Mystery Fanfare: Cartoon of the Day: Cats

 Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard laughing and giggling outside the Panzermobile. 

 

It's a dream job.

Following the jocularity, took our traveling kitty to the Mystery Fanfare site. There he found a Cat Cartoon was causing all the fun.

 

Enjoy.

To read the cartoon tootle over to Mystery Fanfare Cartoon

32 Great Writing Conferences in July 2022 - Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity

Panzer was just getting ready for a nap when he heard clapping coming from the Catosphere. Hopping in the Panzermobile, our adventuresome kitty boy followed all the hubbub to the Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity site. There he found a post with a list of thirty-two writing conferences and workshops.

Erica Verrillo's post lists thirty-two conferences and workshops for writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and novels. Some of the conferences are in-person, some online, and some are both. 

About that nap.

Panzer says, "Last week this little kitty told you about a post at The Blood-Red Pencil site that listed fifteen writing conferences in July to September."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links included in the post, you will need to decide what to bring to eat and drink.

To read the post at the Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity site tootle over to July writing conferences

To read the post at The Blood-Red Pencil site tootle over to July to September Conferences

S&S Makes Two Books on Conflict Free to Readers - Publishers Weekly

 Panzer discovered an interesting press release at the Publishers Weekly site today.

 

If you are located in the U.S. or Canada, Simon and Schuster are offering two books about conflict and conflict resolution free.

 

The books are High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out and Let's Talk About Hard Things: The Life-Changing Conversations That Connect Us. Both are free either as ebooks or audio books. The post contains a link to information about the books and links to download them.

 

To read the press release tootle over to Simon and Schuster.

When I'm 34 #MewsicMovesMe - Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & Meows

That's a lot of mewsic.

Over at the Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries and Meows site Panzer found an interesting post.

The post has seven links to YouTube videos of music from 2011.(The year she turned 34.)

Get out your cowboy hat and boots. Grab a glass of iced tea. And enjoy.

To watch the videos tootle over to #mewsicmovesme

A Panzerism

Putooeh!

 Panzer on spiritual growth:

The path to enlightenment is filled with things that taste bad.

* From Cat Wisdom for humans

2022 July to September Writers Conferences and Workshops - The Blood-Red Pencil

Today, Panzer's trip to The Blood-Red Pencil site was a quick one. There he found a post about writers conferences and workshops.

 

Thinking about what happened today.

According to Diana Hurwitz's post, some of the conferences and workshops on her list are free to attend and some are pay to attend. Some are online and some are in-person.

 

Panzer says, "There are fifteen conferences and workshops listed in the post."

 

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of iced tea for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you'll need to decide what to bring to eat or drink.

 

To read the post tootle over to writers conferences and workshops

No Post

 

Now for something really important.

Panzer here.

No post today.

Mom needs to finish an important project.

We'll be back tomorrow.

Spotify comes for audiobooks - The Verge

Today, Panzer made a trip to The Verge site. There with a little digging in the posts he found one about Spotify's acquisition of Findaway. Panzer told you about the proposed acquisition in November 2021.

 According to the post by Ariel Shapiro, at an investors meeting earlier this month Spotify CEO Daniel Ek spoke about the acquisition of Findaway. CEO Ek discussed plans for free audiobooks and audiobooks with ads. The post includes links to other information about the acquisition.

Maybe I won't use Findaway.

Panzer says, "Who puts the ads on/in the audiobooks? Spotify? The author?"

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the lengths in the post, you'll need to decide what to bring to eat and drink.

To read the post tootle over to Spotify audiobooks

To read Panzer's previous post about the acquisition tootle over to Spotify and Findaway

Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2022 On YouTube

We attended and it's still interesting.

In case you missed Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2022, here are eleven of the author/writer presentations for you. The Crime Festival ran the end of April through the beginning of May.

The presentations are posted on the Crime Festival's YouTube channel for you to watch for free.

 

Panzer says, "Be sure to bring plenty of tea and muffins because each of the videos is an hour long.

 

To watch the YouTube channel tootle over to Crime Festival 

Take Your Cat to Work Day (in the U.S.)

 Today Is National Take Your Cat To Work Day

Not happening with this Kitty.

A Panzerism

 Panzer on cat behavior:

Get it?

Humans wonder why cats run around with their tails straight up in the air and bushed out.

Well ...

You got a better way of checking catmospheric conditions?

From Cat Wisdom for humans

Fathers Day

 

 

 

From Panzer, Mom and What's His Name

Bloody Scotland Events List Program

Now for my nap.

If you're thinking about attending Bloody Scotland this year, Panzer found the Events List for the program. This year will be a hybrid, both online and in-person.

