Saving Li'l Smokey

Happy Second Birthday, Li'l Smokey!

Adam — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:12:00 +0000

Our favorite bear celebrates his second birthday today. After weeks of bad weather, Li'l Smokey can get out and enjoy the warm weather: 61 degrees and sunny! We will be thinking of him as well. We will be celebrating with a small group of Li'l Smokey family members. Please feel free to share your birthday plans!

Li'l Smokey's Release First Anniverary!

Adam — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:29:43 +0000

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since we said goodbye to our friend Li'l Smokey. The bear that refused to give up was given a second chance at living a normal life 1 year ago today. Since his release, he has been tracked in the wild 3 times, each time being located within about five miles from where we dropped him off. Whether or not DFG will be able to track him again before his transmitter gives out is still unknown. Being able to participate in the release was such a rewarding experience and certainly one I will never forget. Keep warm and safe out there, little buddy.

Here is one of the news stories from the release. LTWC also has a great video on their site, filmed by one of their volunteers. It brings back great memories.

Justice 4 Karly

Adam — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:28:06 +0000

1/26/2010**UPDATE**

Today the jury reached their verdict: GUILTY! After deliberating for a little more than 1-hour, they determined that Glynn Johnson was guilty of felony animal cruelty. Sentencing date is set for March 8th. Justice has come half-way, we have a conviction. Now we need a tough sentence. Lets hope the judge gives him the maximum sentence of 4 years and 4 months. Even that does not seem like enough.

Read the news story HERE

1/23/2010**UPDATE**

Trial is expected to be handed over to the jury this Monday. Lets hope for a swift and just verdict!

**UPDATE**

Jury selection for the trial is expected to be over today. Trial to begin soon! If you haven't gone over to their website yet www.justice4karley.com please stop in and sign their petition. Animal cruelty is a serious issue!

Those of you who know Celeste and I understand that we are big animal lovers. In particular, our dogs are very close to our hearts. When I saw Li'l Smokey hurt for the first time I didn't see a bear, but a lost an injured puppy in need of someone to care for him.

Those of you who live outside of California may not know the story of Karly, a six month old shephard mix puppy who was beaten to death in the fall of 2008. That anyone would hurt or kill an animal should be seen as a shocking crime. That the perpetrator was a Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief makes this story all the more strange and horrible. How someone who is charged with defending the lives of people could turn to murder is very hard for me to comprehend.

Karleys family has been fighting since the beginning to bring this man to justice. After more than a year of wrangling and attempts by the accused to delay the trial, his case will finally go to trial starting today. If you would, please take the time to visit their website and offer your support and comfort during this difficult time. The actual trial is sure to bring back many painful memories for the people who loved Karly.

WARNING. The details of this story are emotionally charged. I have been deeply effected by this story. Please be warned, don't click the link unless you are ready for some serious tears and righteous outrage.

Visit their website

Here is another article on the story

Saving Li'l Smokey - Hardcover Edition -

Adam — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:02:37 +0000

After changing printers, we are happy to let you know that we can now offer "Saving Li'l Smokey" in both hardcover and softcover editions.

City of Corning Hometown Christmas

Adam — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:56:18 +0000

The wonderful people at the Corning Senior Center rank near the top of all-time Li'l Smokey fans. Their director, Linda, recommended that Adam be named the Grand Marshall at their Hometown Christmas parade on Saturday November 21st. We look forward to being there and meeting all of the great people in Corning. There is a full day of great activities so please come and check it out. We will be at the Corning Veterans Hall from 12-4 and then in the parade at 5:30. We'd love to see you there!

Here is an article about the event:

http://www.corning-observer.com/news/christmas-6390-lot-event.html

Costco Kickoff Event

Adam — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:19:13 +0000

As some of you may have heard, we have signed a deal to allow our book to be offered in any west coast Costco. To kick things off, we will be at the Redding Costco, on Dana Drive, Saturday October 24th from 11-4. Ryan, our illustrator, will also be there to meet people and sign books. We look forward to seeing you there!

Whiskeytown Here We Come!

Adam — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:25:34 +0000

Hey everyone, the wonderful people out at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area will be hosting us at their visitors center this Saturday, October 10th from 1-2:30. Come and hear the story for yourselves. We will be there, along with our Illustrator Ryan M. Lamb and we look forward to seeing you.

Here is a link to their story.

Staying Alive!

Adam — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:14:21 +0000

Just got a phone call from Fish and Game and they report that Li'l Smokeys signal was picked up yesterday in the same general area as before. His transmitter was broadcasting in the "active" mode which means that he was up and moving about. Great news for everyone!

Nice Article in the HSU Alumni Newsletter

Adam — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:53:47 +0000

Here is a nice little article that appeared in my college paper. Enjoy.

LINK

What's News

Adam — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:56:00 +0000

Well, we have been very busy for the last several weeks and have not had time to give any updates. The book has been doing fantastic and we are very close to choosing our new printer! When Saving Li'l Smokey rolls off the printer next time it will be the Hardcover edition! Yes, in order to meet the demands of some of our potential distributors, we have to make some changes to the book cover. Due to the costs involved in printing, plus the prices at which we have to sell the book to wholesalers, we can no longer afford to produce the softcover edition. We still have lots of softcover available and we will continue to sell them at the same price. The hardcover edition, will cost a little more, but it will be much more durable and the prototype we received looks great. We are not sure when they will be finished but we will let you all know. It will difinitely be before Christmas!

In other exciting news, our book distribution has expanded. In addition to our online store, we are now selling at locations in the Redding area. For instance, you can pick up our book at any Burrito Bandito location. If you have never been there, we reccomend you give it a try. It's fantastic. Our book is also available at the visitors center at Whiskeytown Lake and we will be doing a book signing there on October 10th (see the calendar for more details). We are also looking for other local vendors...

In some more great news, we have just signed a deal that will make it possible to offer Saving Li'l Smokey at any West coast Costco! Redding will be the first store to have us (we have a book signing for October 24th) and hope that we can convince other stores to carry it as well.

On a more relaxed front, we are heading out on a three week vacation to see Celeste's grandfather in Indiana. We are going to take the dogs (of course) and our trailer so that we can enjoy the trip there and back. We look forward to spending lots of time enjoying the scenery. See you when we get back.