We have a new puppy friend. I just brought him home a couple of hours ago.

Jasper is a 7 week old dorkie (yorkie/dachshund mix). Isn’t he cute?

Forgive the gratuitous cleavage shot. He refuses to lay anywhere but on my chest tonight.

2009 has been a fabulous, busy year. I’ve typed my little fingers raw and appeared at several public venues. I even went on my very first airplane ride this year (yes, I’m a dork and woefully behind). Anyway, I thought I’d list the things I’ve accomplished this year (writing-wise) and my goals for 2010.

Published in 2009

Ebooks:

• Bottom’s Up: A Kinky Orgasm
• Bottom’s Up: Triplesex
• Chicken Ranch: Hunger
• Don’t Look Back
• Furtive Liaison
• Reckless Behavior
• Reckless Passion
• Tempestuous Relations
• The Hard Truth

Print:

• Don’t Look Back
• Furtive Ache
• Hard Candy
• Pyromancer

Pending releases in 2010:

• Daywalker Legacy
• Falling into Sin

Planned for 2010:

• Finish the final book in the Reckless series and finally get it submitted to my editor at Loose id.
• Complete the Chicken Ranch books and the remaining Bottom’s Up stories - there’s about four each waiting to be written.
• Finish the highly-neglected M/F story that’s been sitting on my hard drive, half finished for the last year.
• Write and submit a followup to Tempestuous Relations
• Work on Forever Mine, a long M/M/M paranormal I’ve been pondering for a bit.
• Write another M/M/F menage title.
• Possibly get around to starting the Bear-themed series I’ve never found the time to start (bear as in big, furry men - not the animal variety).

I know that probably sounds like a lot, but I might as well dream big, right? This time next year we’ll be able to look back and see what I’ve actually accomplished on that list.

And for anyone who’s curious, the link for 2008’s year in review is below.

http://www.amandayoung.org/2008/12/27/my-year-in-review/

Forwarded from Victor J. Banis

Here’s a painless way to do something good for Christmas.

Please take a moment to do this. The majority of the hungry in our country are children.

Kare 11 & Land O’Lakes are donating $1 for every person who clicks on their web site. Go to the website listed below and on the top right side of the screen where it says: You Click, We Donate. It’s that easy. Please pass this along to all of your friends. The food shelves are really hurting this year.

http://www.landolakesinc.com/company/corporateresponsibility/foundation/default.aspx

I woke up this morning to snow. Yay! (notice the sarcasm?)

::: Permission to Forward to anyone you can think of ;-):::

I am here in hopes of helping Todd get toy donations for the Superior Fire Department again this year.

We live in a small old mining town, population three thousand. My husband who helps me with all things RJ runs the local fire department in town. It’s a low income town and there are a lot of kids here that don’t get much for Christmas. Weeks before Christmas the fire department decorates one of the fire trucks with thousands of holiday lights, fire personnel and yours truly spend weeks wrapping every toy brought in with festive Christmas paper. On Christmas Eve Santa and Ms. Claus ride in back of the fire truck and, with Christmas music blaring, the fire truck weaves its way up and down every street in town. The sirens blare every few minutes and as kids hear it they scramble out of their houses. The truck stops and Santa gives each child a toy. The drive itself takes seven hours. It’s a big production and one that the fire department takes great pride in.

A few years ago I got involved in the toy drive. With the help of the Romance Community the Fire Dept has been able to give a toy to every child in town for 3 years straight. The toys are not expensive — small stuffed animals and 1-4 dollar toys, but it doesn’t take a lot to make it a magical night for the kids in town, especially when Santa is delivering the toys personally.

I know it’s been a bad year for everyone, but I am really hoping we can raise enough toys again this year. Last year we barely brought in enough, but we did it!

If anyone is interested in sending in some toys it would be VERY MUCH appreciated by both the fire department and the kids in town

I really want to thank everyone who has contributed over the years. I go on the drive every year with Todd and I can’t describe adequately how incredible the whole experience is. It chokes me up every year watching kids with huge grins on their faces, clutching tight to the toy Santa has given them.

You can check out photos of the Santa Drive –

http://superiorfiredept.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=348

If you would like to donate toys or gift cards you can do so by sending them into:

Superior Fire Dept Toy Drive

C/O Superior Fire Department
236 Golf Course Rd
Superior, AZ 85173

The Department is not set up to take Paypal. So anyone who would like to contribute via Paypal can send their donations into Romance Junkies and I will forward the donations onto the Fire Dept. RJ pal info is - info is webmaster@chaosdesigns.net

Cat Brown AKA Chaoscat
(Chaos - It’s not just a lifestyle, it’s a state of mind)
Owner/Operator Romance Junkies
http://www.romancejunkies.com

I received this through one of the many lists I belong to and thought I would share it with you all.

Practical Swine flu advice (H1N1 FLU VIRUS)

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1, in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe, etc). Viruses are most frequently transported via the facial area via hands touching eyes, mouth, nose, etc.

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat / nasal cavity to proliferate and show the 20 characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water — also, *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down a viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

President Obama will sign the Byrd-Shepard Hate Crimes Act into law, making it a federal offense to perpetrate violent acts based on bias against a group of people, including gays.

The act is named for Matthew Shepard, a young gay Wyoming man who was kidnapped, beaten, and left tied to a fence post in 1998, and James Byrd Jr., a African-American man who was dragged for three miles behind a pick-up truck in Texas the same year. Both men died from their injuries.

More details about the law can be found here.

Meet the new addition to my family, Diva. She’s a 12 week old miniature Dachshund. We just got her tonight and she’s so beautiful, and tiny.