Inching Along, Making Progress on the Bingo Venture

Here's the mock up for the 7 x 5 inch "post card" style media flier that I will send to bookstores for my Bingo's Big Adventure book.

Here's the front side.


This is the back side.


Now would this advertisement make you interested in buying this book?

Comments welcome. Feed back positive or critical would be greatly appreciated.

If you are interested in advanced purchase of Bingo's Big Adventure hop over to the Bingo book sale site HERE. As soon as the boxes containing books hit my porch I'll be ripping them open, packaging books up and sending them out. Also, I promise to sign your book too!

Hope you're having a great Memorial Day weekend.

p.s. I am looking for independent books stores in your area. If you have any to suggest, send me the names!! I'm building my list of stores to send my media packages. I can do the San Francisco bay area easily. I need to start creating my out-of-state independent book store lists now too.

Thanks, thanks!

The Striped Cat with the Green Eyes has an Easy Life

Really. . .

Do I have to open my eyes? Can I not just stay inside my cave a wee bit longer? What? I have obligations to fulfill? What? People have expectations of me?


I will open my eyes, but I can't help feeling like I'd prefer climbing into the cat's house, then take a nap for a week. Or two. Bingo landed in the right place at the right time. When is that going to happen to me? For Bingo he had no choice in his path, I chose him to join our chaos. I however, must pilot my landing and my own course through life. No rest for the weary.

I feel tired.
I feel anxious.
I feel unsettled.

Bingo is obviously unaffected.

Maybe it's just the rotovirus which has left me feeling dizzy and confused. I'm still nauseous from that evil little bug. My stomach seems to be irreversibly queasy.

Maybe it's the fact that this week I went final on the Bingo book and the count down for many boxes of books arriving at my house is for real.

My mind was spinning uncontrollably like a rogue galaxy last night as I was mulling through marketing and selling my little, meager children's book. I could not fall asleep as I ping-ponged from idea to idea, each of my thoughts threaded together weaving some strange, ugly looking macrame wall hanging. Not clean, not orderly, not something I want to hang on my wall, but something I am committed to and that I can not throw away.

For seven months I have been working on my book creation. Now I have to make "it" happen. I am a new author and a new independent publisher. It's all up to me now. It's my job to show off my book, to visit independent book stores, to tell folks why they should and need to sell my book, to tell the big book stores why they should sell my book, and more.

I am excited and scared. Nervous and happy. Worried and but confident.

A dichotomy of emotions are to be expected I am sure. This is all perfectly normal. Right?

There is so much to do in the next 30 days, but so much of what I need to do can't begin until the books arrive. Me oh my. Oh Me Oh My. I've got my work cut out for me.

What have I got myself into?

What's Been Cookin'?

Long time no blog! Boiled volley ball? Anyone? Anyone?


Volleyball stew complements of my daughter Ella . . . I think this is where the term, "Taste's like shoe leather" comes from. No takers?

How does my girl come up with these things?


Now, on to Wyatt.

How about Lima bean sprouts?

First you'd have to wrestle it away from this little farmer-man. . .


Let's not make any comments about the grape pop-sickle face, shall we?

He's mighty proud of his bean sprout and the joy of seeing it grow brings a certain sparkle to his eye that borders on amazing with a dash of naughty. Why is that???

Then here's a check up with Bingo the Mighty Adventurer . . .


Bingo said, "Sniff, sniff. I sniff all in my territory. Especially these strange flashy things in my garden personal litter box. The Tall Lady really hates me near the garden, but I just tell her that I am "weeding" for her. Who cares if I take out a few carrot seedlings or kill the radishes. . . I am a cat. I can do these things."


"I can also sleep in absurd positions on the Tall Ladies bed. There is a rule in the feline world, if you did not know . . . 'Sleep in those areas where you are not desired, and sleep with commitment.' I think I do both splendidly. After all, I need all the rest I can get. My book was sent to the printers last week and I will hopefully be famous soon. Well, I can aspire to greatness can't I?"

Enough from that spoiled cat!!

