Thankful For My Furry Family--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, a time for celebrating with friends and family, I stopped this week to reflect on my furry family. I am so grateful for the felines who have wrapped themselves around my heart.  The looks of trust and affection in their eyes show me how grateful they are for my care and the love I try to share with them each day. Each of the felines has his/her own personality and I have learned to interact with them in their individual uniqueness.

Halo and Zoie love to share the bed and bask in extended periods of cuddling. Paddy, on the other hand, is more of a loner but appreciates a special treat or a passing back rub. London, our senior feline who is blind, looks forward to my husband's afternoon nap with her. The kittens are still adapting to their new surroundings and adjusting to the varying reactions of the adult members of the feline family. They can be cuddly and sweet, but also have their active periods of play and wrestling.

And Bonnie and Clyde, our outside visitors, have been willingly coming in the basement each evening to spend the night, but are ready to go back outside after their morning feeding. They are showing more trust with both my husband and me, but still dart at the smallest movement or unfamiliar sound. I can pet Clyde (when he chooses to allow me to do it) and Bonnie will occasionally tolerate a quick hand down her back as she walks by.

My furry family fills my otherwise work-filled days with laughter and affection. For that, I am grateful not only this week but every week of the year.

Halo, Paddy's mother, is pictured above and below are photos of the rest of my faithful felines.     

Miss Paddington

Zoie Joy

London

Zander

Freya

Bonnie and Clyde

 Happy Thanksgiving!

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NOW AVAILABLE!

Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery #7

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially now that Caprice De Luca has wrapped up her holiday-themed staging gig at a stunning historic home in downtown Kismet, Pennsylvania. Behind all the red ribbon and glowing string lights, homeowners Chris and Sara Merriweather have it all. But Chris, a Vietnam vet who plays Santa every year at the community park, has been displaying strange behavior after a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

The joy of the season vanishes entirely when Chris is found murdered on Santa Lane, leaving behind his loyal malamute and lots of unfinished business. As Caprice uncovers hidden secrets in Santa's workshop, the pressure is on to catch the candy cane-wielding culprit--before she's next on a killer's deadly wish list . . .

SLAY BELLS RING on Amazon

SLAY BELLS RING on Barnes and Noble

*****************

Click on the link below to read an additional blog entry by Karen  

every Thursday on the Cozy Chicks blog

Cozy Chicks Blog

****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. This award-winning and bestselling author will have her 100th novel released in 2018.  At present she is working on two mystery series for Kensington Books--Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozies and Daisy's Tea Garden mysteries. From time to time, she also writes romance for Harlequin Special Edition.

Karen and Zander

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks and does watercolor paintings rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

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Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

Kittens Grow Up So Fast--Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

Zander and Freya were welcomed into our indoor feline family almost three months ago. Their weights at their first vet appointments were both under 2 pounds. And today...both have over doubled those weights!

We used to be able to scoop them both up and hold them together in one hand. They shared a carrier on their initial trips to the vet. Neither of those scenarios are any longer possible. They are developing their own personalities and, while still close siblings, are also going their independent ways. While they occasionally still sleep together, they have also both found their favorite spots to nap by themselves.   

But one thing Zander and Freya still do together is LOOK FOR TROUBLE! After a long nap--or if they are hungry--they team up to find something to get into to irritate the other cats (or us). They play hard, tousle with each other and love to have their toys scattered throughout the house for easy access. One of their favorite evening activities is chasing ping pong balls that we throw across the room or racing after the laser light.

The integration with the other four cats has been slow but they are slowly building relationships set on the boundaries established by the senior cats (unless they choose to ignore those standards). London, our blind senior cat spends her days in her two-bedroom suite away from the antics of the kittens. Zoie was the first adult cat to bond with her new sister and brother and Paddy prefers to sit nearby and observe their play times, rather than to engage with them. Halo has slowly begun to accept the fact that the kittens are not going away, so she tolerates them as long as they don't interfere with her nap times on the bed or on her favorite chair. 

Zander and Zoie share the floor to ceiling condo.

Zander and Freya have brought new life and excitement to our somewhat docile home. We choose to laugh at their antics rather than get upset by some of the messes they make. I love an afternoon nap with two adult cats at the base of the bed and Zander draped across my head. I love Zander's kitty kisses and Freya's purring when I scoop them into my arms for a quick hug. They remind me of the beauty in small things when I become entrapped by the complexity of the world around me. Despite their bursts of kitten enthusiasm, they have reminded me once again of the value of the simple but most meaningful parts of my life. 

