Cyber-Monday's Coming - Still time to get Tales from a Dog Catcher using only Standard Shipping!

I've been hearing about this Black Friday, and from the stories I'm hearing - it sounds a bit frightening. Besides, I'm pretty content sitting here eating leftover turkey - the humans who live at my house have been giving me snacks all day. So since I am warm and comfortable here sitting in front of the fireplace I'm planning on doing my Christmas shopping on Cyber-Monday. It's easy - I just get on the computer, (once that silly cat gets off of it - I think she has a facebook addiction), and click on Amazon.com and buy all my friends things I think they will enjoy. If I start now I can choose standard shipping and everything will get there on time for the holidays. A great holiday choice this year is a book called Tales from a Dog Catcher. I know - you're thinking; "A book about a dog catcher...what, are

you nuts?" No, I am most certainly not nuts - I am a dog who can update a blog so obviously I am incredibly intelligent - the point is, it's a good book and I think you'll like it. There's some funny stories, (mostly about silly humans -they're the ones you should be worrying about), and some sad ones too. Maybe giving this book as a gift will inspire someone you know to adopt one of us who isn't as lucky as I am. I guess you could adopt a cat too. They are pretty cute, but don't tell anyone I said that. I have a reputation to worry about.

photo courtesy of dog star daily.

Happy Thanksgiving from a character in Tales From a Dog Catcher

Best wishes for a great holiday - enjoy your dinner, whether it be lasagna, baked ziti, roast beef, pork chops, soy burgers, and..um, chicken. Okay - you can have chicken but you didn't hear it from me.

If you have a copy of Tales from a Dog Catcher, check out the chapter "The Protest March". If not, pick one up or stop by the library - It will give you a laugh and show you what can happen when us turkeys band together!

Happy Holidays to all.

photo courtesty of wyoming news.

Welcome Portuguese Readers -Muito Bem Vindo!

Recently I have been receiving some email from Portugal - another place I've always dreamed of visiting but have never had the chance.

It's always fascinating to hear from people who enjoyed Tales from a Dog Catcher - especially from a place so many miles away from the Hudson Valley of New York State. I would like to think that these stories resonate with people on many levels not necessarily related to geographic region. I consider it a great privilege to know that there are readers in this beautiful part of the world, (currently a lot warmer, and less rainy than here), who are enjoying my tales of dogs, cats and other critters! I hope you enjoy the laughs and even perhaps a bit of the tears included within the book. Tudo de bom to my new friends! Find out more about visiting Portugal at www.visitportugal.com, Portugal's official tourism website. There's some great deals on vacation packages right now - especially for those of you not limited only to school holidays.

photo courtesy of visitportugal.com

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.

An Evening at Temple Sinai - Great Evening and a Great Honor!

I had the great honor of speaking to the Temple Sinai Sisterhood in Middletown, NY last Monday. Organized by my good friend and retired colleague Arline Friedman, it was a night filled with amazing food, (delicious homemade minestrone soup - thank you Gerry!), an outstanding salad bar and so many lovely desserts to choose from. The ladies working in the kitchen truly outdid themselves.

I met a lot of wonderful people and everyone made me feel so comfortable that I was able to conquer one of my biggest fears - speaking to large groups, (unless they're 18 and under which I do every day), and using a microphone ...at a podium no less! I love Arline so much that I was able to do this. With such a warm and receptive group, I felt comfortable in no time at all. Much of the book talk was about my writing journey over the years that finally resulted in the publication of Tales from a Dog Catcher. There were several future authors in the group so some discussion was about writing and the process involved in getting a book published. I was able to catch up with some old friends like Pet Therapist Marian Zaritsky who will once again be bringing in Sasha the pet therapy dog to visit with the students in my Psychology Class. Sasha is now a professional, certified therapy dog - but I don't think it's gone to his head! It was also great to see Lucy Fox, another dear friend and retired colleague. It reminded me how much I miss seeing her at work each day. I met some great ladies, Sherry, Gerry, Lisa, Irma and especially Shirley who actually grew up in the City of Peekskill and won one of the copies of Tales from a Dog Catcher. I hope she enjoys the book - she will most definitely recognize most of the landmarks and perhaps even some of the characters in the book!

I also met a great lady named Aviva Schwab M.Ed. She runs a training program for Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, (STEP). Aviva has been featured on NBC's Live at Five and also on Eyewitness News. This program promises that it is possible to have happy cooperative kids without yelling, bribing or punishing. I think meeting up with Aviva was fate! She gave me some great advice - exactly when I needed it most. Check out her site at www.tiredofyelling.com. Incredible testimonials! The program is great for parents and teachers of children of all ages. She has free trial classes within the New York and New Jersey area, but if that's too out of the way for you, the training program is also available on tape and CD. If you would rather contact her by phone, drop me a comment and I'll pass along her number, although her number and tons of great information can be found on her website.

Thanks again to Arline and to everyone at Temple Sinai on Highland Avenue, in Middletown, New York for a wonderful evening and for letting me join in the sisterhood for the evening!

This is such a close knit and friendly place with so much to offer the local community.

Photo courtesy of Temple Sinai