ABOUT AMY
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Greetings and salutations - and welcome to the author website that features 
For those curious about my schedule, I spend 10 to 12 hours, six days a week in my home office on book projects or writing-related work. Most times, researchers and other experts are only a phone interview away-you do NOT want to have my phone bills! When I need the break, I explore our 13-acre "spread" called Rosemont located in North Texas-named for the more than 500 antique rose bushes that bloom a kaleidoscope of color each spring and fall.
My office window looks out on the garden, pond, and horse field, and offers a view of wildlife that includes hawks and bobcats, bluebirds and coyotes. The house, a Georgian colonial, contains about ten floor-to-ceiling stained glass floral panels, and seven "Tiffany-style" stained glass lampshades that make inside work much more pleasant. I design and make them in my spare time. Writers tend to bleed for their art anyway, doncha know, so glass-cutting fits right in! And of course, assorted critters make their home at Rosemont. From time to time, I'll post a photo or two of one or more of my furry crew.
Ms. Shojai has written widely in the pet field on training, behavior, health care (both allopathic and holistic), and the health benefits of keeping cats and dogs. She is the founder and past president of the international 
Ms. Shojai frequently lectures at conferences about writing as well as a variety of pet-related issues. Ms. Shojai has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and in USA Weekend, The New York Times, Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Woman's World, and many other leading newspapers and magazines. She regularly appears on national radio and television in connection with her pet writing. Perhaps most memorably, she represented the "cat side" and won a nationally televised tongue-in-cheek debate (NBC Today Show, Fox, CNN and others) arguing whether cats or dogs are the more appropriate White House pets.
MAGAZINE ARTICLES IN:
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NEWSPAPER ARTICLES IN:
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INTERNET APPEARANCES
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APPEARANCES AND LECTURES
(note: representative list, not all-inclusive)- Books 'n Authors 'n All That Jazz
Ft Worth, April 2006
Lecture: "Sell Yourself (AND Your Book)" - National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, Inc. (NAPPS)
Atlanta, January 2005
Lecture: "Senior Moments: Caring for Aging Cats & Dogs" - Cat Writers' Association, Inc. Annual Writing Conference
Atlanta, Chicago, Anaheim, Kansas City, Houston
Various Lectures and Seminars, 1993 to Present - Pet Food Regulatory Workshop, and Nutrition Summit
St. Louis, 2000 to 2001
Lecture, "Consumer's Perception of Pet Foods and Pet Food Labels"
Lecture, "Ingredient Issues: Pet Owner's Perceptions" - Tufts Animal Expo
Boston, 2001
Lecture, "Hot Topics in Feline Nutrition: Answering Consumers' Concerns"
Lecture, "Senior Moments: Quality of Life Issues for Aging Cats" - Federation of Texas Humane Societies Annual Conference
Keynote Speaker, New Braunfels, TX 2002
"The Forever Home: Achieving Lifetime Adoptions" - Pet Food Forum
Chicago, 2002
Lecture: "The Consumer's Perceptions: Pet Food Labels-Do They Serve the Purpose?"
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
International Thriller Writers, Inc.
Public Relations Spokesperson for Purina pet foods
Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Cat Writers' Association, Inc., founder and past president
Dog Writer's Association of America, Inc.
