It's a Whiskerslist Calendar AND Book Giveaway!

Friends and comrades who reside with me here in Cathumorland, this is a very cool day for all of us. You may have heard the 2015 whiskerslist boxed calendar was released last week, and it's the truth!

The calendar is a companion to my book, whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds, that was released last October. Maybe some of you have read it -- or even own your very own copy (lucky you).

If you're completely unfamiliar in the ways of whiskerslist, please allow me to sum it up for you: It's a parody book, which means it takes something that really exists (craigslist), puts a spin on it (cats) and hopefully makes you laugh. In the calendar, you'll notice a few favorites from the book, but most are brand new pages of pure feline silliness. Oh, there's also a whiskerslist site where you (um, your cats) can create their own ads and comment on existing ones. Haven't visited? Go ahead, click over!

So whiskerslist is like the cats' version of craigslist. Imagine what cats would post on a site like whiskerslist: personals, lost and found, for sale/wanted, services, discussions, rants and raves ... but with cat themes. And like craigslist, some of the ads are a little offbeat and sometimes edgy. I'd probably give the book and calendar PG-13 ratings.

A page from the book.

As a way to celebrate the calendar's release, I'd like to give away TWO whiskerslist calendars and TWO copies of the whiskerslist book -- all signed (I'll contact you for inscription details).

How's that? Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. After you click to enter, you'll be asked for your name, mailing address and email address. No one sees this information but me -- promise! Please remember to place all the information on the same line. If you enter before including all the info, Rafflecopter won't allow you to edit your entry. Just leave me a comment on this post and I'll make sure you're entered.

Good luck!

WINNERS BELOW: Esther and Judy each won a book, and Kristin and Kelly each won a calendar!

Congrats!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If You've Ever Wondered About the Way My Brain Works When I'm Writing, Wonder No More

I'm on tour! Doesn't that sound exciting? It is, but I'm touring from the comfort of my office chair. You see, my talented author-friend, Kristy Abbott invited me to join The Writing Process Blog Tour.

What in the world is The Writing Process Blog Tour?

Don't get sassy -- I'm about to explain it to you. It's a way for bloggers to share their own writing process and current projects with readers, as well as introduce them to a couple of fabulous authors they might not be reading ... which they should.

The idea also intrigued me because on this blog I mostly write about my cats, cat products and and other feline-related topics. I rarely write about myself, and haven't for a few years. When I began Catladyland (then Eclectic Catladyland) in 2009, I wrote about neurotic self, my cats and lots of musing on silly things that pop into my mind. Shortly after that, I switched exclusively to writing about cats. Why? I enjoyed it and felt like I'd found a solid audience -- it was that simple.

This post offers a little insight into me, myself and I, although I promise to bring up cats now and again because how can I describe anything I do without their inclusion? Impossible, I tell you!

On to the Writing Process Blog Tour, which includes four questions:


What am I working on?

I work on a variety of projects every day. I'm a regular columnist for Catster.com, so most every day I'm working on something for that site. I also pick up freelance opportunities for other sites pretty regularly -- they're usually cat-related. Surprise. My first book, whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds came out last year, and I'm gearing up for some fall promotion in conjunction with the companion calendar that will be released very soon. I'm also working on a secret project! That's right, it's secret and it's incredibly cool. Wait and see. Oh, and I've started some writing that has nothing to do with cats. WHAT? It's true. I will share some of it soon.

I also write this blog, and the sites for Texts from Mittens and whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds, as well as maintain the daily social media for all three. I stay busy.

I work. Cosmo cleans his butt.

How does my work differ from others in my genre?

I've always loved writing parodies and designing worlds where cats do people things. When I can combine both of those -- like in whiskerslist -- I'm a happy girl. The same goes for Mittens. It amuses me to no end to concoct that perfect mixture of human and cat characteristics for Mittens. It really has to be just the right combination for it to be funny and outlandish, yet still be sort-of in the realm of what a cat really might think or do. So I think that's maybe what's different: I like to create worlds where cats are still cats, but possess human characteristics as well.


Why do you write what you do?

Because I feel happy when I do it.

Need inspiration? Take a shower. Then feed me.

How does your writing process work?

