3 weeks to The Little Book of Cat Magic Giveaway

*looks at calendar* *does double take* WHAT?

Holy crap! How is it the middle of September? I meant to do a post at the beginning of the month, reminding everyone that The Little Book of Cat Magic was going to be out in a month. Except, well, I went out of town, and things got away from me, and now we're THREE WEEKS AWAY! (Insert Kermit flail here.) October 8th is right around the corner.

So Harry Dresden and I put our heads together and came up with a fun cat-themed giveaway full of goodies.

No, the cat is not included. Why do you keep asking me?

There's a cute stuffed cat (the paws come in various colors), three different bookmarks, a witch's broom pen, a cat rubber ducky (would that make it a rubber catty?) and a cool Siamese cat candle holder.

To make up for missing the one month mark, I'm actually going to give away TWO sets of these--one here, and one on my Deborah Blake Author Page on Facebook. So feel free to enter in either place, or both. I have a few more cool things planned for the weeks ahead, because man, I'm SO excited about this book! I hope you are too. (I know Harry doesn't look excited, but really he is.)

As always, no purchase is necessary (although I'd love it if you'd preorder the book, of course) and all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Yes, you get credit for things you've already done, like signing up for my newsletter, or following me on Twitter. Extra karma points for spreading the word!

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Best Mini Vacation Evah

So last weekend I took a couple of days off and went to visit my friend Terry at her new home in Stuart, Florida. (She had to move there because of her job, and her hubby and original two cats are still back in Connecticut. So she REALLY wanted me to come visit.) I was there from Friday through Monday morning, although Monday really doesn't count, since I left her apartment for the airport at 8:30 am and got home at around 6 pm. SIGH. (Although I did get to spend time with my sister Sarah, since she was kind enough to pick me up at the Albany airport and drive me home to Oneonta.)

But reader, I had the best time! If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you might have seen some pictures of the amazing seafood we ate (there are no pictures of the wine we drank, but you can assume there was some). Stuart was a lovely little town, and I actually did a lot of research while I was there, since I'm working on a Women's Fiction novel with a setting based on it. Cute, quirky shops (I still wish I'd taken pictures of the shop fronts, because they had the cleverest names), fabulous restaurants, including our favorite which was right on the water, a boardwalk, and fun places to visit. But the best part--besides being with my friend--was the sky. It was amazing. These pictures are real, I promise.

This was at the beach about 20 minutes from her house.

 We only got to spend about 25 minutes at the beach Saturday and Sunday (Saturday we got there at 8:30 in the morning and it was already 90 degrees out), but it was really beautiful.

The clouds were incredible every day I was there.

High tide, around 9 am. All those outcroppings are actually coral.

On the main drag where all the shops were.

Terry, on the pier we visited Saturday afternoon.

Murphy!

 As you might predict from one of my friends, Terry didn't last long without getting a couple of cats to keep her company in her new place. Above is little Murphy (she's probably a Bengal, and this might be the only time I saw her sit still!) and below is Lily, who actually slept with me one night.

Lily

 This was the small, fairly hidden beach about 20 minutes from Terry's house.

Saturday afternoon, we went to the McKee Botanical Gardens. Fabulous plants and a bunch of cool life-sized metal sculptures. (Also a very nice gift shop, where I did some damage.)

Lion!

Then Sunday morning, back to the beach briefly. There were so many shells there, the "sand" was actually made up of tiny crushed shell.

Then we went to the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center, which was very cool. And educational.

Terry, showing off all the fish.

 They had sea turtles. And small sharks. And I got to feed a manta ray (all the little kids were doing it...)

Then it was back to our favorite restaurant, the Stuart Boathouse. We ate there Saturday, and it was so great, we went back for our last meal together on Sunday night. Of course, not only was the food amazing, but this was the view from our table!

My new happy place

Now I'm back to reality, and catching up on all the stuff that piled up while I was gone. But I really needed the break, and I'm grateful for good friends, good food, and of course, OCEAN.

A Visit to Animal Adventure Park!

Some of you probably remember the fuss about April the giraffe, whose pregnancy was watched by millions of people around the world. April (and her calf Tajiri) live at Animal Adventure Park, which is less than an hour from my house and right down the street from my friends Robin and George, and my beloved goddess children Nate and Sophie.

On Saturday, pal Ellen and I drove through torrential downpours to get to Robin's house. Thankfully, the rain stopped just in time for our visit to the park. We spent three lovely hours hanging out and meeting all the animals, and seeing the many they'd added since our visit last year (including my favorites, the rare white lions, of which there are only 20 left in the wild and 300 in the entire world) and a kangaroo with her baby poking its head our of her pouch.

You get to feed many of the tamer animals, which is fun, and I got to spend the day with some of my favorite people, too. All in all, a wonderful day.

Here are a few pictures. If you can ever get there, you should really go visit.

April

Ellen making new friends

Wolf!

Black bear

One of the white lions

George, Robin, and Nate taking a break

Kanga and Roo

Little goats. Not endangered, but darn cute

Me with my favorite kids (and our booty from the gift shop), with Ellen hiding

Best portapotties ever

The whole gang at the end of the day

It's Harry Dresden's Birthday

It's hard to believe, but the youngest of the new kittens, Harry Dresden, turned one today. (The other two are a couple of months older, they think, but no one knows exactly when they were born because they came from a 25 cat hoarding situation.) Theoretically, this means they're not kittens anymore, but if you could see them racing around like maniacs and bouncing off the walls, you'd know that's not true.

