Blue Eyed Jack

Colleen Coble and A Chance to Win $10,000

2011-08-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

From Thomas Nelson:

One of the highlights of our days in the Fiction department at Thomas Nelson? Receiving reader letters—either directly addressed to us or passed along from our talented authors. It’s critical to be reminded that at the end of our long days acquiring, editing, designing, selling, marketing, and publicizing books, those stories are reaching readers, striking nerves, changing lives. We want readers’ feedback. How stories have given you hope. Which authors’ series you can’t help from sharing with everyone you meet. We want to know what makes you stay up late in the night to finish a story, and conversely what turns you away.

We’re conducting a series of surveys—seeking answers from readers who love Christian fiction. Up for grabs is a free ebook for every respondent who completes the survery, as well as a $10,000 prize for one entrant. The responses we gather will help shape the future of the books we publish for years to come. As well as the data we’re collecting here, we’ll also seek more in-depth feedback from a panel we’ll develop over the next year. More details to come. The note below from one of authors gives a specific picture of how reader feedback shapes her work. In short, your opinion matters! We thank you for your time and appreciate your responding.

--Thomas Nelson Fiction

Dear Friends--

Your opinion matters. It really does. I love hearing from readers about what worked for them in a story and about what doesn’t work. Reader feedback changed the balance between romance and suspense in my novels. After the Rock Harbor trilogy, I wanted to write more suspense in my novels because that’s what I personally like. But readers really wanted more relationship and romance in the books so I moved back that direction to about the same mix of 50/50 that the Rock Harbor novels contained. I write for you even more than for myself.

I had no intention of setting a whole series of books at Bluebird, Texas. It was going to be only one book, but readers sent me requests in droves for more books. The fourth book in the Lonestar series, Lonestar Angel, will be out in October. The Rock Harbor novels were going to be complete at three. There are now five and I’m thinking about another one! All due to reader demand.

I’ve often asked for reader input on names and locations too. When I was struggling for a name for my hero in The Lightkeeper’s Ball, I turned to my readers. Harrison really fit my character, and my readers told me. Love that! When I was trying to decide on a location for the new Hope Beach series I’ve started, I asked readers. Their overwhelming response was for a series set in the Outer Banks so guess what I’m writing?!

That’s why we’re coming to you for answers. We want to give you what you really want! Don’t be afraid to let us know what you really think. We value your honesty and the time it will take to share with us. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Your friend,

Colleen Coble

To Nana's House We Go

2007-04-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Mom's been taking me to Nana's house to stay ALL DAY LONG! Nana said I could use her computer to update my blog, but I've only got 30 minutes. That's all any of the other grandkids get on the internet.

Monday was my first day there. I played with Taz and the kids and got lots of petting and attention. It was great! When I came home I found that someone had stolen our bathtub right out of our house! Mom didn't seem concerned about it, but I sniffed it over just to be sure it was okay. They even took the walls! I can't figure why somebody would want to steal a bathtub. Baths are no fun. I guess if they have ours, then I'm off the hook.

She took me back again this morning. It's so cool to get out of the house. Plus I get to go bye-bye TWICE in one day.

Well, I better get off the computer, Mom will be here soon to pick me up.

Later,
Jack

My Buddy Ben

2006-08-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mom's been playing with her camera again. I thought I was clear of having to have my picture taken because she was shooting my buddy Ben. But nope, she made me sit too.

It was kind of a nuisance, because I'd treed a squirell and was watching to see when it might come down.

I missed it though because she kept telling me to look at the flashy-thingy. Oh well, at least my pictures turned out good. Don't I look Woof-alicious?
Jack

Revenge of the Dead Squirell

2006-05-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Mom tricked me.

This morning she asked if I wanted to go bye-bye. "Whoopee! Yes! I want to go! Show me the leash, baby!" So we get in the car, she lets me sit in the front seat and rolls my window down. We're cruising along, people smiling and waving at me as we pass. I'm having a great time, then Mom pulls into a parking lot and we get out.