Haha, that's funny. It really differs all the time and is based on the type of project on which I'm working. I do have a crap-load of notebooks, though. I always have an empty regular-size (college-ruled, of course) one and a small one (in case I want to carry it in my purse) handy. For everything: freelance pieces as well as books, I usually brainstorm in the notebook first, and come up with some main points of a loose plan. I love my notebooks -- they are my brain splattered all over paper. Ew. That sounds kind of gross.

I'm also a professional daydreamer. This used to be an issue when I was in school, but now serves me in magnificent ways. My daydreams often lead to my best ideas. My favorite times to daydream are while showering, driving and vacuuming -- that's the truth. I'm not even trying to be funny with the vacuuming part. That vacuum cleaner has helped me develop the best ideas -- and bonus: my carpets are clean!

When I feel stuck, I stare at my cats and rub their ears. They're my fuzzy little muses, and constantly inspire me. Plus I think that rubbing their ears kind of works like rubbing a magic lamp. Sometimes good ideas just appear!

My portion of the tour has now come to an end. Get your T-Shirt here.



Now meet my talented friends!

Amy Shojai has been reinventing herself for years. She's a certified animal behavior consultant, and the award-winning author of 27 best-selling pet books that cover furry babies to old fogies, first aid to natural healing, and behavior/training to Chicken Soup-icity. She created the Puppies.about.com site as the Puppies Expert, and was the Cat Behavior Expert at Cats. And you'll find her half-hour Pet Peeves radio show here. Amy has been featured as an expert in hundreds of print venues, including the New York Times, Reader's Digest and Family Circle, as well as well as national radio and TV networks such as CNN, Animal Planet's Dogs 101 and Cats 101. She's been a consultant to the pet products industry and a host/program consultant for select "furry" TV projects.

Amy is also a musician, actor and playwright, and brings her unique pet-centric viewpoint to public appearances and performances, audio books (hers and others), writer of webinars, conference keynote/seminars and THRILLERS WITH BITE!

Learn more about Amy when you visit her site.

Deborah Barnes currently resides in the tropical paradise of South Florida and was inspired to write The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey -- a Journey of the Extraordinarily Ordinary as a result of the lessons learned from her family of seven cats after her life took a downward turn in 2009 when she was unexpectedly laid off at 48 years of age.

She is also the creator of the award-winning blog Zee and Zoey's Chronicle Connection, that not only continues to follow the everyday journey she shares with her cats (including her newest additions, a rescue kitten named Kizmet that she adopted from Pet Supermarket, and a feral Maine Coon kitten named Jazmine that was rescued from an abandoned farmhouse), but covers topics from the humorous behavior of cats to the very serious subjects on pet responsibility. Her current circle of works has brought her where she is today -- a serious cat advocate and Secretary of Pawsitively Humane Nonprofit organization in Miami, Florida, whose mission is to create public awareness and reduce the number of animals on the street and in shelters through an extensive educational campaign.

Learn more about Deborah when you visit her site.

Whiskerslist Online Book-Signing Event This Week Only!

If you  regularly read Catladyland, you know I wrote a book called whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds. It's a parody humor book based on the idea of cats having their own version of craigslist. Silly? Of course, but if you don't like ridiculous humor, you probably shouldn't read most anything I write.

The companion whiskerslist calendar is scheduled for release on August 1, and I'm tickled to share it with you. It's a 2015 page-a-day box calendar -- so every day you can read a weird ad "written" by a cat! There are a few favorites from the book in the calendar's pages, but most of it is comprised of brand new ads for personals, sale/wanted, community, rants/raves/hisses, discussions and more. It's really fun and a little edgy, like the book. You can pre-order the calendar online or from your favorite book seller.

A page from the new calendar.

To celebrate the coming release of the book, I'd like to offer a great deal on the whiskerslist book:

From July 28, 2014 -- August 1, 2014, I'm hosting an online book-signing event! You'll have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of whiskerslist for $16 ($12.95 + the US cost of media mail/please contact me for international rates). I'll sign the book however you'd like (think ahead to the holidays), and include a Texts from Mittens postcard that you can use as a bookmark, hang on the fridge, use as a tiny litter box liner, whatever.

