Tales from a Dog Catcher is Now Linked to Goodreads!

This may not seem to be the monumental event that it is in my mind - however - feedburners, widgets, atom-somethings, chiclet-ize, etc. These are not my strong points. Last I knew chiclets were gum, the kind you got on Halloween and what was left after you ate up all of the chocolate and twizzlers.

However, after an hour or so, (Okay...two hours then, if I'm going to honest about it), I was able to link this Tales from a Dog Catcher blog to Goodreads through an rss feed. After all of this I feel like I could really use a nap, but that's not in the cards because about 150 or so students need to have report card grades and I wouldn't want to dissapoint them. (Insert evil laugh here). No, not really - The truth is that all of my kids are the best and it's a privilege to see them each day. I'm sure some of them would rather be home lying on the couch watching re-runs of Spongebob...but who wouldn't?

Photo courtesy of Cadbury Co. Twizzlers manufactured by Hershey's Co.

Another Tales from a Dog Catcher Free Book Giveaway on Goodreads. Just in time for the Holidays!

Another Goodreads Giveaway - Tales from a Dog Catcher by Lisa Duffy-Korpics. Sign up is now until December 10th when two readers will be chosen for a free copy. Last time the copies went to readers in London and Michigan. The Giveaway is open to readers in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. I wanted to include Australia, (even though the postage will hurt a bit!), because of the overwhelming support from readers and libraries in that part of the world. I'm thinking that once I get some time, (and of course the finances), to plan a trip - New Zealand and Australia will be the place to visit, even if it involves going to every library in every part of the island(s) to say "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I thought December 10th was a good date to end the giveaway since the holidays are approaching and there's nothing that says holiday spirit like a book about lovable animals, (except the sociopathic dog - hmmm...interested? Pick up a copy and find out more!), and a flaky, and accident prone, but well meaning dog catcher. To be honest though, I thought that if people wanted to ship a book or two to relatives and friends that I should make sure to leave enough time for that.

I'm a bit distracted at the moment since my daughter is watching some movie where a woman dressed as a sexy pirate is singing "We've got scurvy- yes, we've got scurvy...we need a lemon tree!" Okay. Well first of all I suppose it's good information about the need for vitamin C on those long voyages during the Age of Exploration that will show up on her Global History Final Exam in about 2 years. Secondly, you have to admit - it caught my attention.

Have a great weekend. Finish up that Halloween Candy and if you're up to going out to dinner tonight and you live in the Hudson Valley and can't decide where to go, check out my friend Chris's blog "Burgers & Brews Reviews" for some suggestions on some of the best places to eat around the area. If you'd rather stay home and grill during these crisp but still lovely Fall days you can check out his recipe sight at Burgers & Brews Reviews Recipes blog.

Winners of the Tales from a Dog Catcher Giveaway at Goodreads!

Congratulations to Derek from London, and Gail from Michigan - winners of the Goodreads Book Giveaway for a free copy of Tales from a Dog Catcher!

I sent the books out from Amazon, (I had a $25.00 gift certificate and it was way easier than dragging the box of media copies out of my closet and standing on line at the local post office). The books should get there within the week for Gail, and up to 18 days for Derek in London.

Thanks to my fellow Goodreads members for signing up for the giveaway. Over 600 people signed up to win a copy of the book. In November I may put up two more copies for a giveaway - they make nice Holiday gifts.

Congratulations once again to my Goodreads friends - I hope you enjoy the book :)

Book Give-Away on Goodreads.com ends October 15th, 2009!

Goodreads.com is an online community of people who love books. This description of Goodreads was taken from Wikipedia: Goodreads is a privately run social cataloging website started in December of 2006 by Otis Chandler, a software engineer and entrepreneur. The website permits individuals to sign up and register books to create their library catalogs and reading lists. As of December 2007, the had over 650,000 members and over 10,000,000 books added.

I have an author page on Goodreads here. If you would like to be involved with the contest to possibly win one of two copies of Tales from a Dog Catcher, you can sign up as a member of Goodreads and join. The give-away ends on October 15th and so far, there are 650 members signed up for the give-away. Because of this, I may offer books for another give-away next month.

If you are a Barnes & Noble shopper, remember that this is Educator's Appreciation Month, and in addition to your educator's discount, (easy to sign up - just show a school I.D., Union card, or other proof of your status at the cashier), and you receive an additional discount on books that results in 25% off your purchase. I recently bought A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain by John J. Ratey M.D.. A fascinating, yet accessible book that translates neuroscience into plain language. A study with a group of nuns from Mankato, Minnesota who are all older than ninety, showed that continued learning through life resulted in a much lower rate of Alzheimer's Disease and age associated dementia than the general population. Practice may make perfect - but learning entirely new skills is the key to a youthful brain. The brain's ability to regenerate and create new neural pathways can lead to a healthier brain regardless of your age.

Hope everyone enjoys the beautiful October weather - until next time I wish you all the best!