A Funny Thing Happened One Night

...Or Outfoxing Mr Fox by Cassandra O'Leary

One of the things about having a houseful of pets, is they sometimes create mayhem. A case in point, our cute little chickens. Living in suburban Melbourne, Australia, we can only have a small chicken coop with a maximum of ten chickens. But sometimes even four or five are a handful. 

We first got a few young chickens when my oldest son was about 18 months old. The first lot were bantams (mini sized) chooks and included cuties named Princess Bubbles, Midnight and Ningah, named by our little boy. The chicken coop was down by our back fence and our vegetable garden. My husband, let's call him Mr M, is a keen gardener and generally good with outdoorsy stuff. He'd researched chickens, coop setup, fencing and all the particulars before we brought them home from a chicken farm in the country. 

Cut to one night, a few months after the chooks had been inhabiting their very swanky chicken townhouse (split level, a nice outlook on greenery, indoor plumbing/bird feeder and outdoor entertaining area/chicken run). Part of our back garden also backs onto our garage, where we have a sensor light setup to scare off any burglars and to help us see where we're going at night. So, if you walk by, the area floods with light. Mr M was asleep beside me when he somehow woke to full alert, panic stations… I was half asleep but wondering, what's going on? 

Then I heard the back door bang, followed by a great kerfuffle, maybe even a hullabaloo! Banging, thumping, shouting, something that sounded like a lot like GEROFFMYLAWNANDAWAYFROMTHECHICKEEEEEENZZZZ!!! 

Husband comes barging back into the bedroom a couple of minutes later, and I'm wide awake by this stage and flick on the light. Mr M is standing there, panting, ranting about the fox he caught dashing across our yard and how the floodlight scared him off...meanwhile he's completely naked (apart from his boots). 

So I reconstructed the sequence of events. Mr M ran out into the back garden, triggering the floodlight, so his naked self was highlighted in spotlight, when he may or may not have been brandishing a shovel. Mr Fox, our erstwhile neighbourhood scavenger, must have been terrified and fled the scene. Our chickens' feathers were ruffled, but otherwise okay. Luckily our next door neighbours weren't hanging over the fence filming...that we know of! 

You will probably all be relieved to know that we now have chicken wire dug down at least 30 centimetres (one foot) into the ground, making sure no foxes can dig their way in. 

Henceforth this story shall be referred to as the time my husband outfoxed Mr Fox. It will probably end up in a book one day! He just nods and sighs as I tell him this. He's so obviously a humour novel character, just like I'm a romcom heroine. Just ask me about the time I fell over a pile of shoes while trying to shoo a wasp away from my desk, then I fell on my backside AND banged my head against my bookshelf. It's a match made in romance novel heaven. 

P.S. We now have the third generation of chickens including Soy Sauce Chicken, Chilli Chicken, Fruit Tingles and Honeycomb. 

P.P.S I will not tell Mr M about the actual event that is World Naked Gardening Day. For Reasons. 

About Cassandra O'Leary 

Cassandra O'Leary is a romance, romcom and women's fiction author from Melbourne, Australia. Winner of the global We Heart New Talent contest, HarperCollins UK, and published author of Girl on a Plane, Heart Note: A Christmas romcom novella, and shorter fiction. She's a recovering corporate communications specialist, mum to two mini ninjas, and wife to a superhero. She may be writing, or else drinking coffee and buying shoes on the internet. She's currently working on two more novels. No, really.

Read more at cassandraolearyauthor.com 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to a Funny Book by Kristin Wallace

As a reader (and an author) I gravitate toward humor in my books. I just can’t do 300+ pages of angst. I mean, my latest series (Palm Cove Tales) features a pampered heiress pig named Matilda, and my March 26^th release (Second Chance Hero) stars a naked cat. Okay, King Tut is a Sphynx so technically he’s hairless, and not “naked”, but it’s still a cat with no fur. Even when my books have serious themes, I still manage to inject humor somehow. 