*****************

NOW AVAILABLE!

Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery #7

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially now that Caprice De Luca has wrapped up her holiday-themed staging gig at a stunning historic home in downtown Kismet, Pennsylvania. Behind all the red ribbon and glowing string lights, homeowners Chris and Sara Merriweather have it all. But Chris, a Vietnam vet who plays Santa every year at the community park, has been displaying strange behavior after a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

The joy of the season vanishes entirely when Chris is found murdered on Santa Lane, leaving behind his loyal malamute and lots of unfinished business. As Caprice uncovers hidden secrets in Santa's workshop, the pressure is on to catch the candy cane-wielding culprit--before she's next on a killer's deadly wish list . . .

SLAY BELLS RING on Amazon

SLAY BELLS RING on Barnes and Noble


*****************
Click on the link below to read an additional blog entry by Karen  

every Thursday on the Cozy Chicks blog

Cozy Chicks Blog

****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. This award-winning and bestselling author will have her 100th novel released in 2018.  At present she is working on two mystery series for Kensington Books--Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozies and Daisy's Tea Garden mysteries. From time to time, she also writes romance for Harlequin Special Edition.

Karen and Zander

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks and does watercolor paintings rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

#Feline Condo Living--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

Although our cats have an entire house to roam and comfy furniture to nap on, they still seem to prefer their carpeted cat condos. In previous blogs, I have shared photos of the older cats snoozing or playing on the condos. Although she prefers to nap snuggled next to me on the bed or on my lounge chair, Halo still enjoys a few private moments on the top shelf of the floor to ceiling condo. Paddy often tries to join her but since she is now full grown, Halo is not always willing to share the small space. Paddy enjoys her square-topped condo and Zoie often naps in the morning sunshine that beams across her kitchen condo.

Often, much to the chagrin of the older cats, the new kittens have invaded the condo spaces. Zander seems to like the Paddy's square-topped condo and Freya prefers the kitchen condo. They both like to sit on and in the carpeted circles in the bedroom.

Of course, the carpeted structures also provide surfaces for the cats to scratch on, sparing the upholstered furniture.

Below are a few snaps that I captured this week of Zander and Freya enjoying condo living.  

***************

Coming November 2017

Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery #7

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially now that Caprice De Luca has wrapped up her holiday-themed staging gig at a stunning historic home in downtown Kismet, Pennsylvania. Behind all the red ribbon and glowing string lights, homeowners Chris and Sara Merriweather have it all. But Chris, a Vietnam vet who plays Santa every year at the community park, has been displaying strange behavior after a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

The joy of the season vanishes entirely when Chris is found murdered on Santa Lane, leaving behind his loyal malamute and lots of unfinished business. As Caprice uncovers hidden secrets in Santa's workshop, the pressure is on to catch the candy cane-wielding culprit--before she's next on a killer's deadly wish list . . .

Pre-order SLAY BELLS RING on Amazon

Pre-order SLAY BELLS RING on Barnes and Noble

*****************

Click on the link below to read an additional blog entry by Karen  

every Thursday on the Cozy Chicks blog

Cozy Chicks Blog

****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. This award-winning and bestselling author will have her 100th novel released in 2018.  At present she is working on two mystery series for Kensington Books--Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozies and Daisy's Tea Garden mysteries. From time to time, she also writes romance for Harlequin Special Edition.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks and does watercolor paintings rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

#Grandkitties Join Our Feline Family--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

In last week's blog, I introduced Freya and Zander, the newest members of our feline family.  I'm also excited to share that we have new furry friends in our extended feline family. This week's photos feature Danbi and Mina, our grandkitties!

Our son, who lives half way across the country, lost his sixteen-year-old soulmate cat in May. His vet had just taken into foster care six new motherless kittens from two different litters. They were only about five weeks old at the time. When we visited our son in June, we made a trip to the vet's home to see the kittens and he decided to adopt two of them--a black and white tuxedo and a Japanese calico. He picked them up a few weeks later and we have been receiving weekly photos. He already had a senior cat, but the integration when really well.  Short visits with the kittens have extended into much longer sessions. They play and nap together. We plan to visit over the holidays and are excited to see how they have grown since we first saw them in June.   

Meet Danbi and Mina.

