Publishing Books by Karen GoatKeeper and Dr. Richard E. Rintz

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For now all of Dr. Rintz’ botany books, Exploring the Ozark Hills, My Ozark Hills, The Pumpkin Project, Love of Goats, Waiting for Fairies, The Little Spider (listed by a bookseller), City Water Project and Goat Games must be requested through my Contact Page. It is working as far as I know. Payment arrangements are through PayPal.

Books published through Kindle (Amazon) are still available through Amazon. This includes all of my novels and Ducks Love Hats. The eBooks are still available as well.

I have an author event coming up on May 9, 2026. This will have many authors and is at the Big Rock Candy Mountain camp next to Montauk State Park.

Spooky goats checking out something — My Nubian goat herd is coming in. Wait! What is going on over there?

I rarely go anywhere with my books. This week will have a different schedule so I can spend Friday getting packed for the author event.

Nubian doe High Reaches Spring is looking close to kidding. She has had kids before, but things do happen. I would want to be home.

cover for "Capri Capers" by Karen GoatKeeper — An author should read widely. Watching movies can help too.

Timing is everything. There will be no time to pack Saturday morning. And rain is in the Friday night forecast.

Nerves. Stage Fright! I will be too busy for them, but they will show up anyway.

The Ship Eighteen draft is getting another edit. A friend looked it over and found several little things. Of course, a proof read means a bit of editing.

Climate change made most of the lady slippers disappear — Usually I have several places where Lady Slippers grow. These are the big ones that grow in clumps. All I find now are these single plants of small Lady Slippers.

My Writing

Cardua: Ship Nineteen draft has changed a lot. The ship has moved to a more permanent location. Spring is beginning and they are exploring.

Spring gardening has begun. Somehow, I am working on gardening essays. Do I really have 50,000 words to write about gardening in the Ozarks?

Only a few daffodils bloomed in places in the yard when we moved here. Thirty years later the daffodils have spread across the yards and into the woods. They make such a lovely sight at the end of winter.

While writing about gardening, I am thinking about it. There are so many things I just do. It’s so easy to assume everyone knows these things.

When I was teaching, I found those assumptions were a mistake. Many people don’t know the basic steps, things that seem so simple. to one who is just learning, these things are not simple.

page from "For Love of Goats" — This illustrations is a blend of watercolor images and computer. There are four watercolor images in this illustration: the pen with hay bales and bedding; the kid; the doe: and the back wall. Using layers to create the final image takes a lot of time, but can be the best option.

General Comments

My tomatoes are in the garden along with eggplants and some peppers. Now I watch the weather. Surely, it will not frost?

A light frost is deadly to tomatoes. I don’t have enough old blankets to cover 38 tomato plants plus the others.

The snakes are back for the summer. The black snakes glide around in search of mice.

A copperhead has discovered the chicken house. It likes to wait for the mice to show up at night. I will not kill it. I will be sure I have a flashlight and watch for it.

Years ago a copperhead was hunting mice in the hen house. It learned to wait until the lights went out in the evening. I’m hoping this one learns that too.

I have several writing deadlines. My 2026 goals are to finish Life’s Rules, Ship 18, Ship 19, the gardening essays and two Opal and Agate picture books. Is this doable? At least, I will try.

photographic illustrations for science investigations — I’ve had science experiment books with drawings. Photographs are often much better. This one is from “The City Water Project”, building and launching water rockets.

I am presently reading “Hurricane Weather” by Howard Pease and “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott. Howard Pease wrote a Tod Moran mystery series set on the Pacific Ocean during the 1930s. This is the third one I am presently reading. There are more picture books, “Mirette on the High Wire” and “Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You waking Up?” this week.

You can keep up with my reading and reviews on Goodreads. As I finish each book, I take the time to write a review on Goodreads. Picture book reviews are on my Goodreads blog. It would be nice if those reading my books would do the same.

Finding My Picture Book Reviews

My picture book reviews are on my Goodreads blog. This seemed the only way to do them. Usually there are three new ones on Tuesdays and Fridays.

I am very hesitant to add any outside links to my website. So you can find me on Goodreads under Karen GoatKeeper.

Indian Paintbrush is a new Dent County Flora entry. It was a surprise find. Like poinsettias and dogwood, the brightly colored flower parts are not really flower parts, bu fancy leaves called bracts. The green tube sticking out of the bracts is the real flower.

About GKP Books

I normally sell books through Kindle and Smashwords as their sites are secure. Some books are only available through me for the time being. Please use the Contact GKP page.

Some eBooks (notably “Pumpkin Project and “Exploring the Ozark Hills”) are too large or complicated for the other sites. These are available as PDFs from me. Please use the Contact Me page.

All of the links should be working. If you find one has decided to go on vacation, you can contact me through the Contact Page.

Thank you for Stopping By

Keep checking back as the topics on the two posts change every week, weather permitting. Impassable roads can delay things.

Nubian buck Kingpin is now a teenage goat and totally girl crazy. He is big enough for the girls to notice.

Spooky Goats
Last night I went out to milk. The chickens were glad to see me. Only one of my spooky goats… Read more: Spooky Goats
Read Widely
I came across another book about writing by an author I am unfamiliar with: “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott.… Read more: Read Widely
What Plot?
Usually, when I write a novel, something is going on. There is a definite plot carrying the story along. As… Read more: What Plot?
Climate Change
Every chance I get I head out to check out the spring ephemerals as they will be gone soon. Some… Read more: Climate Change
Lawn Mowing
Spring is a busy time of year. Everything suddenly needs attention. And you find you are walking through ankle high… Read more: Lawn Mowing