HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

...from me and Jake!

WRITING SPOTS + RELEASE NEWS

My favorite writing spot's the back deck (it's my writing buddy Jake's favorite spot, too). But we finally had to give up the idea we'd get back outside again this year--we recently packed up all the patio furniture.

Jake "helping" put the outdoor furniture away.

These days, the backyard's pretty much just for mulching and raking.

Jake "helping" to rake pine needles. He's become quite the digger in his senior years. He has several holes he works on every day during morning walks.

...And I'm back at work in my office. I've got a ton of fun stuff planned for release next year, beginning with a holiday gift to my readers! All the details will be announced on my newsletter.

FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS RELEASE DAY!

Jake (my own Peke) and I are celebrating: FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS: A NEW ADULT ROM-COM WITH "BITE" releases today!

Fifth Avenue Fidos

A New Adult Rom-Com with “Bite”

Holly Schindler

When a mutt from Queens meets a purebred New Yorker, it takes man’s—and woman’s—best friend to convince them what they feel is more than puppy love.

Mable Barker, a hilarious, good-natured sweetheart who is always the pal but never the girlfriend, endures nine horrendous months of bouncing between lackluster New York City jobs (and suffering unrequited love) in her unsuccessful attempt to find her one true talent. So when she meets Innis, the ill-tempered Upper East Side Pekingese, she assumes her dog-walking days are numbered, too; soon, she’ll be heading back to Queens brokenhearted, tail tucked between her legs. But Innis belongs to the adorable yet painfully shy young veterinarian, Jason Mead, a man whose awkward ways around women have him dreaming not of finding love for himself but of playing canine matchmaker—breeding Westminster champions.

When Mable and Jason meet, romance is officially unleashed: they find an instant connection and shared goal, as it appears that Mable could very well have what it takes to be a professional handler, soon to be seen holding Innis under a banner labeled, “Best in Show.” As Jason and Mable get closer to putting a new twist on the term “dog lovers,” outside forces—Mable’s overprotective brothers, a successful wedding planner with her eye on Jason, even the theft of purebred pups from Jason’s Fifth Avenue apartment building—all threaten to come between them. Will Mable and Jason simply let their burgeoning love roll over and play dead? Or will they rally to make sure Innis emerges as the leader of the pack?

Brimming with humor and endearing characters, Holly Schindler’s Fifth Avenue Fidos offers a sweet romance and modern-day fairy tale in which dogs, not dragons, rule the land…a story about the loves that help us realize our dreams.

~

Purchase through Amazon or Kobo.

SHEER CUTENESS + BIG NEWS FOR FERAL (MY NEXT YA)

Big news: my next YA, FERAL, has been sent to copyediting!  We're getting close, folks. I can't wait to share the cover, official release date, etc.

When I emerged from the cave (ahem, office) after the last round of rewrites, I got to enjoy a new round of fall cuteness:

It's a great mug my pooch has, but I still say the cutest part of a Peke is the tail / rump:

(Am I the only gal out there who thinks her dog's rump is cute???)

Seriously, though...stay tuned.  More info on FERAL to come soon!

SIGNS OF FALL

New sweater!

First Halloween decoration!

DIGGIN' IN

We were removing a stump from the yard last week when my dog Jake said, "Hang on just a MINUTE!  I'll show you how to dig!"  He then jumped in the hole and showed us how it's done.

(Off camera, we were all struggling not to laugh...Jake's so serious about his digging!)

I love the way he just plunges in, though...There's a lesson in that, I think...

HAPPY 4TH!

Jake and I were going to model our red, white, and blue T-shirts...

...But it quickly turned into a kiss-fest...

Happy 4th!

'WEEN SCENES

Scenes from this year's Halloween:

Jake went as a "cowdog," and I piled on the green...

...But the real creepiness settled in after dark...

 

JUST WALKIN'

Celebrating fall in the Ozarks with my pup:

Wishing you all a happy and sun-filled autumn!

LOST

I've been juggling revisions all summer long, which is like being in heaven for me.  I love revision.  Talking love here.  Love.  It's so easy for me to walk into my office and get lost in the process.  And I mean lost.  I'm talking, "Wait.  What day is it again?" kind of lost.

Every once in a while, I'm reminded (usually by an insistent round of barking) that I need to get outside and knock the cobwebs off.  A few scenes from my latest get-outta-the-house jaunt, at the Finley River in nearby Ozark:

My dog, Jake, is always sooooo glad when the computer screen finally goes black...

...and we walk near the Finley...

...and check out the skies.  I'm telling you, Missouri has the best skies.  

And the sunsets aren't bad, either.

