.

I hope that you’ll sign up for my blog (on the right side bar) and follow along. I would also love to hear from you. What questions and concerns do you have? I’m not going to be researching and sharing what other folks are saying. This is all going to be my experience in the trenches and what I have found to be true. I must say, it rarely matches up with the “expert” advice we have gotten.

In 2015, I will be self-publishing a companion book for my Cats in the Mirror series as well as having an adult book traditionally published. I’m sure dealing with those two different ways of creating a book will spark many more blog posts for next year.

So stay tuned! I’ll be posting every Monday for the next several weeks. Blogs already on the agenda are:

Write the Best Book Possible

Set Your Goals & Expectations

Produce Your Book Like A Professional

Where To Publish/CreateSpace

Online Presence & Networking

Reviews

Contests & Awards

Book Release & Scheduling

Live Events & Blog Tours

Freebies, KDP, & Discount Promotions

Book Stores/Consignments

Keep Writing/Book Series Benefits

Best Resources & Support I’ve Found

What would you like to hear about? I’d love to have you share your experiences too, but let’s wait and add specific anecdotal comments to the post on that subject so it can stay focused and others can benefit more.

However, feel free to introduce yourselves and where you are on your own self-publishing journey in the comments section this week!

Holiday Sale 99 Cents Days

I hope this week finds you prepared for whatever holidays you celebrate this time of year! We are on the Christmas track of things, but our family has also established a tradition of having latkes — often on Christmas morning itself. We grew to love them from friends who are Jewish (especially during my husband’s years of working at the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield, MI). My family loves them served with bacon, so it is far from kosher, but I think that’s what happens in a place like America. Traditions meld and form into something new. I’m all about any celebration that involves presents and food and family!

My husband goes a little “Clark Griswold” this time of year, but it looks mighty pretty from the highway as travelers drive by.

As a holiday special, I have set all three of my Cats in the Mirror books for sale on kindle for only 99 cents each. That’s all three for less than the normal price of one book! If you still need gifts for the last few nights of Hanukkah or are looking for some Christmas gifts, I hope these fit the bill for you. The 99 cents special runs from December 20th – 26th, so if someone gets a kindle for Christmas you know what to stock it with right away. Click here to find all of my books on kindle at amazon.com.

Alien rescue cats for only 99 cents each. You can’t beat that!

My writing work was sidelined a bit this month because I have taken on a new position as a proofreader for Pen-L Publishing. I’ve gotten to know Duke and Kimberly Pennell quite well over the last few months. They are putting out my adult book, “At the Corner of Magnetic and Main,” in September. I have done freelance proofreading for a while now, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the team at Pen-L that helps authors put out the most beautiful and fantastic books possible. My first project for them was a mob hit mystery type book called “Copperhead Cove.” It was a bit of a rush job to get it all tucked in before the holidays, so I proofed 85,000+ words in three days. Whew. I’m grateful I enjoyed the story! And the cover is perfect too. I’m sure I’ll toot more about it when release time comes.

Staying focused, I was also able to get “Max’s Wild Night” completed and off to the beta readers before the holidays, like I had planned. My husband has already had his say and made some good notes (which he says I fixed perfectly). This is the stage where I take another break from the book and let it rest for a bit while others have their chance to add their two cents. I’m really happy with how the story evolved and look forward to sharing it with you on May 1, 2015!

Max is very excited that he is finally getting a book of his own! He wants to be more than just The Big Black Beast.

In January and February, this blog is going to take a bit of a turn and focus on sharing what I have learned in the last three years of my self-publishing journey. There are hundreds of books on the subject. This will not be like that. It’s going to be only about what I have learned and discovered along the way — failures and successes — in the hopes that it can start some conversation and sharing in the comments sections so we can all get better at this new frontier of publishing. Watch for the first blog on January 5, 2015, and one each week after that. Is there something you want to make sure I cover? Shoot me an email or share your thoughts in the comments section.

