tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83362279955567990182024-02-08T04:01:19.433-08:00BARBARA MORGENROTHSmart Books for Smart WomenBarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.comBlogger328125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-62776428801469055612017-08-03T06:26:00.000-07:002017-08-03T06:26:04.628-07:00Douglas Fairbanks JrIt must have been difficult, at least in his early years, living in his father's shadow. Douglas Fairbanks was an amazing athlete and bursting with life. To see him in Black Pirate doing all his own stunt work<br />
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it's simply extraordinary in any era.<br />
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But Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was extraordinary in his own right. Beyond being a good actor, he was a thoughtful, intelligent man, a decorated Naval officer with many years of service to his country, well after WWII. His two volume biography Salad Days is definitely worth reading, written by himself, his good humor and wisdom shines through.<br />
He was also a damn fine looking man as proven in this George Hurrell portrait.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-11197080179618756182017-08-02T11:11:00.002-07:002017-08-02T11:14:58.690-07:00Caro James Does Hollywood<div style="text-align: left;">
Do you remember seeing the screwball comedies from the 1930's? I do and love them. My new book, The Missing Baby Star, owes these fun and sometimes zany confections a debt. Part romance, part fancy and all enjoyment, these stories lifted the audience up during tough times. Maybe this book will do the same for you. Check out the sample and see for yourself.</div>
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<a href="https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B074D3FJG6&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_2CGGzb979YSQ7" target="_blank">Hollywood Hearsay 1: The Missing Baby Star</a> </div>
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<a href="https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B074D3FJG6&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_2CGGzb979YSQ7"></a>Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-13228651189142098372017-07-26T10:45:00.001-07:002017-07-26T10:45:12.476-07:00Like a Ship's Bow Touching a New ShoreThe first book in my historical mystery series will be released in less than a week, August 1, and it's a very exciting time for me. Really. It's set in a time period I love--the early 1930's, with a background I adore--Hollywood. I hope you will give it a look.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s 1933. When hard news
reporter, Caro James, reveals the secret life of a politician in New York, much
to her dismay, The New York Sentinel newspaper sets out to teach her a lesson
about the rules of journalism. They send
her to Los Angeles to write fluff pieces on the film industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The contact in Hollywood who is supposed to guide her for the week of
punishment, is the handsome and unpredictable movie director, Sugar McLaughlin.
Soon a story falls in Caro’s lap. A young, beautiful starlet has been missing
for two weeks and is in great danger. Caro and Sugar must find June Fowler
before she is lost forever. When the one
person who knows what happened to June is murdered, Caro and Sugar can’t help
but think they’ve reached a dead end. As
Sugar knows, every story has an Act III and Caro is in for the ride of her life
as they race to find the starlet. </span><b style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-49858996177216034102017-07-16T05:50:00.002-07:002017-07-16T05:50:31.486-07:00Newness in OldnessThis weekend I'm finishing up the first novella in a new series. I'm enjoying the experience. It's historical, set back about 90 years so no, it's not a Regency. It's fun and it's reminding me of something I've missed for a while. <br />
I'll give more information later and a cover reveal. <br />
What a terrific way to spend the summer!Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-35988023502425192122015-10-29T10:38:00.002-07:002015-10-29T10:42:05.119-07:00The Why of Bad Apple 1: Sweet CiderSome years ago, a man I knew was murdered. It's an event that shocks you into numbness, horror and fear. Then comes reflection. You need to answer the question "why?" so draw immediate conclusions. Life must regain its equilibrium, so you grab for anything that makes sense. That's comfort.<br />
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Unfortunately many murders are not random happenstances where people snapped and committed a terrible act. There are years and incidents leading up to the moment. If you are fortunate, you get all the information you need to understand.<br />
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It took a number of years for me to come to a place where I could explain the murder of the man I knew to myself. Then I wrote Bad Apple so I could present the important elements to others. <br />
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These books are not the only way it could have been done. I could have told about the ring of men who found the young boys to molest, how they were groomed to submit, how the man in the book enjoyed the life he lived and was anything but ashamed or regretful, but I chose to tell the story through Neal, who was collateral damage of the lifestyle choices of the pedophile.<br />
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I wanted to tell Neal's story because she survived and no one else did.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-13732822735908257022015-10-26T11:20:00.005-07:002015-10-26T11:20:53.349-07:00When the frost is on the fieldIt's autumn.<br />
Ziggy's tail is full of dried burdocks. I ask her where she picks them up but she refuses to answer.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-63498926924597047622015-10-17T13:59:00.003-07:002015-10-29T10:43:16.767-07:00Persistent or Obsessed?Probably both and it's not a bad thing.<br />
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I want Bad Apple to find its audience so I've been learning about Facebook ads this week. Here's the image I think will run<br />