Oklahoma Writer's Federation, Inc., 1st Vice President
WRITING AWARDS
- 2007 Sticky Paws Training Award
- for "Cat Meets Dog: Bringing Magic Home" (Animal Behavior Consulting, Theory & Practice)
- 2007 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Online Column, "Purina Emotional Health" (catchow.com)
- 2007 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Essay, "Dr. James R. Richards, A Lasting Legacy" (shojai.com)
- 2006 Friskies Writer of the Year Award
- for year's body of work
- 2006 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul
- 2005 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Newspaper Column, "P'ETiQuette"
- 2005 DWAA PetSafe Award
- for PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household
- 2005 AKC Companion Animal Recovery Award
- for "Finding Lost Pets" (Herald Democrat news article
- 2005 Friskies Writer of the Year Award
- for year's body of work
- 2005 Purina O.N.E. Health Award
- for "The Many Faces of Feline Infectious Peritonitis" (Herald Democrat news article)
- 2005 Sticky Paws Training Award
- for "Trick Training Tabby" (Herald Democrat news article)
- 2004 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award
- for Complete Care for Your Aging Cat
- 2004 Hartz Award for writing on senior cat issues
- for Complete Care for Your Aging Cat
- 2004 PetMate Safe Cat Award
- for "Avoiding a Cat-astrophe" (Herald Democrat news article)
- 2004 Purina Cat Chow Nutrition Award
- for "A Weighty Problem" (HealthyPet magazine)
- 2004 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Online Column, "Way of Life-Emotional Health"
- 2004 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Newspaper Editorial, "Don't Make Litter-ary Errors"
- 2004 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Newspaper Column, "P'ETiquette"
- 2004 DWAA Maxwell Medallion Award
- for Complete Care for Your Aging Dog, best care/health book
- 2003 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Newspaper Column, "P'ETiquette"
- 2003 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Television Presentation, "Pet Talk"
- 2003 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Online Column, "TabbyTudes"
- 2003 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Online Article, "Love to the Max"
- 2002 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for Complete Kitten Care, best cat behavior/training book
- 2002 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for Complete Kitten Care, best single B&W photo
- 2002 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for Complete Kitten Care, best series B&W photos
- Purina Kitten Chow Kitten Care Award (with CWA) -- 2002
- for Complete Kitten Care, best entry on kittens
- 2002 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- Online Column, "Way of Life-Emotional Health"
- 2001 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for Way of Life-Emotional Health(CatChow.com), best cat online column
- 2001 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for PeerlessHealth.com Series Article, "The Healing Power of Touch"
- 2001 DWAA Certificate of Nomination
- for The First-Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats, general reference book
- 2001 DWAA Certificate of Nomination
- for PeerlessHealth.com Article, "The Healing Power of Touch"
- 2000 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for Way of Life-Emotional Health (CatChow.com), best cat online column
- 2000 DWAA Certificate of Nomination
- for New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs and Cats, general reference book
- 1998 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for The Purina Encyclopedia of Cat Care, best cat health/care book
- 1998 Cat Writers' Association, Inc., Certificate of Excellence Award
