“I hope she didn’t break our house!”
I’m pretty sure that’s what Dr. Pepper was saying as he watched BP gallump her big self out of the goat house.
In other things heard around here…. If you’re not involved in the book world, you may not have ever heard of Publishers Weekly. It’s one of the more important sources of publishing news, reviews, commentaries, and so on. Advance reader copies of my book are out to booksellers and reviewers, and I got a first look at the PW review today. The entire review will be posted in various places, including online booksellers, at some point, but for now, I just want to say it was a great review and I was happy! I also found parts of it amusing, such as the reference to my “heart-on-her-sleeve, nutty narrative.” Heart-on-her-sleeve and nutty are good descriptions of me personally, and the book is certainly me.
A quote from the review will appear on the book cover, along with quotes from two authors who agreed to read advance copies and endorse the book–Susan McCorkindale and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. So cool. I am excited!
amateisgal says:
Oooh! So, so exciting! I cannot wait to read your book, Suzanne.
On July 3, 2013 at 3:09 pm
GA_in_GA says:
Congratulations! A good review is always a good start. 😀
On July 3, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Faith says:
That IS exciting! Enjoy your day, maybe do a little dance and celebrate! Congrats!
On July 3, 2013 at 3:19 pm
mamajoseph says:
I’m excited, too. We have some volunteers coming from America in October and I’m hoping they’ll agree to bring me your book. Can’t wait to read it.
On July 3, 2013 at 3:22 pm
TracyT says:
Congratulations on the positive review. I understand from past posts that this book is quite personal to you, so that must feel good. Quite an accomplishment!
On July 3, 2013 at 4:18 pm
Dghawk says:
Wonderful! Can’t wait for it to come out. Keep us posted. :snoopy:
On July 3, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Louise says:
Congratulations Suzanne but we all know it’s going to be a hit. Can’t wait to read it.
On July 3, 2013 at 4:33 pm
UlrikeDG says:
Suzanne, Susan, and Susan? I sense a theme.
On July 3, 2013 at 4:56 pm
yvonnem says:
Yay for the great review! Like everyone else, I can’t wait to read it! :snoopy:
I’m glad to see BP, I had been wondering about her and how she was doing. :cowsleep:
On July 3, 2013 at 5:19 pm
joykenn says:
I found the review online. If you guys want to read it try https://publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-222370-8 .
On July 3, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Dumbcatluvr says:
I am so glad to see BP.<3
On July 3, 2013 at 6:03 pm
rurification says:
Congratulations!! Thanks for taking us along for the ride!
On July 3, 2013 at 6:51 pm
ibpallets (Sharon B.) says:
Joykenn, Thanks for sharing the link!
Suzanne, I’m tickled :pinkbunny: pink for you. I can’t wait to get my copies in October!
On July 3, 2013 at 8:17 pm
jerseygirl says:
I’ve endured many an agonizing wait for a PW review and I know exactly how important a good one is. I’m so happy for you! (And I can’t say I’m surprised PW recognized a great writer when they read one.) Huge congratulations from Pre-ordered and Impatient here in central NJ!
On July 3, 2013 at 8:21 pm
CassieOz says:
How wonderful to see the ‘old lady’ again. I too had been wondering about her since she hadn’t been in the news since a series of worrying calamities and I was afraid to ask. Maybe BP wants a house of her own….
Has Glory Bee finished her romantic holiday yet? Nice to have a boy around the cow paddock but with our pasture struggling, I’m reluctant to feed ‘boyfriends’ for very long.
On July 3, 2013 at 8:56 pm
holstein woman says:
I’m having trouble with fall coming and summer leaving until I think of the preordered book and getting to read it.
I’m glad to see BP also. Couldn’t decide if I wanted to be tone to ask about her either.
On July 3, 2013 at 11:31 pm
outbackfarm says:
What in the world was that cow doing in there? She probably had just enough room to go in and turn around and go back out. Silly BP!
