August 2, 2013

Follow-Up Friday: Better Late Than Never

I've been really busy this week with the new book and I'm falling behind on my blogging! Also fighting a migraine yesterday and today, but wanted to try to at least get a quick (if late) Follow Up Friday post up!

So, here's Follow-Up Friday - a chance to answer those questions and follow up on the news!

A Slightly-less Puzzled Puppy
On Monday, I mentioned the mischief Rita was making, solving her food puzzle when no treats were in it, but acting completely flummoxed by it when it's full of treats.

SlimDoggy said "I turned [the pieces] upside down so they were easier to grab onto and [Maggie] did it with ease. Try it and see if it works for Rita..."


I tried it, and it worked much better! First there was a bit of a delay while she tried to chew on one puzzle piece: 


And then another wee delay while she thought about it for a bit...

And another delay while she tried to cheat and just suck the treats out of the hidden compartments like an anteater...

After all that, she had a flash of insight, pulled them all out, and enjoyed her Zuke's Minis!

We also tried a variation:


And now she's bored again....


The Blurb
On Wednesday, I shared the blurb for my new novel, Rescue Me, Maybe. Thanks so much to everyone for the nice comments.

Flea from Jones' Natural Chews asked "So tell me again why I have to wait till September to read this?" The long answer is: cuz I'm trying to do this book release thing the "right way" this time. Last time I just published What the Dog Ate without any lead up or fanfare. And then I learned afterwards that you are supposed to have lots of lead up and fanfare... So, this time I've got ARCs ("Advance Reading Copies") that I'm sending to some folks and hoping that by the time the book does come out in mid-Sept., there will be some reviews/buzz already. It's all about the buzz, baby. (I'm terrible at buzz!)

The short answer is: you don't really have to wait. If you have a Kindle (or Kindle app on your iPad) or a Nook, I can send you an ARC. I would just ask for an honest review when the book is up on Amazon. If you want one, email me at jackiebouchard at hotmail dot com.

Pam from Words with Wieners asked, "What would it take to get a signed copy of both books? I mean, after the new one comes out, of course." It wouldn't take much at all. Email me!
 
The Bedding & The Beast
Remember when my sis took over Monday Mischief with Reggie and he'd chewed through the underside his KONG bedding? (Cuz he likes the underside of things...):


Well, Life with Wrigs said, "I hope you sent that photo of the Kong bed to the company. That is a serious flaw! How silly that they don't make the entire bed out of the tough fabric." That was a good idea! So, my sis did email KONG and they said that bed is actually made by PetSmart (which was where she got it) so she would need to contact them. They did thank her for the input, though. Apparently, they license their name to PetSmart and don't have full say in the products. That seems a bad idea doesn't it? Anyway, after some surly service from PetSmart, she did manage to get a store credit.

BlogLovin'
Okay, I know I'm supposed to answer questions on FUF, but I have a question for those of you who have added a "follow me on BlogLovin'" link to your blog. I "claimed" Pooch Smooches on BlogLovin' the other day, and it said to do that by inserting the HTML code at the beginning of a post, which I did with Monday's post (and I apologize if some of you got a superfluous email because of that...). But now that link is just in that post... How do I get it somewhere more permanent? Is there a widget for my sidebar I can use? Hope that's not a dumb question.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about - if you read a lot of blogs and want to just get 1 email per day with the links to the new posts, you can organize the blogs you follow at www.bloglovin.com.


Phew. That's it, that's all. Happy Friday, everypawdy!

Thanks to co-hosts Jodi from Heart Like a Dog and AJ from I Still Want More Puppies for hosting Follow-Up Friday!

31 comments:

  1. News to me that Kong just licenses their name out. What a disappointment. I think of the Kong name as a sign of quality. Sorry to see that's not the case.

    And you go with your buzz creating self. You'll be the J.K. Rowling of dog books in no time. :)

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    1. Oh, I wish!

      And, yes, it was news to me about Kong as well. I associate their name with indestructibility, so if other companies use their name and make destructible items... not a good plan!

