Hi! I am working on the next book in the Snow Blood Series. Want to participate? Watch Nova’s video…

But here’s how to participate. Go to http://www.carolmckibben.com. Click on the FREE EBOOK ICON. Provide me your name and email address, and I’ll send you a free ebook AND instructions on how to participate in the creative process with Snow Blood Season 5.

Basically, if you have an idea for a new character, you will be able to tell me his or her name and how that character should fit in to Season 5. If you have an idea for a sub-plot, you can describe it to me.

That’s it! But, hurry. I will only make this available for a limited time.

I am looking forward to your ideas and to you joining me in the creative process!

Til Next Time,
Carol

P.S. For the next several days instead of getting Luke’s Tale as the free book, you’ll get Snow Blood Season 1. So, if you haven’t started the series, you’ll get what one reviewer said was “one of the best books I’ve ever read” for FREE!

The folks at PuppySpot reached out to me the other day. They know that I advocate the rescue and safety of all animals, particularly dogs. While they are promoting the sale of purebred dogs, they do have a "No Puppy Mill Promise." They promised me they are dedicated to the safety and careful placement of a dog into a home that properly suits its needs. It's important to make sure each owner's lifestyle fits a dog's specific breed.

In working in rescue, I've found that this is just as important in placing rescues. I've seen too many rescues be returned to the pound or the rescue organization. And, we've all seen beautiful purebreds behind bars in the pound. 

So I wanted to share PuppySpot's fun flowchart that links different personality traits in people to compatible dog breeds. 

I found that I should have a Lab and a Siberian Husky. Guess what! That's exactly what I have, along with a Labradoodle. 

Anyway, I thought you would enjoy seeing which breed fits your lifestyle. Follow the flow chart below and see where it takes you. I'd love to hear what you discover. Please share it in the comments!

Til Next Time,
​Carol

It's been raining in Southern California for almost two weeks now. The great news is that our drought-riddled state begged for it, and the dry land is turning green once again. The bad news is that it appears to reflect the unhappiness that almost half of Americans feel right now.

I've never seen so many people so unhappy about their lives, the outcome of the Presidential election, or their states-of-mind. The passing of so many good people, famous or not, friends or strangers, is hitting everyone harder than ever before. 

The unhappiness of others wraps around me like a wet blanket. I've always been such an optimistic person, constantly seeing the positive side of any situation. Yet, I feel helpless to relieve the unhappiness of others. That's because each individual is responsible for his or her well-being.  I can't make another person happy. Only individuals can change their attitudes.

It dawned on me as I wrote this that if I am like any characters in the books I write that I am the dog. I am Luke. I am Snow Blood.  I will be loyal and love you. I will help in any way I can, but you must be the arbiter of your attitude. 

Life isn't perfect. Things don't always turn out the way we want them to. But the secret is to play the hand you are dealt. Moaning and groaning won't help. Being depressed won't help. Expressing anger only pisses off everyone else. Changing your attitude and looking for ways to find the benefits or opportunities in any situation is the only way to go. Anything else is destructive. 

So, look inward. Find the brightness inside you and push away the darkness. People love to be around those who make them feel better about themselves. They love to be with positive, happy people. Think about it. Would you rather sit at a party next to someone who is negative, withdrawn, and unhappy or one who has a positive outlook, draws you out and engages you?

A bit of rain is cleansing... neverending rain can become disasterous.

Til Next Time,
​Carol

​

The old man sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair and heard the words he feared most. "Brain tumor." The love of his life, his wife, had cancer. His world grew dim, and he felt the darkness crushing inward, like a migraine pushing his sight into tunnel vision. It became difficult for him to form thoughts, much less words. 

But there she sat, his beloved, determined, focused, even optimistically ready to take on the tumor. Surgery became the next step. The first to arrive was his oldest daughter. She led him through the days that followed. Without her, he might have never moved by his wife's bedside. The daughter called her siblings who all stood by waiting, holding their collective breath. The prognosis was not what the old man wanted to hear. "We couldn't get it all. Chemo and radiation are next."

He took her to a preeminent cancer clinic for treatment after the many difficult days of recovery following the surgery. He cried inside at her black eye and the ugly incision scar on her head. He felt helpless but sprang into action, doing whatever it took to get her to the treatments. She was so brave and positive, but he couldn't shake the depression that closed in on him tighter every day.

His step-daughter and her husband and four-year-old grandson were the first to arrive. They were like a small stream of light seeping through his own brain and brightening his wife's world.

Next came his youngest son and his two daughters. They filled their home with warmth and laughter, the girls putting up the Christmas Tree and decorations and baking goodies. The stream of light in the old man's mind opened a little wider. 

His oldest daughter came down with the flu and refused to be around them, fearful she would make both of them ill with it. The old man fought hard to keep everything going. Then, his oldest son and his wife arrived just after Christmas. They brought gifts - a new computer for the old man, an electronic picture frame with hundreds of photographs of the entire family for his wife. His daughter-in-law took his wife shopping to pick out a new purse and clothes. They went out to dinners and movies, and in the process put a smile on both the old man and his wife's faces.

Friends and other family called often to offer love and support. And then, a ray of hope. Two new experimental treatments to kill the rest of the brain tumor. 

The darkness fought hard to envelope the old man, but the band of light was growing wider. The rush of unconditional love surrounded both he and his wife. Everyone rejoiced with news of the new treatments.

Family members had to return to their everyday lives, but they left with great hope in their hearts. The old man's wife could win this battle. She would win this battle. But, hadn't she already won life's battle? The unconditional love that surrounds us in times of crisis is what counts the most in relationships. The measure of one's life can be taken by the support received in our darkest hours. The old man and his wife were left with the knowledge that they are both greatly loved and would always be supported by those who matter the most to them. 

Isn't that what is most important in life?

Til Next Time,
​Carol