Monday, March 2, 2015

Monday Feature and Celebrations

Happy Monday, everyone!  I am celebrating several things today.  First, I am super excited for dear friend and fellow author, Sandra Cox, and the release of her new book, Love, Lattes and Mutants.  I've known Sandra for quite some time now thanks to this amazing community of bloggers, writers and authors.  I have read a couple of her books and really enjoy her stories!

Second, the dear brought home ANOTHER rescue kitty.  We named him Cheex because he is always smiling and is quite the chubby little fellow.  Luna hasn't taken a liking to him just yet but we are making progress!  She no longer hisses at him or runs away.  They mostly stare at each other and then she walks away from him.  It's a bit sad because Cheex really gets hurt when Luna ignores him.  His purr/cry is heartbreaking but so damn cute at the same time.  He doesn't approach her or bug her.  Instead, Cheex waits patiently for Luna to acknowledge him.  He is also quite the snuggler and takes up half our bed when he sleeps with us. 

And only four weeks ago, the shelter found him out in the cold and snow, underneath a dumpster.  They asked the neighborhood if anyone had ever seen this cat before or knew if someone was missing him.  There were no signs posted around the streets or adds on Craigslist for Cheex.  We can only ASSUME he had a loving home before because the vet said he is about three years old and way too damn lovable.


 
 



Lastly, I am celebrating my February volunteer work.  And I apologize for being MIA for the last couple of weeks.  February was an extremely busy month for me.  I volunteered to read at seven low income schools for Celebrity Read hosted by United Way.  Each event was three hours long so by the time I finished in the morning, I had to go straight to the day job. 

I am not complaining though!  It was such an incredible experience to spend time with the children.  They truly lift me up with their smiles, excitement and enthusiasm.  I always say being able to be passionate about volunteer work is an irreplaceable gift.  I am blessed as each one of the kids leaves a mark on my heart forever. 


 
 








 


 
And now for Love, Lattes and Mutants!!

 
LOVE, LATTES, AND MUTANTS

Sandra Cox

Cover Reveal and Release
 
 

 
Blurb: Finding love is hard, even when you aren’t a mutant.

Like most seventeen-year-olds, Piper Dunn wants to blend in with the crowd. Having a blowhole is a definite handicap. A product of a lab-engineered mother with dolphin DNA, Piper spends her school days hiding her brilliant ocean-colored eyes and sea siren voice behind baggy clothing and ugly glasses. When Tyler, the new boy in school, zeroes in on her, ignoring every other girl vying for his attention, no one, including Piper, understands why...

Then Piper is captured on one of her secret missions rescuing endangered sea creatures and ends up in the same test center where her mother was engineered. There she discovers she isn’t the only one of her kind. Joel is someone she doesn’t have to hide from, and she finds herself drawn to the dolph-boy who shares her secrets. Talking to him is almost as easy as escaping from the lab. Deciding which boy has captured her heart is another story...

 

Bio:

Multi-published author Sandra Cox writes YA Fantasy, Paranormal and Historical Romance, and Metaphysical Nonfiction. She lives in sunny North Carolina with her husband, a brood of critters and an occasional foster cat. Although shopping is high on the list, her greatest pleasure is sitting on her screened in porch, listening to the birds, sipping coffee and enjoying a good book. She's a vegetarian and a Muay Thai enthusiast.

 

Links:






Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandraCox.Author




Are you celebrating anything?  Do you ever get nervous speaking in front of a large group of kids or adults?  Have you heard about Love, Lattes and Mutants?  If not, go grab your copy today!


60 comments:

  1. Thanks, Alex!

    Thanks for hosting me, Gina dear. Cheex looks a lot like my Belle. Love the pic of you two together. Sounds like you're making progress. Maybe Luna thinks he's hitting on her. grin. I'm so proud of your volunteer work.
    Hugs.

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    1. My pleasure, Sandra. I wish you the best success with this series!
      And thank you for saying this about my volunteer work.. that means a lot to me.
      I just had them two out together for 15 minutes watching each other play. Progress, lol

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  2. congrats to Sandra! :) and OMGGG the baby!!! I love him! what a beauty too...I'm a) so glad you have him now and b) so glad he has you! the older kitties are so hard to get adopted. I was open to any age when looking, but Penny (10 weeks at the time, 9 months now) demanded I take her, the sweetheart! now I want more so badly lol

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    1. Awe, congrats on giving Penny a home! She is adorable and must love you very much.
      We really lucked out with Cheex. I knew Luna would only tolerate another cat who wouldn't intimidate or bug her too much. He knows exactly when to step back from her if he's said 'HI" to much, lol.
      You should totally get another one!=)

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  3. Excited for Sandra. Her book looks great.

    Aw, Cheex! He's so cute! What a little cuddler!

    You and your school visits—you impress me so much, Gina!

    Oh, I answered your question on my blog about Thunderclap if you want to check it out.

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    1. Awe, thanks Kelly! You never cease to impress me with your endless new releases and dedication to your author work and writing.
      I will check out your answer, yay!

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    2. Great, Kelly! I signed up=)

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  4. Cheex is adorable! Whenever we got a new kitty when I was a kid, they wouldn't get along for the longest time, but they eventually settled down and got to know each other. Or they realized neither one of them are leaving so they better tolerate each other. haha

    Those are great pictures from your visit! I always love seeing them. :)

    Congratulations to Sandra! It's nice to see another of her releases.

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    1. Sandra is releasing books left and right! Her cat series is really neat, Chrys. If you haven't checked Makita out, you should! Especially since you love cats as much as Sandra and I do=)
      I think Luna is just going to give in because she has to realize sooner or later neither of them are leaving our nest, lol

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  5. Congrats on your new kitty. How cute! Best of luck to Sandra.

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  6. Hi Gina, found you on shewrites.com. Glad I stopped by! Looks like you had fun reading to the kids. Thanks for sharing your joy! :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Shelah! Welcome to my cozy place of writing=)

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  7. Lucky cat and lucky you! Seems like a match made in heaven to me.

    I'm always a bit tense before speaking to a group, but I know that's just because I want to do a good job. Once I'm started I'm fine. Loved the pictures of you with the kids and the cat, of course.

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    1. Thanks, Lee=)
      I never would have imagined myself speaking in front of both children and adults. I have a confession to make which is what I tell the classrooms... one of the reasons it took forever for me to publish my children's book was because I didn't want to speak in front of large groups. I knew I had to and I was so nervous. As the years went by, I learned to get over my fear because being around the children would only spark my passion to want to write more books for them.
      The kids are always surprised to learn I was nervous in the beginning which put my author work on pause. I love telling them about the journey because they are really interested in becoming authors and illustrators themselves someday. And it's more relatable when they know we are not all perfect and it takes hard work and dedication to achieve our dreams.

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    2. Kids need to hear the truth like this from adults. Just because our bodies and minds are "mature," doesn't mean we don't have our insecurities and doubts. Good for you for sharing that with them.

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  8. That's such a cute kitty. And I love the pictures of you volunteering.

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    1. Thanks Lidy! I appreciate your kind words:)

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  9. How awesome that you did volunteer work for the United Way! They ROCK and so do you!! It's lucky that Cheex has found a loving, warm home. I'm sure Luna will come around soon - cats just have a protracted "Who's the boss?" period. Congrats to Sandra on her new mutant dolph-girl book - sounds fun!

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    1. Doesn't Sandra's book sound like a fun and interesting read?:)
      United Way does rock! They do so much for our communities so it's only right to help them.
      Thanks for stopping by Lexa!

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  10. I'm so glad Cheex has found a good home with you both! He looks like a totally cutie :) And I think it's awesome that you were able to visit so many schools--I can tell from the pictures that it was great for both the kids and you!

    Best of luck to Sandra--I'm looking forward to reading this one!

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  11. Thanks, Meradeth!
    Cheex sure is a cutie! And he gets away with his nautiness for it:)
    I'm so excited for Sandra, she deserves great success!

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  12. Congrats to Sandra! Cute photos.

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  13. Congrats to Sandra, and you did a wonderful thing with your visits.

    Your new kitty is so adorable.

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    1. Thank you, Medeia=) He sure is a cutie pie.

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  14. I've seen Sandra's cover before and love it. And Cheex is so cute! I love that name. I laughed when I read that Luna doesn't hiss at him anymore. He's stealing her shine, lol!

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    1. Lol, I know! But he's too cute when he follows her or watches her from a distance. He cries like a little baby when she ignores him. They are making progress but I do understand how Luna feels. She was tossed to the streets and then found a comfortable home. She feels like her territory is being invaded so we just have to give her time.
      Sandra's cover is so unique. I love it!