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  2. Jackie I think you should be able to add a gadget to your sidebar using the HTML code. Go to Layout, Click on Add A Gadget, scroll down till you find the one that says HTML/Javascript. You should be able to put the code there and it will appear in your sidebar.
    hugs
    Bailey, Hazel & Greta

    PEE S
    the new book sounds great!

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    1. Thanks! Found the code on the BlogLovin site and was able to add it on the sidebar!

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  3. I'm always amazed at how dogs can be so resourceful and unpredictable when they are faced with solving a puzzle. Yes, they can think in spite of the scientists who just don't know how to measure their thinking.

    Someday I may move into the 21st century with everyone else with Kindles, etc. but there is just something about holding a book and finding just the right bookmark that is a ritual with me going back to a happy childhood. And yes I am archaic... but happy.

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    1. I love old-fashioned books, too. I never thought I'd say it though... but i do read more books now on my iPad. It's cheaper and easier and I'd run out of shelf space anyway! :)

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  4. Very disappointing to hear about KONG licensing their name to Petsmart...dilutes their brand if you ask me...as for Bloglovin, go to the menu bar at the top and hover over your little avatar to get the drop down menu and there's a link for sidebar buttons...very easy to install

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    1. Thanks - just found it as you were leaving this. All installed!

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  5. I think that is a poor business idea from Kong. Obviously, that bed is not a good bed! Good luck with the buzz...hard to do,I think it is easier after it is out but I know it needs to be done beforehand too. It will be exciting to see how it goes and to see your finished book!

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    1. Yes, once it's out it will be easier. That's why I decided to not have too long between announcing it and the release - just a month and a 1/2. "They" say you should take 3 to 6 months!

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  6. Yep, Kong let us down on that bed thing. Reggie does love his traditional Kong filled with p.b. or kibble -- his lovely parting gift (when WE depart). I did find a TRULY indestructible crate pad: the TUFF Crate Pad made by K-9 Ballistics. It's really well-made, has been tough-tested by Mr. Reggie and passed with flying colors. They have a fantastic guarantee, which it seems we will not have to use. If you need to make a warranty claim, you send a picture of the damage (and you can also include a photo of "the culprit" if you like). I like a company with a good product and sense of humor.

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    1. That's cool that you just have to send the photo instead of sending the whole thing back. (Cute about sending a photo of the culprit!)

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  7. I remember reading somewhere that one of the differences between domestic dogs and captive raised wolves is that dogs, somewhere along the domestication process, learned humans can solve their problems. So they learned to communicate their need for help, instead of solving the problem for themselves. No captive wolf ever does that. They don't know how to ask for help and they just solve it for themselves. Intelligence tests also show wolves to be of much higher intelligence than dogs. When you have to rely on your own smarts to get by.....

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    1. Well, Rita has a *little* bit of street smarts from her time on "the mean streets." But now she's smart enough to know Momma will help!

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  8. Great job Rita! You figured it out! Now never do it again, lol. Just make Momma give you the treats! We've had no luck over here with figuring out the Kong Wobblers yet, but tomorrow I'll try their Zuke's treats in there instead of kibble to see if that's a bit more motivating. We hope to try the puzzles soon... I'm expecting results to Rita's, only with more chewed up pieces.
    I will be emailing you about the signed copies. I will. Not going to ask for an digital ARC, 'cuz I'm old-fashioned and enjoy flipping the pages of a real book. And the smell... I like the smell of books. Weird, I know. Plus I know I'll get some Jackie Wit du Jour along with your sigs :).
    Terrible of Kong to license their brand to PetSmart. People will stop buying if the quality isn't there, though... and they'll perhaps learn a lesson.
    Oh Bloglovin'... Glad you got your situation sorted, but my Bloglovin' is messed up. I've contacted their customer service twice about it, but no response. I can't even claim my blog because the link for my blog in Bloglovin' is messed up and the problem isn't on my end. To explain: I had never used or been to Bloglovin' before, but decided I wanted to start using it. Well, I went there searched for my blog and it came up, BUT what came up is some random old post... instead of my home page... you know, as if that random old post is my whole blog. The claiming process will not work because their robots are looking for the code on the wrong page (on that old post page) instead of my home page. Sigh. What's worse is that I have two followers to that bad link... well, not really "bad", but wrong. My RSS feed works correctly, so I have NO idea why some random old post comes up in their search instead of my main blog address. Don't know what to do until they fix it, and they won't get back to me. Oops, didn't mean to rant about that on your page! Just so frustrating.

