Category Archives: real life

October 9, 2017

10 Fun facts about cats

10 fun facts about cats…#PetsInSpace

By Cara Bristol

A veterinarian once told me that the first thing they learned in veterinary school was that cats are not smaller versions of dogs. Cat lovers already knew that! Cats provide companionship like dogs do, but they call the shots. Are you owned by a feline? Here are 10 facts you may (or may not) know about your feline boss:

Cats hiss, spit, and purr with other cats, but they only meow with humans.
Cats can’t taste sweetness.
They sleep over 70 percent of the time.
Cats rub against people to mark their territory. (Yes, you are owned).
They use their whiskers to determine if they fit through a space.
A cat’s brain is more similar to a human’s than a dog’s.
Calico cats are almost always female.
The first cat cartoon was Felix the Cat in 1919.
A cat can run up to 31 miles per hour for short distances.
The first cat to go to into outer space Felicitte in 1963. She was sent by France to measure her brain activity.

Sources:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseamarshall/meows?utm_term=.dcBGWRKkp2#.td2RPAjrLe

https://www.factretriever.com/cat-facts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-tpmvGRoyw

I chose to write about a cat (a kitten) for Pets in Space.

Rescued by the Cyborg (A Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance) description

A cyborg’s haunted past and a Faria’s clouded future entwine

Hostage and sole survivor Solia waits for death at the hands of vicious predatory aliens when Cy-Ops agent Guy Roarke disobeys orders and charges in. A former medic, he initiates emergency medical procedures before rushing her to Cybermed.

Guy is taken with Solia, but the guilt of a past mistake won’t allow him to plan for a future with the delicate, brave beauty. Life is so uncertain, he can’t even keep Mittzi, the kitten his niece gave him. What he can do is see to it Solia gets the help she needs for a full recovery. But when best intentions place her in greater danger, it’s up to a little kitten to make everything all right again.

Rescued by the Cyborg excerpt

Guy pushed into his cabin. Next to his bags was the gift—a box tied with a big red bow. The carton was moving. And mewing. “Oh, Jessamine, what did you do?”

The box bumped into his foot. Atop the lid his niece had written: LIVE ANAMUL. OPEN IMED IMID SOON!

He ripped off the bow and peeled back the top. Inside, an angry, frightened kitten hissed. Jessamine’s cat had birthed a litter, and he recognized this baby by its gray coat, four white feet, and a blotch shaped like a star on its button nose.

Sighing, he reached into the carton.

The kitten growled and swiped its claws across his skin.

“Ow!” Guy yanked his hand back. The kitten leaped out and

dove under the berth.

Great. Just great. How could his niece have done such a thing? She shouldn’t have boxed up a live animal—even if she did punch air holes in the carton. If she hadn’t contacted him and insisted he open the present, the kitten might have remained inside for quite a while.

In the corner of the container, he spotted a slip of paper, partially shredded. He unfolded it.

Dear Uncle Guy,

I know you are sad, and I want you to be happy. I am giving you one of Fluffy’s kittens so you won’t be lonely. I named her Mittzi becuz she has four wite white mittens. Pleez come home again, soon.

Jessamine

XOXO

His sister worried about him, but Carter, too, and now Jessamine? He hadn’t hidden his feelings well enough if his seven-year-old niece could pick up on them.

Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2

The pets are back! Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors brings you a dozen original stories written just for you! Join in the fun, from the Dragon Lords of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back to Luda where Grim is King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant, Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!

10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence. http://www.petsinspaceantho.com

Cara Bristol Bio

USA Today bestselling author Cara Bristol writes steamy science fiction romance with an emphasis on the characters and their romance, with a little humor, heat, and danger added for fun. She is the author of three science fiction romance series: sexy cyborg Cy-Ops Scifi Romance series, the dark erotic Breeder series, and the new humorous Alien Mate series. She likes to say that she writes science fiction for readers who don’t like sci-fi. Cara lives in Missouri with her alpha hero, her husband, and Hannah, her cat, aka her writing supervisor.