What am I currently reading? I just finished “The Story is the Thing” by Amy Hale Auker, and I just loved it. Here’s my amazon.com review (5 stars!), and here’s the link where you can purchase it directly from Pen-L Publishing. Another reviewer used words like “lyrical” and “poignant” and described it as a “love letter.” I totally agree. Highly recommend.

On my bedside table right now is “Washed in the Water” by Nancy Hartney — a collection of Southern stories that won Best Book of the Year from the Ozark Writer’s League. So far, these stories also hit that “poignant” spot. I also just picked up “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson at the library. It is a National Book Award winner, and I keep seeing it on everyone’s lists of best books this year, so I need to know what the fuss is about. I’ll let you know.

I have finally broken down and asked for a kindle for Christmas. My book budget is soooo tight (they know me by sight at the library), and I love all the deals I can get on books that way. My mom always gets me what I ask for, so I have been collecting freebies and fun-looking books to put on it. I can’t wait to start reading it all! I know I will always prefer actual books. I’ve shared my husband’s kindle for the last year (and boy is he grateful I’m getting my own), so I’ve done some reading that way. It’s just not the same, but it is time to step at least one foot into the more digital age.

I hope each of you has a joy-filled end of the year and take time to enjoy all of the little pleasures of the holidays amid all of the chaos it can bring. I know I’m really going to try this year. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Wonderful Winter Solstice, and a Happy New Year to you all!

Arkansas Reading Association Conference 2014

Last week was an interesting mix of writing retreat all on my own and face to face time with the public promoting my Cats in the Mirror series at the Arkansas Reading Association Conference 2014 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

We have a time share condo, so I was able to spend a week in the Hot Springs/Little Rock area for probably less than two nights at the Marriott for the conference. On Monday and Tuesday, I hunkered down and got 10,000 words added to my manuscript for “Max’s Wild Night.” Since I’m hoping to keep it at only around 24,000 words, that’s a pretty significant accomplishment! My goal is still to have a very solid rough draft going into the Christmas holidays so I can let it rest for a bit. January will be serious editing and revisions, and then it will be off to my editor in February and book cover design can get rolling. Dog lovers, Max’s book is really coming!

Wednesday through Friday, I focused on set up and sharing my books with 1,000 teachers and administrators from Arkansas at the Arkansas Reading Association Conference 2014. There were some issues with the vendor area of the conference that can hopefully be worked out for next year, but overall those attending were delightful and felt their end of the conference went really well.

Kimba and Hiro were thrilled to meet so many teachers at our booth in the exhibit hall!

Our exhibit table.

With any conference, who you have staffing the booths around you is crucial. You will be rubbing elbows for many hours — a lot of which there will be no one walking by and you will have to amuse yourselves. I was thrilled to have great folks surrounding my booth and learned a lot from them about past conferences and other events in Arkansas and Missouri. We covered for each other, and all of that camaraderie made the no-traffic hours more bearable.

Lynn Hawking from Quirkles had a wonderful conference. Two presentations and happy teachers. I’d never heard of Quirkles science units before, but the teachers who already use it just love it. You should check it out.

Dustin Rhodes from Lego Education was very popular. Who doesn’t love Legos??

Dustin gave me a Lego “story starter” set as a thank you for watching his booth for a while. Kimba was impressed that there were THREE white cats in the set. She now thinks Legos are very cool

Kim Stilwell from the National Science Teachers Association was our conference expert and got attendees to stop and sign up for her free book giveaway. I caught them on the way out of her booth.

Jennifer Blalock from the Rainbow Book Company kept us entertained with her different pricing options to lure teachers in. $5 a book or 75% off or Buy 1, Get 2 Free?

Andrew Clements was in the building signing his Charlie May Simon Honor Book “Troublemaker,” and I freely admit to having a bit of a fan girl moment when he accepted the award only 20 yards away from me. I’m also curious to check out “The Little Red Pen,” which won the Arkansas Diamond Primary Honor Book Award. If it is half as adorable as the authors, I’m sure to love it.