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I've been getting some mentoring help from <a href="http://kindlepreneur.com/" target="_blank">Dave Chesson</a>, who has been smart and generous, because this process is more complicated than I could have imagined.<br />
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There was an article about pedophiles in Germany this week. Everything seems to make so much sense when it's theoretical. When it isn't personal, you can have detached involvement. You can mouth all the platitudes and say these people need to be understood and given treatment and then you can go on to the next thing in your life.<br />
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Unfortunately, real people have emotions, drives and instincts that are primitive rather than reasoned. Most people can't control themselves. They know they shouldn't reach for the Doritos and then they polish off a whole bag. They know they shouldn't do many things but once that idea is lodged in their minds, it's like they've been hit by a tractor beam and are pulled closer and closer until they act on the idea.<br />
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I suppose this issue of pedophilia could have been featured more prominently in the book. Maybe it should have been. Maybe it will someday. It wasn't appropriate for the audience I was writing for at the time. But I did explain it as I saw it then.<br />
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When it happened, when the police told me my friend had been murdered, everything was so clear, so comprehensible. He was a victim. Someone had taken his life. Then when I found out the killer had been molested by my friend as a child, suddenly he became a victim and nothing was clear. It still isn't. The killer is in prison doing 45 years. They were both smarter than to end up like this but there were irresistible dark passions working on them.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-70834609415311850592015-10-13T12:49:00.002-07:002015-10-13T12:49:46.282-07:00Free Audiobook of If Wishes Were HorsesWinner will be chosen at random from comments. Terrific narrator. Good luck!<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-19216150708172175872015-10-11T09:54:00.003-07:002015-10-11T09:54:46.298-07:00barbaramorgenroth.comI'm not a coder. I get confused by all this and know people say WordPress is so simple but eventually I'll learn it, just not now. So I get by with a very nice program from Microsoft--Expression Web. They gave up on it a while back and now offer it for free. I think it's quite lovely and has a less steep learning curve than Dreamweaver. It's still not easy and since not many people ever used it, there aren't many tutorials but I'm familiar with it.<br />
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I had some advice on my Bittersweet Farm page and that got published but I wanted to add a Bad Apple page and wound up in the weeds. Little weeds but sufficient to stop me for a couple weeks.<br />
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Today, triumph! <a href="http://barbaramorgenroth.com/pages/badapple.html" target="_blank">Bad Apple</a><br />
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Now I'm ready for the freebie promo coming up at the end of the month and get back to writing.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-48073994288187373832015-10-06T10:19:00.001-07:002015-10-06T10:19:18.348-07:00Why Did I Write Bad Apple One late August afternoon some years ago, I received a phone call. By the end of the day, I had been Mirandized at the police station, released, and was trying to fall asleep knowing a friend had been brutally murdered with a baseball bat.<br />
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You do want to make sense of these terrible incidents in life. You need to explain them to yourself so you can go on. Every week you see it on television. "He was such a nice boy. We can't believe this!" Is that possible? Can you not know? Not ever suspect something was wrong?<br />
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After a great deal of thinking, reading every scrap of paper in my friend's house, touching everything he had owned, and reading the killer's confession, I put the pieces together. For me, I understood.<br />
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That wasn't enough. I wanted to write it down. That took much longer. Not all of the Bad Apple series belongs to any particular person or incident. Some incidents illustrated the truth more clearly than the original story.<br />
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The cider press was over the mountain from me. That had nothing to do with the murder but it fit so perfectly, I had to use it. There are other elements. That's the storyteller's job to make sense out of disparate parts. <br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-8977293281446098132015-10-06T00:52:00.000-07:002015-10-06T00:52:03.203-07:00Bad Apple Box Set Pre-ReleaseMy attention is being pulled to this fine 4 book series I started before Bittersweet Farm. They are in KU right now but I'm also going to sell them as a box set. 4 novels for $7.99. That's $4 off what you'd have to pay normally. Since it's a new project, I need some readers and reviews. Just send me your email and I'll send you the set. If you think the books have merit, maybe you'll help me spread the word.<br />
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Neal Marchal has lived in paralyzing fear of her violent stepbrother, Joe Kent, for years.
<br />Finding her mentor brutally murdered, cold realization consuming
her, Neal Marchal knows Joe has returned. Don’t tell, Joe had said,
giving her a crushed leg to encourage her silence.
<br />The secret revealed, Neal flees to safety and begins rebuilding her
life. Suddenly, she has a surprising future—performing and a growing
affection for the young man who gave her the music she needs so
desperately. But the security and warmth were just illusions. Joe’s
going to finish what he started years ago because she told. This time
Neal vows she, not Joe, will survive.
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<br />A coming of age novel appropriate for adults and young adults.
Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-85921073577678220572015-10-03T04:32:00.004-07:002015-10-03T04:32:59.398-07:00It's Not Scary <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It helps your favorite author. It helps readers make a decision.<br />
Don't know what to say?<br />
Say "I liked it".<br />
Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-30542729848017213462015-09-30T05:27:00.001-07:002015-09-30T05:27:58.970-07:00How Long Does It Take To Write A Book?The answer is different for every writer and every book. Or it should be.<br />
Right now the digital book has excited readers. They enjoy reading and want more books. Writers want to provide more books because serving their audience is rewarding and it's also nice to be paid for the work you do. <br />
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A question we might be asking is whether a book equivalent to a Snickers bar or is it a meal?<br />
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If it's a Snickers, then a book just needs to offer quick, sweet satisfaction. If a book is a gourmet meal then time must be taken to prepare the offering. Thought and planning goes into a meal as well as various ingredients such as carefully chosen spices, herbs, and proteins to create layers of flavor.<br />
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It takes time to create something delicious that will be remembered as a unique experience.<br />
How much time is required to fit all the elements together so they blend harmoniously and leave a memory of being touched by a significant experience? I don't know. It takes the time it takes.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-71907087068394156952015-09-29T05:38:00.000-07:002015-09-29T05:38:19.454-07:00Love In The Air (sweet romance)Free copy for honest (of course!) review. Sweet, clean--seriously.<br />
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Pan Carlisle loves to fly; it's pilots she doesn't trust. Pilots are
brash, brazen, foolhardy, and altogether troublesome. They fly off and
don't return, leaving broken hearts behind. When Alex Milne, fresh from
military service and a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, lands in the
middle of the Carlisles' vintage aircraft museum, Pan wants no part of
his flyboy demeanor. <br />But Pan is struggling to keep her father's
vintage aircraft museum airborne, and she needs pilots. Alex has an
appreciation and knowledge of World War I aircraft, so accepting his
help in an air show is sensible. How long can good sense last when
attraction is heightened by altitude and attitude? Can Alex commit to
the future when hard contact with the ground taught him the present is
all there is?Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-83933478566415407082015-09-28T07:53:00.001-07:002015-09-28T07:58:01.033-07:00My Next Pair of SocksI knit. Not as an artisan but functionally well enough to make socks and sweaters. Well enough to have written a book about it, but let's forget that, shall we?<br />
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I did not dye this yarn although I used to dye most of the fiber I worked with. This is a nice colorway and it's a merino wool with a little bit of nylon for sturdiness. I have used 100% wool and mixes for socks. The mixes do last longer and I'm no fan of darning to fix the heels as they wear through.<br />
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As I was searching for a couple hanks of wool I know are somewhere, I found a pair of socks in a lovely wool I did dye some years back. They're finished except I never sewed the ends in. I should wear them but sometimes I feel some things are too pretty to use. I need to get over this bit of dumbness. <br />
<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-91206220289091310292015-09-25T14:43:00.001-07:002015-09-25T14:43:26.762-07:00Poor BelI thought the original title was right--Unspeakably Desirable.<br />
But I suspect no one understood it. In the digital world, the cover and the title must convey what the book is about. This didn't so I changed it a couple times. Still didn't work. <br />
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Now I've changed it again.<br />
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I'm concerned that some people scrolling past at speed won't recognize the image as French macarons. Yes or no?Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-66284168969007037972015-09-20T15:27:00.002-07:002015-09-20T15:27:20.783-07:00If You Like a Book, Tell a FriendThe best way you can help your favorite authors, besides buying their books, is to tell your friends how much you enjoy the stories.<br />
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One thing I did today besides making bread and getting ready to work on BF12, was to finish the 2nd sock I started months ago. I can't read, hold the Kindle and knit at the same time in bed. Can't. So I've been reading and not knitting. Then a couple weeks ago I realized cold weather would be here soon and I need heavy socks to go in my Ariat boots and Wellies. I started to knit. Here is the last sock. I finished it about an hour ago and I'll be set to wear these beautiful socks!<br />
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How are you getting ready for the change in seasons? </div>
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-33676997962386456662015-09-16T18:22:00.000-07:002015-09-16T18:22:14.157-07:00Fly Away With MeAs I rearrange and organize my books, I'm redoing some of the covers. Since I had to create the audio cover for this one, I decided to go for one with an airplane.<br />
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I don't know who manufactured this plane but I can tell you it's a staggerwing biplane.<br />
A biplane. A plane is a wing, or airfoil. Bi means two. A biplane has two wings, one above the other. This plane has the top wing to the rear of the lower wing. Staggered. So it is called a staggerwing.<br />
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I was fortunate enough to fly, very briefly, a staggerwing Stearman. It flew like a Cadillac, beautifully, comfortably.<br />
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Yes, there were triplanes and I've been lucky enough to see one fly. The most famous of the triplanes is probably a Fokker, the kind Manfred "Red Baron" von Richthofen flew in World War I.<br />
