Friday 11 December 2015

Milo – My Saluki Boy.
The ongoing story of his recovery from a nasty hind leg injury.


Say hello to my gorgeous boy, Milo. Milo is now 5 years old, and although he is a rescue dog, we’ve had him from 8 weeks of age. His story is that he was handed in to a vet by someone who said they found him abandoned in some woods, tied to a tree. This person wouldn’t give any of their personal details, so I suspect they were actually Milo’s first owner. Maybe he was one puppy too many, maybe they just couldn’t cope with him, or maybe they were gypsies (who breed running hounds like Milo to illegally hunt deer and hares). Whatever the truth of the story, I am pleased they handed Milo to someone who could help him find a new home.

We don’t know whether Milo had a name from birth, but the kennels he went to once the vet judged he was healthy named him Freddie. It just so happens that a friend of mine works at these kennels and she knew we were looking for another dog, having recently lost our beloved Pepper, a blue roan Cocker Spaniel. Pepper lived to 16 years of age and was a sweet and lovely dog. We had a second dog, Milly, who also came as a rescue from this kennel, and so when my friend learned we were looking for a companion for Milly, she told us about “Freddie”.


"Freddie" at the kennels.


 
  "Milo" settles in.
                                        
We went to see “Freddie” and fell for him. He was such a little bundle of energy! He eventually came home with us and soon settled in. We renamed him Milo after a character in my Artesan novels – only because I liked the name. It was clear from the start that Milo originated mainly from Saluki stock, and as he grew, his heritage became more obvious. I always thought Salukis had “feathering” on their ears, legs and tails, but we now know they can also come in the Smooth variety. It seems Milo might be purer bred than we first thought!
Milo, nearly fully grown.

Milo, true to his breed, loves to run. He’s quite the character and is very playful. Our next door neighbour has a dog that Milo adores, and they love to run together (although Milo can be a bit of a naughty boy – he likes to roll other dogs over!!) Up until now, we haven’t worried too much about Milo’s energetic running – he’s a young, fit dog doing what he loves. However, on Thursday December 3rd, while chasing his friend, Milo must have either caught his hind leg in a rabbit hole or managed to twist it awkwardly. We’ll never know how he did it but he ended up squealing and holding up his right hind leg.

As soon as I saw it I knew it was either dislocated or broken. We carried him to the car, bundled Milly and our neighbour’s dog in the back, and sped off to the vet. Fortunately, Tracey, our wonderful vet, was on duty that day. She took Milo in, gave hin some immediate pain relief, and put him on a drip to help with his shock. We left him there, my poor boy, and went home to await Tracey’s verdict.

Later that day she called to tell me Milo had badly dislocated, and maybe even broken, the bones just below his right hock (ankle) joint. The joint itself was fine, but he would need specialist care to mend the leg. We’d have to take him to AndersonMoores, a specialist hospital in Winchester. To shorten the tale, he went to the specialist and they have plated and pinned the bones in his leg. With care and rest, he should make a complete recovery, and I will write other posts and add pictures to show how he’s doing. Here he is on the evening we brought him home after 4 days in the hospital. He looks happy to be home, don’t you think? 

More updates as Milo's recovery progresses. Please send him love and hugs!
xx
Cas

Thursday 3 December 2015

COVER REVEAL and GIVEAWAY!!!

Today I am proud and excited to reveal the fabulous cover for my latest Artesans release:

THE SCARECROW

Book One of the MASTER OF MALICE epic fantasy trilogy.


The cover designer is the truly fabulous Mikey Brooks, who has designed all but one of my fantasy covers. I adore working with Mikey. He has a vision and understanding second to none and has that wonderful ability of transforming my half-baked ideas and vaguely described images into the most amazingly vibrant covers.
With THE SCARECROW, I think he has surpassed himself.

Here you see The Scarecrow himself, the traitor Baron Reen, and the former queen, Sofira. Between them, they intend to take revenge on their enemies, fulfill Reen's original plans, and restore Sofira to Albia's High Throne. And due to an unprecedented incident on Reen island prison, the Scarecrow now has additional resources on which to call...

Here's the back cover blurb:

Pure evil rises once again in Albia…
Three years have passed since Baron Reen’s trial. A terrible accident on the island of his exile has transformed him into a nightmarish scarecrow creature with dark, mysterious powers. Staging his own suicide, Reen breaks free of his prison and, with the help of the former queen Sofira, embarks on a ruthless quest for vengeance against his worst enemy, the woman responsible for the overthrow of his schemes and his own ruination: Brynne Sullyan.

Sullyan is tasked with investigating Reen’s suicide. The missing body and a series of disasters in Port Loxton—a vicious murder, a brutal ambush, and a devastating fire—raise suspicions in her mind. She probes deeper, determined to uncover the truth, unsuspecting of the evil that’s about to be unleashed…

MASTER OF MALICE Book One: THE SCARECROW is due for release around the middle of December 2015. Watch out for preorder links before then!
There's also a Cover Reveal and Amazon Giftcard Giveaway going on HERE:  Why not head on over and enter before it's too late?? :-)

Hope to hear what you think of my new cover, and the story itself very soon!
xx
Cas










 

Book Bits~n~Bobs: Cover Reveal: The Scarecrow Master Of Malice Book ...

Reblogged Cover Reveal post!



Book Bits~n~Bobs: Cover Reveal: The Scarecrow Master Of Malice Book ...: Let's get to know the Author before we take a look at this cover. Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern U...