SPORTSTER'S FREEDOM

This Memorial Day  is even more special than all of the  others I have experienced. I hope through my video I can express my patriotism and appreciation for my freedom,  and that I may  inspire  you  to remember it is not just about fireworks and  barbeques.

With the release of our newest book, MASADA'S MARINE, Memorial Day means even more to me than ever before. The hours Judy and I spent in research, and the wonderful folks we've met who  shared their stories, has made this holiday extremely significant.

Please honor not only our fallen heroes, but our invisible heroes who still fight their battle with PTSD.

EVERY HOUR A VETERAN COMMITS SUICIDE BECAUSE OF PTSD.

Below are reviews from some  of our readers.  

“I am reading Masada’s Marine. It is great! I am only a third of the way done but you had me hooked and teary eyed with the first paragraph! I read a lot of books and I am not just saying this to be nice. It is your best so far and I think this will help a lot of people understand and appreciate our service people!

When I was 12 my mom left my brother and I with some friends. The man had been in the service in Vietnam. We were sitting on the couch watching TV when he started screaming for us to get down. He moved us to the bedroom with his wife and then got down behind the couch acting like he had a rifle in his hand. It was terrifying. I had mostly forgot about that happening until I started reading this book. Other than that these people were very good to me. I see now how much he must have been suffering!

I am going to buy a few copies and offer them for sale at the shop! I think this is going to be a great success for you! Congratulations!”

Two days later  the reader continues.....

“So I am at the part where Alex, the Marine, gets in an altercation with the driver of an SUV that honks his horn. Alex is banging on the man’s window and another man walks up and says, “Stand Down Marine.”  Oh my gosh, I am balling like a baby. You explained it so well that the reader can sympathize with Alex. Road rage is a bad thing but you can see why he is so angry and have compassion for him! Still loving the book! Excellent!!"

And one of the most recent reviews....

As a retired VA Nurse, I can tell you that the author knew her subjects well. Alex and Sarah experienced a marriage post Iraqi. Alex desires to do the right thing but must face daily the trauma recall from fighting a war that made no sense, where children were used to kill and be killed themselves. The violent side effects of PTSD does most certainly ruin families. The introduction of therapy dogs is a fairly new concept for our military returning now. However, the VA has been using service dogs for our blind veterans for years. Masada's Marine is the best read! I wanted to just hug Masada!

Please consider this cat's humble plea and carry the message about PTSD.

MASADA'S MARINE

 

 

SPORSTER'S THOUGHTS ON FREEDOM

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!!

A NEW FEATHER IN MY CAP

 No I haven't killed any birds. Really? 

Seriously, I have another title to add to my resume. I have been trying to convince Judy for along time that I know how to attract the crowds. who could resist this face?

If Judy hasn't told you already ( check out her blog,     ) I am honored to take on the exciting task as her publicist. 

I  want to reassure every one of my qualifications as publicist. I worked as Snoop Dog's publicist for several years and made some big changes for him, the biggest, his new name, Snoop Lion. His new identity inspired the album, Reincarnated,  released in April. 

Snoop Dog, I mean Snoop Lion, can tell you my influence spiked his career to new heights. I am sure Judy will be amazed by the way her platform will soar.

I developed a few habits from hanging out with the rapper. I spent a lot of hours sitting in on rehearsals and sometimes, when we were just jammin’, I was allowed to fill in as a backup. Just thinking of all the good times my tail  twitches to the beat of his songs. My contract ended last year but sometimes, without thinking, I still grab my private parts.

Check out the the clip below from one of our rapping sessions. It was "the cat's meow. " We had so much fun making it.

I’m trying to break that bad rapping habit and keep my paws away from my private parts. It’s not a good move for a literary publicist.

I will be working closely with Judy's agent, Jack B. Sellinit from The Harley Rules Press.I have scheduled our first public appearance  and have asked her agent, Mr. Sellinit to accompany her. They will be attending the Canine Support Team Certification Event at the Promenade in Temecula. Veterans will have completed their two week training course to learn how to master their new companions.  What a great day it will be.

 High Noon on Friday, June 28^th at the Promenade in Temecula.

http://www.caninesupportteams.org/

Perhaps we will find a model for the cover of INVISIBLE HEROES. As head of the Cover Design Department I am still seeking applicants. 

Hope to see you there!

ONE OF MY NEXT BIG THINGS

Hello fans. My mom has been  busy wearing her pet grooming hat, her writing hat and her marketing hat and, oh yeah, designing her new Mobile Grooming Hat that she has ask me to pose as her publicist.

Judy has been “tagged,” you know, like swatted in cat lingo, by a fellow author, Dr. Laura Hoopes. Dr. Hoopes, on her blog called The Next Big Thing, http://www.lauralmayshoopes.com/next-big-thing-for-laura-hoopes/ she talks about her new book, Breaking Through The Spiral Ceiling: An American Woman Becomes a DNA Scientist. It’s an inspiring read for any woman facing a challenging career, especially one in which women are greatly outnumbered by men. Laura mentions that her book, Spiral Ceiling, is currently the only available book on the life story of an American woman who made it in science while being married and raising children.
Following this interview, Judy has tagged three authors who will tell you about their "Next Big Thing."

What is Judy’s (and my) “Next Big Thing” you ask? It is BIG!! The title – INVISIBLE HEROES. The story of a dog named Masada who grows up to become a service dog for an Iraq veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Where did she get the idea for INVISIBLE HEROES? Several years ago Judy donated to an organization called Puppies Behind Bars. The founder, a woman in New York, raised dogs to be trained by prisoners for veterans with disabilities. Judy told me the idea simmered for a while. Last year Judy contacted the woman asking for an interview and explained her idea for the book.  She and I were going to make New York our next road trip to meet the woman, some of the prisoners and the veterans who had received the dogs. The woman was polite but declined. “I’m writing my own book,” she announced.