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Do people call single wing aircraft monoplanes? Sometimes. Now they're most commonly referred to as fixed wing. Fixed wing as opposed to a helicopter which I'm sure you know also has airfoils, like an airplane, but they are not fixed, they spin around very fast.<br />
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So much for your lesson on aviation.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-57964172562342497592015-09-13T07:32:00.001-07:002015-09-13T07:32:24.402-07:00Bad Apple--New CoversIn Kindle Unlimited with new covers.<br />
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My favorite photographer made some new photos available so I couldn't resist.<br />
The series is perched on the possibility of being available to libraries so that was another reason why I decided to change things up.<br />
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I hope in real life this model is happier than she seems in the images. Even Neal is happier than she seems in Book 1: Sweet Cider.<br />
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If anyone would like a free copy of Bad Apple 1: Sweet Cider, leave a comment with your email address and I'll send one to you.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-17214951467463895542015-08-23T06:45:00.000-07:002015-08-23T06:45:06.095-07:00Success, Challenges and Yellow PaintSome weeks are more surprising than others. This one falls under the heading of "I can't believe someone said that to me!"<br />
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The short story, Lockie, has been doing well. Thank you to those who purchased it and told me they enjoyed it.<br />
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The challenges-uck. My computer needs a major overhaul--major--and I've been putting it off for months but the time has arrived.<br />
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And my office is being painted yellow.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9F6iT_uOoBk/VdnN-o_8QLI/AAAAAAAAFOs/9TjyLW38KXA/s1600/BFbowsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9F6iT_uOoBk/VdnN-o_8QLI/AAAAAAAAFOs/9TjyLW38KXA/s400/BFbowsm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bittersweet Farm stable color bow by Ashley Dechant</td></tr>
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-85496780796618453612015-08-19T13:30:00.002-07:002015-08-19T13:30:33.712-07:00BF BookmarksI spent far too many hours to do something as easy as a bookmark but I overcame the challenges and now at least have the image file. Hopefully they will be printed perfectly.<br />
Some of the books may be available soon at certain horseshows and having bookmarks to give away is said to be good advertising.<br />
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We shall see.<br />
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This is the front. There is also a flip-side.<br />
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Thanks to Maggie Dana for the help!Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-87015221328499775412015-08-14T11:40:00.003-07:002015-08-15T05:47:33.338-07:00Horsey ReadsThere's certainly a growing number of equestrian related novels out there now and a few of us are going to create a central location to help readers find the books they want. It's not live yet but it will be soon.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-56236376323423130432015-08-14T04:07:00.001-07:002015-08-14T05:47:30.432-07:00Lockie: A Bittersweet Farm Short StoryI wanted to know more about the year Lockie lived before arriving at the farm, so I went there. I met a couple surprising people, too, and guarantee we will see at least one of them in the near future. <a href="http://amzn.to/1LaWFb3" target="_blank">LOCKIE</a><br />
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Live now at Amazon later today at iTunes.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-77344919099894209952015-08-09T10:27:00.001-07:002015-08-09T10:27:52.680-07:00How Horses Are Like DogsI'm sorry for the people who own or lease a horse but don't keep them at home. I know this is getting more difficult to do as property is at a premium and not everyone lives with enough room for a horse. You develop a special relationship with anyone you live with and horses are not an exception to that rule.<br />
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I've had quite a few horses in my life. I got my first horse when I was eleven. For 2 years of college, I was horseless. Then I had a stable where I taught and kept my horse there. After that I almost consistently had horses at home, including when I moved from the East Coast to the West, then to Kansas, then back home. The horses went with me.<br />
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Now I live with Ziggy, a TB/Oldenburg mare.<br />
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Since she is very responsible, she is given a great deal of freedom on the property. If I go to the mailbox, she hears the door open and leaves the barn to follow me and to see what I'm doing. If I hang up the laundry, there she is checking things out.<br />
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It's true she doesn't technically get underfoot the way the dogs do, I'm more under her feet, but she's naturally curious and wants to be with me. Unless there's delicious hay and then I definitely am less interesting than that.<br />
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While horses are herd animals and they really enjoy being with their own kind, they've been domesticated and do bond with humans, like dogs. The more time, not working, not training, not rushing to get done, you can invest in your relationship with your horse, the happier you will both be. If you can't keep the horse at home, set aside time to simply be together. You will be rewarded.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336227995556799018.post-83969049250266153112015-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:002015-07-29T06:00:08.704-07:00Summer Horse Audiobook Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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