Settling in

Re-entry has been a challenge, but now that I've been home for a week, my brain seems to be making more of an effort.

Before I left Oxford, one of the students -- who'd endured A LOT of talk about my cat -- asked me if I'd seen this video:



Hee! I'm happy to report that Cedric was quite calm when we returned (thanks to our ace housesitter), but also very pleased to see us. It took him hardly any time at all to curl up in my lap, as you can see:



Another nice thing about coming home ? Receiving a finished copy of The Dark Between in the mail! (No books were harmed in the taking of these photos, I promise.)



I've always loved the cover, but the aqua spine and back add such a wonderful punch of color, don't you think?

The book releases in 15 days! Please stay tuned for more GIVEAWAYS. :)

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Giveaways and rainy days

Congrats to Alisha -- her number came up in my final ARC giveaway! Thanks so much to everyone who entered. I truly appreciated all the book recs.

And I wish to extend a warm welcome to all my new Twitter and blog followers. :)

Yesterday was gloomy with rain and thunder, which was perfect for revising a Gothic mystery. The sky cleared a bit that night, as you'll see . . .


This was how it looked at 8:00 pm when Steve and I took a walk. The Oklahoma sky never ceases to amaze me.


And here's our cat, waiting faithfully in the window for our return. On nights when we have the windows open, he'll hear our voices before he sees us, and he'll meow us home (just in case we've forgotten where we live).

ETA: I've been listening to The Attenbury Emeralds, the latest Peter and Harriet Wimsey book by Jill Paton Walsh, and it's so good! The hardcover has been languishing on my shelf for ages, but when I learned Edward Petherbridge read the audio, I downloaded that right away. Now I'm chomping at the bit to continue, but I don't have any long driving trips in the near future. I just adore his reading, and the mystery is suprisingly good considering that half of it is told by Peter and Bunter as the family is relaxing around the house or at a tea shop. (There's so much TEA DRINKING, you guys!) I'm getting giddy just thinking about it. (And I was very gratified to see all the starred reviews after I'd already decided I loved it.) As soon as I'm done listening I might just go back and read the book (because my mind tends to wander as I listen, particularly when I'm mooning over Peter). And then I'll start up with STRONG POISON, or perhaps even go back to the very beginning with WHOSE BODY? *joy*

A close one

Yesterday several dangerous tornados touched down in central Oklahoma. I learned new terms like debris ball, elephant trunk and maxi tornado. A few years ago the trendy term was "tornado vortex signature," but maybe they only use that when a funnel isn't performing as it should. (The weather reporters are GREAT at warning us about tornados. At the same time, you know they're having the time of their lives chasing those storms. They get really excited.)

At one point a maxi tornado was heading our way, but according to Steve it lifted and then touched down on the other side of town. Hmmm.

At least 13 people have died and many have lost their homes, so I don't mean to make light of the situation at all. But I did want you to know that we're okay. The worst thing that happened was my acid reflux flaring up big time as soon as the sirens went off.

Cedric and I spent some time in the coat closet. He was remarkably calm as he sat by my side, but his expression did verge into "freaked out" territory when the wind began to roar and the hail crashed against our windows. Of course I had my iPhone in the closet, so I documented the moment:



Lesson learned from this experience -- an interior closet is not going to protect us from a tornado that flattens houses. It may be time to invest in a garage tornado shelter.

Yay for kitties!

Oh no! I almost missed National Cat Day!

(probably because it's also Steve's birthday)

Jama Rattigan is celebrating Kidlit Kats at her LJ today, so I wanted to join in the fun and post my own kitty photos. (Because I don't do this enough already, right? Heh.)

In my house, it's National CEDRIC day!


Happy kitty in a box


Mysterious kitty in a box


Kitty squirming in the arms of uncombed human who forgot to stage a more flattering photo for this special event!

All right, my kitty-loving friends -- time to post your own photos!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]

Box Kitty!

Cedric approves!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]