Instagram

(2020)

Have you started to follow Guinness the Therapy Dog on Instagram?

You can find him using @real_Guinness_the_Therapy_Dog

Photos and videos are posted every day. It’s the best way to have a glimpse into his large life.

On the weekend, I posted a video of Guinness trying the #eggchallenge. Have you heard of this?

Basically, there’s a theory that a dog innately knows that an egg is fragile and will carry it delicately in its mouth instead of breaking the shell.

Well, Guinness and his sister, Lucy, both failed in a big way. Guinness dropped his and then chomped down on it to get to the raw egg. Lucy just licked hers.

I would call that a hard fail.

Try it with your dog and let me know how it goes! Sonja

Groundhog Day!

Today is the day! We find out if Phil the groundhog from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania sees his shadow. If he does, it means there will be six more weeks of winter.

Here in the desert Southwest, that’s not a problem since the weather is so pleasant. Unfortunately, for those of you who live in the winter weather and have braved all the snow and cold–six more weeks can seem like a very long time.

Groundhog Day was first celebrated on Gobbler’s Knob, PA on February 2, 1887.

The roots of the celebration are firmly plants in Candlemas, an ancient Christian tradition. During this time, the clergy would distribute candles they had blessed. The German community expanded on this idea by including a hedgehog as a predictor of winter’s length. When German settlers came to America, they changed the animal from a hedgehog to the groundhog. Hedgehogs were hard to find!

Groundhogs hibernate for the winter, climb trees, can swim, and whistle when they are frightened!

They live in burrows, which is where you can find Phil most of the time. He is most likely the most famous groundhog in the world and has a cushy life filled with vegetables and fruit. He works one day per year, but what a day! There’s even a ball in honor of his day.

I hope you get the weather prediction you hope for from Phil! Sonja

February Bucket List

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Here is a bucket list for this month:

Read at least two books

Find a new author that you love

Try a new genre

Draw a picture

Walk your dog as many days as possible

Remember all the birthdays this month

Find a new podcast

Improve your sleep by reducing screen time before bed

Cook or bake something using a new recipe

Hug your dog every day (No dog? Hug your neighbor’s dog!)

Enjoy this new month. Sonja

My Love of Candles

Photo by Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash

When I write, which is every day, I sit at the dining room table. That way I’m near my dogs, my movies, and my candles.

I have a candle in a frosted glass holder exactly like the one in the photo. I keep it lit while I’m sitting there and working. I also have a teapot warmer that keeps my tea hot. It was purchased in Germany and heats the tea using a tea light. I have tapers on the breakfast bar in a holder that used to be my grandmother’s and tea lights on the window sill.

Can you tell that I love candles?

I buy tea lights by the bushel and scour sales for larger candles. I’ve been lucky enough to buy large bags filled with candles from estate sales. Those have lasted for weeks!

What do you use to make your workspace warm and comforting? Sonja

Photo by Zoran Kokanovic on Unsplash

Austen-phile

I must admit that I love Jane Austen. I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ almost every year and love the 1995 movie adaptation of ‘Persuasion’ (I’m watching it right now). I also love reading her other novels, including ‘Mansfield Park’, ‘Emma’, and ‘Sense and Sensibility’.

I remember reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ for the first time and not realizing it was a romantic comedy. My brain tried to find the serious tone in every scene. I enjoyed the book much more and was more relaxed, once I realized I could laugh during some scenes and enjoy the writing.

It’s a relief to read a well-written and funny book. I’ve been disappointed so many times by reviews and cover copy that promises “laugh out loud” writing and dialogue. It rarely delivers.

I think I am a tough audience for comedy even though I enjoy it so much. It takes a lot to get me to laugh aloud, but when I do it’s with my entire heart.

The last time I laughed at writing was when I attended ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’. It was a stage play and the slapstick was expected, yet still very funny. I laughed until my eyes teared. Wholly unexpected, yet very satisfying!

I hope you find something to make you smile today. Sonja

Do you like thrillers?

This is a book for those over 18 years of age, written by an author from Florida.

This is the synopsis, courtesy of Google Books:

Five Catholic priests have been murdered all around Tampa Bay. Law enforcement forms a task force, but is unable to find this killer, whose weapon of choice leaves clues but no answers. Father Angel, head of the Vatican’s special security projects, hires Reed O’Hara to hunt down this killer. Reed is a Tampa attorney and private investigator. She is a relentless pursuer of justice in the courtroom or on the streets. Reed and her husband Jake Dupree agree to track down the priest killer, even though they are fighting a takeover of their nightclub by Russian mobster Victor Petrov.

The author has been supportive of my books and I encourage you to take a look at his book. It is published by St. Petersburg Press.

Have a happy Tuesday! Sonja

Blogs, and Podcasts, and Articles. Oh, My!!!

  • Photo by James Tarbotton on Unsplash
  • Photo by Jonathan Farber on Unsplash
  • Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Lately, I have been trying to keep up on the happenings in the publishing world. What a task! Things happen so fast.

A publishing house that I admired has closed its doors. Agents come and go from agency to agency. Books are published, make lists, and then are gone.

How to keep up?

Blogs, podcasts, and articles!

I’ve also found that some agents write essays on their websites that are full of information and tips

It’s our job as writers to watch the industry and learn what’s going on. There is a lot of information on the web. Go find it.

Local indie bookstores are great sources for info and books. The owners tend to know what’s coming down the publishing pipe and are happy to recommend titles. Just ask! These fascinating and fun stores are the lifeblood of the writing game.

Near where I live, there is a large book festival that attracts approximately 135,000 people. I love attending, showing off my books, and meeting the parents and children that stroll through all the booths and tables. I have found that most want to buy a physical book and aren’t interested in downloading an ebook. I love to see people walking past my table with bags of books.

It makes me optimistic about the future of the book world.

I hope you take the time to read today. Choose the format you like and find a comfy corner. I read printed and ebooks, plus listen to audiobooks in the car. Find what works for you.

Keep reading! Sonja