Read Pink® in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Barb

Read Pink® in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness

What’s black and white and pink all over? The initiative by the Penguin Group (USA) called Read Pink® in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October)!

This literary embrace of a life-saving cause last year resulted in more than 400,000 best-selling romances shipped with Read Pink seals and information about the charity it supports – The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF). Penguin is thrilled to partner once again this year with BCRF, as 91 cents of every dollar spent by BCRF is directed towards breast cancer research and awareness programs.

The $25,000 donation that Penguin Group USA contributes, regardless of sales, provides vital funds to support the mission of BCRF.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Penguin Group (USA)’s Read Pink® editions, we are featuring a few participating authors and what Read Pink® means to them…

Karen White (2013 Read Pink® Spokesperson), The Beach Tree
“To all of those who have fought the fight, or are in the middle of the battle, here’s a two-thumbs up for you. You are not alone. We are all in this together.”

Erika Robuck, Hemingway’s Girl
“As one whose life has felt the shadow of breast cancer through two friends’ illnesses this year, it is an honor to be included in Penguin’s READ PINK campaign. It is my greatest hope that this contribution may be a part of raising awareness and finding a cure.” ~Erika Robuck”

Jodi Thomas, Just Down the Road
“Breast Cancer is something all women fear. I’ve walked with two dear friends through the battlefield and both survived. We all must fight until the day comes when no one knows anyone who has had breast cancer.”

Carly Phillips, Perfect Fit
“So many of us have been touched by cancer, either personally, or through a family member or a friend’s diagnosis. I’m honored to be part of the Read Pink! program. Purchasing a Pink book donates money to the The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Buy and Read Pink! and together we can do our part to eliminate this dreaded disease.”

Catherine Anderson, Lucky Penny
“Breast cancer is a killer that robbed me of one friend and threatened the life of another. One out of four women may get this dreaded disease. I am honored that this is my fourth title to be featured in the READ PINK campaign, and I am proud to be writing for a publishing house willing to engage, year after year, in the battle to save the lives of women.”

LuAnn McLane, Pitch Perfect
“Shortly after my mother’s diagnosis with breast cancer, I found out I was pregnant with my fourth child, a risky pregnancy that wasn’t supposed to happen. I believe that during the treatments my mother drew strength from the determination to see her granddaughter born. That was twenty-two years ago and my mother still refers to Cara as ‘her gift’. Cara’s birthday is a lovely reminder that my mother is cancer free. I am thrilled to have Pitch Perfect as part of the Read Pink program. Any small part I can play in the fight against cancer is a huge honor for me.”

Liane Moriarty, What Alice Forgot
“The last three generations of my family have been affected by breast cancer. We, like so many other families, understand all too well the importance of research.

So I feel very moved and privileged to be a part of such a wonderful initiative as Read Pink.”

Alyson Richman, The Lost Wife
“My own life changed dramatically when I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer just before the publication of “The Lost Wife” in 2011, so it is incredibly meaningful that the book is now helping to find a cure for other women who have been afflicted with breast cancer. Read Pink is helping to unite readers and authors for an extremely important cause. Please buy a book for a mother, a daughter, or a friend to show your support for this disease that takes too many lives. My children lost their grandmother to breast cancer, so I know I’ll be buying the other books included in the program, to honor this woman we all loved.”

Sarah Jio, The Last Camellia
“Breast cancer is a villain more sinister than any shadowy figure in my stories. I know someone with an advanced case of the disease, a woman who is bravely fighting, but who has been given a short time to live. She will leave behind three children, a husband and a truly beautiful life. All I can says is that if there is hope to end this horrific disease, to bring this villain to justice, I want to be part of it. And I’m so very honored that The Last Camellia was chosen to be a part of Penguin’s Read Pink campaign. Together, we can help write a new story for breast cancer and hopefully give more women the happy endings they deserve.”

Full List of 2013 Participating Authors:
Karen White, The Beach Trees
Nora Roberts, Chasing Fire
Erika Robuck, Hemingway’s Girl
Jodi Thomas, Just Down the Road
Carly Phillips, Perfect Fit
JoAnn Ross, Sea Glass Winter
Karen Rose, Did You Miss Me?
Catherine Anderson, Lucky Penny
Kate Jacobs, The Friday Night Knitting Club
LuAnn McLane, Pitch Perfect
Liane Moriarty, What Alice Forgot
Alyson Richman, The Lost Wife
Sarah Jio, The Last Camellia
Penelope Lively, How It All Began

Mark your calendars and remember to join in the conversation with @BerkleyRomance and @PenguinGroupUSA on Twitter in October. Make sure to use the hashtag #ReadPink!

