Makin’ Biscuits by Deborah Barnes, ZZP Publishing, LLC.

It happened nearly two years ago – I got out of the shower one morning and bent over to wrap my wet hair with a towel. Moments later, I felt something land on top of my head – it was Mia, my extroverted cat who normally didn’t like close-up human contact. For whatever reason, she had decided it was the perfect place to settle for a nap. Being that I’ve had cats my entire life, I was accustomed to them doing weird things, but this was odd, even for my standards, and that’s when the idea of a book of weird cat habits formed in my toweled, cat-covered head.  Read more

I love New York City – always have, always will.

Even though I currently live in Florida and have been here since 1994, I still have an enormous fondness for New York. I spent most of my younger years in New York and grew up there – I graduated from college there (twice), I got married there, I had my children there, and many a beloved cat of mine came from there. Most of the towns I lived in were extremely rural with small populations and old-fashioned Main Streets, but despite where I was, New York City was always a part of my life. I visited whenever I could (and even briefly lived in Hawthorne – a suburb of the White Plains area, just north of NYC) and each time I did, the city never failed to capture my heart, as it was just so alive with an exciting buzz of people, movement, and culture. Read more

Editor’s Note: I realize this post is a heavy subject and probably not one you were expecting, but with the holidays heading our way, I felt the timing was appropriate. Holidays are a time that can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for us – especially for those of us that might be remembering a passed cat who we dearly miss, or those of us that are going through personal issues with a cat who is currently ill, or possibly even nearing end-of-life. In the blogging world, we often think of everything in adult terms, often forgetting that there are others around us who are also stressed and anxious. This post is for those who have children in their lives that might need some guidance with the subject of pet loss and grief. The focus of the article is on cats, but the advice applies to any beloved pet, regardless of the species.

Photo credit: DepositPhotos.com

As someone who is involved in the cat world nearly 24/7/365 via blogging, social media, and other outlets, very rarely does a day go by that I do not hear about one cat or another who has passed on. Online sites have become a therapeutic outlet for those who chose to share their grief publicly – I try not to let it get to me, but sometimes it is overwhelming because I take the circumstances to heart, grieving through association. Read more

Fitbit – check. Cat – check. Ready, set, go – find out how you can increase your steps by exercising with your cat!

Much as I would prefer to work from home, I have to admit the company I work for isn’t so bad. My co-workers are awesome (many of them are cat lovers), and management is always trying to come up with new ways to encourage group activities. We’ve had several company sponsored lunches since I started back in March, and they even shut work down early one Friday so everyone could go bowling together, including food and drink. But their most recent attempt is my favorite by far. Because most of us have desk jobs, for those that wanted to participate, they bought us Fitbits to encourage exercise and set up quarterly step challenges with prizes to boot! Read more

Enjoying Sunday with some of my favorite editors – Mia, Zoey, Rolz, Zee, and Jazmine.

Happy Sunday Everyone! Between working my day job and trying to finish my book in the evenings, I feel like I’ve dropped off the face of the earth! But I have good news – I received my first draft copy of Makin’ Biscuits – Weird Cat Habits and the Even Weirder Habits of the Humans Who Love Them and I’m super-excited with what I’ve seen!!

This is picture is of me in all my glory – hanging out with my gang as I do some last minute editing. Despite the scowl on my face, all is good, I’m just concentrating really hard on what I’m doing! If everything goes as planned, I should be on track for a pre-Christmas release!! And just wait until you see the cover – it’s unlike anything I’ve done before and I know you’re going to love it!!

Have a great day all!