I know this place. I know these smells.

We're at the Doctors.

What a cheap shot! Get me all excited and then take me to the vet's. They're barbaric. They actually put a stick up my butt! How rude! Then they poked me - twice! Mom says it's my own fault that I got sick, because I played with a dead squirell. But how was I supposed to know that you could get Montezuma's Revenge from a squirell? I guess that squirell got me in the end after all. (No pun intended.)

We did go to McDonald's after the doctors visit. Mom bought me Chicken McNuggets. Of course she stuffed my pills in them, but at least they tasted better that way. She also gave me one of my treats for being so good at the doctors. I guess that kind of makes up for some of the indignities I suffered. Not ALL of them, but some.

I'm gonna think twice before I agree to go bye-bye again any time soon, though.

Jack

Revenge Is Sweet

2006-05-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

I finally got one! Those dumb squirrels will think twice about taunting me again.

They think they're so smart and fast. Well, this one got cocky and guess who won the race? Me. I left him on the backporch for Mom. I thought for sure she'd be proud of me for protecting the house and ridding the backyard of pests. But she wasn't. She threw him over the fence into the woods. I tried to stop her. I showed her how good I am at gaurding things by protecting my kill, but she just yelled at me. I finally had to let her scoop him up with the snow shovel and toss him. She didn't seem happy or proud of my kill. Beats me why she wouldn't be, it was a good catch.

That's okay. If I can catch one, I'll catch another. I'll show her.

Jack

The Jack Show

2006-05-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

Look! Mom made me a movie star! Cool, huh?

Jack

FreeVideoCoding.com

Digging Dirt

2006-05-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm tired of rain. It rains too much. Yesterday was so nice. I played in the backyard while Mom got ready for work. There were so many cool new smells and for once the rain hadn't washed them away the night before.

There was one really interesting smell just under the grass. I tried to dig whatever it was up, but I never did find it. Mom caught me digging and yelled at me. I don't know why she was so upset, the whole wasn't that big, I only got it as deep as my head would fit. Given time, I could have done a much better job. It was so liberating to dig. The smell of dirt, the cool feel of dew and dust on your paws. She wasn't real happy with my dirty face and paws either. But really, she puts junk on her face all the time, so I just don't get it.

Mom must have decided that playing in the dirt was a good idea after all, cuz when she came home she played in the dirt, too. Only, she was putting the dirt back into the hole. Seems kind of backwards to me. At least she didn't fill it up completely.

Maybe I'll dig another one. It will give us something to do together.
Jack

This guy's got the right idea. Digging is therapeutic and fun!

Cool Video

2006-05-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Check it out. I found an AWESOME music video. He's so cool!!!

Jack

Company for ME

2006-05-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

Company's coming! Company's coming! Yay!!!

The Cat Lady, (Amy) and her little girl Lauren are coming to see me tonight. Mom will probably take up most of Cat Lady's time, but that leaves me Lauren to play with. Oh, BOY! I love little kids. They're good at playing.

I hope Lauren likes me. I hope she won't think her cat is better. I hope she gives good tummy rubs. I hope that...

They're here! They're here!

Gotta go, Bye!
Jack

Storm, Storm, Go Away

2006-04-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's really storming hard today. There's lots of lightening and thunder, and it's really dark outside. I tried to get Mom to stay home with me today. I leaned against her, gave her my best sad-eyed look and said 'please'. But she just patted my head and said, "You'll be okay. Be a good boy, I love you." Then she went to work.

It's not that I'm scared of storms. I just don't like them much. Especially the loud ones. They do kind of make me a little jumpy, but not scared. I hope the sun comes out soon. Or maybe Mom will change her mind and come home. I hope so.

I think I'll take Dog and Cow and curl up under the desk now and take a nap. I'm not hiding - not really. I just like it under the desk where it's quiet and secure. Dog and Cow are the ones who are really scared. I'm just trying to make them feel better.