The whiskerslist book cover. "Casual encounters? Are your neutered?"

So this whole deal is kind of like attending a bookstore book-signing event -- except you can do it all in your jammies, from in front of the computer. Easy-peasy. Sure, you'll pay a small amount of shipping, but you're saving on gas, right?

Sweet, desperate Hector from the book.

Here's how it works:

• Email me (do not comment here) with your name and mailing address, and indicate how you'd like to pay: catladyland@gmail.com.
• Payment is available via Paypal (catladyland@gmail.com), or check (book will be mailed after check clears).
• Again, the cost is the retail price of $12.95, plus $3.05 for media-mail shipping = $16 even. Please contact me for international shipping rates.
• You receive the book and postcard!

Thanks so much, and I'll let you know when the calendar's released and we'll host a fun giveaway to celebrate. 

Save Up to 60% on Catladyland, Texts from Mittens and Whiskerslist Goodies!

Did you know there's an online spot where you can grab some cool stuff from Catladyland, Texts from Mittens and whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds? It's true! Readers requested, so I created an online store filled with all kinds of goodies. There's a pretty basic selection now, and I'll add more as I have time. Please remember you can use any of the logos to order anything on the Zazzle site: aprons, hats, postcards, luggage tags ... whatever!

And guess what? This week there's a giant sale -- products are up to 60% off! when using the checkout code SUMMERVAYKAY. I'm totally not kidding: Look!

Here's a tiny taste of the items you can find at the store. You'll find shirts, mugs, magnets, bags and keychains for all three brands. Plus other cool stuff like Mittens phone cases.

Want to see the full meal deal? Click here to visit the store -- and don't forget to use the discount code at checkout!

Some Cool News and a Photo of Saffy with a Plastic Lid on Her Head

It's the weekend! Woo Hoo!!! We wanted to take this opportunity to share a few bits of news with you. For starters, Catladyland's Facebook page hit 300,000 this week! That's almost a third of a million! Holy cats, that's cool! Thanks to all of you for contributing to the fun we have every day on the good ol' Facebook.

Did you hear that Texts from Mittens has its own Twitter account now? That's right -- our pal Mitty finally took the leap to Twitterville and is currently hounding Judge Judy for a follow. Paws crossed he'll get his wish. In addition to Tweeting the new and flashback text message images, he's also personally Tweeting. Yes, this is your opportunity to chat with Mittens himself! Please note that nothing will change as far as Facebook goes -- you'll still see Mittens there every day. This is just an "in addition to." Ohhh ... also keep your eyes and ears peeled for Mittens merchandise. We polled you on the Facebook page last week, and there's definitely a desire!

Click here to access Mittens' Twitter page!

The price of my book, whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds, has been reduced this week on Amazon. It looks like they have a limited number left in stock before they will order more from the publisher. If you've been thinking about snagging a copy, now's the time to do it! And thank you to everyone who already has a copy and is enjoying it -- I love the comments and messages you've been sending me! Don't forget you -- um, your cat -- can create ads on the whiskerslist site, as well as comment on existing ads. How fun is that?

Click here to order whiskerslist.
Click here to access the whiskerlist site.

The BlogPaws conference is quickly approaching. This one will mark my fifth year in attendance! I'll tell you, it's well-worth the trip to connect with like-minded pet lovers, learn a ton about starting a blog -- or making your existing one even better, and have an absolute TON of fun! And since I'm an Ambassador, feel free to ask me any questions you might have about the conference -- I'm happy to help! 

And guess what? One of the cool things I get to do as an Ambassador is offer you a discount on the already deal of a registration fee. Here's how it works: When you check out, use the special code BlogPaws2014-Angie-10 and you'll receive 10% off the already-deal-of-a registration fee! 

Click here to register for BlogPaws.

And lastly, as promised, here is a photo of Saffy with a plastic red lid -- I mean hat --  on her head. Stacy and Glenn, this is especially for you, although I hope everyone enjoys the glory of The Lady in Red.