For more information follow @BerkleyRomance and @PenguinGroupUSA, and visit www.us.penguingroup.com/readpink.

Read Pink®
Blog Tour Schedule
Please support the blogs taking part in this special, Read Pink® Spotlight Tour!

October 1 – Guest post by spokesperson Karen White on Chick Lit Is Not Dead

Spotlight – Jill Shalvis – Read Humane® 2013

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Barb

Spotlight – Jill Shalvis – Read Humane® 2013

The Reading Cafe is pleased to support Penguin Group (USA)’s Read Humane® 2013 campaign to fight animal cruelty. Since Sandy and I are animal lovers, we are happy to be part of this wonderful campaign.

This is my rescue story. 11 years ago, I was grieving the loss of my cat, Brandy. My husband & I decided it was time to give a loving home to another animal, as we had enough love in our hearts to give out.

Zorro Koko

Zorro koko

When my friend Debbie and I went to the local shelter, they had quite a few cats.Seeing so many cats, I decided to take two home with me. There was one cat who caught my eye. He was rambunctious, the only cat they let out of the cage. He was blind in one eye, having lost his sight due to an infection shortly after he was born. I decided to take him, and also took his brother. After being in a cage for a year, 11 years later they are two happy & contented cats, not to mention the love they give us. I never regretted helping rescue a partially blind cat, and his petrified brother.

Barb

********

We would like to welcome spokesperson and bestselling author Jill Shalvis to our site today, where she is sharing with us her family’s animal rescue story discusses her Animal Magnetism series with a piece entitled “Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks!”

Read Humane® is an initiative created by Penguin Group (USA) in 2012 to support our furry friends in honor of National Pet Month (May). As part of the Read Humane® 2013 campaign, six special edition, animal-themed mass market paperbacks have been reissued featuring the official Read Humane® seal. Penguin supports the fight against animal cruelty with a $25,000 donation, regardless of sales, to The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team.

For more information, and complete lists of the six participating authors and book retailers, please visit Penguin Group (USA) or view the official Read Humane® Prezi here.

And remember to join the conversation on Twitter with @BerkleyRomance and @HSUS throughout May by using the hashtag #readHumane. Followers are encouraged to Tweet about Penguin’s animal friendly books, share their own rescue stories, and join in other pet themed conversations.

Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over four dozen romance novels, including her fun contemporary Animal Magnetism series, which promotes animal rescue dogs. Jill is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner, and lover of animals! More information about Jill and her collection of fabulous romance titles can be found at www.JillShalvis.com.

My Rescue Story
by Jill Shalvis

At any point, on any day in the Shalvis abode, there are animals. All of them rescued, always. It’s become somewhat of a family tradition, rescuing animals in need, and we’ve found that not only is it a nice thing to do, we get a really great pet out of the deal.

A couple of years ago, our house was fairly full. Okay, so it was straining at the wall joints. We had Ashes — our rescue Border Collie/Australian Blue Heeler. Sadie – our cat who thinks she’s a dog. Micky – a field mouse rescued from the high school science lab. And four teenage girls.

Actually, it wasn’t a house. It was a zoo.

But a year before we’d lost Izzie, our beloved brown lab. And we missed having two dogs. Yes, we’re crazy. Anyway, on that fated day I’m about to tell you about, Alpha Man (my husband) had heard about a yellow lab puppy who needed rescue.

No. No way. I was adamant. I had enough on my plate. But Alpha Man just wanted to go make sure the lab was okay.

So we left the mountain…

My Rescue Story_Photo 1

And drove… My Rescue Story_Photo 2

And drove… My Rescue Story_Photo 3

We were following the sketch directions from a guy who knew a guy who had told us about a woman who lived out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE, and she rescues animals.

The landscape was like something out of a Criminal Minds episode, so we were wary at first. We had no idea what we were going to find. A box of puppies, or a meth lab … nothing would have surprised me. I was a little worried because the kids were with us, but it turned out the place was fifty acres of love.

Any animal in need is welcome.

My Rescue Story_Photo 4

Even the funny looking ones… My Rescue Story_Photo 5

The woman had goats, horses, turtles, geese, snakes, angry chickens … you name it and she had it. She was rehabbing it, doctoring it, loving it … whatever the animal needed.

We’d gone because of the rumor of the puppies, the yellow labs. And she did have two puppies. She’d rescued them out of a horrible situation.

