I’m canceling Sexy Fail Saturday this week (trust me, you didn’t really want to see it, anyway :uhoh ) to blog for a good cause—doggies!

You know how much I love helping animals, so when I heard about this from @smexys_sidekick over on Twitter, I wanted to do my part, if I could. And today is the last day!  (I’m not even sure I’m doing this right, but she said just to copy & paste the bulk of the post & link up to the blogroll.  So that’s what I’m attempting to do. :flash )

According to Pedigree, over 4 million animals arrive in shelters every year due to abandonment, breed rescue, or other circumstances. To help shelters provide the care these animals need, they have an insanely successful campaign called: Write a Post, Help a Dog. Designed for the individual blogger, Pedigree promised to donate 20 pounds of food (one bag) for each blogger that blogs about this campaign. In 2010, 391 bloggers participated resulting in over 7,000 pounds of food donated to various shelters. YEA!!

This year, Pedigree wants to increase their goal to 10,000 pounds of food to be donated to a designated shelter. How can you help? It’s all very simple. Do what you do best—BLOG!

How you can help in 2011

Simply spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011 and once again Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of food for each blogger’s post. Here’s all you need to include in your post:

• The Write a Post, Help a Dog program is aimed at raising awareness and food for the more than four million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year.
• For each blog post mentioning the Pedigree Foundation from now until midnight ET on September 3, Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of its new dry Pedigree recipe food for dogs — its best recipe ever — to a shelter, because every dog deserves leading nutrition.
• The Pedigree Foundation — a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization is committed to helping dogs by providing grants to shelters and rescues and encouraging dog adoption. This year the Foundation has already raised more than $376,570 against its goal of $1.5 million to carry out its work to fund grants that not only help shelters operate, but to further shelter innovations.

The Pedigree Foundation depends on charitable contributions from individuals to carry out its mission to help dogs find loving homes. In addition to writing a blog post, here’s how you can help:

• Donate online at http://pedigreefoundation.org/donate.aspx
• Apply for a shelter grant from the Pedigree Foundation by completing a form at www.pedigreefoundation.org
• Purchase Dogs Rule Gear at www.dogsrulegear.com where the proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help loving dogs find a home. SPECIAL OFFER: Get 10 percent off Dogs Rule Gear by using the promo code BlogPaws10 from August 22 – September 30.

Then, link up to our Blog Hop below, hosted by the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers to help spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog. This is a Blog Hop! 125 entries so far… you’re next!

A FRIDAY FUNNY

FREE BOOK FRIDAY

I’m offering up two books this week, since two of our recent Free Book Friday giveaway titles were never claimed.  So…one lucky winner will receive a two-fer, provided she checks in & makes a point of contacted me with her mailing information later. :flash

The two titles are The Unexpected Hero by Rachel Lee & At Close Range by Jessica Andersen.

To enter the giveaway for this book, simply leave a comment to today’s post that includes the code FBF—for “Free Book Friday,” of course—to let me know you’re interested in the drawing. (U.S. residents only for the prize, please, but everyone is welcome to chat.)

Winner will be announced during our Happy Sunday post on…well, you know, Sunday. Winner is responsible for contacting me with her mailing information—i.e. I will not be contacting you—so be sure to check back in or you might not even know you won! :uhoh (If prize isn’t claimed within 14 days, another name may be drawn or item may be tossed back into the goody bag to be re-used for a future giveaway.)

Have I mentioned lately how crappy Mercury in Retrograde was making everything?  Well, one of the clear signs I’ve received that the stupid planet in its stupid bad mood has moved on was a lovely little e-mail I got last week from the coordinator of Ancient City Romance Writers’ “Heart of Excellence” Readers Choice Awards.

Turns out I am once again a ***Double Finalist***!

First, for my December 2010 Harlequin Desire, INHERITING HIS SECRET CHRISTMAS BABY, in the Short & Long Contemporary Category.

And second for the third book in my “Chicks with Sticks” knitting trilogy with St. Martin’s Press, KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP, in the Single Title Category.

I am soooooooo happy & excited! :dancingbat   Absolutely delighted these stories are getting so much great attention, even though they’ve been out for a while.

Every time something like this happens, I think back & say to myself, I knew there was a reason I loved those stories so much! :spidey