Overall, I’m not sure that expensive booth spaces at conferences like this are worth the investment for independent authors. Sales were decent and feedback was great, but financially covering costs is nearly impossible. Most of the attendees were more excited about the famous, national award-winning authors there — and rightly so. They’ve earned it. I can only hope to be like them when I grow up. A great many seeds were sown with teachers and administrators who may want to schedule an author visit with me. That will be the saving grace, if any actually happen. What events are worth attending may have to be two blog posts in my January series on what I’ve learned about self-publishing so far. There are no easy answers.

On the “what I’m reading” front, “A Snicker of Magic” was great from beginning to end. Highly recommend for middle grade. I also finished “I’ll Give You The Sun” by Jandy Nelson. It was superbly written. Much more appropriate for an older YA or NA audience because there is some sex, though it’s most innuendo. Anyone hoping to write for that age group should read this immediately. I’ve already requested Jandy’s first book “The Sky Is Everywhere” from my library. Right now, I am reading “Daughter of the Howling Moon,” an adult book by a local author friend, Ruth Burkett. Enjoying it so far. You had me at shape-shifting into a jaguar!

Sunday was Thanksgiving at our house to accommodate my daughter’s work schedule. I have certainly worked my own share of crazy hours over the holidays, and the dogs she cares for don’t care what day it is. They just want her love and to be fed. Thanksgiving Day here will probably be full of writing — and possibly a movie or two from the DVR.

I hope each of you is blessed to have family around you and weather that allows you to travel wherever you want this holiday weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

School, Contests, and Writing

The dust is settling on the summer around here–both for our family and the guest house we run. “Mindy” and “Slinky” are happily ensconced in their new apartment at the University of Arkansas. The horrified kitty made the 90 minute drive in the family truck with me, and she had something to say about it the whole ride there. Book 4 in the Cats in the Mirror series has been set as “Slinky Steps Out” since the beginning because I always knew this day would come. When we arrived at the apartments, cats were watching us from several nearby windows. Could they be agents? The notes are already flowing as the story starts to write itself!

Can you see the eyes expressing their righteous indignation at the whole situation?

I had hoped that being away from the other cats would bolster her courage, but she is still spending significant amounts of time under the sofa and behind the washing machine. Maybe she will get more comfortable over time and once the routine of the school year gets going in a week or so.

Mufasa reigns over “Mindy’s” domain, as he has since she was a preschooler.

“Leia” starts back to school on Monday, so the meetings and subbing work and life-of-fall will be rolling from then on. I’m already on the sub schedule for Wednesday afternoon. I have some author event or a wedding here nearly every weekend until the end of November, so “Slinky Steps Out” will have to wait for any serious writing until then. You can always see most of what I’m up to at my events & activities page.

My writing in August has focused on getting some projects ready for the annual contests for two groups in the area that I love: The Ozark Writer’s League (OWL) and the Ozark Creative Writer’s Conference (OCW). Both have September 1 deadlines, but I turned in all of my OWL materials at the meeting on Saturday. Doing some specific short stories for contests like this is a great writing exercise, but it also ends up providing me with material to submit to magazines and anthologies. A first place winning piece from the OCW contests last year (“In Sonya’s Steps”) has been expanded and sent to The Missouri Review. Getting published in that way is great for the “street-cred.” One contest category even got me to start working on adapting “The Brave, Frail, and Delicate Princess” into a middle grade book–like I’ve been meaning to do for nearly a year. I’ve developed it up to the 5,000 words for the contest, so that’s a start!