My Rescue Story_Photo 6

But the yellow lab wasn’t the one who stole our hearts. Nope, it was her little baby brother. The runt. My Rescue Story_Photo 7

He was filthy and living in a hovel. And the minute he saw us, he came alive. Wriggling, happy, loving. All you had to do was touch him and he writhed in joy and dropped to the floor for a belly rub. My Rescue Story_Photo 8

And once he was picked up by the teenagers and loved up by them, he didn’t want to get down. I tried. I tried hard. But the thing had wriggled his way right into my heart. I remember looking at Alpha Man, laughing and crying at the same time.

“You didn’t want another dog,” he reminded me.

I told him to zip it. We were taking this dog and that was that. Besides, there was the little matter of him being in my arms and refusing to be put down.

So we never put him down again. Meet Frat Boy…[

***

Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks, by Jill Shalvis…

Now that you know a little bit about my rescue story, I want to share with you some of the inspiration for my Animal Magnetism series. One of the fun things about writing this series is developing complex and lovable characters… that just happen to be adorable dogs! Here’s why dogs make great sidekicks…

1. Because when you’re on the mountain trail and you come across an angry mama bear and her baby cubs, your dog will run like hell. This will warn you to run like hell as well. Just be careful because if your dog is like my dog, he will throw you under the bus (or in this case bear) to get home before you do.

2. Because when all the cookies are gone you can totally blame your cookie loving dog. No one has to know that you ate all the cookies yourself. And your dog can give you dirty looks for blaming him but he can’t actually talk and dispute your story. Solid alibi.

3. Because if you’ve eaten in a way that disagrees with your stomach, there are never any worries. Your dog will always, ALWAYS, out stink you. And if he doesn’t, you can still point the finger at him. Again, he can’t talk and dispute your story.

4. Dogs are not just great sidekicks but they also make great a really great wingman. If you’re single, you can totally put your dog to work at charming the person you’re interested in. Just make sure that person likes dog drool and dog hair all over everything first.

5. There is never a need for a pillow or extra blanket because your dog will always be willing to get into bed with you and share body heat. Always. Just be forewarned. Being a great sidekick is not the same thing as a good bed partner. They have a habit of being a total bed hog. Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks_Photo 1

***

Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your stories with us! If you have enjoyed Jill’s stories please feel free to show your support in our comments section below and by visiting the other participating websites/blogs…

Read Humane® Blog Tour 2013!

For more information on Read Humane® please visit Penguin Group (USA). To view more special features from spokesperson Jill Shalvis, please visit the following websites/blogs; each website/blog will feature a unique perspective on Read Humane, so be sure to stop by each for a new and exciting experience!

4/29/2013            USA Today’s Happy Ever After                   Special Feature!
4/29/2013            Fresh Fiction                                                 Spotlight
4/30/2013            RT Book Reviews Online                             Special Feature!
5/1/2013              Happily Ever After Reads                             Spotlight
5/2/2013              Teresa’s Reading Corner                             Spotlight
5/3/2013              The Book Reading Gals                               Spotlight
5/4/2013              Book Crack                                                  Spotlight
5/5/2013              Love Romances & More                              Spotlight
5/6/2013              Books-N-Kisses                                          Spotlight
5/7/2013              RT Book Reviews Online                            Spotlight
5/8/2013              Cocktails & Books                                       Spotlight
5/9/2013              The Book Pushers                                    Spotlight
5/10/2013            Kindles & Wine                                           Spotlight
5/11/2013            My Book Addiction & More                          Spotlight
5/12/2013            Eye on Romance                                       Spotlight
5/13/2013            eBook Obsessed                                       Spotlight
5/14/2013            My Friend Amy                                           Spotlight
5/14/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                Spotlight
5/16/2013            The Romance Dish                                    Spotlight
5/16/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                Spotlight
5/17/2013            Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind                Spotlight
5/18/2013            Romantic Book Affairs                               Spotlight
5/19/2013            Ramblings from This Chick                       Spotlight
5/20/2013            Under the Covers Book Blog                     Spotlight
5/20/2013            The Romance Studio                                Spotlight
5/21/2013            Chick Lit Reviews                                      Spotlight
5/26/2013            The Reading Café                                     Spotlight
5/27/2013            Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews           Spotlight
5/28/2013            Stuff and Nonsense                                  Spotlight
5/29/2013            Thoughts in Progress                               Spotlight

The Reading Cafe

One stop pertaining to books and more

Tag Archives: Penquin Group

Read Pink® in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness

Read Pink® in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness

Spotlight – Jill Shalvis – Read Humane® 2013

Spotlight – Jill Shalvis – Read Humane® 2013