Reunited With Cleavage-Cat

Last weekend I stayed with some good friends in Des Moines while I was in town for a whiskerslist book-signing. Their cat Tate is one of my all-time favorite felines. He's sweet, moderately cuddly (with me, anyway) and has the cutest scratchy meow. Not only am I enamored by Tate, he and I have a special connection. We're together one one of the pages of whiskerslist. Well, I suppose I should say my cleavage is together with him. He's nestled against my freckled cleavage on page 192 of the book.

Want to see? Buy the book. My awesome cleavage (haha) is well worth the $12.95.

Tate is remembering my cleavage.

Stink-Eye, Dog Breath, and Peace Offerings

Yesterday I returned from the week-long whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds book tour and, just as expected, was met with a little bit of stink-eye from the three feline amigos.

Phoebe dishes out the stink.

I think they somehow knew this had happened:

Dog breath!

Good thing I came home with goodies. 

Hey -- I had to bring goodies for the humans too. Cuts down on the stink-eye.

I'm Easily Forgiven ... Eventually

I've been on the road promoting whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds for an entire week, and today I'm heading home. This is the face I expect to "greet" me when I walk through the door. Yeah, he thinks he's gonna make me pay ... until he sees all the cat show goodies I brought home for him. Funny how that works.

Come Home to the Stink Eye

I'm going to spend the next two days at a cat show in Wisconsin, signing copies of whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds. I'm looking forward to seeing all the kitties and talking to cat lovers; however, my cats are not amused. After my being gone for a week-long book tour, they're ready for me to come home. I can feel the stink-eye from across two states.

Hittin' the Road!

Yesterday was the first official book-signing for whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds! It was at a Barnes & Noble here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and was a success! It was fun to see friends who came out, and many people stopped by just to swap cat stories.

Yay!

Today I take off for my mini book tour to promote the book -- I'm super-excited! I plan to see some friends along the way and meet some new people at signings. Plus, I'll be on TV tomorrow morning in Milwaukee! For a list of next week's events, take a look at my author site.

Phoebe makes a statement about my suitcase.

Order my new cat humor book, whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds!

"I'm Here!"

Saturday was the release party for my new book, whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds. A ton of people showed up and we had a grand old time. As expected, the cats didn't make an appearance until most everyone had cleared out of the house. At the end of the night, I saw Cosmo sitting atop the table that held the books and promotional material. After a long evening, I think he was finally ready to begin signing books ... but everyone was already gone. *sad trombone*

It's a Big Day!

Yes! Today is a huge day for Catladyland! It's the release date for my new cat humor book, whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds!

You may have been out of town for the holiday weekend, so I'm going to share the link for the whiskerslist giveaway again. That's right -- we're giving away THREE copies! You must click here for details.

Thank you for supporting me since I began this blog in 2009. I honestly couldn't have done this without the strong and loyal readership here are Catladyland.

Join me in celebration of the release, as well as all things kitty-cat-silly!

It's a whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN SATURDAY, SEP. 7'S POST!

Please note qualification changes!

It's finally here! My first book, whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds's official release date is this Tuesday, September 3! Amazon's been filling orders for two weeks, so some readers have already received theirs, but it will be available at other retailers this Tuesday!

The book, whiskerslist, (yes, it's all lowercase) is a parody of craigslist (yes, it's all lowercase ... get it?). It's nearly 200 posts that cats may write for a craigslist-type site. These frisky, freewheeling felines are looking for dates and hookups. They want to buy and sell crappy toys and rent sink space. They're offering classes in hairball crafting and even looking for comrades to help them crash the Westminster Dog Show.

Many Catladyland readers contributed photos to the book -- thank you! You helped make it awesomely silly and completely fun!

I'll be visiting some bookstores, cat shows and radio programs for signings, interviews and readings. Here's a list of what's to come (so far). I hope you'll come out and say hi and help spread the word to anyone you know that lives in one of those areas!

Please note: the book is PG-13ish. It's not really a young kids' book. Like craigslist, some of the material is a little racy, but it's not offensive ... at least I don't think so.

We've already gotten some really positive reviews on Amazon, and Jackson Galaxy (My Cat from Hell and Cat Daddy), Francesco Marciuliano (I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems By Cats) and Yasmine Surovec (Cat vs. Human) all gave fantastic advance praise! I'm so grateful!