CELEBRATE

Mmmmm.  Dog cake.

This year, my pup's birthday fell just as I was wrapping up my first round of revisions for my forthcoming YA, FERAL, so it seemed a bit like a double celebration.  (Yep, I celebrate my dog's birthday every year, as well as the anniversary of the day he came home with us...How can you not celebrate the creature who brings so much joy into your life???)

It was an evening of dog cake and ice cream new toys...and I'd say, judging by his expression, that Jake was more than pleased:

That's the face of sheer bliss, folks.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday from yours truly and Jake...

KERPLAT!

That was the actual sound my old camera made when it struck the pavement.  Followed by some sad-sounding clinks and rattles as tiny electrical parts spewed everywhere...Usually, I don't get too terribly sentimental (I generally think stuff's just stuff), but I have to admit, I got kind of upset about breaking the old camera.  That thing got this blog started, and went along to all my first author events.

A new camera means a gal's got to spend some time in the backyard, figuring out the settings and buttons...Jake, as usual, was more than happy to offer his services as model:

  And as this pic of some flowers out back reveals, I just might not be too terribly unhappy to be such a klutz, for once:

THIS JUST SUMS IT ALL UP...

"My dog + coffee + my WIP  = Bliss."  Now, there's a math problem I can solve...

SPRUNG

A tulip made it just in time for the first day of spring yesterday:

And Jake got in the first good dig of the warm season…Too bad the dirt that gets licked off a guy’s nose doesn’t taste as good as the remnants of dinner!

In the midst of all things new, I also found this recent (and fantastic!) review of PLAYING HURT, which is now officially a year old (it just feels so good to know that long after the initial book release hoopla, my book continues to find new readers)! Check out the review at TEEN INK.

WAITING FOR THE SNOW TO MELT...

My pup, Jake, with his face against the window, planning all the adventures he'll have, just as soon as the snow clears out:

VLOG OUTTAKE (ON WIFE-BEATERS...)

Filming vlogs is a blast...but I'm not sure if my usually-serious finished products (interviews, writing tips, etc.) have ever revealed how much fun I really do have filming them.

...I'm pretty sure, though, that this silly outtake from a vlog I filmed this week does a good job of showing what a joy they can be...

PUKE

Okay, so not the classiest of titles for a blog post. But that's what I've been doing lately. I'm not sick...I'm just drafting new work. And I've decided that's actually the most accurate, vivid way to depict the drafting process. I mean, a first draft isn't supposed to be pretty. It's just supposed to come out. Just like, well...

I've also discovered a fantastic new way to get through the puking drafting process. I call it Give Credit Where Credit's Due. So often, at the end of the day, a writer can look at the number of words (or pages) and feel a little rotten about how skimpy it seems. Really, though, it's so much better for a writer's mental health to take stock of what really happened during the drafting process that day. If you figured out a plotting problem or made a breakthrough with backstory, that's worth far more than the sheer number of words typed that day. Always remember to take stock of what you accomplished, not what you think you should have accomplished.

Speaking of word count, though, I've also started giving myself credit for all the words I write during the drafting process...even notes to self, scrawled down the margins of notebook paper. I find that if I give myself credit for the words written outside of the story, I allow myself to go on tangents, to explore aspects of the story that might not ever have been addressed (at least, not in the earliest stages of writing the book).

All of this makes drafting infinitely more enjoyable. And that's definitely important, for someone who far prefers revising to drafting. Drafting's now so much more enjoyable, in fact, that I'm celebrating all WIPs at my house—even the WIP belonging to my dog, as this snazzy new sign illustrates! (More on Jake's WIP here.)


Happy puking drafting, everyone!

OLD DOG, NEW TRICK

About a year ago, Jake discovered he could dig. Yeah, I know—most dogs get hip to this discovery fairly early in life, but Jake’s funny about what touches his feet (don’t even get me started on the recent boot fiasco), so it took him a while to finally get his—ah—paws dirty.

Now, though? He’s got one hole he’s been working on for some time (kind of like the sweater I’ve been knitting since ’07)… He’s incredibly proud of it, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a bit that I’m showing it off here:

But the thing is, even though he’s obviously proud of his creation, he actually prefers to do his digging when he thinks nobody’s looking. And then he shows up at the back door looking like this:

That nose will give you away every time, buddy…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Yes, oh, yes: I'm donning my Raggedy Ann garb to get in the spirit of the best holiday going.

Never to be outdone, though, Jake decided he wanted to wear the wig, too...and of course, he looks far cuter in it...


Happy Halloween—from both of us! May you all have the goriest, ooziest, gooiest Halloween yet!