G'night,
Jack

Spring is here!

2006-04-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yay! Spring is finally here! I know because I saw my first rabbit last night. I chased him out of the yard and then invited him to come back and play again some time.

We've also got these pretty little flower things growing in the yard. Turns out their called a Dog Violet. Cool, even the flowers get named after us.

The sun is out more and the breeze smells good. I love spending time in the back yard. I don't even mind the thunderstorms too much - as long as mom lets me in before I get wet.

It makes me want to do the Snoopy dance. Now there's a beagle with some smooth moves.

Happy Spring,
Jack

quizzes?

2006-04-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Mom's always taking these silly quizzes on line, so I decided to try one out. My theme song is Beautiful Day by U2. Good song. Mom likes U2, so I get to hear them sometimes.

Your turn to try...
Jack

Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

"Sky falls, you feel like

It's a beautiful day

Don't let it get away"

You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments.

And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.

What's Your Theme Song?

Twilight Bark

2006-04-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know about other dogs, but I never bark pointlessly nor incessantly. It's all necessary. You've got to keep up with the Twilight Bark. It's the 411 life blood. I mean, how else is the dog two doors down gonna know to watch out for the stray cat that keeps trying to infiltrate private property? Or to keep an eye out for lost puppies? Let's face it. Humans do the same thing, they just have more options. Email, phones, cell phones, text messaging, blogging... . If you want to talk about pointless, incessant noise, I'd say look at all the people on cell phones. Yeesh! True, I blog, but is it pointless? No. It's a vehicle for me to open human eyes to the untapped intelligence in the dog race.

Is it working?
Jack

Look at Me!

2006-03-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

I found some pictures Mom took of me and I thought I'd show them to you.

This is me in my back yard. It's huge with 15 trees.

This is me on my back porch. It's nice and shady.

Here's me posing for the camera. I think I saw a squirrel making faces at me.

Mom took more pictures tonight with me and my new toys. I'll post them as soon as I can.

Jack

Oh Boy! New toys!

2006-03-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Mom came home last night with a surprise - new toys! I got a stuffed dog and lamb and they're really soft. The dog squeaks when you bite his butt, that's so cool. The lamb doesn't make any noise, but he's really comfy to cuddle with. He's just the right size for a pillow.

It felt like Christmas! Or, maybe it was my birthday? I can't remember when my birthday is. Or, maybe it's just cuz I'm such a good dog. Yeah, that's probably it.

Now I've got Duck, Cow, Dog, Lamb and Ball. I'm the luckiest dog in the world!

Jack

Stunt Dogs

2006-03-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

I found a great video starring the best animals in the world - DOGS!

We got some snow last night, it was fun rolling around in it too, but these dogs look like they're having more fun. How great would it be to train as a stunt dog? I could star in movies as an action hero.

Jack

New Neighbors

2006-03-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

I had another great weekend. My aunt and cousin came to hang out this weekend. We watched movies, played with Duck and took a ride in the car. It was great. We even got pizza. I love pizza.

It's funny how mom always thinks everyone comes to visit her. I mean, it seems pretty obvious to me that they come to visit me. They talk to me when they come in the door. I get scratched behind the ears, not her. And do they throw Duck or Cow for her to chase? NO. But, I don't want to hurt her feelings, so I let her think they came to see her too because it would be lonely to think that no one comes to visit you. I mean, it's the nice thing to do, right?

In addition to all the fun we had Saturday and Sunday, I found we have new neighbors living in the back yard. They're pretty too. You get used to the squirrels and robins, but this weekend a Blue Jay, Cardinal and Grackle all moved in. They're not as much fun to chase as the squirrels, but they do look nice. I found some pictures to show you. The Grackle seems a little spooky, freaky eyes and all, but the other birds seem nice.