The list includes the presenters, the dates, times, ticket cost, and if it will be online or in-person.

 

To read the program list tootle over to Bloody Scotland Events List

The Copyright Claims Board: A New Option For Copyright Disputes - Writer Beware

 Panzer's trip today took him to the Writer Beware site. There with no digging at all, he found a post about the Copyright Claims Board.

Doesn't cost as much as going to court.

According to Victoria Strauss' post, the Copyright Claims Board (CCB.gov) opened yesterday. The CCB is an easier, less expensive way to address copyright disputes. There are certain rules and limitations to using the CCB, but all the necessary information is available at the site. The post gives a comprehensive description of the CCB and includes links to all the information needed.

Panzer says, "The CCB looks like an interesting alternative to going to court."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you'll need to decide what to bring to eat and drink.

To read the post tootle over to Copyright Claims Board

Central Booking Episode 100 Terrie Farley Moran Author Interview on YouTube

Jessica has help with her writing?

As Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today, he found an interesting YouTube interview at the Central Booking channel. 

 

The interview is with award winning author Terrie Farley Moran. In the interview she talks about her new Murder She Wrote book. This is her third book in the series.

 

The interview is over an hour long, so grab a big cup of tea before you sit down.

To watch the interview tootle over to Terrie Farley Moran on YouTube

'Unaffordable, unsustainable and extremely unfair': Libraries battle publishers for equal access to ebooks - Irish Examiner

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere the Panzermobile was suddenly shaken by crying and the gnashing of teeth. Following all the ruckus, took our brave kitty boy to the Irish Examiner site. There he found a post about the financial problems of Irish libraries.

 

Big 5? Sounds like big bullies to me.

According to the post by Jess Casey, libraries in Ireland are facing funding issues due to the Big Five publishers ebook library policies. The Big Five publishers are Penguin/Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan. The publishers library policies for ebooks include charging libraries license fees, restrictions on the number of library patron loans an ebook can have before re-licensing, time limits before an ebook can become available in the library, and Hachette won't even license ebooks to libraries. The Library Association of Ireland wants legislation enacted so libraries have access to ebooks with reasonable terms and conditions and without embargo.

 ,

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks this is familiar to what's happening to libraries in the U.S."

 

Note: This is a very, very long post. Bring a cup of tea, a muffin and two chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Irish libraries

Internet Archive, Publishers to Seek Summary Judgment in Book Scanning Lawsuit - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. There our intrepid kitty traveler found a post about the lawsuit against the Internet Archive.

 

A library?

According to Andrew Albanese's post, the Internet Archive (IA) and the publishers involved in the lawsuit have asked the judge in the case to issue a summary judgment. The lawsuit against IA stems from the company's practice of scanning copies of books and then "lending" them to people. Neither the publishers nor the authors of the books are paid for the scanned copies. IA says they can do the scanning because they are a "library." Publishers say IA isn't a library it's "a massive copyright infringement establishment". Included in the post are several links to other information about the lawsuit and about the issue of scanning books.

 

The steps to the summary judgment have been set in motion. They are: First: the publishers will submit their opening briefs; Second: AI will submit their opposition briefs; Third: the publishers will submit their reply briefs; and, Fourth: the judge will read everything and then issue the summary judgment.

Panzer says, "This lawsuit has been going on since June, 2020."

 

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you'll need to decide what else to bring to eat and drink.

 

To read the post tootle over to book scanning lawsuit

 

NASA's Perserverance Studies the Wild Winds of Jezero Crater - NASA

If you've been following Panzer here for a while, you know he loves things space-oriented and especially Mars-oriented.

Wind on Mars?

So, it's no surprise he made a stop at the NASA site when he heard about the Mars Rover Perserverance's new video showing dust devils there.

 

There's a post there to go with the very short video.

 

If you look on the right side of the post, you'll find another video Perserverance made of a dust cloud on Mars, too.

 

To watch the video and read the post tootle over to NASA's Perseverance

A Panzerism

 Panzer on recorded history:

I really need a kitty-sized collar camera.

Then ...

I could capture wonderful leaps, acts of amazing balance,

It's magic.*

and ...

sudden feats of startling magic,

when ...

hairballs appear without warning.

*From Cat Wisdom for humans

Audiobook, Kissing Under the Fireworks, on YouTube

Enjoy!

Today, Panzer found the complete audiobook of the clean romance Kissing Under the Fireworks on YouTube. The book's author Christina Herrera posted the audiobook to her channel on YouTube. The audiobook is narrated by Meg Trast.

 

You can listen to the entire book for free.

