Thousands of pet owners have found it hard to resist those cute little critters with the tiny little paws; the big soft ears; the round soulful eyes; and the thickest, softest, warmest, most beautiful coat on earth. Beyond having good looks, chins can be smart, graceful, playful, and affectionate companions. However, they are exotic pets, and their lifestyle calls for knowledgeable management. Clearly written and beautifully illustrated, Chinchillas is a comprehensive, down-to-earth, and fun-to-read guide by a noted chinchilla expert that provides owners all they need to know to keep their chinchillas healthy, safe, and happy and be able to enjoy them to the fullest.
Donna Anastasi is the 2011 Living Now Book Awards, Women's Fiction Gold Medal recipient for her debut novel Spin the Plate (Black Rose Writing). Ms. Anastasi also wrote the popular, five star rated, Complete Guide to Gerbil Care in 2005 and a chinchilla handbook in 2008 (Bowtie Press). She lives north of Boston in Hollis, New Hampshire with her husband, two teenaged daughters, and an ever-changing menagerie.
Spin the Plate, published by Black Rose Writing, is an Edgy, Inspirational, Christian-themed love story.
Synopsis: Time has done nothing to heal childhood wounds inflicted more than a dozen years ago, nor fade the memories. Now as an adult, Jo has given up on the human race, men in particular, investing her energies in tattoo artistry and animal rescue. Francis meets Jo during an altercation between Jo and another passenger on the Boston subway. Francis, who harbors a back story of his own, is painfully lonely as his job requires that he maintain anonymity plus have constant exposure to the shallowness, corruption, and cruelty of humankind. From the moment Francis lays eyes on Jo, he sees beneath her rough exterior to the genuine, passionate, fearless, and beautiful person Jo is and pursues her with unwavering passion.
In a compelling story on living as an incest survivor and the how-to's of love, faith, and healing, Jo discovers she is not alone in her fight to leave her past behind and move beyond sorrow into joy.
Reader Reviews: Not a typical childhood abuse survivor story: focus is not "what happened" so much as "what now."
"As a fairly thorough romance, among other genres, reader, I have never read a book quite like this one. It is beautiful and inspirational, and the characters are so real. Just as much as it is a romance, it is also a book that will renew your faith in humanity and leave you feeling better than before you read it. Beware though, once you pick it up, it is hard to put down!"
"Hearts don't get much harder than Jo's, but sometimes God will send along the very person who can soften that heart and heal it from the overwhelming pain caused from being victimized by someone who was supposed to love you and protect you. That's what Francis did for Jo. He set aside his own wants and needs to minister to her. It was a beautiful love story in that regard."
"Good story that had me rooting for Jo all the way to the end."
Donna Anastasi also has authored two non-fiction books, both on small animal care, published by Bowtie press. She wrote the Complete Guide to Gerbil Care in 2005, which "is garnering rave reviews for its accurate and up to date information about gerbils" (about.com) and has been the amazon.com number one gerbil book/product since its release. Donna loves all things small and furry, is the president of the American Gerbil Society, a animal expert on smallanimalchannel.com, and travels the country doing small animal education including judging at 4H and rodent shows. She wrote a chinchilla guide in 2008 promoting these charming, engaging creatures as companion animals (not coats). Her current project is co-athoring a book on establishing an in-home, small animal rescue with Libby Hanna of Shawsheen River Gerbil Rescue.