- for ComPETability: A practical guide to building a peaceable kingdom between cats and dogs, behavior and training books
- 1996 Oklahoma Writers Federation "OKIE" Award
- for Kitten Care & Training, best nonfiction book
- 1996 DWAA Maxwell Medallion Award -- 1996
- for "Pets Are Good For Your Health" published in PetLife
- Purina Kitten Chow Kitten Care Award -- 1996
- for Kitten Care & Training, best entry on kittens
- 1996 CWA Muse Medallion Award
- for Kitten Care & Training, best cat care book
- Dog Writer's Association of America, Certificate of Nomination -- 1995
- for "Pets: Powerful Medicine" published in Woman's World
- Cat Writers' Association, Inc., Certificate of Excellence Award
- for "Health Handbook" monthly column, CATS Magazine -- 1994
- The Sulfodene/Scratchex Award for Journalistic Excellence
- in Dog Grooming and Skin Care -- 1993
- The Eukanuba Nutrition Award -- 1993
- Presented by IAMS for the best article on canine nutrition
- The Mark Francis Award for Journalistic Excellence -- 1993
- Presented by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association
- National Federation of Press Women National Communications Contest -- 1993:
- for The Cat Companion
- Texas Press Women Communications Contest -- 1993
- First Place, The Cat Companion; First Place, Science/Health Articles
- The Mark Francis Award for Journalistic Excellence -- 1992
- Presented by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association
- Hill's Nutrition Award -- 1992
- Dog Writer's Association of America, Certificate of Nomination - 1992
- For a series of articles published in Dog World on "Early Spay/Neuter"
RECENT MEDIA APPEARANCES
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TWICE MONTHLY PET TALK FEATURE ON KXII-TV/CBS
CNN EARLY PRIME TODAY SHOW, NBC-TV FOX MORNING NEWS GOOD DAY NEW YORK FOX NEWS/PET NEWS KXAS-TV, NBC, FT.WORTH, TX TEXAS CABLE; "DAILY TEXAS SHOW" DALLAS, TX WFFA-TV, ABC; DALLAS, TX KTRK-TV, ABC; HOUSTON, TX KHOU-TV, CBS; HOUSTON, TX KPRC-TV, NBC; HOUSTON, TX KRIV-TV, FOX; HOUSTON, TX WTSP-TV, CBS; ST.PETERSBURG, FL WFLA-TV, NBC; TAMPA, FL WTVT-TV, FOX; TAMPA, FL HTZ/Z-100 RADIO, NY, NY WQCD-FM, NY, NY KTSA-ABC/SAN ANTONIO KDKD/ABC-KANSAS CITY KIKK, AP BUSINESS TALK RADIO NETWORK, HOUSTON KRST-ALBUQUERQUE KBRC-ABC/SEATTLE KLDE-HOUSTON KISS-LA WERZ/WQSO, NH WINK-FM, PA WBMX-FM, BOSTON KRAK-FM/SACRAMENTO KRLA-LA KATD, SAN FRANCISCO KSTZ, IOWA WJJG, CHICAGO "AROUND ARLINGTON" with Cheryl Nason "BOOKS IN REVIEW" with Susan McDaniels (Ft. Worth) 720 WGN Chicago, "Pet Central" with Steve Dale WILI Radio, Hartford, CT |
"The Breakfast Club" with Peter Nichols CBS Radio, New York, NY WDAY-AM, Fargo, ND with Brad Anderson & Les KFWB-AM, Los Angeles, CA with Ron Kilgore WRHI-AM, Rockhill, SC with John Collins USA Radio Network (National Syndication) with Kim Taylor WWMX, WLIF, WQSR-BALTIMORE WKTU-FM/NY & NJ WMJI/WGAR/CLEVELAND WBMX-FM/BOSTON WDRC-FM/HARTFORD, CT KBEZ/TULSA, OK PET TALK AMERICA w/BOB VELLA KRBE-HOUSTON WMGF-ORLANDO FLZ/SSR/MTX-TAMPA WGCH-NBC/JONES SATELLITE SERVICE WLIF-BALTIMORE WQSX-BOSTON KRMG/ABC-NEWS TALK/TULSA WDRC/HARTFORD TEXAS NEWS NETWORK/ABC WIHS-HARTFORD WCHS-AM, Charleston, WV Newstalk Station with Jenny Murray WWJ-AM, Detroit/Southfield, MI with Greg Gowman & Pat Vitale WDOK-FM, Cleveland, OH Fun, Fun, Fun with Trapper Jack KFBK-AM, Sacramento, CA with Ken Jackman KRSO, Hollywood Pets (Nat. syndicated) with John Avalon Reed "Sleepless in South Florida" with Dr. Roberta Firtell KRLD AM Dallas/Ft. Worth, "News Talk CBS Radio" with Clarissa Douglas USA Radio Network, with John Clemens WGET Radio, "Breakfast Nook" with Fred Snyder, Gettysburg, PA WHJJ-AM, "Pet Care" with Dr. Dan Simpson, Rhode Island KDKA Pittsburgh, with Chris Bailey UPI Morning News, with Shirley Smith KSCO "AnimalTalk" with Kitty Fields, Santa Cruz, CA "The Gil Gross Show" WOC-AM, Davenport, IA with Gary Lee Wright |
