{"id":9198,"date":"2013-04-01T05:50:58","date_gmt":"2013-04-01T09:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=9198"},"modified":"2013-04-03T12:43:07","modified_gmt":"2013-04-03T16:43:07","slug":"a-book-reading-with-best-selling-author-of-homers-odyssey-gwen-cooper-for-love-saves-the-day-and-litter-genie-giveaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/a-book-reading-with-best-selling-author-of-homers-odyssey-gwen-cooper-for-love-saves-the-day-and-litter-genie-giveaway\/","title":{"rendered":"A Book Reading With Best Selling Author of Homer’s Odyssey, Gwen Cooper, for “Love Saves the Day” and Litter Genie Giveaway!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"love-saves\"<\/a>In the cat world, there are very few people that don\u2019t recognize the name, Gwen Cooper<\/a>, author of the the New York Times bestselling selling book, Homer\u2019s Odyssey<\/em>, which is about her blind cat Homer who transformed her life with his boundless capacity for love and his joy for life in the face of all obstacles. Gwen is a Miami native and she is in the midst of launching her tour for her newest book, Love Saves the Day.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Who can blame Gwen for loving the Books & Books store in Miami (Coral Gables location). What a beautiful store to read, shop, and browse in!<\/p><\/div>Before the tour, which will run this May through August, Gwen decided to do a pre-tour bookstore reading sponsored by Litter Genie in her hometown of Miami at the independent bookselling chain Books & Books. Why? Well in her words, because \u201cshe couldn’t say no.\u201d Partly because it was her favorite book store growing up and partly because the bookselling chain has been so supportive of her works and she wanted to return the favor by dropping by to do a reading and to promote the event in conjunction with The Cat Network<\/a>, a South Florida non-profit dedicated to reducing the stray population through humane TNR and vaccination programs.<\/p>\n

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L to R – Karen Rundquist, Board of Directors of Cat Network, Christine, and myself before the book reading begins.<\/p><\/div>When Christine Michaels of Pawsitively Humane\/Riverfront Cats<\/a> who also does volunteer work on behalf of the Cat Network invited me to drop by, how could I say no to such an incredible opportunity to mingle with such great, cat loving people! I live about an hour and a half away, so I was thrilled to be able to join her.<\/p>\n

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Gwen was kind enough to pose for a photo op with Christine and I and chat all things cat related before we sat down for the reading.<\/p><\/div>I had never met Gwen before and when I did, I instantly felt at ease \u2013 she is a charming, funny, and warm person whose love and devotion to helping cats is quite evident. Rather than doing a traditional tour at national bookstores, she has elected to help both animals and people and will be touring at select shelters and rescue groups based on the strength of innovative programs that extend their work with animals into programs that serve humans. The shelters on the tour have implemented programs that serve the elderly, the homeless, military families, at-risk children (with programs for literacy, anti-bullying, character building), low-income families, disaster survivors, domestic violence victims, and more. Wow, love sure does save the day and I commend Gwen for this altruistic approach and wish her all the success in the world. To see her tour schedule, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As far as the book, I have to be honest with you \u2013 this post is not a book review. I have not read Love Saves the Day<\/em> yet, although I certainly plan on it. The reviews have been glowing and the premise is both intriguing and bittersweet. In essence, the star of the story is Prudence, a sweet, curious, and sometimes cranky feline that is adopted at five weeks old by a woman named Sarah who finds her on a deserted construction site on Manhattan\u2019s Lower East Side. For three years they share a life filled with joy, tuna, catnaps, music, and the steady routines Prudence craves. Then, one day, Sarah doesn’t come home and Prudence\u2019s life forevermore changes as she comes to live with Laura, the daughter who hardly ever came to visit Sarah and her new husband.<\/p>\n

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Gwen begins the reading – as always, I am pretty easy to pick out of a crowd!<\/p><\/div>Gwen\u2019s reading was quite touching \u2013 in the chapter she shared, she writes with the uncanny ability to think like a cat and the nuances and behaviors she shares are those that any cat lover will gravitate to with a smile as they read the story. After the reading she did a brief Q & A which was quite entertaining and informative, especially as she updated us on the still larger than life Homer, who at age 16 and only 4 pounds, continues to rule the roost with the temperament and personality of a lion in the jungle!<\/p>\n

As Gwen tells it, \u201cno one told Homer he should be dead by now,\u201d and he is living the spoiled life of a cat born into royalty. Gwen and her husband feed him fresh turkey daily (anything not fresh gets a resounding \u201cpaws down\u201d from Homer) as well as lobster and London broil. Homer has become quite the beast and Gwen says he yells like a wild banshee if he does not get feed like the king he is! I must say, I would do the same for any of my cats that were on the last leg of their physical journey with me and Homer is very lucky to be so well loved.<\/p>\n

\"images\"<\/a>Since Gwen\u2019s reading was sponsored by the folks at Litter Genie<\/a>, I end this post with an exciting giveaway opportunity for you! I was one of the winning recipients of a Litter Genie litter disposal system and have decided to offer it as a giveaway to one lucky reader! I would keep it for myself, but it truly looks like an item more suited for someone who has a few cats in their household and not the eight I have. I think I would need something more along the lines of a Litter Genie\u00a0Gargantuan\u00a0Giant to handle the disposal needs that accumulate around the clock in my house! So, once again, this is not a review. I have not tested out the Litter Genie, but based on the reviews I have seen, it sounds like a great product for someone who might not have a garbage pail at the end of the driveway like I do for the constant scooping I do.<\/p>\n

To win my Litter Genie, please leave a comment why you think the Litter Genie would be a great product for your cat(s) litter needs by midnight, PST, Thursday, April 4th and a random drawing will be conducted with the winner announced on Saturday, April 6th. U.S. residents only and be sure to include your email when you submit the comment so that I can contact you if you win.\u00a0If you would like to learn more about how the Litter Genie works before you enter the giveaway, please check out the Litter Genie video I have provided at the end of this post.<\/p>\n

I thank Gwen for the opportunity to pass this giveaway on to you and it was such a pleasure meeting her! I hope that her tour helps raise a lot of awareness and funding for rescues and shelters nationwide and I think she will have another best seller on her hands! If you would like to purchase Love Saves the Day or a Litter Genie, I have a favor to ask. If you buy through the special Amazon. com links provided to follow, a small percentage of the sale will be donated to the Pawsitively Humane non-profit that Christine has founded and I am a board member of. Our goal is to create public awareness in South Florida and across the U.S. to reducing pet homelessness though educational campaigns, preventative management, rescue, and adoption. \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n