Gotta Go Big

After talking to the Book Buyer for Wal-Mart I learned Out of the Texas Mist must be bought Regionally. This is fine by me because the region starts at San Antonio and ends in Waco and Austin. That is a lot of Wal-Marts. I guess what I need is to have friends to call or go by their local Wal-Mart and request that they stock Out of the Texas Mist so the fact that it is wanted will get back to corporate and they will allow the buyer to purchase the books for the store. My manager Darrel was given numbers to the Regional buyer so he could request they stock the book so I can do a book signing. My fellow co-workers have been clamoring to have the book carried in the store so they can buy it at a cheaper price than what is offered online. I agree if Wal-Mart decides to carry Out of the Texas Mist the price will be at a discount thus giving more people the chance to read my little tale. Your help is needed so lets call our local Wal-Marts and request Out of the Texas Mist by Cindy Lou Ruffino be carried so more people can afford to buy.

My first Book signing ?

Today I talked to the Manager of the Wal-Mart that I work at and he said he would be happy to do a book signing for me for Out of the Texas Mist and gave me the name of the guy to talk to that will order the book for the store. He said once we get the books ordered and in the store we can set up the book signing. I am excited. My first book signing at Wal-Mart. WOOO WHOOO!!
When he took my card he looked at me and said I have never met an author before. I replied and see you have been talking to one all along and didn't even know it. Thank you Darrel and thank you Niki for giving me the heads up.

Out of the Texas Mist is ready

I am flabbergasted. I went to my publishers web site just to see if there was a release date only to see that you can buy my book now. Okay here is what else I found out. You can go to your local book store and order it from them or you can go online and order it through Barnes and Nobel or Amazon. Just type in the book title in the search box.
I am so excited. Thank you Kinky for being so understanding because with out your blessing and encouragement for me to submit that little manuscript that flowed from a dream I wouldn't be here now. You are truly my hero. Thank you Nancy for helping me get the word out and most of all thank you to everyone that picks up my little mystery and reads it. It was such a joy to write I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Out of the Texas Mist
by Cindy Lou Ruffino
ISBN 1-60563-916-8
http://publishamerica.com
http://barnesandnoble.com

Publish America sent out my Press Releases today

The publisher sent out press releases today. Just one more step wooo whooo


For Immediate Release Contact: Shawn Street – Public Relations pr@publishamerica.com pr@publishamerica.com
http://www.publishamerica.com www.publishamerica.com
PublishAmerica Presents Out of the Texas Mist by Cindy Lou Ruffino
Frederick, MD June 16, 2008
-- PublishAmerica is proud to present Out of the Texas Mist by Cindy Lou Ruffino of Granite Shoals, Texas.

After waking up in a strange vehicle, Cindy realizes that she is in danger. Using her head, she escapes then runs for her life through the dark woods. Waking the next morning in a mist-covered field, she ends up on the doorstep of a familiar-looking man with no idea who she is or where she is at.With the help of this nice cowboy she finds out who she is, then finds out that she landed at the doorstep of her favorite author, Kinky Friedman. Together they try to find her kidnapper to clear her name once her cell phone is found in the hand of a badly mutilated woman. Once they discover the mutilated woman is just one of several, they begin to discover body after body as they get closer to finding the killer.

Cindy Lou Ruffino grew up in Houston, Texas. Out of the Texas Mist, which started from a dream, was written on a spiral notebook before work and during breaks at her neighborhood Kroger, where she worked in the deli.

Cindy lives with her Boston Terrier in the Texas Hill Country.

PublishAmerica is the home of 30,000 talented authors. PublishAmerica is a traditional publishing company whose primary goal is to encourage and promote the works of new, previously undiscovered writers. Like more mainstream publishers, PublishAmerica pays its authors advances and royalties, makes its books available in both the United States and Europe through all bookstores, and never charges any fees for its services. PublishAmerica offers a distinctly personal, supportive alternative to vanity presses and less accessible publishers.END

Memories of a great man

Yesterday was not just flag day to me it was the anniversary of my fathers death. It's hard to believe that he has been gone for 19 years. I have written before how I was a daddy's girl and how he was a great influence on me and my life. I miss him dearly but I know he is watching me and he is proud of the progress in my life. I just wish he was here beside me as my book is about to be released. I just want to see the pride in his eyes as I tell him how excited I am. The publishers asked me for my Media Contacts so this says the big day is nearly here. I remember all the advice my father gave me over the years and I have to admit that I am the person I am because of his gentle voice and his patience. He instilled in me this thirst for knowledge by telling me stories from his life. Both my parents insisted that my siblings and I be respectful to everyone which I feel is an important trait to have. Not everyone is as polite and respectful as they should be. My father was a very patient man and I feel that is where I get my patience from. He was laid back as am I and I even look like him. I just wanted to make this blog a tribute to the man that most influenced my life; James Gayheart Rodd. My father was a stationary engineer and worked in the bowels of the skyscrapers that made the Houston Skyline. I remember once as we drove through the Hill Country him commenting on how much he loved the area and would love to live there. I asked "Daddy why don't we move here?" His answer was "There are no jobs for me here" Well I can say now Daddy I am living in the place we both thought was so beautiful. I am living our dream. I felt I had often let my father down but now I see that he loved me regardless. It's Fathers Day and I want to say Happy Fathers Day to the greatest father a girl could ever want. I love you daddy and I miss you. I am so excited about all the good things to come to me in the future. I wanted to say thanks for giving me the best things about you and because of that I will soar. I love you.
Keyloulou

Good Buddies Mater and Stewie

When I moved here to stay with Sharon and Donald until I was able to get my own place I had one fear, how would Mater get along with Stewie. Well I guess I was worrying for nothing because one picture tells the whole story. The two of them are friends I guess you can say and Stewie is actually playing with Mater and he competes for my attention. They both stand in front of me while I am on the computer and fuss at me. I am so happy the two of them are getting along.

Out of theTexas Mist

Today the publisher sent me my cover art for Out of the Texas Mist. I am excited to see what the cover of my book will look like. Now I have to start pushing my book and myself to the local book stores. I am so excited but still no release date. I was told it could be anywhere from six to eight weeks so I am looking at mid July early August. I can't wait to tell Kinky and Cousin Nancy. Just one more step. Thank you Publish America. Thank you Kinky you're my hero.

A Funny for My Birthday (A must read)

Since today is my Birthday I have had well wishes from all sorts of people along with family and friends. I have enjoyed the evening as Stuart Little has become a puppy once again and started playing with Mater. Then a friend of mine from one of my Boston Terrier sites sent me this cute story. I laughed so hard I had to reprint it here to share with everyone.


This will be hard to appreciate if you haven't had one.

Dave Barry's Colonoscopy Journal


I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make anappointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go allover the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis . Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, "HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!"

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called "MoviPrep," which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies. I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day;all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor .
Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with luke warm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.)Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, "a loose watery bowel movement may result." This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here,but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, "What if I spurt on Andy?" How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand.Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down.
Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. Atfirst I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room,where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere.I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was "Dancing Queen" by Abba. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, "Dancing Queen" has to be the least appropriate.
"You want me to turn it up?" said Andy, from somewhere behind me. "Ha ha," I said.
And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, Abba was shrieking"Dancing Queen! Feel the beat from the tambourine ..." . . . and the next moment,I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.