Social media links:

Web site: http://www.carabristol.com

Newsletter: http://carabristol.com/get-your-free-book/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cara.bristol.3

Twitter: @CaraBristol, https://twitter.com/CaraBristol

Reading Dogs

By michellehowardwrites

Whenever I do an anthology with other authors I love to highlight a little about them and give you some peeks into their story. Today I get to share a bit from one of my co-authors from Embrace the Romance, an anthology that highlights pets of all likes. Below is the awesome Susan Grant as she shares a bit about Star Puppy, her contribution to this upcoming release.

Reading Dogs by Susan Grant

I can’t wait for you to meet Trysh, Rornn, Puppy, and the crew of Bezos Station, a city-sized space station in orbit above the planet of Barésh. Some of you may recognize these places—and even a few of the characters—from Star Champion (previously titled The Champion of Barésh) and Star Hero (expanded from the short story “Stray” from Pets in Space 1).

In my story, The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy. (Star Puppy), Puppy is a canine type of animal, a “yipwag” in the local dialect. They’re extremely smart. Like Earth dogs, yipwags are experts in predicting human behavior. Do you ever feel as if your dog can read minds? I know I do. It’s because they’ve made themselves experts in YOU. I often catch my border collie, Skye, watching me.

Skye is gathering information, storing it away to better predict my behavior. For example, it’s no surprise that when I get ready to leave the house, she already knows if she’s going to be coming with me or staying home. Hints can be gleaned from things as subtle as me not making as much eye contact (she’s not coming along). We humans are hardly aware of such faint signs, but dogs see our intentions like billboards!

In Star Puppy, Puppy is learning to read a lot more than human emotions and behavior. She’s learning to READ. It may not be as much of an evolutionary leap as we think. In the U.K. there’s a dog named Fernie who has learned to read signs. When this amazingly smart lab is shown the word “Sit” she will sit. Google her. It’s so interesting!

Please enjoy this short excerpt where Puppy is reading and wonders what her humans will think of that when they find out:

They stopped at the base of a ladder, where Her Trysh placed Puppy in Her Rornn’s arms for the climb up to the “observation cone”. It was Her Rornn’s favorite place on the station outside of Her Trysh’s bed.

Restricted Area, a sign said. Unknown to the Tall Ones, Puppy could already interpret the meaning of many of the symbols posted around the station. Bang-Bang might know more verbal commands than she did, but soon Puppy would be able to read. She couldn’t wait for the day the Tall ones figured it out.

She had learned a lot from watching her Tall Ones. For instance, Her Trysh was more likely to balk at ignoring signs such as Authorized Personnel Only than Her Rornn was: “I hope this doesn’t get us in hot water with the squad commander,” Her Trysh said.

My Rornn murmured in her ear. “I dream of a good long soak in hot water. But the face I see with me is not Colonel Amanpour. It’s you.”

Amazon: https://buff.ly/2xa41Kb | BN: https://buff.ly/2xabZTy | Kobo: https://buff.ly/2x9CMzc | iBooks: https://buff.ly/2xajI3R

About Susan:

When NY Times/USA Today bestselling author and Air Force veteran Susan Grant isn’t driving an 18-wheeler (a 747 jumbo jet) she loves writing romantic, action-packed stories featuring gutsy woman and honorable men. Flying to exotic places and trying every kind of food imaginable helps Susan bring her sci-fi worlds alive for readers. She is a winner of the prestigious RITA award for her book Contact, an alien abduction sci-fi romance.

Website: http://www.susangrant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.Susan.Grant/
FB Handle: @Author.Susan.Grant
Twitter: https://twitter.com/flyerdreamer
Twitter Handle: @flyerdreamer
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Grant/e/B001IQWODQ/

Find out what happens next in Embrace the Romance, Pets in Space 2! http://www.petsinspaceantho.com/pets-space-2-embrace-romance-2/

4 Comments | tags: michelle howard, new release, paranormal, sci-fi romance, Susan Grant | posted in author spotlight, daily, New Release, real life, updates

September 25, 2017

Busy Weekend

By michellehowardwrites

What a hectic but fun weekend I had. It started with my attendance at the Baltimore Book Festival on Friday 9/22. Maryland Romance Writers held their annual panels of writing topics and author signings. I sat with my peers for the Out of This World sci fi romance session and it was a blast. I may have mentioned my penchant for googling animal genitalia during this time. (purely for research purposes of course. LOL) Afterwards, I met my mom and sister at their favorite spot for lunch-Hooters. I kid you not, they love going their when at the Inner Harbor. I must admit my nachos and fried pickles were fantastic.

Saturday the family and I started bright and early at Comic Con. We love seeing the cosplay and how creative people can get. This year was no less exciting and well worth the trip down. We even managed to catch the panel with the cast from Gotham. The young actor who plays Bruce Wayne was adorable up there. As we toured the stalls my kids convinced me to buy foam weapons which were surprisingly well made. We left when the Con closed and headed for a nice dinner. We got home around 9p exhausted but pleased.

Every now and then its good to take a break. I’ve worked hard this year to find time so I can still enjoy my growing teens. They’ll be out of the nest soon and DH and I will be clueless what to do. 🙂 Now its time to get back to work. I have a release coming in 2 weeks!! Embrace the Romance features my story Wired For Love as I bring forth a hard edge soldier and a green skinned heroine with horns.

Available at all retailers

2 Comments | posted in daily, real life, updates

August 6, 2017

Romancing The Capitol #mytripfailed

By michellehowardwrites

UGh, my disappointment knew no end last week when my flight was delayed due to lightning and storms then delayed, delayed and well…you get the pic. I tried one airline after another to get there but it just didn’t happen. I’m sorry for all the readers and fans I planned to see as well as authors. Now I feel like I need to sign up next year and arrive two weeks earlier so murphy’s law can’t screw with me The pics from the conference were amazing and my writing bestie MK Eidem was awesome giving my books out since I’d already shipped them ahead. Nothing to do but move forward.

This means in a few days, I’m going to do some small giveaways to handle the swag and gifts I’d planned to use at RTC. Keep your eyes peeled.

2 Comments | posted in contests, daily, real life, updates

July 22, 2017

Meet My Pet-Pets in Space 2

By michellehowardwrites

Want more info about my novella in the upcoming Embrace The Romance (PISA 2)anthology? You’re in luck because I’m in the mood to share about my pet in the story Wired for Love. 🙂 I went with a dog because I’ve always had a dog and absolutely love them.

Bogan, my cyber pet, is based off the Belgian malinois breed. I learned about them when I was scrolling the net for which dog to choose and everything I read made me like them all the more. I also got lost in the world of youtube watching videos about them. (note to self- stay away from youtube when writing.) LOL. Anyway below is a small snippet. Enjoy!

excerpt:

Instead of coming toward him as he’d commanded, Bogan alerted, tail straight out and body angled at the window. Hunter stood and crossed the space to place a hand on the war mongrel’s head. He and the others soldiers had learned the small physical contact would sometimes comfort the animals when they appeared on edge.

Bogan didn’t relax.

Hunter crouched beside him, hoping to connect, but Bogan avoided his gaze. Deliberately. Frustration mixed with empathy bubbled up for the animal who no longer had a handler. He didn’t need this.

Trying to puzzle it out wouldn’t get Hunter anywhere and the more he waited, the more agitated Bogan grew, letting out another low whine.

All at once the obvious answer came to Hunter. Only one thing, one person could have caused the war mongrel’s strong reaction.

Whew! I do love this story 🙂 So if you want to see what else happens make sure to order your copy using the links below as well as fantastic sci fi romances from my fellow authors.

ibooks

amazon

Kobo

2 Comments | tags: petsinspace, sci-fi romance | posted in daily, New Release, real life, updates