An Eclectic Friday

Hmm, for the first time in a while, I'm just throwing together a few things and taking advantage of a posting day when I don't have a spotlight to post. :) I hope you'll indulge me as I share 3 special aspects of my life with you.

1. Pictures of our dog, Roxie.
2. A delightful Valentine's Day surprise
3. Details about my husband's debut novel and a contest where you can win FREE stuff!

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Our Dog

Roxie is a Border Collie/Flat-Haired Retriever Mix and she weighs about 60 pounds. Hubby and I rescued her from the Humane Society in October 2007, only 2 months after we were married. We've been supremely blessed ever since. Stu picked her out from a picture online and when we went to meet her, we were both struck with love at first sight.

A friend and fellow author had a random Friday post on her blog talking about pets and sharing pictures of her daughter's latest addition. She then invited readers to do the same. So, here they are:

Do you have a favorite pet or pictures online to share? Feel free to leave a comment and a link, so I can see them too. I love animals. They make our lives much brighter!

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A Delightful Valentine's Day Surprise

Last night, my husband brought me a funny card and some wall stickers of horses. They're the ones you can remove without damaging the wall. I saw them in the store last week and he noticed, then went out and got them. :) His skills at observation are amazing.

This morning, I woke up and not long after a knock came to my door. When I opened it, a delivery man handed me a long box, smiled and told me to have a nice day. Eager to see what was inside, I immediately opened the box and found these:

There was also a beautiful card with words from my husband's heart that touched me in many ways. It's a card that will be treasured for years to come.

Have you received a special V-day gift this year or any previous year that stands out in your mind? I'd love to hear about it.

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My Husband's Debut Novel and Contest

Some of you might have already seen this posted in other places, but I'm doing my hubby a favor and sharing it here as well. :)

For those who don't know, Stuart Vaughn Stockton has sold his first book and it releases on April 1st -- no foolin. :) To help announce and celebrate this auspicious event, he's running a contest (along with sponsorship by authors Brandilyn Collins and Jill Williamson and editor Jeff Gerke). If you're a fan of Brandilyn Collins' Kanner Lake series, you might recall a character named Ted Dawson (or S-Man). Well, that character was based on Stuart, and the novel the character was writing was Starfire. Just as the book was published in the series, the same goes for Stu. An odd and exciting circumstance of fiction meeting reality!

Anyway, all you need to do to become a Herald of the Starfire is:

* post about the contest and Starfire on a blog/website/community page
* download a flyer
* post a banner for the book somewhere online

Then, once you've done any or all of those, send an email to "contest [at] ritersbloc [dot] com" with links to anything you posted online or what you did with the flyer.

Prizes include: The Marcher Lord Press Spring Releases (Starfire, By Darkness Hid, and The Dark Man), the entire Kanner Lake Series by Brandilyn Collins, a guest blogging spot on Brandilyn Collins's blog: Forensics and Faith, and much more!

Visit Stu's web site to find out more: www.ritersbloc.com/contest

Hope to see y'all join in the fun!

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