The OWL quarterly meeting yesterday was fantastic. A big bonus for me was that they brought in a children’s book writer, Christine Taylor-Butler, to talk twice, and she knew what she was talking about. It wasn’t necessarily that she said anything I didn’t know after decades of following kidlit and writing some myself, it was just nice to be talking about a topic so close to my heart. The second speaker was Heather Davis, author and blogger at Minivan Momma. If you check her blog out today, she has a new one about talking to us. Her books look super fun, and if they are half as full of humor as she is they are well worth the read. I had the opportunity for long chats with both Duke and Kimberly Pennell from Pen-L Publishing. Besides being interesting individuals and knowledgeable about the industry, they have “At the Corner of Magnetic and Main” in their pile. Fingers crossed. I also got to talk shop with Velda Brotherton and peek at her upcoming, very substantial novel, “Beyond The Moon.” I’ll have to block out a big chunk of time to read that one!

Speaking of reading, I just finished a good YA book called Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula, by Elise Stokes. If you are looking for a clean read with just enough violence and drama to keep a tweenager happy, this is a great choice, and it is the first book in a series that looks promising. For me it was a free kindle download, and I love to grab those up to keep an eye on what’s on the market. The kindle version had some minor hard-hyphen errors (my first book versions did as well), but it’s not that big a deal. Highly Recommend.

Since any ebook involves getting my husband’s kindle away from him (which usually means he is asleep), I always have a “real” book going as well. I just finished “Wild Storm” by Richard Castle. Yes, I’m a fan of the show. I saw it on display at the Berryville Library and couldn’t resist, but it was actually a silly and fun read. There were some glaring errors to fans of the show–like adding Ryan and Javier, who he would not have met when he wrote that book–but the plot was solid and ridiculous enough to have been written by the Castle fans love. I have “Heat Wave” waiting for me on hold at the library right now. On a more realistic note, I’m also reading “The Wildwater Walking Club” by Claire Cook. Thoroughly delightful so far. You can always check out what books I have on my radar and am currently reading (and my reviews) at my Goodreads.com page.

September looms on the horizon, but I’m well prepared for my events that month. Here’s the ad I’m running in the brochure at the Cat Fancier’s Show/Event in Joplin, Missouri on the 20th-21st.

If you are in the area, come check out the show. I’ve been to dog agility events and shows before, but never one for cats. How do they possibly get them all to behave??!! “Daddy” has to stay here to keep things on task at the guest house, but “Leia” will join me. I think she’s wondering about the cat control as much as I am. I’ve been told I have to go where the cat fans are, so we shall see if they are book fans as well.

I hope each of you have a wonderful end to your summer. What do you miss the most when the leaves start changing? With so many years as a teacher, the school schedule has pretty much run every year of my life–with many more ahead.

And, unofficially, you can get “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge” any time you want. Sshhh. The official launch will be on her birthday, September 12, but ebook, paperback, and signed copies are already flowing freely (see the shopping cart on the right to get signed copies directly from me). Great reviews so far! Here’s one that just posted from the Styling Librarian. 5 stars. No writer can ask for more.

Docent Day & Miss Fatty Cat Book

Today I hung out with Thor for several hours. Yes, Thor. No, not the one with the big hammer, though he is almost as impressive. This Thor.

Thor the Lion
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

Today was my first official day as a docent at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, and so I spent the morning hanging out with Thor and talking to guests about him and BamBam the grizzly bear, who was just a few feet away. It was hot, so Thor looked like this very soon.

Thor in the heat.

I had a tent for some shade, so it wasn’t so bad. I’ve gotten used to seeing Thor and the other big cats, but it was fun to hear little kids (and some adults) encounter him for the first time. It gives you a healthy respect for why having one of these cats in your home is not a great idea. Actually, it’s a TERRIBLE idea. I could show you the bowling ball that Brody the lion bit in two. Here’s a boomer ball that Indie the tiger made short work of.

That took her four days. Solid plastic. 32,000 pounds of bite pressure should never be underestimated.

That took her four days. Super-thick plastic designed for big cats. 32,000 pounds of bite pressure should never be underestimated.

Now if the refuge can just meet their goal of getting all of the animals out into grassed enclosures in 2014. Thor has waiting long enough. I’m looking forward to being back at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge over the July 4th weekend, but publishing & promotion work does not stop over the summer. Just last night we attended a circus-style event in Basin Park here in Eureka Springs.