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    1. No worries about the rant! That's really frustrating.

      For some odd reason, my blog shows up on there as .ca instead of .com, but it seems to be working right, so who knows. I hope you get your blog sorted out on there! I get the emails directly from you.

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  9. I was already disenchanted with Kong when I bought Wubbas for the girls, and got them home and saw "made in China" on them. I thought they were an American company (I know their new treats are made here), and that is just a deal breaker for me. The dogs love the toys though....well hopefully they last since they won't be getting any more!
    Rita looks so cute playing with her toy. I especially love the photo where she is just staring at it.
    I need to look into that Bloglovin. I keep saying that. I fall behind on my blogging and I'm not even writing a book. :)

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    1. BlogLovin seems (so far) to be a pretty helpful way to stay on top of the blogs I usually read. I though it is sometimes overwhelming when I fall behind in my reading and see I have a bazillion unread posts!

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  10. I have been thinking lately that I have so much to blog about lately with so little days in the week lol. There is a widget you can add to your sidebar on bloglovin's site. It shouldn't be too hard to find over there.

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  11. Good luck with the book buzz. I love your blurb!

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    1. Thank you! It's so hard to know what will entice someone to enjoy a book. I guess that's why publishers have whole marketing dept's - but I'm just little ol' me!

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  12. Why so so many dog beds have that flimsy underside? Glad you fought through it and got your money back!

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  13. Why would Kong license their name out like that? If PetSmart makes a bad product, it's on them!

    Can't wait to see more of your book. Loved the blurb!

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  14. Have a super Saturday Jackie. Good luck with the build up to the book launch. nearer the time if you need we can do a review. When the time is right give us a nod and a electronic copy and we can read it on our kindle app and do a heads up. No worries. By the way we don't see replies on your blog as we don't go back to an old post so don't waste you precious time replying here. Hope that is OK?
    Best wishes Molly

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  15. I have to say that I feel so much better reading there are others resisting electronic reading devices! I very much prefer holding a real book in my hand. That said, as I contemplate moving (with boxes and boxes of books), I lately have been browsing reviews and thinking of taking the plunge. Regardless, good luck with all that buzz creation and let me know if I can help!

    I did not know that KONG licenses its name to others! Maybe that explains some of the KONG toys that are just not up to snuff?

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  16. I read a lot on my android pad and here on the computer b/c I can have what would be a limitless supply of books compared to a house with space that always becomes limited.

    That being admitted, I'll also admit that quite often I can't get rid of the urge to be holding something "real." Whenever I can't get over the urge to touch and SMELL a real book, I go to a local used book store. Then I can get a lot of books for less, and once I'm finished, I can take them back, trade them, and not clutter up the house. We'd be on that Hoarder's show if I didn't. Dog books are the only ones that I won't trade. I. Just. Can't.

    I can't wait for your book to come out. It sounds GRRRReat!

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  17. I hope you have even more success with your book with the added fanfare and lead up. I would offer to read it and write a review but I have over 10 books that have been waiting to be read....for a year! With graduate school starting soon I will absolutely have to time. Good luck with it though.

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  18. Great FUF, love the Rita and puzzle pictures, love that she chew on a piece. Will be contacting you about both your books when the new one comes out, can't wait. I think all the hype and wait is great! Have a great day.

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  19. I can help you create some buzz if you like! I'd be happy to help spread the word about your book once it gets out. The more fanfare the better right?

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  20. Great FUF post!

    I have no idea that Kong just licenses its name to PetSmart and other companies. That's a big disappointment.

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