my poster child

Barkis is a posterboy on the dog-training website of Beaujes. You can see his testimonial here. Judith is a brilliant trainer who uses principles in a fantastic book on dog behavior called The Other End of the Leash.

BeauJes Dog Training & Boarding Testimonials

Susan and Barkis

With the help of Judith and friends,
Barkis went from this…

to this…

my new little friend

I don’t care what anyone says, that ultra light 6-lb laptop you bought for travel is gonna end up weighing your luggage down by an extra 20 pounds.  I don’t know why this is, but I found the perfect solution at TigerDirect. I’m in LA for Book Expo America, and I’ve brought along the Asus eeepc. It’s about the size and weight of a paperback book and I’m already swooning. It sells for around $330. Having light luggage again? Priceless.

Take an author to lunch.

How important is it to have fully funded schools?

Real education should educate us out of self into something far finer; into a selflessness which links us with all humanity.                  – Nancy Astor

Please join me and other island authors for this very important fundraiser:

Horse of a different color

I can’t watch the footage of the horse race. You know which one I mean. No wonder I prefer to stick with fiction. It’s so much more manageable than reality. The Horsemaster’s Daughter is just hitting the stores now. There are chills and thrills in this novel, but I promise, no horses were harmed in its creation.

I love the new cover art. It’s nicer “in person” than online. There’s a muted quality to the illustration and a nice antique-y matte finish. There’s a pale cast to Eliza’s skin which brings to mind all those vampire covers that are so wildly popular these days–not that this is a vampire book. I’m not normally a fan of green in cover art, particularly green foil lettering, but this is eyecatching and beautiful. It’s a good fit thematically, too, since the book is about redemption and renewal.

The one bit I’m not so fond of is the shoutline at the top of the back cover copy: “An unbroken horse, a broken man, an estate that needed her.” What a strange and awkward phrase. I hope people will read right past that. (For the record, the author almost never writes the cover copy.) With the exception of the shoutline, the book’s description is spot-on. Reading over it reminds me of how much passion and tenderness I had for the characters, back when I was writing this book.

By far, my favorite feature of this new edition is the inclusion of a coupon good for $2 off Just Breathe, my upcoming book. Clip it out! Make note of the very limited time offer–it has to be used between August 26 and September 2.

Readers in the Rockies

Today’s guest blog comes from Theresa Rizzo, a good friend and wonderful writer. Meet us both, along with Karen Joy Fowler, John Shors and many others at the fantastic Readers in the Rockies conference, June 20-22. There’s a writers’ conference, too, all organized by the Crested Butte Friends of the Library.

“You will find true success in those efforts that captivate your heart and soul.  Belief fuels passion, and passion rarely fails.”

Buy JUST BREATHE today.

There’s exactly one copy available. At Brenda’s fundraiser auction for diabetes. You have to do it now, though. It’s a one-day item. Bidding opens the 22nd and closes the 23rd. Go for it!

Things that are as old as me

the patent for Velcro

stereo sound

Michael Jackson

Madonna

the state of Alaska

the first US satellite

The Chipmunk Song

I did get the surprise of my life from my sister & niece, in collusion with Jay. They live far away & I haven’t seen them in ages (well, since February but that is ages). I nearly wet myself.

 

Reason #47 to read the Police Blotter: Donut hurling

See below for a report of more mayhem in my town. Vehicle-to-vehicle donut hurling is rampant:

Previous reports of mayhem can be found here and here.

Shaggy dog story

Judging by the search terms in my blog stats, there is a lot of interest in my friend Garth‘s new book. You’re not alone. The Art of Racing in the Rain is a wonderful book by an excellent writer. I loved it and wrote a review here. It’s pretty much my favorite book review site on the web. Where do you go to read book reviews?

Wings, and arrows, and subtypes–Oh my!

I love books about writing craft. I’ve been hearing for years that enneagrams are a great way to create characters with depth–flaws, humanity and all. The trouble was, I didn’t really understand enneagrams. Then Laurie Campbell (aka Laurie Schnebly) sent me her book, and everything was illuminated. From Laurie’s web site:

Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams

“A must-have for all writers — here’s your chance to create deep, well-rounded, flesh-and-blood characters!”
Linda Lael Miller, NYT bestselling author

This 250-page “how-to” is for writers who want to create plausible, likable characters — each with distinctive strengths and flaws that’ll generate conflict between (and WITHIN) these people. Give your characters the quiz to discover their personality type: Perfectionist, Nurturer, Achiever, Romantic, Observer, Skeptic, Enthusiast, Leader or Peacemaker. Then see how their wings, arrows and subtypes enhance each one, and how their fatal (or not-so-fatal) flaw can be affected by their own unique strengths. 

So, I am writing a book about a Romantic and an Enthusiast. No wonder they’re giving me such trouble!