I heard the radio say it's the first day of spring today, but it doesn't feel like it. It's raining hard little balls of ice right now and the sun is still asleep. I hope spring does come soon, I miss the rabits and turtles. They're fun to play with. It gets boring with just the squirrels, especially when they tease so much.

Snow, snow, go away, come again another day... like eight months from now.
Jack

Canine Brothers Unite

2006-03-15T14:13:00.000-08:00

Apparently there are people out there known as 'Cat Lovers'.
Apparently these people take offense at having their feline roommates being compared to rodent's relatives.
Apparently these people are weird.

I suppose that's kind of harsh. There might be some cats out there that are worth while. Mom's friend has a cat that's rumored to be pretty cool - although I've never met Cricket. My aunt has one called Missy, She's a psycho cat - sweet one minute and wild the next - but she's okay. I have to give her props too, because she's the only cat I know that can bark like a dog. She must be smart enough to realize that dogs have got it going on.

Mom says I shouldn't be so judgemental, that some cats are really great. She used to have one as a kid and she dressed him up in doll clothes and he never scratched her.

He sounds like a pussy to me.

I wouldn't put up with that 'dress-up' bit. I've seen a few of those unlucky few out there that still get forced to wear silly hats and sweaters. Did you know there are actually stylists for these sad pups? They put bows in their hair and paint their toenails and and make them where frilly pink things. And I'm not talking about just the girls. There are canine brothers out there suffering. I mean check out these pictures!

Why don't they revolt? Seriously, raise a paw if you feel me here. Canine brothers unite! Put an end to this embarassing travesty. Shake off those duds and become a real dude!

I sure am glad mom outgrew that phase.
Jack

Purpose of a Cat

2006-03-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

I finally found out what cats are for. I've never understood what good they were other than for the exercise of chasing them. They're stuck up and weird looking. In fact, I think they might be related to squirrels.

Anyway, I was surfing today and I found this ad for cat massage. Now I get it. I think I'll have to ask mom to get me one. I could stand this kind of treatment all day.

Jack

Cruisin'

2006-03-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

Mom took me cruisin' Saturday night. Man what a night! Cool, crisp air and twinkling stars. The wind blowing through my ears. The scents of people, food and wild things. Plus, I got the whole back seat to myself, so I had TWO windows rolled down for me. We spent at least an hour in the car and she even scratched my ears when the car was stopped. Thank goodness for those red-light thingys.

When we got home, I got a belly rub and part of her dinner.

What a night!
Jack

Action Movies

2006-03-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

Mom went to see a movie called 'Eight Below' the other day. She loved it. She's told me all about the adventure and action of the eight sled dogs that get stranded in Antarctica for over a hundred days. She made it sound so good I decided to look it up. Now that I've seen the pictures, I want to go to the movies too.

It's about time they come out with an action movie that a dog can enjoy. Usually dog movies are all about touchy - feely stuff. Like Benji or Old Yeller. They were good, but I want a little more 'pack action' - and I'm not talking about the 101 Dalmations kind. That's puppy stuff. There have been some attempts at action movies before. The Air Bud series was good, even if it was fluff. At least there was a little action.

Eight Below though, I'm telling ya Dawg. It's got it all. Emotion, drama, action, humor, suspense. It's even got a hot little silver furred girl playing the lead dog.

All I can say is she'd better buy this movie soon so we can watch it together.

Jack

Google-ey Eyed

2006-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Today has been especially boring. It's a beautiful, sunshiny day outside, but I'm stuck in the house. I've napped with duck, tossed the ball around a bit and counted the squares on the slick floor. (2,383 by the way.) I stared at Thor for a while. (The thing that swims around in the tank in the corner. Mom says he's a fighting fish. Seems pretty dull to me. I'd win paws down. Heck with two paws tied behind my back.) She left the radio on for me, so I've kind of howled along a little.