There were fire stunts…

And a cutest dog contest. Tristan thought our table was the best place to hang out.

and a cutest dog contest. Our friend’s dog Tristan thought our table was the best place to hang out. Especially my daughter’s feet.

Most of my book events are in the fall, but it’s fun to attend some things in town as well.

Most exciting is that Book 3 of the Cats in the Mirror series, “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge,” is available at amazon.com for a soft launch for friends and family. I don’t have any copies available to autograph and send out yet, but if you want to read it as an ebook the files are ready and waiting for you! Click on the book cover to visit the amazon.com page.

You can also try to win one of 5 free paperback copies through Goodreads. Click here for the giveaway page.

The official launch date is set for Miss Fatty Cat’s birthday on September 12. There will be some discounted offers on the first two books, but the ebook price on Book 3 will be the same for a good long time. Grab it now. You won’t be missing out on a deal later. And, of course, post a review if you enjoyed it! When you see paperbacks hit the $9.99 mark, that will be their price unless amazon chooses to discount it. Or you can wait a couple of weeks to order a signed copy right from me. Coming soon!

The Arkansas Book Reviewer had this to say about Book 3:

“Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge is a fun and charming tale that will have readers questioning their own cat’s sly looks and supposed unassuming demeanor. Cat lovers of all ages will love this latest addition to the series set in the Ozarks of Arkansas! Recommended for all ages and libraries! Another 5 Star for Dendler!”

You can read the whole review here at her blog.

Other recent media attention has included a nice interview at Cheryl Carpinello’s blog and a great review of “Vacation Hiro” from Erik the Great at This Kid Reviews Books. Several reviewers and bloggers are lined up for posts surrounding the September 12th release, and I love that they are following the series and ready to support it.

That’s all the excitement for now. I hope you are having a wonderful summer and enjoying some stress-free vacation time. Maybe you should read a good book… about alien cats…

Much Ado About Kimba & Hiro

Paperback formatting is complete for Book 3 in the Cats in the Mirror series: “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge.” The cover reveal will be coming shortly before I set up some giveaways at Goodreads, and we are spot-on schedule for the September release. The full book cover work is being done now (thank you, Lesley), and I’m ready to begin formatting on the kindle version. That should be interesting!

I’ve also been busy with some author events. May 2nd, 3rd, and 4th I was at the War Eagle Spring Craft Fair with Kimba & Hiro’s stuffed touring reps and books to share with visitors.

Kimba & Hiro took a tour of the grounds. Guest thought they were adorable.

War Eagle Mill & Bridge are fantastic tourist sights.

We were there and ready to share our stories!

Scott made his first official Pringles duck lips for the season. He doesn’t sit still well.

Tracy Adams was next to us with her pottery. What talent! Of course, I went home with a new pot–but sadly not this one. Someone beat me to it when I wasn’t looking. We traded merchandise and everyone went home happy, but I owe Tracy a copy of “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge.”

Spring at War Eagle is only about 30% as busy as the fall festival, but we earned our stripes and were able to get booth space for the Fall Craft Festival in October. I’ve attended it before, and it is PACKED! All three books will be ready by then, so we will be there and ready to roll. I hope we get to be next to Tracy again. Nearly everyone stopped at her booth. You can find her in Branson, MO, at Peter Engler’s Design at the Grand Village Shops.

Kimba and Hiro tagged along with me for my Ozark Writer’s League (OWL) meeting on May 17th in Branson. Several members went home with copies of the books, and two have already posted 5 star reviews at amazon.com–because every writer knows how important those reviews are. So grateful!

Kimba & Hiro meet Jan Morrill

I reviewed Jan Morril’s book “The Red Kimono” a few months ago, and it was fun to get to share her with Kimba and Hiro during a quiet moment at the OWL meeting. They learned a little bit about what life was like for Japanese-Americans who were banished to internment camps during WWII. Jan also has a new book of Haiku poems available called “Life: Haiku By Haiku.” You can find out more about her great books at her web site.

