Friday, March 6, 2020

Dear Abby - Videos Abby Likes: Dachshunds Digging Happily

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a good week! I am doing fine, although it has been very rainy here, so my walks have been shorter than usual.

The rainy weather gave me time to enjoy some dachshund videos online. I found a fun one! It features a bunch of dachshunds digging. They are digging so happy -- the dirt is flying!  It looks like they may be planning to dig a tunnel that will connect somehow.  They have certainly gotten a lot of digging done in their yard.  There is some fun Keystone Cops type music playing as the dogs dig.

You'll find the video here. It's from The Dodo channel on Youtube, which I like a lot! They have nothing but animal related videos.



If you have a dog, does he or she like to dig?  I walk on leash so don't get the opportunity. I don't really enjoy getting muddy so I am not sure I would be a big fan of digging in the mud.

Wishing you a good week ahead!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Book Review and Giveaway - Dressed Up 4 Murder (Sophie Kimball Mystery) by J.C. Eaton

My Review
Dressed Up 4 Murder is a cozy mystery set in Arizona.  Phee Kimball is settling in at her new home with her boyfriend, Marshall, who is a detective.  She gets involved in detecting herself after her mother's dog Streetman discovers a body under a neighbor's tarpaulin covered grill. He has been poisoned.  Streetman, a mischievous chiweenie, is scheduled to compete in several holiday theme pet costume contests. When one of the other pet owners ingests the same poison that the neighbor did, Phee and Marshall look for clues to connect the two cases.

I wanted to read Dressed Up 4 Murder because I enjoyed a previous book in this series. I especially love reading about Streetman the chiweenie (dachshund - chihuahua mix), since I love dachshunds and dogs in general.

Phee is a likable and smart character. I enjoy seeing her work to solve cases, especially alongside Marshall.  Their relationship adds another layer to the story.

I also liked the holiday pet parades that were featured through the book. They were a lot of fun. Streetman has a real knack for finding mischief wherever he goes! I have to admit I laughed out loud with his adventure involving a giant inflatable turkey at one of the events.

There were little touches of humor (usually involving Streetman) like this description of the walking map Phee's mother made for him:

"I had completely forgotten about the walking map.  My mother put more effort into Streetman's map than National Geographic did with any of theirs.  She had painstakingly noted every rock, bush, pole, and mailbox he liked to lift his leg on.  In addition, she had circled all of the yards that were off-limits to him and had included anecdotal notes on the bottom of the map with such tidbits as 'Crazy screaming lady will come out of the house if the dog so much as steps foot on her gravel.'" (Kindle location 671)

The mystery in this story was particularly interesting since there were connections between pet parade participants and also a seafood company.  Having two strong mystery leads led to extra detecting for Phee.

I recommend Dressed Up 4 Murder, and this series, for fans of cozy mysteries featuring dogs. This is a fun series and I already look forward to the next book by J.C. Eaton.

Book Synopsis

Last one standing is the winner . . .

The holiday season has arrived and bookkeeper/amateur sleuth, Sophie “Phee” Kimball, would love nothing more than to enjoy the comforts of her new home with her detective boyfriend near Arizona’s Sun City West. Instead, her mother Harriet wants to showcase her chiweenie-chihuahua-dachshund Streetman in the Precious Pooches Holiday Extravaganza costume events. The festivities begin in October and end on St. Patrick’s Day—with the winner starring in the St. Pat’s Day parade. But things quickly turn an awful shade of green when Streetman uncovers a dead body under a tarp-covered grill in the neighbor’s yard.

The victim is Cameron Tully, a seafood distributor working out of Phoenix, who died from ingesting a toxic sago palm leaf. Before the police can even find a motive and suspect, another Precious Pooch owner nearly dies from the same poison. With Harriet believing someone’s targeting her and Streetman because of the costume contests, Phee will need a potful of Irish luck to sniff out a killer . . .


Author Bio -  Meet Ann and Jim, Writing as J.C. Eaton

Ann I. Goldfarb

New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, they have authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington), The Wine Trail Mysteries (Kensington Lyrical Underground), and the Marcie Rayner Mysteries (Camel). In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. Visit us at:

James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb.  Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching. Visit the website at www.jceatonmysteries.com and the blog at www.jceatonauthor.com

Author Links:
www.jceatonmysteries.com
www.jceatonauthor.com
www.facebook.com/JCEatonauthor/
www.timetravelmysteries.com

Purchase Links – Amazon  –  B&N  – Kobo  – Google Books  – IndieBound

Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl

Book Synopsis
“Obstinate, headstrong girl!”

For over two hundred years, the heroine of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Elizabeth Bennet has enchanted and inspired readers by being that “obstinate, headstrong girl” willing to stand up to the arrogance and snobbery of her so-called betters. Described by Austen as having a “lively, playful disposition,” Elizabeth embodies the perfect imperfections of strong-willed women everywhere: she is spirited, witty, clever, and loyal.

In this romance anthology, ten Austenesque authors sketch Elizabeth’s character through a collection of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times. In ELIZABETH: OBSTINATE, HEADSTRONG GIRL, she bares her most intimate thoughts, all the while offering biting social commentary about life’s absurdities. Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles of others’ opinions, not to mention her own flaws, to find a love truly worthy of her—her Mr. Darcy—all with humor and her sparkling charm. “I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print…” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, January 1813―and we think so too!

Foreword by NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Tessa Dare.

Stories by: Elizabeth Adams, Christina Boyd, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D'Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes.

Available on Amazon

Note from Editor Christina Boyd
This Dream Team of authors--Elizabeth Adams, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D'Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes--joined me on another adventure with no promise of success but countless hopes. Like many journeys, we encountered unexpected turns, and even a few disappointments, but "it was our business to be satisfied" and prefer to "think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure." I am forever indebted for their creativity, inspiration, great suggestions, and adherence to schedule. And for bolstering my own offering of an Elizabeth story. I can easily count you all as my friends. I am really proud of their work and how well this collection of stories came together.

In my previous anthologies, we were blessed to have such stellar Austen academics like Dr. Claudine DiMuzio and Dr. Devoney Looser write our forewords, and it was doubly important to find someone who really understood Austen, especially Elizabeth Bennet, for this project as well. I had heard that New York Times and USA Today bestselling Regency romance author Tessa Dare had once upon a time written Jane Austen fan fiction. When author Beau North suggested we ask her to write the foreword, there was a resounding "Yes!" You might say we were audacious to even ask but, in the temperament of Lizzy Bennet, our "courage always rises..." When she ardently accepted, you can imagine us: "What delight! What felicity!"--well, more like fangirl squeals! Tessa's love of Elizabeth Bennet and her deft understanding for the scope of this anthology left me wholly gratified, knowing we asked the right person to introduce this fifth anthology of the QuillCollective series.

We hope this homage to one of Jane Austen's best-beloved heroines will not disappoint, especially those that suggested an "Elizabeth" anthology back in 2017. Like Darcy, we "had never been so bewitched by any woman" and writing this collection has been diverting/gratifying/delightful. Please accept these stories in the same affectionate spirit they were written. Elizabeth:Obstinate Headstrong Girl is dedicated to "the Elizabeth Bennet in all of us" because I'd like to think she resides in our hearts, even if but a little spark of courage, wit, loyalty--and whether we reveal her to the outside world or not, she is there inspiring us to find our own felicity and dignity. --Christina Boyd, editor

Giveaway
#OmgItsOHG (as in Oh-my-gosh, it’s Obstinate Headstrong Girl)

One book (e-book, paperback, or Audiobook of your choosing) from EACH of the eleven authors’ backlist are up for grabs. Ends March 31.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE