Kayelle Allen
1. I hear you have shapeshifters in your novels. Tell us about those books.
My shapeshifters are unusual in that they don’t personally change shape — they trade places with their bondmates. Pietas and Dessy are twins and immortal. They are thousands of years old and their bondmates are twin dragons. Pietas and Stormsinger create thunderstorms and rain at will. Dessy and Fireshade summon ice and snow.
2. Why did you add shapeshifters to your books?
I love dragons and have a pair of statues near my desk. The pair is named for my two characters. The blue one (right) is Pietas/Stormsinger and the other is Dessy/Fireshade. Having these two nearby is good inspiration.
3. What other romances have you written?
I write multiple genres, including space opera, science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, contemporary holiday romance, and science fiction romance. I used to write erotic romance, but I have moved to sweeter stories. Except for one trilogy, all my books are rated between G and PG13. In those books, there is no explicit content or profanity.
4. How do you promote your books?
Most of my promotion is sharing stories and insights about my characters. I’m active on Facebook and Twitter, and I have a huge collection of images on Pinterest. Pietas has a board with multiple sub-folders, each with unique images. I have one dedicated solely to dragons. https://www.pinterest.com/kayelleallen/bringer-of-chaos-pietas/dragons/ and another with panthers. https://www.pinterest.com/kayelleallen/bringer-of-chaos-pietas/panthers/
If someone wants to know more about me, the best place to find that is on my bio page. I call it Kayelle Allen and Misbehaving Robots. https://kayelleallen.com/misbehaving-robots/ There is a list of workshops I’ve taught, awards I’ve won, and a lot more background. When you join one of my reader groups, you have access to a whole lot more material, including downloads and free books. Everyone is welcome to visit my coloring book page and download as many coloring books as they want. I have several.
If you just want a list of books, download this pdf: https://kayelleallen.com/media/booksbykayelle.pdf I keep it updated, and it will soon have at least one more book. I have a new tale coming out in January, part of the Antonello Brothers series.
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
Please do connect. I love hearing from readers and I’m always happy to chat and answer questions. If you join one of my reader groups, you’ll be first to get inside secrets and access to exclusive content just for members. You can choose SciFi or SciFi with Romance. That way, you only get material of interest to you.
Homeworld https://KayelleAllen.com
Reader Groups https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups/
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/kayelleallen/
Amazon Author page http://amazon.com/author/kayelleallen
READER INVITATION: Want to win a free ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun and share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to win and to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. To leave a comment and a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!
Sandy Loyd
Marcia, Thanks so much for having me on your blog to tell you about my books that have pets in them. I’m a huge animal lover, especially cats…all shapes and sizes. Yet I can’t rule out dogs, because I have one of the best dogs ever. Which leads me to your first question…
1. Sandy, I hear you have a pet in your story, A Christmas Miracle, which—as the title suggests—is a Christmas story. Tell us about the book.
A Christmas Miracle is the first book in the series, and it’s based on a true story that happened on Christmas Eve right after an ice storm. I wanted to immortalize the event, so I wrote a quick story about it. Since I write contemporary romance, I created a sweet romance in that involves a Labrador retriever we found half-starved at a lake where we owned a cabin.
This uplifting short story will warm the heart on this cold holiday season. Here’s the blurb:
Megan Jenkins isn’t looking forward to Christmas. The holidays will forevermore remind her of what she had and lost. Her husband, and love of her life, died a few days after Christmas the year before, leaving her a young widow with a fatherless son to raise. During the course of this Christmas Eve, Megan experiences her own Christmas Miracle as she learns the true meaning of giving with the help of Kevin Murdock, a long-time friend who’s always been there for her.
Amazon
iBooks
NOOK
2.Why did you add a pet to A Christmas Miracle?
