I've decided to take a break from my monthly free pet portrait contest. I am expecting a baby soon and have recently started a new job! It was a fun thing to do and I really enjoy doing things that may bring a little joy to someone I don't know. I will be periodically still painting portraits to be auctioned for San Diego Bulldog Rescue donations, through their Facebook page. I also have posted an Etsy store in case anyone would like to purchase a painting in the interim https://www.etsy.com/listing/204909683/custom-bulldog-dog-pet-watercolor?ref=shop_home_active_1. I will plan on resuming free portraits again sometime next year. Thanks to all who participated!   

I'm so happy to announce that Bubba the Bulldog Tries to Smile just won the GOLD medal for the Preschool Children's Book category in the 2014 Reader's Favorite International Book Awards! I entered 2 categories. I thought I had more of a chance in the Children's - Animal Books category. When I saw I didn't place, I thought I hadn't won anything. I scrolled through many other categories, and was so surprised to see that I not only placed in the preschool category, but won gold! I have been hoping for this and feel very grateful. Hopefully, this will be good exposure for my book! The awards are in Miami and I was hoping I could attend. Unfortunately, the awards are a week before my baby is due! The great thing about winning is that I can now call myself an award-winning author and I hope that more people will be interested in reading Bubba's story!

Also, today is the first of the month and after taking a few months off, my monthly pet portrait contest is open again. Tweet or Facebook me a picture of your pet to enter all this week. I will draw a winner on the 7th for a free watercolor illustration. Good luck!

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