Oh, and now there's a whiskerslist site! Your cat can actually create postings and comment on other cats' posts. There are some really funny ones so far!

And don't forget to like whiskerslist on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Would you like to win a copy? We're giving away a copy of whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds to three lucky Catladyland readers!

How to qualify:
Leave a comment on this post, telling us what your cat would post on whiskerlist. Would he or she sell the dog? Find a job at a catnip farm? Buy used Q-tips? This will get you ONE entry.

If you'd like to double your chances, hop over to the whiskerslist site and actually create the post (it can be simple -- you don't need a logon), tell me you made the post in a comment here.  It's not necessary in order to qualify  -- you can simply leave a comment. Leave your email address (we need to be able to contact you). Please do all of this by Friday, September 6, 2013 at noon, CDT.

The whiskerslist team will choose the three winners via an online random number generator.

If we cannot contact you within 48 hours of the notification email, we will choose another winner.

One entry per person.

Contest subject to change.

Thank you, good luck, and THANK YOU for all the support!

xo
Angie

My Cats Are Oblivious ... And a Speed Circuit Giveaway Winner!

First I'd like to congratulate the winner of the Catit Speed Circuit interactive cat toy giveaway: Melissa Green! Melissa, you'll be receiving an e-mail shortly and will have 72 hours ro respond before another winner is drawn. I'm adding an extra 24-hours because of the holiday weekend.

We're officially inside the 2-month window of my first book's release! You'll be able to have a real copy of whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds in your hands on Tuesday, September 3. The release date makes me laugh because it's the day after Labor Day -- I'll be birthing my new book the day after Labor Day. Sounds painful, huh? Meanwhile you can pre-order it from a number of online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's Books and Books-A-Million.

I've also been working on a few other cool things. My author site is always a work in progress, but you can see it here. I've been working with a website designer and, next month, the whiskerslist interactive website will be available! That's right -- you'll be able to peruse and create ads as your CAT. How's that?

And I'm still writing silly humor stuff almost daily on Catster -- hope you're following!

My cats have no idea how busy I've been and I honestly don't think they care. Do you?

They have better things to do. Obviously.

Thanks for the support and for sharing daily laughs with me! Catladyland readers are the BEST!

What Happens When Your Cat Hacks Into Your Computer? I Wrote a Book About It!

Excitement! After nearly two years since project conception, my cat humor book is finally available for pre-order and is scheduled for publication on September 3, 2013! Here's the 411:

• whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds is a cat parody of craigslist. It includes 160 posts of cat wheeling and dealing online while their humans are away. 

• whiskerslist has a Facebook page! You can LIKE it by clicking here!

• Like I mentioned, you can pre-order whiskerslist. Click here to pre-order on Amazon.com and click here to pre-order on Barnes & Noble. If you decide you'd like to pre-order later on, you can always come back and click on the little whiskerslist button on the ride sidebar. That'll do the trick.

• There will be an interactive site to accompany the book. Beginning sometime in early August, users can hop on whiskerslist and make their own posts, comment and connect with other cats online!

I'm really excited about this new adventure -- it's my first book and I really hope you love it as much as I do. Thank you for any and all support you and your cats will offer!

Catladyland Most Popular Posts of 2012: Kitty Classifieds

At the end of the year, I like to look back and highlight some of the most popular Catladyland posts. This one by far generated the most interest and I'm pleased about that because it was a guinea pig post. Some of you know I have a book coming out this fall: WHISKERSLIST: the kitty classifieds. It's a parody of Craigslist and will include nearly 200 posts of kitties trying to find dates, buy and sell, offer classes, and fill jobs.  I'm super-excited about it and can't wait to share it with all of you!

At the time, the working title was Fluffyslist so that's why you see that name used below.

chattanooga fluffyslist > for sale/wanted > free stuff

Free: medium-sized Amazon.com shipping box

_________________________________________________________________

Date: 2012-06-12 01:45AM EST

Reply to: kjyu-7392942648@sales.fluffyslist.com 

Great box, like new

Used for occasional napping

Oblong shape, could hold three cats (four would be tight)

You pick up

  

·        Location: Chattanooga, TN

·        ID: 8400490580