I decided to play with google again and found a whole new use for it. Did you know it would do image searches? (You probably did.) But bow-WOW!!! Why haven't I tried that out before? You should see the hot pictures I found. Pin-up Pups - like Carla, Cassee and Katie. These girls are blue ribbon all the way. Notice the come hither eyes. (I like my women just a little on the sassy side. Sorry, she keeps leaving country music on for me.)

I'm going to print these puppies out. Maybe Mom will put them up on the fridge for me.

Jack

Squirrels

2006-02-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

The squirrels are up to something.

They’re hauling leaves and twigs way up into one of the trees in the backyard. I can’t see what they’re doing with them, but I swear they laugh at me every time I go outside.

My human says they’re building a nest. She says we’re going to have baby squirrels in the spring. She says this like it’s a good thing.

I’ve done my best to chase them all away, but we already have more now than I can corral. Everyone thinks that squirrels are so cute. Don’t let their furry little butts fool you. Squirrels are puckish creatures. They let you think they’re running scared, but just as you’re nearly on them they run up a tree and laugh at you. To add insult to injury, they tag team you, so you’re running from tree to tree. Always so close and yet never catching one.

I haven’t caught one yet, but I dream about it. At night I hear them running across the roof and leaping into the trees. Sometimes they roll the walnuts across the roof and it sounds like they’re bowling.

Today I googled squirrels, I thought there might be a way to build a better squirrel trap. All I found was proof that my human is right.

We’re gonna have baby squirrels.

Jack

Pigs

2006-01-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

I’ve been trying out this internet thingee over the last few days. You sure can find a lot of weird things on line. I googled ‘pigs’ because my stuffed pig went to toy heaven and I need a new one. You wouldn’t believe the stuff that came up. I didn’t know that pigs looked like that. I’ve only seen the stuffed one that my human gave me. It was pink and soft and made these funny noises. The pigs online look totally different and they don’t look like they’d be fun to sleep with.

I miss my pig. It was the first toy my human bought me. I loved pig. He was my pillow and my friend. We went through a lot together. He had kind of a weak constitution though, his stuffing was prone to coming loose. But I was always right there with him during his surgeries. My human is pretty good with that needle and she always did a great job, but apparently there are only so many surgeries a stuffed pig can endure. He finally went to piggie heaven. My human let me watch her bury him in the big white container in the kitchen. I sniffed him goodbye. I think it must have been a really good place for him to go, because that white can always has lots of interesting smells.

I still had cow and ball, but it just wasn’t the same without pig. My human brought home a duck for me. It was really cool. It quacked whenever I squeezed its tummy. I liked that part the best. My human wasn’t real fond of that though - she kept saying something about me being O.C.D. when I quack my duck. I’ll have to remember to look O.C.D. up. Anyway, duck doesn’t quack anymore. I’m afraid he’s headed for the white can soon too. His stuffing is starting to show. But for now, I’ll enjoy the time we have left together. He’s a pretty good pillow and friend too.

Jack

New Territory

2006-01-20T22:38:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of my daily routine. It's hours on end of wandering from room to room while my human goes out into the world to explore. Everyday she comes home with new smells clinging to her shoes and I can't stand not being out there with her.

I don't want to run away. I spent months on the street as a stray. Trust me when I say I know a good thing when I see it. She's pretty much putty in my paws. I've got her wrapped around my tail. I get rawhide bones and treats. A rug to call my own plus I've got toys. TOYS. My last human thought I was his toy. He seemed to think I was his kicking bag. But my new humans not like that. She's really good to me.

So really, my only option - if she can't take me with her - is to find a new way to enter this big ol' world. She spends tons of time on this clicking contraption, so I thought I'd give it a try too. Turns out even a monkey could do this, and everyone knows dogs are WAY smarter.

My plan? Every day after she heads to work, this clicking thing she calls a computer is mine. I've heard you can experience the whole world on this net thingy, too bad it doesn't have scent speakers.

This little corner of the net is mine. I'd mark my territory, but something tells me that could be a bad thing. Instead I'll just post all my new adventures here.

Boldly going where no dog has gone before,
Jack