The Cat in the Window ~ Review

The Cat in the Window
And Other Stories of the Cats We Love
Edited by Callie Smith Grant

The Cat in the Window is a delightful collection of short stories dealing with cats.  Whether you're a cat person or just an animal person you're sure to be charmed.

In one story The Stepcat is about a newly blended family whose cat Zorro brings the family together by bonding with the one person who needed him the most.

In For the Love of Sandy a woman finds comfort in her cat who helps her through the grief of suffering a miscarriage.

In The Gift of St. Nicholas a stray kitty shows up on the Eve of St. Nicholas and is the gift that was a true surprise and blessing to a family during a tight year.

In An Uncanny Cat Story an odd coincidence makes for an interesting story where Salt and Pepper are concerned - if only they could talk!

This collection of close to 30 cat stories is sure to delight anyone who has ever had a cat or been closely acquainted with one.  Stories of triumph, stories of joy, stories of comfort, and stories of friendship.  This is one book worth sharing.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Available October 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

 ABOUT

A playful bat of a string. A bored yawn. A tender purr at the touch of your hand.
Cats are one of God's most enigmatic creatures. They're as crafty as they are cuddly, as rambunctious as they are reserved. We never quite know just what our cats are thinking--but it's perfectly obvious that they always are.

The Cat in the Window is a delightful collection of true stories that celebrate the cats in our lives. Inside you'll meet an orange tiger-striped cat who softened the hard edges of life for a young family, a skinny black-and-white stray who braved a blizzard to find a home, a fat cat who saved his owner's life one night, cats who offered comfort in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and many more. These warm stories will touch your heart and renew your spirit. 

So curl up on the couch with the special cat in your life . . . and enjoy!


Callie Smith Grant is the editor of A Dickens of a Cat, A Prince among Dogs, and The Dog Next Door. She is also the author of several nonfiction books for young readers and adults, as well as many animal-themed stories and poems that can be seen in Guideposts anthologies and in magazines such as Small Farmer's Journal.

Putting Life on the Finish Line ~ Book Blast and Giveaway

Putting Life on the Finish Line
By Joe Sinclair

About the Author:
Joe Sinclair has had an education career that spanned more than forty-five years. He served as superintendent of schools in various North Carolina districts for more than twenty years. In 1992, he was selected as North Carolina’s Superintendent of the Year. He and his wife, Claryce, live in Statesville, North Carolina.

About the Book:

When author Joe Sinclair turned sixty-two years old, he began his quest to run as many marathons as possible. Less than five years later, he has logged more than four thousand miles, participating in more than 150 marathons. In his memoir, Putting Life on the Finish Line, he tells his life story from his early years through his late sixties and details how he achieved his running goals.

Sinclair shares running’s rewards and challenges—crossing the finish line at the toughest marathon in America run entirely on asphalt; completing three marathons in three days in the hot July weather; fighting off attacks by vicious dogs during a lonely, rural, mountain marathon; and helping a struggling young marathoner achieve his very first marathon finish.

Offering personal secrets for success, tips and tricks, nutritional and fitness plans, pre-race plans, and inspiring stories, Putting Life on the Finish Line provides encouragement for those who believe they are too old to accomplish a dream. It shows that personal health and fitness is attainable at any age.

Purchase your copy: iUniverse 

Title: Putting Life on the Finish Line 

Author: Joe Sinclair 

Publisher: iUniverse 

Genre: Self-help/Fitness 

Pages: 206 

Language: English 

ISBN-13: 978-1-49170-608-4 

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Polyxena ~ Book Blast and Giveaway

A Story of Troy: Polyxena
By H. Allenger

About the Author:
H. Allenger earned a BA in public administration and an MA in international relations. After thirty-one years with the Seattle School District, he is now retired and pursuing his true passions, which include mythology, archaeology, and writing. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington, and enjoys traveling the world.

About the Book:

After Polyxena, daughter of King Priam of Troy, is chosen as Neoptolemus’s love interest, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leads to a surprising conclusion about her destiny.
Troy has just fallen, leaving the city in ruins and at the mercy of the Greeks. Neoptolemus has claimed the daughter of the now-deceased King Priam of Troy as his love prize. After she rejects his advances, he angrily contrives a story that dooms the ill-fated Polyxena. She knows what she must do to survive, but unfortunately, she cannot change her destiny.

Polyxena is mortified that Neoptolemus has fallen in love with her, for this means she must die at the commemoration rites for his father. As Polyxena prepares for the inevitable, she reflects over the past year, relating her thoughts to Aphrodite, the goddess she believes is responsible for orchestrating the events that have beleaguered her. As she tries to make sense of it all, Polyxena converses with all the well-known personages associated with the Trojan myth—Achilles, Agamemnon, Cassandra, Helen, and many others—while seeking solace in the hope that her existence has not been futile.

In this moving story of forbidden love, a young woman unwittingly becomes intertwined in the romantic legacy surrounding Troy, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that leads her to a surprising conclusion about the life she has lived.