Kimba and Hiro (and me too actually) got to officially meet Pamela Foster. I think I blogged about her hysterical book “Clueless Gringos In Paradise” a while back. Our book tables were next to each other, so the cats were able to get in a special reading of her new book “Ridgeline.” It doesn’t even have an amazon.com link yet, it’s so new!

Pamela Foster treating Kimba & Hiro to a reading of her new book. Bigfoot was tired and needed to take a nap, I guess.

The May meeting is also when the OWL fundraising event is held, and I was able to get my hands on the one item that really caught my eye. I love this painting, and it now hangs on the wall next to my bed and greets me each morning.

Artist Sue McCaniel with my new painting.

I took advantage of a pitch session with an agent who came to the meeting and was blessed to hear those magical words: “Send it to me.” Three Cheers!! The manuscript she’s interested in is my adult spiritual/paranormal book that has been in process for about two years now: “At The Corner of Magnetic and Main.” The only catch is that she wants it to be MUCH longer. I guess I know what I’ll be up to this summer. I’m not a fan of padding a story just to reach some publisher’s required length, but I will spend some time looking at where I can naturally expand the story.

Taking part in the Kid Lit Blog Hop last week was a blast. I actually won two books and am looking forward to reading (and reviewing) them. If you are ever interested in what I’m currently reading, you can send me a friend request at Goodreads. I never say no to friend requests on public forums!

That should get things caught up for now. Today begins a bit of a diversion for me. In order to transfer my teaching certification to Arkansas, I have to take a class in Arkansas history. I would love to be qualified to teach some adult ed or community college courses, so that will be accomplished before mid-July by taking one online through Northwest Arkansas Community College. It is a shortened summer schedule class and may require a good deal of time. That will probably mean less blogging, but I’m sure I’ll keep some updates coming with Book 3’s release so soon. With that class, our hopping guest house business, Book 3 creation to finish, and edits on “Magnetic and Main,” I will have plenty to do. Needless to say, summer is not a vacation time for me. I’ll catch my breath in January.

Hope your summer is filled with warm memories–and a big glass of grape juice.

“In Sonya’s Steps” and Love of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

I had promised to post one of my winning pieces from the Ozark Writers Conference, and today seems like a perfect day for this particular story because the setting for it, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, is celebrating the success of a matching funds campaign to help build more of the large enclosures that are also celebrated in my writing. My daughter and I have gone twice to help build, clean, and prepare these grassy areas that provide open space for the tigers and other creatures at the facility to play and move and have fuller lives. Those still in the holding enclosures, waiting for their turn, have even watched us.

My daughter, spray welding marks so they won't rust, with a curious tiger watching. This enclosure is for BamBam, the adorable grizzly bear.

My daughter, spraying welding marks so they won’t rust, with a curious tiger watching. This enclosure is for BamBam, the adorable grizzly bear.

It is one of my favorite places in town to visit. Besides being allowed to stand only a few feet away from an enormous white tiger while he has his dinner, I am just immensely grateful for the staff there who work tirelessly to provide as much care and comfort as they possibly can for these displaced animals — sometimes rescued from horrible and life-threatening situations. Their stories are sometimes just sad, but others are heartbreaking. There may come a happy day when facilities like this are not necessary and all big cats can live in freedom, but that time is nowhere near at hand. So I love to go and share my time and energy helping make their lives better when I can. Turpentine Creek will be one of the settings in my next book, “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge” because, according to the Cats in the Mirror series, tigers and lions are aliens too.

My husband, spraying the welding marks on the new enclosures on Rescue Ridge in last winter.

My husband, spraying the welding marks on the new enclosures on Rescue Ridge last winter.

Me, picking up rocks to help clear the way for BamBam’s new habitat.

