That's right! The game is afoot! What is it, you ask? Simple. You can find your next great read when you enter this contest. Why should you? Because you want to win prizes and you don't have to buy anything to win!  There's a $100 Grand Prize Amazon Gift Card. Very Cool.

Here's how it works. Click here. 

And follow the instructions.

HOW TO ENTER:

• Go down the the Entry Form.
  
• Click on an Entry Option.

BOOK TITLE BY AUTHOR NAME ENTRIES

• Click on the entry
• Read the provided sentence and take note of the (BLANK). That BLANK is a missing word(s) from the book blurb.
• Click the "NOR Author Page" Link
• Find the FEATURED BOOK and read through the blurb.
• Find the missing (BLANK) word from the provided sentence on the entry form.
• Fill in the missing word(s) on the entry form.
• Click Enter. Your entered for that entry.
  

ALONG THE WAY: WRITE DOWN THOSE BOOKS AND AUTHORS THAT TICKLE YOUR FANCY.

SEE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY ANYTHING TO WIN!

(Winter Wonderland Announcements will take place on the evening of Dec 21st in the contest's online chat room. The event starts at 5pm PT / 8 ET. You do not need to be at the chat to claim prizes.)

Happy Thanksgiving!
Carol

Tell me why it takes a tragedy like the one in Paris last Friday to bring the world together.

Tell me why people can’t extend love and support to each other on a daily basis.

Tell me why we get so caught up in our individual lives that we forget about the pain and suffering of others.

Tell me why it is so hard to love each other unconditionally.

Perhaps there is so much hatefulness in the world that we are forced to build a barrier around ourselves to stay safe?

How can I make you understand that sharing yourself with others, offering your love and support outwardly and helping others all the time – not just when tragedy strikes – is the key to loving unconditionally. You will find that doing so opens you up to a more self-actualized, happier person.

It’s not easy to change your mindset. But you can work on being less “inward,” less selfish throughout your day. That means spending time thinking about how others are feeling instead of always putting “me, me, me” first. So how about this. The next time you have an interaction with someone, really observe that person. Focus on how that person is feeling. Take a long look at his or her body language. Find out what he or she has been doing. Instead of re-directing the conversation back to yourself, focus on the other person. The more aware you are about “re-directing” to make others more important than yourself, the easier it will become to really care about other people.

Wikihow has a somewhat corny but insightful presentation on how to make the transition. See what you think.

Somewhat related but to the point is a section I am writing for Snow Blood – A Vampire Mystery Thriller – Season 3. In it, Snow Blood is in a life or death situation. While he is looking after his own self-preservation, his main concern is the consequences his rescue might have on his family. In it, the kindred dog makes all his decisions based on the safety and welfare of those he loves.

This leads me to cautioning that there is a difference between taking good care of yourself and your own needs for the sake of what others want or need and just being plain selfish. But, my novels always emphasize caring more about others than self, and the dogs in my stories always illustrate that point. So don’t ever think you’re being selfish when you are merely looking after your own well-being!
 
Till Next Time,
Carol

Hey folks! I write this weekly blog to provide value. And that's exactly what I'm gonna do this week! Beginning on November 15th, you could have a chance to WIN a $400 Amazon shopping spree at the #1 site for reader giveaways--The Kindle Book Review. How? Just enter the BLACK FRIDAY GIVEAWAY and you could win a $400 Amazon gift card. Ends Nov. 22. Click to enter. http://ow.ly/Ux40W 

Remember, this starts on November 15th and runs until November 22nd. So don't try to enter until that time period!

I'm sponsoring the $400 BLACK FRIDAY GIVEAWAY with Snow Blood - A Vampire Mystery Thriller - Season 2!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW AND COME BACK ON NOVEMBER 15TH AND CLICK THE LINK FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $400 FOR A SHOPPING SPREE ON AMAZON! YOU CAN BUY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ON AMAZON!

And, it's just in time for the holidays!


Til Next Time,
Carol

If you know anything about me at all, you know I'd rather be sitting on my horse than just about anywhere else. (Being with family,  with my three dogs or working in dog rescue are the exceptions.) But Aramis has been working hard all year. He is the current International Prix St. Georges Friesian  Champion with my trainer, and he puts up with me at shows doing Third Level! So, he's getting the month of November off! No one on his back, and time to relax and just be a horse. Oh, I go out and hang with him. We go for walks, and he gets lots of apples and cookies.

This also gives me time to do the other things important to me when I'm not working. Right now I'm going to the gym and working out especially hard. It takes muscle to move a 1,300 pound horse around with your legs! And, I'm working on Snow Blood Season 3. But... then there's also time for the dogs.

What do you do for fun, relaxation or sport? My husband Mark flies airplanes and rescues dogs. In fact, he has managed to combine the two with an organization called Wings of Rescue. They are a fantastic organization that I too help out with. What they do is fly rescued dogs to less crowded and more dog-in-demand parts of the U.S. And they take along cats too!

Dogs of all ages including pregnant dogs and their newborn puppies – spend their last day in a shelter and are euthanized simply due to lack of space. Too many dogs, not enough homes. Wings of Rescue volunteers work every day to change that by providing desperately needed air transport for their rescue partners and the thousands of animals they save each year from high kill shelters in California. Wings of Rescue pilots fly these precious passengers in private airplanes to their new forever homes and rescue organizations up and down the west coast in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and even Canada.

Later this month, they will be taking 1,000 dogs and cats, that's right, 1,000, to other parts of the country. This organization has saved and found homes for more than 15,000 homeless animals.

So, besides working, I'll be spending time supporting this project for Wings of Rescue on November 20th. If you are looking for a way to express  your love for animals, don't hesitate to contact this wonderful group. Click here if you want to learn more. And don't hesitate to comment or tell me what ignites your passion.

Till Next Time,
Carol