Title: Polyxena: A Story of Troy 

Author: H. Allenger 

Publisher: iUniverse 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Pages: 412 

Language: English 

ISBN-13: 978-1-47595-449-4 

Purchase at iUniverse

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Trudy ~ Book Blast with Giveaway

TRUDY
By C.S. Ross

About the Author:
The author was born and raised in the hills of Pennsylvania. Graduated High School and moved to Ohio. Married, two children. Taught Ballroom dance and gymnastics. Moved to Michigan, graduated from Eastern Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications. Worked for a cable television station before turning to writing novels.

About the Book:
This is a story of a washed – up detective who can’t resist trying to solve a mystery. In spite of trying to stay out of other people’s business, this character always manages to get tangled up anyway. Without trying the detective gets involved in the life of a little girl who just happens to be the sole hair to her family fortune. And, where there’s a lot of money involved, there’s always some sleazy characters trying to get their hands on it. The story takes some unexpected twists and turns as our hero tries to remain unnoticed by the press and his former associates. Follow our hero through unexpected events and unwanted danger. Sometimes you’ll laugh, sometimes you’ll cry but you won’t have time to get bored. In this story, each day’s a chapter and each chapter’s another mess our hero manages to fall into.

Purchase your copy: iUniverse

Title: Trudy 

Author: C.S. Ross 

Publisher: iUniverse 

Genre: Noir 

Pages: 98 

Language: English 

ISBN-13: 978-1-47598-664-8 

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Never Giving Up and Never Wanting ~ Book Blast and Giveaway

Never Giving Up and Never Wanting
A Caregiver's Journey
By Barry Tutor

About the Author:
As a lifetime problem-solver, I faced the challenges of caring for my two AD victims by researching the disease and developing caregiving skills to assure their comfort and care.

About the Book:
Like most, I knew about Alzheimer’s disease. It causes old people to forget. When my relationship with this disease began, it highlighted how little I knew. Following my widowed mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I researched this disease to gain insight about my new role as her caregiver and decision maker. What I learned and experienced during her affliction still left me somewhat unprepared for what was yet to come. Sixteen months following my mother’s diagnosis, my dear wife and best friend was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Though now I was familiar with this silent killer, my wife’s diagnosis set into motion many changes and challenges in our lives. Someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every sixty-eight seconds. Currently, Alzheimer’s is the only disease in the top-ten causes of death that is on the increase and has no means of prevention and no possible cure. Given these facts, support for those afflicted relies on increasing levels of care-giving as the disease progresses. Let me explain something about this “old folk’s disease.” Alzheimer’s affects more than just parents and grandparents. It is also the disease of siblings, spouses, and children. Alzheimer’s forces many families to decide between home versus institutional care. An estimated fifteen million caregivers provide some level of care to the Alzheimer’s victims still living at home. No matter what level of care you are providing, the importance of preparation is paramount. Arming yourself with knowledge begins that preparation process. I was unprepared for the roller-coaster ride my life became as the sole caregiver for two Alzheimer’s victims. To meet their varied challenges, I adapted and developed multiple techniques for targeted personalized care. If only I knew then what I know now. By sharing my knowledge and experience, I hope to better prepare you for your caregiving journey.

Purchase your copy: 

TRAFFORD PUBLISHING 

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Title: Never Giving Up and Never Wanting To: A Caregiver’s Journey 

Author: Barry Tutor 

Publisher: Trafford Publishing 

Genre: Alzheimer’s/Caregiver 

Pages: 238 

Language: English 

ISBN-13: 978-1-46694-879-2 

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Mary Elizabeth the Spotless Cow ~ Review

Mary Elizabeth the Spotless Cow
By Salvatore Barbera

Mary Elizabeth has a problem.  She's a cow without spots and all the other cows on the new farm where she lives have spots.  How is she ever to make friends when the other cows avoid her because she is different from them?

After all who would want to associate with a spotless cow!

With some clever thinking on her part Mary Elizabeth convinces the other cows that outward appearance doesn't determine someone's worth.  Going from spotless to spotted and back to spotless allows Mary Elizabeth to show the others one can be friends with someone different than they are - after all they are all cows no matter what their coloring.

Mary Elizabeth the Spotless Cow is a cute and well written book that will impart a valuable lesson to your children. 

I was provided a copy of this book in conjunction with this Pump-Up Your Book blog tour in exchange for my honest review.

From now until December 27, 2013 a hardcover copy of Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow, a book that teaches about acceptance, tolerance, and friendship will be available at  http://www.sweetles.com/shop/ for only $12 (regular retail price $17.99). As if all that isn’t wonderful enough, the author is donating 50% of the net proceeds from this book to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Program to make a difference in the lives of children with critical and life threatening illnesses.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The story of “Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow” takes us on the journey she travels to figure out how to get the cows at a new farm to like and accept her.

While she hopes to find friendship at her new home, instead she learns what it means to be different from everyone else. (Spotless!) Mary Elizabeth uses clever ideas and a sense of humor to help her on her quest for friends at the new farm.

This inspiring tale shows how perseverance in spite of obstacles, using a sound thought process to arrive at solutions and the importance of having fun, using humor and enjoying playtime can build friendships.