The piece of writing I’m sharing today was specifically written in October for a conference I attended here in Eureka Springs. The challenge was to write a story “walking in someone else’s shoes” and to be creative with it. One of the dear tigers that had just been a part of a huge rescue effort at Turpentine Creek came to mind, and I wondered about that moment when, after a lifetime of nothing but a small, concrete cage, those soft paws finally had the chance to touch grass and run and play. “In Sonya’s Steps” was the end result, and it won first place. If after reading this you are inspired to make a donation to Turpentine Creek to help build more enclosure for the dozens of big cats waiting for them, I would be absolutely thrilled. I promise to personally go help build them.

Here is “In Sonya’s Steps.”

In Sonya’s Steps

Soft. The ground beyond the open, black gates is softer than anything I have ever felt, like a vast sea of well-groomed fur. I carefully put one foot through again and press down gently. So soft.

I’m amazed to find the gate open from the new, small enclosure where I woke up. The doors in my world are never open. The concrete floor is chilly and hard, sensations I’m familiar with, but beyond that open gate is something I have never experienced before.

A gentle breeze blows past me, and I inhale deeply. Pine trees and rocks and the first hints of spring are all familiar. Even the smell of that soft stuff outside the gate is one I recognize. I’ve just never touched it before. A fence was always in the way.

Tentatively reaching a second foot through the gate onto the soft surface, I chuff out a gust of air, hoping to calm anyone else who might be lurking in that immeasurable expanse of softness. My eyes have never tried to focus so far away. The distant edges are blurry. Instinct warns be to be wary.

As far back as I can remember, I have never felt anything under my feet but the solid gray concrete of my small home. Gray fencing stood between my eyes and the landscape of freedom beyond it. Gray fencing covered my view of the sky. Every day. Just the same.

There was a small wooden box for shelter, a bowl for water. Before night fell, the old woman would come by and throw me some bits of meat for my daily meal. Some fresh water was poured in the bowl. Then I would be alone again, except for the faint sounds and smells of others like me. Others trapped just like me, all around.

We could count each other’s steps. One, two, three, then turn. One, two, three, then turn. That was all there was. Stretch out on the hardness of the concrete for a nap, inhaling the bitterness of it, then up and pace some more. One, two, three, then turn. One, two, three, then turn. Listening to the others around me, waiting for something to happen that never did.

Some days the woman would stand by the cage and talk to me. Her voice was quiet and kind, but she never opened the gate and let me out to run free. She never opened the gate and came in to join me either. The fence was always between us. Day after day. Year after year.

Until today.

The morning had started out like any other. I could hear the chuffings and murmurings from the others around me, but there was also the low rumble of a machine approaching up our quiet hill. A huge grumbling monster, rancid smells wafting out behind it, ground to a stop in front of my home. The old woman climbed out of its belly, but there were other people too. They all moved slowly, approaching me just beyond the gray wire mesh of my small home.

A tall, blonde woman moved to a far corner of my enclosure. She squatted down and spoke quietly to me. I was intrigued. Stealthily moving toward her, our eyes locked, I snuffed the air but did not recognize her smell. Then there was a cracking noise and a sharp pain in my side. Turning toward the noise, I saw that one of the men held a long, thick stick. He was watching me intently and speaking softly, just like the woman.

He hurt me! Did he jab me with that stick? It will be the last thing he ever does! I’ll find a way to get past that fence and show him what comes of causing pain to a creature like me!

I turned to face him, but my legs felt weak and wouldn’t cooperate with my directives. I tried to glare, to terrify him with my gaze, but the man and the fence were suddenly blurry and seemed far away. The old woman stood silently behind the man with the stick. She shook her head softly, but she didn’t attack him. She didn’t defend me. She just stood there, watching me.

The blonde woman moved around my home so I could see her again. She made soft chuffing noises. She spoke quietly and leaned in closer to my fence. Yes, just a bit closer, I thought, reach your hand right in here. Then everything was dark as night.

