Not a Typical Thursday at Barking from the Bayou

   Yesterday turned out to be an extraordinary Thursday for me.  Let me tell you why.

I REACHED OVER 100,000 PAGE VIEWS!!

   I could hardly believe my husband when he announced that I had actually received over 100,000 page views!  Thank you all so much for visiting Barking from the Bayou.  I appreciate all of the love, support, and help that I have been given since I began Barking from the Bayou.  When I discovered the BlogPaws community and decided to become a full-time dog blogger, I had no idea that I was opening the door to so many great friends.  It was December 13, 2013 when I officially launched my new blog.  Since that time, I have learned more than I ever thought possible.  I promise to continue striving to provide you with the best dog tips, reviews, and stories that will leave you laughing or at least smiling.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

THE RETURNS 2~SHOWSTOPPERS WAS SELECTED INDIE BOOK OF THE DAY

   I received a letter yesterday morning from Indie Book of the Day website letting me know that my second book in The Returns series was selected as the Indie Book of the Day for June 5, 2014.  This honor is doubly exciting because I received the award for my first book last year.  The Returns was also selected as a

Kindle Best of 2103 Featured Weekly Great Reads.  Both of my books are now permanently featured on the IDB website.  It is quite a big deal since most book sites charge to have a book displayed.  If you aren’t familiar with the term Indie Book, it means that I wrote and published my books independently of a publisher.  I do have a fantastic editor, Leiah Cooper. 

   I try not to be pushy with my books on my blog.  They are on my sidebar and I have a tab where you can read information about them.  Of course, indie authors dream of writing a best-seller or having one of their books made into a movie and I am no different.  My books are based on my dogs and cats that have left paw prints on my heart and soul.  They are not stories about my pets.  Instead, they are about humans who die before they have fulfilled their life’s destiny.  When they arrive in heaven, they are sent to the “Returns” department and returned to earth to complete their life’s mission in the bodies of dogs and cats.  Since I knew my pets’ personalities, I simply made each human embody one of them.

   The books are funny and leave you feeling happy.  The underlying message is that friends come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.  If you enjoy Bentley & Pierre’s reviews, then you will love the books.

I WON FOR LOVE OF A DOG’S GIVEAWAY

    I recently entered For Love of a Dog’s giveaway in May.  Sue Kottwitz makes incredibly gorgeous

Photo courtesy of For Love of a Dog

jewelry.  She held a contest to win a pair of dog bone earrings.  I love everything on her site and have several pieces on my wish list!  I was so excited when she contacted me and announced that I had won!     They arrived yesterday and they are just as fabulous as I had imagined.  Since they have black accents with white dog bones, I can wear them with everything.  They are now my favorite earrings!  I only had one other pair of dog earrings, which were Golden Retrievers that I bought to represent my Tucker.  Since we said good-bye to him last summer, I just haven’t been able to wear them.     Each time that I put these on will bring a smile to my face.  Now, I need to decide which of her other pieces that I want to buy.  Thank you so much Sue!

   As I said in the beginning of this post, yesterday was definitely not a typical Thursday.  It was a fantastic day!

Bentley: “Hey Mom, you forgot to mention that I opened my very own store; Bentley’s Bargains!  In addition, we changed the look of our blog.

Me: “No, I didn’t forget.  I am just telling everyone about the exciting things that happened yesterday.  You opened your store on Wednesday, which is the same day we made the changes to our page.”

Bentley: “But MOOOOOM!  What if they forgot?  Wait, I know!  Yesterday, I offered all of my friends an additional 15% off their purchases.  Ah ha!  I gotcha on that one!

Me: “Okay, you are right.  That did happen yesterday.”

Bentley: “I love it when I’m right!  So here’s the deal, if you order anything from Bentley’s Bargains, enter the code MAYFLOWER-15 and receive an additional 15% off my already low, rock-bottom prices!  Now that is exciting news my friends.”

Pierre: “What about me?  I found a vicious turtle in the backyard.  I’m pretty sure it was a ninja!”

Me: “We are going to save that bit of excitement for Monday’s Mischief.  You can tell everyone about your turtle encounter then.  Okay, are you both satisfied?”

Bentley: “I’m cool.  I got to tell my super great news.”

Pierre: “I’m kinda miffed, but since I get to tell my story on Monday, it’s okay.”

Me: “Fine, I think we have everything settled for now.  Thank you all once again for enabling us to live our dreams.  We hope to reach another 100,000 visits from all of you!  Have a fantastic Friday!”

We are proud to be co-hosting the Pet Parade with our friends Rascal and Rocco, Jan’s Funny Farm, Basil the Bionic Cat's Blog, and Love is being owned by a Husky.  Our hop is opened all week and we welcome all pet bloggers to march along with us.  Just link your favorite blog post and social media for views and followers.  There are no rules, just fun!

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