Thursday, April 28, 2016

#Felines Dealing With The Unfamiliar--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith



Just as we are the most comfortable when surrounded by familiar faces and places, so are our pets. New adventures are always exciting for humans and pets, but dealing with the unfamiliar requires caution and time to adapt.  

Situations arise that instantly disrupt the peace and put the felines in "alert" mode. It can be something as simple as a package delivery from Fed Ex or a walk out to pick up the mail and a return with unfamiliar scents on our shoes. The noses instantly go into sniff mode and they anxiously await for the boxes to be emptied so they can do their territorial claiming. 

One afternoon I ventured upstairs to a spare bedroom and decided to take Paddy, Halo and Zoie with me for a new adventure. Halo wasn't too concerned, as long as I was with her. She just searched for a comfortable spot to nap on the new bed. But Paddy and Zoie had to do perimeter checks, under the bed checks and furniture surface checks before they eventually settled on the bed. Even then, they remained on alert, jumping at unfamiliar sounds and watching for any unexpected disturbances.

This week Clyde ventured up to the upper deck outside my office. He has napped there before but wasn't aware of our inside cats. This time, however, Zoie and Paddy caught sight of the visitor and the long stare-down began. Though unfamiliar, there was no hissing or growling, just a peaceful co-existence with a pane of glass between the curious felines. He has returned a few times since the original encounter and doesn't seem too uncomfortable with the thought of encountering new feline "friends."


Clyde has also been venturing in new areas of the yard, exploring newly weeds gardens and snoozing near the basement door. He and Bonnie have been napping in the sun room, especially on rainy days. They have been allowing us to do some watering of plants and other light chores on the patio without scurrying away in a flash. We seem to be more familiar to them and they have been more trusting of us.   


Bonnie and Clyde have also been venturing into our basement after feedings, exploring and casing out the area. They are constantly on alert but are slowly allowing us to walk around while they explore. Hopefully they are becoming familiar with the strange territory and will accept our shelter when the cold winter months return. They are becoming more trusting of us, but the petting that I have been longing to do is still out of their comfort zone. As the trust between us builds, hopefully the acceptance of physical contact will also build.


With so many things in life, patience is hard to accept. But my furry family, both inside and outside, constantly remind me that good things are worth waiting for, that a small moment of trustful acceptance can lead to a lifetime of tender commitment. Just a glance at Halo snuggled on the bed, at peace, triggers a slide show of her journey from a malnourished pregnant stray to one of my most faithful companions. It reminds me that patience to allow the unfamiliar become the norm is a valuable lesson that I need to focus on every day.  
Paddy in one of her safe spots where she can monitor
unfamiliar household disturbances.


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NOW AVAILABLE!!
KAREN ROSE SMITH
Book 5, Caprice De Luca Mystery Series







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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. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks 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. 

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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Release Day for #Cozy #Mystery Silence of the Lamps by Karen Rose Smith


I've been waiting for this day when I could say SILENCE OF THE LAMPS is on the shelves! I just love release days. This fifth Caprice De Luca mystery combines murder, mystery, recipes, Tiffany lamps and a pregnant stray cat in a fast-paced plot line. The De Luca family welcomes you with open arms as they cook, tease, protect and bond with each other.

I'm particularly attached to the story line because our rescued stray cat Halo appears in it! Caprice will be finding her a home and you'll see more of Halo and her kittens in mysteries to come. As always, Caprice's sidekick Cocker spaniel is involved in her search for clues.

And Caprice's relationship with Grant... There are twists and turns in every romance and theirs is no exception.


In each Caprice mystery, I become more emotionally invested in her and her sleuthing skills. I hope you become invested too!


Remember, the first four Caprice De Luca Home Staging mysteries are on sale until May 1.


Happy mystery solving. I always like to hear from my readers about whether or not they guessed Who-dunnit! And if you leave reviews on Amazon, I'm especially grateful.



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Available now!!! 
KAREN ROSE SMITH
Book 5, Caprice De Luca Mystery Series






First 4 Caprice mysteries on SALE



These days, home stager Caprice De Luca's calendar is a full house. Her grandmother's health is failing, her wayward uncle is stirring the pot, and she's torn between two equally eligible suitors. With so much drama in her personal life, Caprice is grateful to have Ace Richland, a former 80s rock star, ask her to stage his girlfriend's house. But Alanna Goodwin is a tough customer who balks at Caprice's ideas and all but commandeers the staging. Caprice almost isn't surprised when the snappish Southern belle is strangled to death with a tieback from her tacky velvet drapes. But just as she draws back the curtains on the truth, Caprice realizes she may be next on a murderer's set list… 



Caprice De Luca's latest house staging is all about hearts, flowers, lace and chintz since Valentine's Day is around the corner.  She never expects her client to be murdered in the greenhouse the day of the open house.

With her six-month-old cocker spaniel pup Lady by her side and her own love life in disarray, Caprice ferrets out clues from the victim's best friend, Caprice's mother, the housekeeper and a special male friend who insists his relationship with the victim was platonic.  However, as Caprice digs deeper, she finds the victim's past is filled with secrets that she kept from her husband for thirty years.

The past isn't merely history.  The present isn't always what it seems.  When hearts are involved, passion and even murder aren't far behind.



Quiet Kismet, Pennsylvania, may look like any other small town, but as a home-stager, Caprice De Luca can see behind closed doors—and it seems someone has designs on murder...