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  15. What a cute story! Dolph boy. Dolph girl. Such wonderful imagination. Congrats, Sandra on your cover reveal and book release. It's nice to catch up with you Gina. Looks like you've been busy with your passions! Love the new kitty. So sweet.

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    1. Sandra's story is so unique! And so is the cover. I love this storyline.
      Cheex is too cute for his own good. And gets away with everything like keeping us up all night while taking up half our bed, lol.

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  16. Congratulations, Sandra!

    Oh, Gina, Cheex is so sweet! What a love. You guys are wonderful for taking him in. I bet Luna will eventually warm up to him :)

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    1. I hope so=) It's taking a while but at least she isn't hissing as much. Cheex is such a big baby though, lol. He's extremely hurt when she doesn't give him attention... which is most of the time!

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  17. I have heard of Sandra's new book on another blog. Congratulations on the release and that fun cover, Sandra! Cheex sounds like a darling. Luna will embrace him (or just coolly acknowledge him) one day. Tell him to hang in there. I'm so happy for you for the school visits!

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    1. Isn't her cover so much fun?=)

      I'm actually overnighting at my job and this is the first time I am away from Cheex and Luna, together. I keep texting the dear to see what they are up to, lol. As you can see, I am a very concerned cat mommy now!

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  18. Gina, what a wonderful month it's been for you! And my heart warms over Cheex! Congrats on a new member of your family. :) I just got Sandra's book last week, been itching to get into it once work slows down a bit!

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    1. I know. I read one of Sandra's other books, Makita, and don't know when I will be able to squeeze this one in. FYI, I love her cat series. Makita is really emotional will have you in tears.

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  19. Great for Cheex! Congrats to Sandra!

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  20. This post gave me the warm and fuzzies all around! How great that you gave an abandoned kitty a good home. He looks very happy.

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    1. He sure is=) He loves his belly rubs and snuggle time. I almost trip over him all of the time because he follows me all over the place, lol

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  21. Hi Gina! Hanging out with little people is such fun! I'm glad you seized the opportunity! Hope you don't mind but I secretly hope no one steps forward and claims Cheex! He seems like the perfect addition to your home :-)
    Congratulations, Sandra! Judging by your blurb, "Love, Lattes and Mutants" will be a chart-topping success :-) What an intriguing storyline.

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  22. Aww! Cheex is so adorable!

    Congrats to Sandra! Love that title!

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  23. Best wishes to Sandra with her new book!
    Cheex is ADORABLE! I'm allergic to cats, and I still want to snuggle him ♥

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  24. Congratulations to Sandra! Love the title. Photos are adorable.

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  25. Thanks to all for the kind wishes.

    Big hug, Gina dear.

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  26. Wow! Way to go with rescuing kitties and reading to children! I love that!

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  27. Your new kitty seems like such a sweetheart!

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  28. Your new kitty seems like such a sweetheart!

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  29. Hoping the sun has found your area, Gina dear, and melted all the snow.
    Hugs

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  30. Hi Gina - Cheex has a great new home now - so pleased he's healthy and now much loved once again. Fascinating volunteer work you're doing - bet the kids love the input you give them .. and then the interaction afterwards ... Celebrity Read hosted by United Way - has met its goals ... fabulous idea .. cheers Hilary

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  31. Tabbies are great cats. Every one I've ever encountered has had a friendly, warm personality.

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  32. Hi Gina, just checking in. :) Have a good weekend ahead.

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  33. These photos are lovely, thanks for sharing. Congrats to Sandra.

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  34. Hi Gina,Hope you had a wondrous weekend, Gina dear.

    Thanks, New Release Books:)

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  35. Hi Gina, I nominated you for the Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award. You can check it out http://jcceewatkinsbarney.com/2015/04/30/blog-awards-lets-get-to-know-me-a-little-more/

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  36. thought of you b/c I almost adopted a second kitty this week...haven't seen you blog in ages, hope all is well! <3

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  37. Hi Beth! I just posted a blog post about my disappearance today. I missed you! All of you! And that is wonderful about your new kitty!=)

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  38. Dear Gina, I wonder sometimes, if you ever come back & read your works of art & beautiful comments, that your friends & fans have written to you. I am hoping that you do & that you will someday see this comment. I am sure, that I speak for many others...we miss you. There is not a day that goes by, when I turn on my computer, that I don't wish I'd be able to tune into, one of your new thoughts & adventures. As your book once put it...Come Back Dear Sun", I am pleading...Come Back "to all of us" Dear Gina. Love, Mommy

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