WHAT'S NEW?

….several exciting things, at the moment! A number of updates have been added to this page, so scroll on down. A quick recap follows-you can read further for nitty-gritty details.

More than any other, this page offers an insider's look at the author's life and work. A book begins as an idea, then evolves with research, questions asked and answered, pictures added or subtracted, and edits made, until every intricate piece fits together like the myriad jigsaw pattern of fine stained glass. When successful, the published work shines-the individual parts no longer stand alone, but instead work as one to make a single glorious work of art.

Authors write alone, of necessity, but not in a vacuum. Writers cannot hope to succeed without readers-one cannot exist without the other! This page offers YOU the opportunity to participate in the writing process by telling what kind of information you want to read, and why.

Send in your comments and suggestions-or if you'd rather not be that bold, simply forward along a "howdy." You'll read how to contact Amy on the GUESTBOOK page.

My Internet radio show (half hour weekly podcast) Pet Peeves now ranks #3 of pet-theme iTunes with 58,000+ downloads in the past few months. For a list of shows go to the radio page. Please send suggestions for guests and topics.

I just returned from taping a new Animal Planet TV show called "Dogs 101" which will also feature cats on later installments. The taping was in NYC on July 14. That's me, with Lucky, the rescue MinPin who helped out.

This came on the furry heels of attendance at the Thrillerfest conference. I was delighted to meet a host of my favorite authors, including Dr. Kathy Reichs--that's the picture to the left.

And the day before Thrillerfest, I traveled to Denver to serve on the steering committee with other experts for a new Morris Animal Foundation initiative on cats.

Check out the updated calendar pages for all my comings and goings, and click on my "blog" button at the bottom of this page for more photos and details about these trips.

Read my new Petside Cat & Dog Blog at the new NBC Universal pet website! I'll post daily, Monday through Friday, with all the catty and dog-matic news and info that's fit to print--and purr-haps, some that's not! If you're not all "blogged" out, stop by my personal P'ETiQuette Blog for tips, opinions, and rants about all-things-pet (and writing). I'll also post the occasional PETiQuette column. Add your own comments as well!

I am honored, humbled, and thrilled to have won the Winn Feline Foundation 2007 Media Award. This organization funds research that betters the lives of cats everywhere, and I'm delighted to sing (purr?) its praises.

I was a guest on Tracie Hotchner's radio podcast Dog Talk Radio on June 28, to talk about my book "PETiQuette." It was great fun! You can tune in and download the show to listen now or later. Tracie also invited me to appear on her Cat Chat show this fall--which airs on the Martha Stewart Living channel of Sirius Satellite Radio--so stay tuned!

The January/February issue of "Trends Magazine" published by the American Animal Hospital Association interviewed me for an article on the increasing need for dedicated senior pet health care.

That's "Magic von Fernheim" at eleven months with his nemesis. This special German shepherd has already been featured in several of my newspaper columns and television segments, as well as a "case study" in the IAABC professional journal, and has quickly become a big part of our lives. The cat, Seren(dipity) has not yet succumbed to his charms, though, which keeps things interesting.

Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. Conference

My tenure as President of OWFI has passed, after planning the annual conference "Fantastic Forty, Writers Glory" and celebrating our 40th anniversary. We hosted 27 speakers including five NYC agents and seven editors speaking on 40 topics. About 400 folks attended the event.

OWFI holds an outstanding writers conference the first weekend of May each year. It is one of the best and most economical conferences I've attended, and includes a good mix of both established and beginning writers.

The OWFI conference has been good to me. I have in the past sold numerous articles, garnered a pet column from Woman's World, met countless editors, and hooked up with a great agent as a result of attending this event. Whether you are an aspiring or an established writer, I highly recommend participation in a conference in your neck of the woods. The networking alone is priceless. For more information about upcoming events with OWFI, check out www.OWFI.org

CWA Writers Conference, Awards Banquet

Each November, the CWA holds an annual writers conference. As one of the founders, and President Emeritus of the organization, I've never missed the event. It always includes many seminars, two receptions, an awards banquet and breakfast event, and awards presentations-even an autograph party during the cat show. What fun, I even get to wear my sequins!

In 2007 at the CWA Annual Conference, I was surprised and honored to have my work recognized with several awards. That's my cat Seren enjoying some of the prizes.

I received the Sticky Paws Training Award of $1000 for the article "Cat Meets Dog: Bringing Magic Home" published in Animal Behavior Consulting: Theory and Practice journal about introducing Seren and Magic last year. In addition, my online column "Emotional Health" published by Purina's catchow.com website received a Muse Medallion for the best online column of the year, and my essay "Dr. James R. Richards, A Lasting Legacy" (published on this site on the ARTICLES page) also received a Muse Medallion for best entry in its category. In addition, articles in Tufts "Catnip" and my PETiQuette newspaper column in the Herald Democrat received Certificate of Excellence recognition.

I also had the privilege of presenting Dr. James R. Richards posthumously with the annual Shojai Mentor Award, a $500 honorarium and plaque. The image on the plaque is a woman with a kitten in her hands, holding him up so he can reach the star that's hung from the moon. As writers, we all reach for our own stars. The Shojai Mentor Award honors that CWA member who has given another writer the boost they need to reach their particular star-goal-and I couldn't have chosen a more fitting recipient than Jim. I only wish he'd been there in person to receive it.

Each year the CWA conference grows bigger and better. As in the past, the conference remains open to the public and this year will be in Atlanta, Georgia the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Events are now being planned. The CWA Contest information (including the SHOJAI MENTOR AWARD) is available at www.catwriters.org along with information on joining the association. Hope to see you there!

The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants has certified me as a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant with the organization. This is a professional association for the field of animal behavior consulting, represents the professional interests of behavior consultants throughout the world, and acts as a resource for people who love pets and need behavior assistance. You can read more about the organization in one of my online articles on that page.

PROMOTIONS, appearances and writing activities of interest