And congrats on the book! Cab’t wait to get it now,
On July 4, 2013 at 7:43 am
Window On The Prairie says:
My husband and I own a herd of cattle on our farm. When cows get older, their teeth are no longer effective at grinding up their food. And since they can’t chew their food properly, they begin to lose weight. Their condition goes down, even though they may be eating as much as ever. I don’t mean to stick my nose in, but I must be blunt: BP is literally starving to death. Cows are very good at concealing their suffering so she may not be acting any different. When one of our older cows begins to go downhill like this, we put it down. It really is the kindest thing, and sentiment has no place in this. It’s a hard fact of having livestock. I’m truly sorry if this hurts your feelings, but I say this for the sake of BP.
Suzanne in Kansas
On July 4, 2013 at 10:10 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Window on the Prairie, as I posted about this a few months ago, I am planning to put BP down this fall. I’m not going to let her go through another winter. She actually is not thinner right now than she has been.
On July 4, 2013 at 11:13 am
The High Altitude Tea Duchess says:
So excited for you and your book. Happy to see BP still kicking about the place. Thanks for the update!
On July 4, 2013 at 10:12 am
NancyL says:
So happy about the review – I’m still smiling! I can’t believe BP was able to turn around in there. And I remember your early BP posts explaining her breed looking like that….
Nancy in Iowa
On July 4, 2013 at 10:57 am
DeniseS says:
I am looking forward to the book coming out in October. Will you let us know what date the book will be available for purchase, and which bookstores will carry your book? Thank you.
On July 4, 2013 at 1:45 pm
Roooth says:
Was also wondering how BP was doing… maybe she needs a few cookies? maybe she can winter in your house with a diaper? Just kidding! Understand your issues.
On July 4, 2013 at 4:35 pm
bbkrehmeyer says:
Window on the prairie. I totally agree. But as I’ve been told before. Shut up.butt out. its Suzannes cow.blog,farm.etc. In my part of the country the Humane Society would be taking my cow and giving me a ticket… So sorry BP…
On July 4, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
BP has actually pretty much always looked like this, since I got her. As I’ve stated before, I intend to put her down this fall. I’m NOT eager to do this.
On July 4, 2013 at 7:32 pm
Window On The Prairie says:
You may not realize just how bad BP looks because you see her every day, but I follow your blog, and I can see from her pics that her condition has gone down quite a bit this year. In the pic above I can see all her ribs, all her vertebra, every bit of her pelvis, her shoulder blades, etc. Since she’s not able to get nutrition from her food, she’s eating away her own body from the inside. She has no body fat that I can see, and is probably cold all the time. I know you’re not eager to put her down, but every day for her now is another day to suffer while she waits for someone to put her out of her misery. Cows are very good at concealing illness and pain so as not to attract attention from predators. Again, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, and am sorry if I have. It’s one of the hardest parts of farming to put an animal down. My hubby hates to do it too, and he’s farmed all his life.
REspectfully,
Suzanne in Kansas
On July 5, 2013 at 11:47 am
buglady77 says:
Windows On The Prairie, I know you care about animals and want what’s best for them. We all do, or we wouldn’t be on a site like this. But please refer back to some old pictures of BP, here’s the first one I stumbled across real quickly, from two years ago. https://chickensintheroad.com/barn/a-bale-of-hay/ and in those she even has her winter coat. She’s always been thin and her hook bones have always protruded greatly (see any picture where she’s been laying down) but I really don’t see that she’s wasting away, other than the fact that everything is more pronounced with summer hair. She’s also in a very unflattering position wedging herself out of the goat house here. I’m sure Suzanne appreciates that her readers care about her animals, but now that you’ve said your bit please don’t press the issue.
On July 5, 2013 at 2:46 pm
Window On The Prairie says:
Buglady77,
I know BP has always looked on the thin side – dairies get rid of their cows when they start to go downhill and if I remember right, BP came from a dairy. They don’t sell off their good cows. I referred to BP’s pic in your link above. I have to say she looks like she weighed at least 100 pounds more back then. In spite of her fur coat, her bones weren’t sticking out as much, and she had quite a protruding “gut”, which appears to be gone now. She also looked more fleshy around her shoulders and the area between her pelvis and ribs wasn’t hollowed out down to her vertebra like it is now. For reference, here’s what a healthy dairy cow looks like: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/jersey-cow-in-pasture-michelle-wrighton.html
On July 6, 2013 at 8:56 am