Life is a full house for Caprice these days.  She's dating, she's rescuing adorable cocker spaniels, and she's decorating the roomy interiors of Kismet's most well-heeled residents with fun fantasy themes.  But when a house painter Caprice frequently employs is found dead, it's time for Caprice to stage an investigation.  She must shift her attention from finding the perfect curtains to finding the perfect culprit.



Welcome to Kismet, PA, where home stager Caprice De Luca helps her clients shine in a lackluster real estate market—and where someone may only be in the market for murder...

Caprice De Luca has successfully parlayed her skills as an interior designer into a thriving home staging business.  So when her old high school friend Roz Winslow asks her to spruce up her mess of a mansion to perk up a slow buyer's market, Caprice is more than happy to share her skills.  But when Roz's husband Ted is found skewered by one of his sword room's prized possessions, it appears the Winslows have a few skeletons in their palatial closets.  With the stage set for murder, Caprice will discover she can track down an antique tapestry and a cold-blooded killer with equal aplomb—as long as she's not the next victim.







I hope you enjoy all of Caprice's adventures and feel as if you're part of the De Luca family. I love to chat with my readers and I do much of that on Facebook on my KarenRoseSmithBooks page. 






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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. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks 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. 

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Thursday, April 21, 2016

Real #Cats In #Mystery Silence Of The Lamps by Karen Rose Smith



Caprice De Luca, my sleuth in my Caprice De Luca Home Staging mystery series, takes in stray animals and tries to find good homes for them. I so enjoy writing these subplots in Caprice's stories because cats are so much a part of my everyday life. Like Caprice, my husband and I have rescued stray and feral cats. 

London became Valentine, the stray kitten
Caprice De Luca's grandmother adopts. 
Our "rescue" story began over fifteen years ago when we took in two farm cats who were half sisters. I nursed Ebbie back to health from a respiratory infection and she became my soulmate. London is still with us, though she prefers the quiet of an upstairs bedroom these days. Four years ago, we found 1 1/2 pound Zoie Joy in a shrub in our backyard and immediately brought her in the house. We were also fortunate to have helped Lance and Sunnybud, our outside yellow tabbies, and learned so much from them about befriending strays and caring for them. Our dealings with all our our felines has provided the basis for Caprice's love of animals and her willingness to find good homes for any who cross her path. She knows the ins and outs of handling them, feeding them, nursing them to health, dealing with vets and matching them to a good forever home.

Sophia, Caprice's long-haired calico cat is based on a feline beauty that our son adopted from a cat shelter. She is a ball of fur and cuddles with us when we visit. At first sight, I knew she had to be a permanent part of Caprice's feline family. 

Halo came to us two years ago this May. She appeared under a bush in our yard, looked at me and meowed. She was malnourished and scruffy and I immediately knew she would be joining our inside family eventually. A form of her rescue story appears in SILENCE OF THE LAMPS, my newest Caprice De Luca mystery set to be released next week. Although it took slightly longer to integrate her into our inside fold than it does in the book, I could easily write her story into the mystery plot because my husband and I experienced it firsthand--from her acceptance and trust that we would help her, to her first vet visits and eventually to the birth of her kittens. Dulcina, Caprice's neighbor who adopts Halo in SILENCE OF THE LAMPS, handles the adoption and birth of Halo's kittens much as we did. 

Halo on the patio
Halo's first vet visit


A pregnant Halo in my office

Halo and her kittens
Our adopted feline have given us countless hours of enjoyment, comfort when we are feeling down and many laughs with their antics. My cats in my Caprice stories, mirror our cats in the way they stretch, play and nap. Caprice absolutely shares my love of cats (as well as dogs), and future novels in the series will definitely feature more of the Smith feline family.  

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Available April 26, 2016 from 
KAREN ROSE SMITH
Book 5, Caprice De Luca Mystery Series







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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. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks 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. 

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Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Meet #Western #Historical #Romance Novelist Scarlett Dunn via Karen Rose Smith




I'm so happy to have Scarlett Dunn returning to my blog.  I think my readers will enjoy this western heartfelt historical romance.  Here's a message from Scarlett.


Dear Readers,

I have sincerely appreciated your lovely comments on my McBride brothers trilogy. It is so rewarding to hear that I have connected with you in a meaningful or entertaining way. The final book in this trilogy, LAST PROMISE, will be released April 26th, and you will meet the youngest, and the wildest brother, Luke. I hope you enjoy his story as much you have his brothers.

Best.
Scarlett

LAST PROMISE .............. The heart always find a home.

For British heiress Mary Ann Hardwicke, the Wild West is the perfect place to make her own life and escape the stifling privilege of an arranged marriage. Hard at work proving her independence, it's little wonder she has no time for handsome cowboy Luke McBride. No matter that he somehow understands the freedom she so badly needs—how could she trust such a wild spirit, much less find a way to love him?

Like the broncs he busts, Luke doesn’t see himself settling down in one place, let alone with one woman. So at first, Mary Ann is just an intriguing challenge. But her determination and bravery are sparking a longing to prove he can be the truly good man she deserves. Now as their enemies work to separate them, they will take a dangerous gamble on faith to claim an enduring love . . .





RT Book Review of LAST PROMISE:

"It is bittersweet when a series ends; questions are answered, readers are reunited with beloved characters. Mary Ann was a favorite; she defied her family and society to explore
the Wild West and to prove she could take care of herself. Dunn is a talented author who has brought new and refreshing ideas to the historical romance genre."




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Available April 26, 2016 from 
KAREN ROSE SMITH
Book 5, Caprice De Luca Mystery Series







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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. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks 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. 

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