We were both busy finishing up our second book, GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST, so there was no time to dwell on the disappointment.

When Judy finished GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST, she grabbed my little cheeks and looked me square in the eyes, and said, “We’ll write our own book.” And so it began.

What is the genre? The book is true fiction which means we are already spending many hours researching PTSD, service dog training, as well as interviewing veterans and their families. The task is daunting but we must get it right. It is too serious of an issue to chance getting the facts wrong. Over eighteen veterans a day are committing suicide because of this invisible disease.

What actors would we choose to play our characters in the movie rendition of this book? Of course I would want to play the service dog, but no matter how many treats I eat for the film I couldn’t put on eighty pounds, so I defer to mine and Judy’s all-time favorite dog movie, K-9 Cop. Jerry Lee, Jim Belushi’s K-9 partner, would absolutely have to play Masada.

The one sentence synopsis of INVISIBLE HEROES? The story of two men whose life experiences have left them searching for a reason to live and a dog who helps them find it.

Self- Published or Traditional Publishing?  Judy self-published her last two books, COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST and GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST.http://www.amazon.com/Coast-Cat-Ghost-Judy-Howard/dp/1461153786/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364138341&sr=1-1&keywords=coast+to+coast+with+a+cat+and+a+ghost  She (and I as co-author) has kept our standing among the top ten percent of Amazon authors since our debut in 2011. Amazon ranks their authors by the amount of sales.

 What other books, written in your genre, would you compare to INVISIBLE HEROES? There are many books about dogs serving in the military but I know of only two that are page turners and inspirational as well as informing the public about PTSD. Carlos Luis Montalvan’s, Until Tuesday moved me in that I will never look at a veteran the same way again. Carlos tells his story eloquently as a veteran with this Invisible Disease. At this moment I am engrossed in the book, Suspect, by Robert Crais. 

Only time constraints prevent me from reading this book from cover to cover in one sitting. It is the story of Maggie, a military dog who nearly dies in Afghanistan after her partner is killed. She is sent home and paired with an LAPD officer suffering his own demons after almost dying in a gun battle as he watched his partner gunned down and die
.

Who or what inspired Judy to write this book? Judy has been asked this question often since INVISIBLE HEROES’s genre is true fiction and different from her last two books. In fact, each book falls in a different genre; COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST is a memoir. GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST is mystery-romance. “I am drawn to write about a subject by something inside me. I can’t explain it. And when I take it on, I become driven.”

What else might pique a reader’s interest if they read, INVISIBLE HEROES?   This book, scheduled to be released December 2013 will tempt all readers who loves dogs, their country, and want to cheer on characters overcoming insurmountable odds to become better than they ever were because of a dog’s devotion.

Here are -----authors who Judy asked me to swat…oops, I mean tag to tell you about their Next Big Thing.

May Sinclair  http://www.maysinclairphd.com/ who just released her new book, In The Between, a fascinating and unique story about reincarnation.

Jim Parrish http://www.jimparrishavitator.net/?page_id=2387 who will be a writer to watch when he releases his book.

Peggy Wheeler editor of the Straitjackets Magazine http://straitjacketsmagazine.com/support4/table.contents.fall.2012.htm would like to tell you about all her projects. Too many to mention here.

VANITY AND VETERANS

What do you think about me now? I know how to give the right look, the right purr and the paparazzi go crazy over me. I know it is the younger, cute kitten side, but hey, if it sells books?

You can read the entire article on Judy's Blog.

Judy and I are in limbo. The manuscript has been sent off to the publishers at Createspace. They are editing the manuscript, designing the cover, and creating promotional text for GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST. The projection for publication is the end of October.

 INVISIBLE HEROES, book number three, involves a lot of interviews with veterans, dog trainers, as well as inmates who are also involved in the training of service dogs. If we get enough press about the book I might get lucky enough to meet Tuesday, Luis Carlos Montalvan’s service dog. Judy read Luis’s book, UNTIL TUESDAY, to me. It moved me and educated me and I am excited that Judy has become involved. As our men return from Iraq, more and more veterans are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Check out Luis’ book at www.luiscarlosmontalvan.com You will not be sorry.

 

And if the opportunity to touch paws with Tuesday doesn’t manifest itself, perhaps I will rub fur with Dean Koontz’s golden retriever, Trixie, whom he acquired from Canine Companions for Independence. http://www.cci.org who have a local chapter in Oceanside, Ca.

Koontz’s book, A BIG LITTLE LIFE, is also an eye opener about service dogs. You can find Dean’s book at www.deankoontz.com ) who knows? Anything’s possible.

 

For now I lounge around a lot enjoying the lull. I sneak on the computer and prowl the Internet when Judy sleeps. She is so involved, I feel compelled to begin research for our trip to Florida in November. She freaks if I lay a paw on the keyboard, so I wait until the early morning hours.

 

During my research I began corresponding with Krishna the Cat. This poor cat from India has inherited a large sum of money but needs an American bank account number before he can get the money he needs so desperately. He says he’s been forced to sleep with fleas, and hide in alleys to avoid animal control. It sounds like he has a really miserable life. He sent this picture. He is on his last leg and if I don't help....well you can see he's in bad shape. He says he just can't go on.

 

 Stories like this make me glad I’m an American cat. I am thankful for the American soldiers who have given everything just for me to have the privilege to beg for treats, sleep in air conditioning, and be able to plan an consider an extended adventure sniffing and chasing bugs and birds all across this great country. God Bless our veterans.  I only hope the vision we have for our book INVISIBLE HEROES will become all we hope it to be.