Danbi

Mina

Playtime

Fun with big sister

    
I am indeed grateful for the bundles of smiles provided by our new family members. And I am also happy that our love of felines has been passed down to our son. I can't wait for the photos when our grandkitties discover our son's multiple aquariums and the many ways they can get into trouble exploring them! 

***************

Coming November 2017

Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery #7

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially now that Caprice De Luca has wrapped up her holiday-themed staging gig at a stunning historic home in downtown Kismet, Pennsylvania. Behind all the red ribbon and glowing string lights, homeowners Chris and Sara Merriweather have it all. But Chris, a Vietnam vet who plays Santa every year at the community park, has been displaying strange behavior after a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

The joy of the season vanishes entirely when Chris is found murdered on Santa Lane, leaving behind his loyal malamute and lots of unfinished business. As Caprice uncovers hidden secrets in Santa's workshop, the pressure is on to catch the candy cane-wielding culprit--before she's next on a killer's deadly wish list . . .

Pre-order SLAY BELLS RING on Amazon

Pre-order SLAY BELLS RING on Barnes and Noble

*****************

Click on the link below to read an additional blog entry by Karen  

every Thursday on the Cozy Chicks blog

Cozy Chicks Blog

****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. This award-winning and bestselling author will have her 100th novel released in 2018.  At present she is working on two mystery series for Kensington Books--Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozies and Daisy's Tea Garden mysteries. From time to time, she also writes romance for Harlequin Special Edition.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks and does watercolor paintings rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

Freya and Zander Join Our #Feline Family-#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

Kittens Freya and Zander have joined our furry family! We were not planning on additional furry companions.  But...

As mentioned in last week's blog, a dear friend found six five-week-old kittens under her parents' porch. The mother, a feral neighborhood cat, was trapped and spayed. Although our friend is allergic to cats, she still accepted responsibility to care for and find the kittens forever homes. Her parents took two of the kittens, leaving four. I'm happy to report that Camino and Ash, the two who were featured in my blog last week, have found adoptive parents. And as soon as I laid eyes on the remaining long-haired brother and sister pair, my heart melted and I agreed to welcome them to our furry family. (I'm not sure our existing adult cats--Halo, Paddy, London and Zoie Joy--shared my enthusiasm!)

Already the pair have brought us many laughs as we watch their kitten antics. They have each developed their own unique personalities. We are slowly integrating them with the adult felines. While the adults watch them carefully and sometimes openly express their disapproval, other times they do allow the kittens to nap on the bed with them (as long as they are at a safe distance). I know patience is of utmost importance in this process and that tolerance, if not acceptance, is the most the adult cats can offer as they absorb the fact that these little creatures have broken into their safety zone.

I will share the integration process over the next weeks and months.  But for now, meet ZANDER and FREYA...    

ZANDER

"A different type of guy--one who genuinely cares and is sweet, cute and very attractive and never fails to make a girl smile"

(from the urban dictionary)

FREYA

The Norse goddess of beauty, love and destiny

The kittens had their first shots this week. In this photo, they weren't their usual frisky selves as the effects of the shot slowly wore off.  But soon they returned to "normal" and each day they embark on new adventures as they explore all the nooks and crannies of their new "forever" home.

***************

Coming November 2017

Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery #7

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially now that Caprice De Luca has wrapped up her holiday-themed staging gig at a stunning historic home in downtown Kismet, Pennsylvania. Behind all the red ribbon and glowing string lights, homeowners Chris and Sara Merriweather have it all. But Chris, a Vietnam vet who plays Santa every year at the community park, has been displaying strange behavior after a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

The joy of the season vanishes entirely when Chris is found murdered on Santa Lane, leaving behind his loyal malamute and lots of unfinished business. As Caprice uncovers hidden secrets in Santa's workshop, the pressure is on to catch the candy cane-wielding culprit--before she's next on a killer's deadly wish list . . .

Pre-order SLAY BELLS RING on Amazon

Pre-order SLAY BELLS RING on Barnes and Noble

*****************

Click on the link below to read an additional blog entry by Karen  

every Thursday on the Cozy Chicks blog

Cozy Chicks Blog

****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. This award-winning and bestselling author will have her 100th novel released in 2018.  At present she is working on two mystery series for Kensington Books--Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozies and Daisy's Tea Garden mysteries. From time to time, she also writes romance for Harlequin Special Edition.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks and does watercolor paintings rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith