...yep, the big-time heat wave continues...

Horse in the Rain... riding in a soft gentle rain is exquisite...

Greeting yowls, my heart-loving and heart-loved Pussycats... when the Kougaress got up today she heard all this metal banging outside... she looked out her fave window, and a big beautiful blue jay flew away fast... the Kougaress realized he'd been in the pan of water she placed outside for the critters... it was on a slant so part of it was dry, and the water deeper for drinking... yep, the big-time heat wave continues... so, here's yet another Big Cat appeal to the rain goddesses and gods... the tame prairie needs you! As does most of the Midwest... rain please.

Gosh, last night the Kougaress went outside to gaze at the full moon... when has the full moon ever been so bright, so extra bright it was difficult to look at... the moon???!!! The question, as always, what's going on in our heavens? Really!
~~~

Recently the Kougaress purchased, because it was on sale, what is called raw cacao paste, or raw chocolate that is somewhat similar to baker's chocolate... it can be used like baker's chocolate in recipes. Omy! Yummy to the max when gently melted with enough raw honey to sweeten the taste, plus organic coconut oil... much tastier than regular chocolate bars, too.
~~~

More dreams about mind control happened when the Kougaress was trying to sleep... trying to sleep while repeating over and over 'no more mind control'. This wasn't done consciously, at first. These words that simply kept coming to mind. Also, the dreams were different than yesterday, more complicated... but, it felt as though 'big bad guy forces' were coming against this Big Cat. It was a tough sleep period for the most part. Yeeee-oowwws!
~~~

The Kougaress is officially going to blame the current hot dry spell on the bankster gangsters blowing all that hot air out of their flaccid ugly butts.
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Authoress news and mews ~

From the Kougar’s Writing Den ~ her latest WIP ~

Her Midnight Stardust Cowboys

Last six 'unedited' sentences written for Chapter Fifty-Three ~

"Don't shoot," Robbi begged. "I'm not moving, I swear."

Dontoya heard Zance's low warning growl as he dragged Templeton to the floor. Cloud pulled the bag of scat in the opposite direction. Templeton's yells for help interspersed with cussing up a blue streak rapidly turned into blubbering wails.

Then, chaos unleashed itself.
~~~

Featured at SHAPESHIFTER SEDUCTIONS ~

Happy Independence Day
by Rebecca Gillan

Guts ‘N Butts Gazette
Special Editorial by guest editor Walden Smith, Fire Chief or Talbot’s Peak

Howdy folks! Fire Chief Walden Smith here with my yearly ‘Ten Commandments of July Fourth Safety.” As you all know, there are ten separate wild fires burning in the state of Montana right now and more than forty burning across the entire western United States. This stuff is serious, so let’s try and follow these commandments this year and not start any wild fires in our own back yard.

No campfires, bonfires, or open flame cooktops. It’s hot enough, you don’t need them for warmth and there are other ways to cook that won’t leave you as the carcass on the fire!
~~~

WRITERS/READERS ~ Interesting Info ~

From UNKNOWN COUNTRY ~

Your Kindle is Spying on You
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

In the past, reading a novel or book of nonfiction was a private matter, and publishers had no way of knowing how much you liked a book or if you flipped through it quickly or became immersed and enchanted. If they COULD know this, they would design books that were more compatible for readers' tastes. Well, now with the kindle and other e-books, they've found a way to do this--and reading isn't private anymore.

In the June 29th edition of the Wall Street Journal, Alexandra Alter writes: "Do most readers skip over the introduction, or read it closely, underlining passages and scrawling notes in the margins?"

But with E-books, retailers now have this information. Alter writes: "Data collected from Nooks reveals, for example, how quickly (people) read and how readers of particular genres engage with books." Alta quotes Jim Hilt, vice-president of Barnes and Noble e-books, as saying that they are still in "the earliest states of deep analytics," shifting through "more data than we can use."

But they HAVE learned a few things. Readers of nonfiction tend to read in fits and starts, while readers of popular fiction (especially series) tend to plow through a book without stopping. Readers of literary fiction "quit books more often and tend to skip around between books."

However, Alter quotes Jonathan Galassi, president of Farrar Straus, as saying, "We're not going to shorten 'War and Peace' because someone didn't finish it."

She quotes Scholastic president David Levithan as saying, "You very rarely get a glimpse into the reader's mind. With a printed book, you can't tell which passages are dog-eared."

Some authors are elated. Alter quotes Scott Turow as saying, "I once had an argument with one of my publishers when I said, 'I've been publishing with you for a long time and you still don't know who buys my books."

Tawna Fenske wanted to kill off one of her main characters, but e-book data warned her not to do it. Alter quotes her as saying, "So much of the time, it's an editor and agent and publisher telling you, 'This is what readers want,' but this is hands-on reader data. I've always wondered, did that person buy (my book) and stop after the first three pages? Now I can see they bought it and read it in the first week."

Movies and TV have been doing this type of data collection for years and the result HASN'T been good: A series of dull, formulaic films and shows that all seem the same, because they are aimed at a specific demographic rather than being the result of artistic expression. In other words, they're following, not leading.

And what about books on "sensitive" topics? Alter quotes cyber-security expert Bruce Schneier as saying, "There are a gazillion things that we read that we want to read in private."
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Big Cat by-the-numbers ~

11:11 pm... 11:44 pm... 2:12 am... 2:22 am... 10:10 pm... 11:11 pm... all good people, move into the magick...
~~~~~~

The most powerful weapon is the human soul on fire.

~ Have a magickal month of July ~

~ MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH ~

And, May you live the dreams of your heart, not in interesting times...

Much tastier chocolate kisses from the Kougar...