Wordless Wednesday - July 3, 2013







Introducing "The Built-in Blindfold"!

Book Review and Giveaway! "It's Just a Dog" by Russ Ryan

My Review:
So, I'm a sucker for any animal story.  Doesn't matter if it's about a cat or dog, I'm sure I'll like it.  Usually the stories are from the owner's point of view or the animal's point of view.  "It's Just a Dog" has totally given a new twist on animal stories.  We all see the shows about mediums talking to the dead, and people seeing ghosts.  How come it's never an animal ghost?

The story starts out with the tale that any animal owner can relate to when their faithful companion passes.  You know, the "sorry, I know your animal meant a lot to you" and the emotions that go with losing (in this case) a dog and getting that first dog afterwards.  Even though it has been over 6 years since I've lost an animal (an 18 year old cat and getting a dog 4 months later) , I totally got this part of the story!

Here's where the twist comes in.  We've all probably said to ourselves "If I only had one more day with (insert family/friend name here)" after someone had passed.  But what if your faithful companion came back?  I LOVE THIS TWIST on the story!  To this day, I still think about my cat, Babe and say to Esa and Zed "your sister, Babe, used to do such and such".  Russ Ryan has taken what we have all thought about and put it in a book.

This is a great, easy (176 page) summer read that any animal lover will enjoy.  The book does exactly what a good story should do - take you away from reality for awhile and let you daydream.

 

What if your dog died and then came back as a ghost…that could talk? Would you welcome him back with open arms or run away scared to death? 

 

This is the premise of IT’S JUST A DOG, a new novel about love, loss, and one man’s dog who rises up yapping from the grave.

Charlie Keefe is not just your typical dog lover –– he’s a world famous dog painter, a.k.a. “The Picasso of Pooch Portraits”. Unfortunately, Charlie’s beloved muse, Pete, his lovable Jack Russell terrier, has just died. And he’s totally devastated by the loss of his furry best friend.

So, after months of grieving over his dearly departed soulmate, Charlie reluctantly agrees to foster a new puppy –– a cute Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Brownie from the local animal shelter. Soon after, Charlie is surprised to find himself falling head over heels with this new puppy girl, his ‘Rebound Dog’, as he calls her –– as well as being romantically attracted to Janelle Jordan, the head hound at the dog rescue.

But then complications arise when the ghost of his old dog, Pete, mysteriously reappears one night and comes back to haunt him and the new puppy –– setting off a bizarre chain of events that throw Charlie’s life, career, and entire belief system into chaos!

If you’ve enjoyed such classic dog books as The Art of Racing in the Rain and A Dog’s Purpose, then you are bound to find a place in your heart for IT’S JUST A DOG -  Part Book, Part Blog, ALL DOG, (Okay, there may be a few cat videos, too, to show some love for the other team!)

Buy the book from....

Amazon.com - printed book

Amazon.com - ebook

Barnes and Noble

About the Author 

Aside from being a dog lover and a dog widower, RUSS RYAN has written and developed screenplays with the Hollywood producers of American Pie, Final Destination, and Fireflies in the Garden. He was also a writer on a really bad teen comedy, National Lampoon’s Repli-kate, starring Eugene Levy. This is his first novel.

In addition, he is the creator of Meansheets, a vintage movie poster blog that focuses on the greatest artists and illustrators from the 1940′s-1980′s.

 

 

Follow the Author 

Author's Website 

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

 

I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

 
printed book          ebook version

As an added bonus, 50% of the sales during the book’s initial 3-month summer launch (through Sept. 2, 2013 – Labor Day) will be donated to Muttville, a San Francisco-based senior dog rescue, which believes that every dog deserves a happy ending.
If you want to learn more about Muttville Dog Rescue, please visit their website.

WIN THIS BOOK!

Follow the book tour and at the end of the tour, 3 signed copies will be given away!
(Opened to US/CA, GB and Europe from July 19 to August 11)
Check back on July 19 to enter!

Savings Summary Saturday - June 22, 2013

So, I've been slacking on this entry title.  It actually takes a lot of work looking up the different programs and I haven't really been sitting at my computer much (mostly using my Ipad). 

Items sent for:

• n/a

Grocery Shopping (and other savings) this week (and previous week):

• no big savings this week worth noting.  I haven't been stocking up much.  I'm trying to use up some of the stockpile (a lot of it is cleaning supplies).  I am back to my usual routine.  Buying on sale and with a coupon - and stocking up if it's a good deal.  My coupon stock has deminished - The Washington Examiner is no longer delivering free papers to our neighborhood.  There goes stocking up on good coupons for free!

Gas Savings:

• We used the Exxon card which gives us cash back via Upromise.com

Income (Starting to post again to Ebay & Listia. My goal is to post at least one item a day.):

• slowed down on this since I got rid of a bunch of stuff in May with our yardsale and then donating.  I do have a couple of items on Craigs List for sale, but no real bites yet.

Items received in the mail:

• Living (rewardgold.com)
• Rolling Stone (rewardgold.com)

Rewards programs:
NEW! I have created a spreadsheet of the programs AND listed the gift card that is the goal.  I'm hoping this will keep me motivated to visit the websites daily (or at least concentrate on the cards I want).
MyPoints - 16210  points (personal account)
MyPoints -  6306 points (coupon account)
Swagbucks -  1151  points
Listia - 9587 credits
Postpoints - 3505  points
mycokerewards - 4569  points
Bondrewards - $28.26
Upromise - $23.61
Capital One Rewards - 3566  miles
Thanks Again - 1075 points
Viggle - 46,029  points
NCP -  51395 points
ExpoTV -  290 points
IBotta -$3.50
Jingit - $ 1.85

2012 New Year, New Goals - to continue in 2013!

• Use rewards programs to get gifts and daily stuff -
• Use Restaurant.com coupons -
• Set up an Estate -
• Monthly Review/Net Worth