The birthday boy today

The first day I met him. That's my coat he's curled up in.

It's hard to believe I've had Harry since January--this is a picture of him the first day I met him, when I went to where he was being fostered to see if he was the cat I asked Magic to send me. When he curled up on my lap and fell asleep, I was pretty sure he was.

He's really sweet--the most affectionate of the three, although like most cats, only when he's in the mood. He's also the only one who consistently sleeps with me, although sometimes I have to go fetch him and remind him that's his job.

To celebrate Harry's birthday, I decided to give my readers a gift. For those who haven't read it yet (gasp!), I've put DANGEROUSLY FIERCE on sale for the next week. It's normally $7.99 (to match the price Berkley set on the ebooks they put out) but for now, it is only $2.99! So if you've been waiting to get it, now's your big chance. It's available at all the usual ebook retailers.

Happy birthday, Harry Dresden!

2 Months until Cat Magic Book! (Giveaway)

We're getting closer, people! Today marks two months from the release date for The Little Book of Cat Magic! I'm getting excited. Are you?

You might be a little more excited when you see this month's fun giveaway package. Check it out.

GOODIES!

That's right. There's a copy of the Llewellyn Witch's Coloring Book (I just love mine), which contains some images from the Everyday Witch Tarot. Plus a cover flat of my last book, A Year and a Day of Everyday Witchcraft, a fun notebook with the cover of one of my witchy novels on it, a black cat bookmark, a broom pen, a cat rubber ducky (I KNOW! How fun is that?), and my favorite, a hand-knit little black and white kitty that I got at a fundraiser for our local shelters. Such a fun bunch of goodies.

As always, all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form. Things you are already doing (like getting my newsletter) count. And of course, no purchase is necessary, although naturally I'd love it if you'd preorder the book.

Are we excited yet?

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Release Day for Dangerously Driven!

It’s finally here! As promised, I’ve written a Broken Riders reunion novella featuring all three brothers. (And the Baba Yagas too.) It takes place after the events of Alexei’s book, DANGEROUSLY FIERCE, which came out earlier this year. The brothers have all finally found new lives, but there is still something missing—each other.

 Here is the back cover copy:

The Riders…three legendary brothers who were born to aid the Baba Yagas, until tragedy changed everything. Separated by guilt and circumstance, they will finally have a chance to come back together. But what will happen when they do?

Neither Mikhail, Alexei, nor Gregori are enthusiastic about the invitation to join the three Baba Yagas at Bella’s home in the Wyoming woods. But Bella and her apprentice Jazz have just spent a year in the Otherworld after Jazz’s disastrous attempt to cure the Riders’ loss of their immortality, so it isn’t really a summons any of them can refuse. As much as they might wish they could.

Each brother has his own reason to feel guilty, and they all mourn what they have lost despite having built themselves rewarding new lives. None of them is quite ready for a reunion. But they no longer have all the time in the world. So they get on their enchanted steeds (now a black Harley, a red Ducati, and a white Yamaha) and head out across the country, never expecting the adventures that lie ahead.

The brothers travel different roads to get to Wyoming, but they all end up on the same path. A surprise visit from an old friend might just show them that the journey is more important than the destination…especially when you travel it with those you love.

 Here are some buy links. It will be out in paperback too, hopefully within a few days. For now, you can find the ebook at most places. 
ETA: The print version is out now! Amazon--PRINT VERSION

 Amazon

 Barnes and Noble

 iBooks

Did I mention that the eBook version is only $2.99?

I think the ending might come as a surprise… I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it. Up next, maybe another Baba Yaga book? I have some ideas. Bwahahaha.

Of course, since it is a book release day, there will be a celebration giveaway! Pretty please help me to spread the word and also, if you read the novella and like it, don’t forget to take a minute to leave a quick review at Amazon, B&N, and/or Goodreads. Thanks so much!

Look what I'm giving away!

Harry Dresden thought I should give away a Fire HD Tablet, since most people will be reading this as an ebook.

Koshka, on the other paw, thought I should give away a signed copy of Dangerously Fierce, along with a bookmark and a magnet.

Then the photo shoot descended into chaos.

So I decided I'd pick two winners, and give away both!

I figured y'all would be okay with that.

As usual, all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form. If you're already doing something (like following the blog or following me on Twitter) you definitely get to count that. No purchase necessary, although of course I'd love it if you'd buy a copy of the book! I can only keep putting them out if they do well enough to justify it. *smooches*

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COVER REVEAL! Dangerously Driven

Here it is, the cover reveal for the new Riders reunion novella! I used the same cover artist who did the amazing cover for the third Riders novel, DANGEROUSLY FIERCE. You can find her website HERE

I think she did a great job--I hope you do too. The novella is finished and I'm just waiting for the last feedback from editors and First Readers. Hopefully it will be out in the next week or two. Watch this space!

With no further ado, I give you, the cover of DANGEROUSLY DRIVEN.

What do you think?