When you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Program to make a difference in the lives of children with critical and life threatening illnesses.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sal is the author and illustrator of “A Sweetles Dream”® book series. As the Creative Director for Hartman-Barbera llc, a family media & entertainment company, he is also an animator, sculptor, painter and all around fun guy. Sal lives the phrase: “A day without laughter is a wasted day”. To that end, he uses his writing, illustrating and animation skills to create endearing characters and comedic stories.

Sal’s sense of humor and empathy for his characters explore personal and social situations in ways that makes it enjoyable for both adults and children to experience together. Born in New York City, Sal moved to North Bergen, NJ where he grew up on a steep hillside neighborhood with his four older sisters. He currently lives in sunny Arizona with his wife and artistic partner, Sheri, who he defines as his inspiration. On any given day Sal might be painting, sculpting, drawing, animating, writing or enjoying one of his favorite pastimes: cooking, television, movies and golf.

Visit Sal Barbera’s website at http://www.salbarbera.com.

The Funny Adventures of Little Nani ~ Review

The Funny Adventures of Little Nani
By Cinta Garcia de la Rosa

The Funny Adventures of Little Nani is a collection of 10 stories that are sure to delight young readers.

In the first story Little Nani and Some Unexpected Events, Little Nani has a tiny mishap when she attempts to cast a spell on her friends Big Billy and Skinny Nikki.  Instead of making them grow-up faster she turned them into ostriches.

In future Little Nani stories we find out why turtles are so slow, where panda bears came from, and how she accidently plants a robot in the forest.  Little Nani's online email magic course as one can soon determine in greatly lacking.

I love that her horse reads, especially the books that it chooses - Jane Austen, comics, Beatrix Potter.  This is a funny clean read that will leave children and parents laughing at Little Nani's magic mishaps.

(Warning don't try magic email courses at home, your friends will regret it!)

I was provided a copy of this book in conjunction with this Pump-Up Your Book tour in exchange for my review.

About the Author:

Cinta Garcia de la Rosa is a Spanish writer who has loved the written word since she discovered she was able to read books at age 5. Since then, she has become a bookworm and reads around 100 books every year. She also writes, every day, compulsively, even in the middle of the night. You cannot control when inspiration hits you, can you? She writes in English because she is convinced that in a previous life she was British, so writing in English feels more natural to her than writing in her native language. Yes, she is crazy like that. Cinta Garcia is the author of “The Funny Adventures of Little Nani”, a collection of short stories for children, and “A Foreigner in London”, a short story published on Smashwords.

Her latest book is The Funny Adventures of Little Nani.

Visit her website at www.cintagarciadelarosa.com.

Connect and Socialize with Cinta!

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

About the Book:

Little Nani is a little girl who likes helping people. However, when she helps people the results can be a bit unexpected. Why is that? Little Nani is a witch! Or at least she wants to be a witch. With her magic wand, she will try to cast different spells to help her friends, but she won’t be successful all the time. Follow Little Nani in her funny adventures and meet her extraordinary friends. Funny ostriches, horses that love reading, super-fast turtles, grumpy zombies… Little Nani has lots of friends! You can also draw your own characters! Little Nani is willing to become a good witch. Will she manage to do it? Who knows? Read the stories and discover what happens next!

Purchase your copy at AMAZON

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Spotlights:

Title: The Funny Adventures of Little Nani
Genre: Children’s Book
Author: Cinta Garcia de la Rosa
Publisher: CreateSpace (June 18, 2013)
Pages: 100
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1490413766
ISBN-13: 978-1490413761

EXCERPT (From “Little Nani and the Flying Muffin”).

“I’m bored!”

“How can you say that you are bored when I am reading to you one of the funniest books I have read in a long time?” said Horse in an exasperated tone. When Little Nani shrugged her shoulders, Horse had retreated to his favourite rocking chair in a corner of the room.

“Can I go out and make angels?” asked Little Nani, who was upside down, standing on her hands.

“Don’t be silly. You can only make angels in the snow, not in the rain,” said Horse without raising his eyes from the book.

“Can I go out and jump in the pools?” asked Little Nani, who was hopscotching all over the room.

“If you go out you will get soaking wet, and then you will catch a bad cold, and then you won’t be able to go out for a long time,” said the impatient horse. He didn’t like being interrupted while reading.

“Then I will cast a spell to make the sun come back,” said Little Nani, trying to take her magic wand out of her pocket while rolling on the floor. Big Billy, watching her efforts to take her magic wand out, and fearing that Little Nani could make the rain turn into a tempest, quickly pecked Little Nani’s hand.

“Ouch!” exclaimed Little Nani. “That hurt!”

She tried once more to take her magic wand from her pocket, but this time it was Skinny Nikki who pecked Little Nani’s hand.

“Ouch!” exclaimed Little Nani again.

It was pretty clear by now to Little Nani that she wasn’t going to have any fun that day. She thought that the rain was boring and, folding her arms with an angry look, she sat down in a corner.

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The Funny Adventures of Little Nani Tour Page: