Welcome Coda

Little Coda has finally come to live with his new family, and we're all very happy to have him. This is the best picture we've managed to take, so this is the only one I'll be using for a while, ha ha. His name means "repeat" in music lingo, which is fitting since he is mostly the same breed as Samson, but we're still trying to decide if we want to spell it like the cub in Brother Bear (Koda). 

However, he is not an identical copy of Samson. The name is appropriate because Samson was a Rhodesian Ridgeback as well, mixed with a few other things, and Coda is the second puppy our whole family will raise. This is the first time we've ever had a pure-bred animal, so it will be interesting to see if he grows up with all the characteristics of his breed.

Rhodesian Ridgebacks are native to South Africa where they were trained for hunting lions and acting as guard dog. They are pretty big, up to twenty-seven inches at the shoulder, and are very muscular. But they also have sweet temperaments and make great for kids.The reason they're called ridgebacks is because the hair along their spine grows in the opposite direction, creating a unique pattern that looks like...you guessed it...a ridge. Photo taken from the American Kennel Club's website.

Our other dog, Delilah, is not taking to Coda very well, but that is to be expected considering she's been the baby of the family for seven years. Hopefully she'll warm up soon. When she does, I'll try to take a picture and post it online.

Daughter of Aero is Published!

It's finally happened. Daughter of Aero is published and available for purchase on Amazon.com. Now I can spend the rest of December as unproductively as possible before beginning work on book three in January.

Thank you for all your patience and support during this process. I sincerely hope you enjoy this second installment in The Last Abecedarian Series.

Happy reading!

Proof Copy

Just thought you might like to see the proof copy. As soon as I'm done editing this, I'll press the publish button. Almost there!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is a little bit late, but my computer had to be fixed last week. I just wanted to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving and a good start to the holiday season. There are many blessings in life, and I'm grateful for every single one in mine.

My family stayed home this year, but the day was still eventful and filled with memories — like when our stove caught on fire as Dad pulled out the turkey. Yep...next time we'll use the counter-top roaster. We saved the bird, but our quiche and green bean casserole were toast. The mood was lightened considerably when my Dad (who is partially deaf and can't hear every fire alarm in the house going off) stood fanning the smoke long after the noise died asking "is it off yet?" I'm thankful that I have a family with enough humor to let me share that story, ha ha. 

This was also the first year I didn't really have to cook anything. Both of my sisters have reached an age where they can read and understand recipes, so they kicked me out of the kitchen while they practiced their new skill. All I had to do was sit at the counter and answer questions when one of my handwritten notes didn't make sense to them.

After dinner, we piled into my parents' room and watched Happy Thanksgiving Charlie Brown and Night in the Museum 1 and 2. Seeing Robin Williams on screen after his death earlier this year made me think of his family and how awful they must feel on their first Thanksgiving without him. Hopefully God will help them heal. I'm sure the holidays will never be the same for them again, and it hurts to think of anyone going through that kind of pain. I hope that same comfort will be received by all who've lost a loved one and are still going through the stages of grief.

Then, of course, I went Black Friday shopping with my friends (on Black Friday...not on Thanksgiving). Along with being a good opportunity to check off some items on my Christmas gift giving list, I always like hanging out with my girls on this day....as long as no one makes me get up at 0:30 in the morning. The photo below was taken by my dear friend and fellow blogger, A.M. Wied.

Family, good friends, and good food — like I said...lots to be thankful for. 

How was your Holiday?

Daughter of Aero Cover Picture

Ta-da! My friend and writing partner/photo shop wizard has sent me the finished cover photo for Daughter of Aero. Thank you very much, Ms. A.M. Wied.

The next item on my to-do list is to upload the book file and order a proof copy. It won't be long now, dear readers.  

Daughter of Aero Review — Beta Reader #1

Daughter of Aero is currently going through the beta reading process, and I asked my two readers to please send me a few thoughts on the story that I can post here. Here is what Beta Reader #1 has to say. I promise I only edited this review enough to delete a few spoilers, ha ha.

"Awesome!!! I love this book! The interaction between the characters is very well done. I especially like the fact that Katie is writing three or four different stories and manages to make sense of it all and bring the stories together. In a lot of books, the writer has a hard time dealing with two POV's but Katie deals with three to four at any given time and rocks it."

"This book is also unique in the fact that a reader of any age will enjoy it. Little kids in my house just love Katie's book and so do the older teens (such as your's truly). Katie has put some pretty deep stuff in her book, such as the Christian belief in one God and the belief in Satan and Satanic influences, but has kept these aspects of the book simple enough for younger children to understand."

"I could hardly put the thing down after she gave it to me and read it all in one day. I'm not sure that I can be patient enough to wait for her to write the next one."

An update will follow when Beta Reader #2 sends his thoughts. 

New Addition To The Family

Some readers may remember that my family's dog, Samson, died this past August. It was pretty hard for everyone, but we've been coping well. We still miss him, but we're ready to move on and stretch our hearts a little bit more for a new addition to our troupe. So we contacted a Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder in Washington, and our next puppy was born a few days ago. Here is a picture they sent us of the newborn bundles of cuteness.

My family is considering the name Koda, after the little cub from Brother Bear. What do you think?