And on that note, I will intercept the fully bound hardback and softback proofs from the printer next Monday. Hopefully it will be perfect and I will be able to push the GO button on Bingo's BIG Adventure so it will be available for shipping in about 35 days!!

The final blood, sweat, and tears to get that little book to print-ready status was arduous last week.

Time for a little break. A breather. Or something like that.

Bye for now!!!

This is a Reoccuring Theme at Our House...

Hi Folks!

We've had a lot of rain this year. Episodes like this are happening way, way too often around here.


Someone is like a pig in slop within the mud puddles that are plentiful on our property.


The hands have ground in dirt. The kind that does not easily come off with scrubbing. Can you believe these are the hands of a FIVE year old?? The look like "man" hands to me.


No body parts are spared. Imagine that.


Wyatt says, "I think I have a piece of mud in my eye."
Mom says, "Ya think?"


Wyatt says, "Mom, the mud is cool and fun. I like getting dirty and running around in it. I like when it dries up on me." Hmmm. I'd have never guessed.

Well I think he's the new spokesboy for mud facials at this point.

And on to other topics.

I have been working diligently on this.

I am a few weeks away from printing this book as a children's story. Here's a snippet from inside...



There's lots of adventure and a cameo by our rooster, Mr D.

Finally, we're off to Idaho and Montana on a vacation for a week! Woo Hooo! Wish us luck on the 18 hour drive. I can see fun times will be had by all.

Bye for now!!

Bingo's Big Adventure

From behind these bars I can touch the outdoors. I have been locked inside for an eternity since moving to this new place. How I have longed to breath the fresh country air, roll in the dirt and get mud on my paws! Oh, the wonderful taste of dead plant leaves. Joy oh joy, I am a blessed cat...


Wait, there appears to be a gate I can walk through and there are steps descending to the land of happiness. Let me pause, ponder, and assess the situation. Open land before me, no dogs. Hmm. This is too good to be true.


There is a large white thing with black circles in front of me. Maybe I should give it a good long sniff to find out just what has been here before me. I should also climb it. We cats like to climb stuff even when we are not supposed to. How can I leave a vehicle without putting my dainty paw prints on it. Believe me, they don't leave that lesson out at kitty academy. In fact, I got extra credit in car window painting.


Wait! I see trouble. It's big, it's orange, and it's full of teeth and claws. I KNEW this was too good to be true. Maybe I should run. No, I'll just bide my kitty time.


See! It's Jimmy the cat. He hunches his back and sulks toward me. I think he wants to kick my ass. I hope not. I am just a kitten after all.


An amicable greeting! Yeah! He does not want to kill me. This is progress.


Good enough, I must be off to bigger and better things. I am an adventurer today. I am Top Spaz and must keep moving. I see stuff I need to do around this place.


Like scaling the tree in squirrel position. Lesson two at kitty academy was climbing trees. I got an A on my final. I wonder if the chickens can do this. Naw.

I've been stalking them with little success. They are so flinchy and move fast it makes me excited. I LIKE THEM. But, they are bigger than me and I think they might peck me really hard if I attacked.


Oh the lofty view from this tree is awesome!! Cat heaven. Stick me with a claw, I am done. What else is there to do now that I have scaled this tree???


Oh, I see something peeking at me with a beady little eye from behind the bushes. It has been stalking me. Or rather, aggressively following me. I don't think he likes me near his hens. I never learned about these animals in class. Or, maybe I was napping during that lecture...


It's the rooster, Mr D. He makes sure to keep close tabs on my location, since he's on to my hankering for a hen. I just know they'd taste really good and those feathers in my mouth would get me in a frenzy.

So, he keeps himself between me and the pretty feathered ones. Drat!


Now I see the Tall Lady. Hey Mom, do you think I can come home now? I'm really tired.


I am tuckered out with this adventuring stuff. It is simply too much of a good thing. Time to find my favorite blanket and get some zzzzzzzz's.

Bye for now!

To see the kids book with expanded photos click the icon below! This story is available for sale in a 10x8 hardback and softback!