It makes sense that my favorite authors are masters at writing humor. Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kristan Higgans, Rachel Gibson, Julie Anne Long, Julia Quinn are all “must reads” for me.

I’ve done this once before, but here are some more recommendations for great romantic comedy novels:

Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I could read this book a thousand times and always laugh. A therapist and marriage counselor has her life fall spectacularly apart when her own marriage goes bust. She meets an actor known for playing psycho killers who wants to bust out of mold. It’s set in a little Italian village and also involves a mystery surrounding a fertility statue. Very funny. Also check out Natural Born Charmer. 

Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Faith Holland returns to her hometown after being dumped at the altar. Levi Cooper is the best friend of her former fiancé. He helped ruin her wedding. She should hate him but…maybe she was always meant to be with him? One of the best from a great author. Also check out If Only You Knew.

Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long

Julie Anne Long may be more-well known for her historicals, but this book is the first book in a contemporary series. It’s just perfection. An actor who became famous in a TV over show a decade ago fears he may become washed up. A waitress in a small town who is more than his match. Also check out First Time at Firelight Fallsfrom the same series.

Wild Child by Molly O’Keefe

Molly O’Keefe is another author who really knows how to do humor well. This one features a “bad girl” who’s been trying to outrun her notorious past. Also check out Can’t Buy Me Love. 

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

This is the first in a spinoff series from Julia’s popular Bridgerton family series. 

The Smythe-Smith quartet is awful. Even the women who are forced to participate in the family ensemble know it, but they can’t escape. You’ll love this one. 

 And…ending with my latest release SECOND CHANCE HERO, part of my Palm Cove Tales series. 

Second Chance Hero is the follow-up to The Heiress Games trilogy, featuring Serena Douglas, who not only lost the Armington fortune, but also managed to escape the competition without falling in love. 

Or so she thought…It all starts with a new challenge…and bald cat named King Tut. Serena has a chance to win a $10 million fortune. All she needs is a job. Too bad the only one willing to “hire” her is the one man she’s been trying to forget since she was a teenager. 

HURRY! Second Chance Hero is on sale right now for just .99 cents! Snap it up quick before the price goes back up!

AMAZON    /      APPLE BOOKS     /     B&N       /    KOBO

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “love, laughter and a leap of faith”. 

A FunnyThing Happened On the Way To My Platform by Lynn Lovegreen

This month our Genre-ista theme is “a funny thing happened on the way to…..” In my case, a funny thing happened on the way to my platform. 

Authors and other public figures often have a platform, a value or cause that they raise awareness for in their appearances or work. In my case, I chose libraries as my main platform. It made sense since libraries and librarians have always been a big part of my life. But I got more out of it than I expected.

About five years ago, I saw a young adult author’s tweet saying she joined YALSA. (It’s part of the American Library Association and stands for Young Adult Library Services Association.) I thought that was a great idea, and joined those and the state chapter. Then in 2016, the Alaska Library Association (AkLA) had their annual state conference in Fairbanks. I attended to present with SCBWI-Alaska (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and work our book table. Several of us had children’s or young adult books for sale, and I thought it would be fun to see what the conference was like.

As I sat at the table and greeted librarians, I felt completely at home. The more I interacted with them, the more convinced I became that I found my people. By the end of the conference, I knew I had to do more than the occasional blog post to promote libraries.

I’ve attended every AkLA conference since then, and helped organize it the year it was held near my home. I’ve met many wonderful people, found leads for my historical research, and learned how to be a better volunteer. Another part of my library life is volunteering in my local library system, leading the teen writing club. It’s an honor and a pleasure to have teens share their writing life with me. My library connections have also led to opportunities; I was asked to moderate when Sherry Thomas came for an author talk. I had a delightful evening, and got to know a great author. That’s a bonus I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t gone to that library conference.

Over the years, I’ve made friends with librarians and seen many of the great things they do. I am always impressed with how much libraries serve the public and how dedicated they are to their patrons. 

Yay, libraries! And thanks to librarians for enriching my life. You’ve given me so much more than I’ve given to you.

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for about fifty years. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.