 

To listen to the audiobook on YouTube tootle over to Audiobook

Pets: A Crime Writer’s Best Friend by V. M. Burns - Writers Who Kill

Today, when Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, he decided to make a stop at the Writers Who Kill site. With a little digging in the site's posts our inquisitive kitty boy found one about writers pet friends.

 

The post by V.M. Burns begins with a discussion of the animals on cozy mystery book covers. Of course you'll discover a lot of the covers have cats and/or dogs on them. V.M. Burns' post concentrates on the fact a lot of mystery books include dogs, just as some of her series do. The post includes two links to information she quotes in her post.

 

Well ... Maybe I do a little.

Panzer says, "Her author bio says she's a member of Dog Writers of America and a dog(s) owner. But ... This little kitty doesn't hold that against her."

 

Note: This is either a long-short length post or a short-medium length post. You decide which. Either way, bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Pets: A Crime Writer’s Best Friend

Cartoon of the Day: Cats & Dogs - Mystery Fanfare

 

My question exactly.

Coming home in the Catosphere, Panzer heard laughing and chuckling outside the Panzermobile. Following all the noise, took our inquisitive kitty boy to the Mystery Fanfare site. There he found a cartoon was causing all the jocularity.

 

 So ... 

 

To brighten your day ...

Tootle over to Mystery Fanfare Cartoon of the Day

 

 

2022 Thriller Awards - International Thriller Writers

Now back home before Nap Time.

Panzer made a quick trip to the International Thriller Writers (ITW) site today. There he discovered the 2022 Thriller Writer Awards winners have been announced.

The winners and the nominees in each of the seven categories are listed at the site.

 

To read the post tootle over to Thriller Awards

Audiobook Growth Continues - Publishers Weekly

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere the Panzermobile was shaken by clapping and cheering outside. Following all the jocularity, took our adventuresome kitty boy to the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about audio books.

 

MeWoW!

According to Shannon Maughan's post, in 2021 the Audio Publishers Association (APA) estimates audiobook  sales to be $1.6 billion. That amount is based on APA's membership reported sales figures. This is a 25 percent increase over 2020.

 

Panzer says, "$1.6 billion!"

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading.

 

To read the post tootle over to Audio book

A Panzerism

 Panzer on the Kitty Toy Hall of Fame:

Save your money. Read the list.*

1. Wadded up ball of paper

2. Paper bag (Tied for 2nd place)

2. Cardboard box (Tied for 2nd place)

3. Shadows on the wall

4. Grape

5. Fly 

* From Cat Wisdom for humans

Bad Contract Alert: Stary (aka Dreame) - Writer Beware

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Writer Beware site. With just a little digging he found a post about the Dreame app (and others like it).

 

Who can write that much that fast?

According to Victoria Strauss' post, Stary's app Dreame allows readers to read serialized stories. Authors sign contracts which bind them to produce huge amounts of written work over a short period of time for these serials. The post includes several links one of which is to the contract she discusses.

 

Panzer says, "Always read a contract before you sign it."

 

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you decided what to bring to eat and drink.

 

To read the post tootle over to bad contract

Amazon to pull Kindle out of China, other businesses to remain - Reuters.com

 Today, Panzer made a quick stop at the Reuters.com site. There our speedy little kitty boy found a post about Amazon and China.

 

Interesting.

According to the post by Brenda Goh, Amazon is stopping Kindle ereader sales to China retailers. Although customers can still download their purchased ebooks, the Kindle e-bookstore will close June 6, 2023. Kindle sales and the e-bookstore are Amazon's only business removals in China. All the company's other business endeavors will remain. There are links included in the post to other information about Amazon's work and sales history in China.

 

Panzer says, "This little kitty isn't surprised."

 

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you will need to decide what to bring to eat and drink.

 

To read the post tootle over to Amazon China Kindle Bookstore

41 Glorious Writing Conferences in June 2022 - Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity

Today, Panzer took the Panzermobile to Erica Verrillo's Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity site. There he found a post about writing conferences available in June.

 

We always have fun at conferences.

According to the post, there are forty-one writing conferences in June. The list in the post includes conferences for fiction, nonfiction and poetry writers. They're located all across the U.S. There are some genre specific conferences, such as children's authors and illustrators. Some of the conferences are in person, some online and some a hybrid combination of both. Some have restrictions on who can enroll and/or attend, so be sure to read the registration rules before you attempt to signup.

 

Panzer says, "Some of the conferences are already filled to capacity and are closed to registration."

 

Note: With so many conferences highlighted, this is a long post. Bring a big cup of tea and one and a half muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow any of the links to get more information for the conferences, you'll have to decide what else to bring to eat or drink.

 

To read the post tootle over to writing conferences