The next thing I knew, I was here in this strange place. New, but very much the same at first glance. Chilly, gray concrete floor. Fence between the world and me, but this fence was heavier and darker. For a long time I just lay on the concrete and stared at the fence.

What happened? I wondered. After that man with the stick poked me, I just fell asleep. I’ll have to get him later, I thought, a low growl rumbling in my throat. Right now, however, I could barely move.

As time passed, I was able to lift my head and look around. The world beyond the fence smelled similar, but the rising ground beyond me was in different shapes and the trees were thicker and taller. Instead of a wooden shelter, there was a large concrete box off to one side of my new home. Peeking inside the small door, I could see that it was dark and empty inside. It would do to get out of the heat and the rain, but not terribly interesting.

But looking in the other direction, I realized that there was nothing between my gaze and the world. The gate stood wide open. Beyond that door was a sea of that softness that I was now strong enough to step out into.

Is it a trick? I thought. Will the man with the stick come poke me again if I venture out? There’s no sign of the man, but I can smell the blonde woman on my fur. Was she touching me while I was asleep? I stop and lick my side carefully, my rough tongue removing the offending odor. Then I stare back out into the openness.

The thought of exploring that wide, limitless space is thrilling and terrifying at the same time. My heart aches to step out onto the softness, but my heart is racing with a fear of the unknown, untried, untested. Maybe I should wait and watch for a while. Sniffing the air again, I can tell that the others who were around me before are around me here.

Are they still sleeping? Are they already out in the softness? We have never been face to face. Will they attack if I step out?

My sensitive ears twist and turn, searching for answers. I hear nothing but the birds and the breeze. Focusing on the open door, I cannot hear anything beyond it. No breathing but my own. Tuning in even more carefully, I cannot detect any heartbeats close by. Nothing but quiet and softness.

All senses on alert, I step out, putting my full weight into the softness. The ground yields gently under my foot. Then the next foot. Again I wait, testing the sounds and the air. No one attacks. With greater confidence, I step fully out of the door, all four feet now buried deep in the freshness and softness of that ground beyond the concrete. It has a warmth and energy and aliveness to it that the concrete is not capable of. The sensations of the ground vibrate up my legs and all along my spine. This is what the earth is supposed to feel like, and now it is mine. If someone is waiting to attack, he will find me ready. I will not easily yield this new territory. Come and try to take it, I growl at the openness.

One stride, then two, then an even longer one, my huge padded paws take me farther than I ever imagined. No pacing back and forth, only a few steps at a time before having to turn back again. I stretch out my long, stiff legs and try three trots at a time. I pause and smell the air. Four trots. Pause. Five trots in a row. Then I reach the fence.

It is there. I’m not free, but as I turn and look back, the immensity of this new space looms around me. I look back toward the concrete room and the concrete house, and I feel something rise up deep inside me. There’s an instinctive urge to attempt something I’ve never done, not once my whole life. I crouch low, I spring forward in a giant leap, and I RUN! No pacing or trotting only a step or two. I leap and leap and leap, my orange and black stripes a blur over muscles so weak they soon give out and need rest, but I did it, if only for a while. I RAN.

Exhausted, I collapse onto the softness, my sides heaving in and out, gasping for air in larger amounts than I have ever needed. Contentedly, I lift my head and stare at the fence. It is still there, but it is so far away I can make out the world beyond it without feeling suffocated. Is that the blonde woman, hiding downwind in the trees? I bare my teeth and snarl a warning. Come close at your own risk. Then I peer up above me. There is nothing but openness. No gray bars. No fence.

I notice the sky, really notice it for the first time in my life. A rich sunlight pours freely over every inch of my fur. There is still fence around my sides, but it is far away from where I lie. Overhead, there is an infinity of space.

I’m not free, but this is close. Stretching my legs out to the front and back, a move that would have left me touching the edges of my home just that morning, I roll onto my back and snort and allow the glorious smell of the softness to cover me.

*****

Sonya is an imagined name for one of the 27 tigers recently rescued by Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.