Since this story is based on a true event, the dog in the story is necessary for the plot. As mentioned above, Buddy was a stray. He was the sweetest dog, and I couldn’t fathom why anyone would be so cruel as to leave him on a rock in the dead of winter. I have to admit to being more of a cat person, than a dog person. I love dogs, but I never wanted one. Let’s be honest, dogs require a lot of attention and work that cats don’t need. Still, I took Buddy in, even finding him a home. But before the new owner could pick him up, I fell in love with him, which happened in the span of a few days. Buddy is the dog on the book’s cover. He’s worth all the extra work because he gives so much back.
Not long after adopting Buddy, I took in another stray that both my husband and son still give me grief about because she was the ugliest cat. My niece was fostering her and her kittens. The kittens were adorable. I knew they’d be adopted, but Sylvia, the ugly momma cat who was a kitten herself, would most likely spend the rest of her days in a cage. She was too sweet for such a fate. Sylvia is the inspiration for my second book in this series, A Christmas Miracle: The Gift Of Love.
Here’s the blurb:
For all who are searching for their someone special. May the gift of love reach your hearts this holiday season.
Angie Reynolds’ heart aches for a husband and family of her own. Unfortunately, she’s looked for love in all the wrong places with nothing to show for it but disappointment. None of the guys she’s dated is worthy of her, including her ex-husband. This Christmas season looks to be another one spent alone. Yet until Angie realizes her own worth, she will never be able to accept the gift of love from someone like Brad Miller.
As you can tell by the blurb, there is more to the story. Doing a Christmas novella is special, requiring a different approach. Readers who liked my first Christmas story wanted. I dug deep and pulled together a story from a few experiences I’ve had that meant something to me. If I can create a story that contains the lessons I’ve learned during my life and be entertaining at the same time, then I feel I’ve accomplished a miracle. My miracle wasn’t just finding love, but accepting it. Funny, I never thought I was one of those who “searched for love in all the wrong places,” but back then I was. I learned from my journey and thought it a worthwhile topic for my second Christmas novella. Also, the cat on the cover is the same cat we adopted.
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iBooks
3. What other romances have you written?
I’ve written over 20 books in several genres. Besides contemporary romance, I write romantic suspense, historical romance, and I even have a time-travel story that goes back to 1874 in Kentucky, the year before the Kentucky Derby was established. That story focuses on thoroughbreds. If you’re a horse lover, you’ll love Time Will Tell: Book One of theTimeless Series, and it’s free for a limited time:
Here’s the plot:
Romance and adventure…and a trip to where an American tradition began…
Libby Edwards, a gifted horsewoman, unwittingly wishes herself back in time to Louisville, Kentucky just before Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby became a reality. During Libby’s journey in the past, she stumbles upon her destiny. Unfortunately, he’s in the wrong century. In 1874, there’s no electricity, no Internet, no modern medicine, no antibiotics—no Starbucks! And even worse than that, women have no rights. Libby has no desire to stay.
Widower Colin Thorpe, a renaissance man of his time, has big dreams. He is a horse breeder who names his thoroughbreds after Mythological Gods, because he has a reverence for past cultures and an appreciation for the unexplainable.
Libby and Colin can’t resist falling in love with each other. After all, Colin accepts Libby for who she is, and she understands Colin’s dreams better than his deceased wife ever did. Yet he grasps early on that Libby doesn’t belong in 1874. And because his wife never adapted to the move from Virginia to Kentucky, becoming bitter and unhappy in the process, he won’t take the chance of the same thing happening to Libby. Can these two lovers find a way to be together despite their challenges?
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Another of my stories involving an animal is the romantic mystery/suspense, Running From Love. Again, the stray dog is instrumental in the plot:
Michelle “Shelly” Matthews has decided to quit running from her past and meet it head on. Yet, nothing goes as planned, starting when she returns to her hometown to meet her ex-best friend, who collapses in her arms after making a puzzling statement.
Shelly then survives two near-fatal misses that are too coincidental to be accidents. After a third incident, where she dodges a couple of bullets aimed at her, Shelly has no choice but to run again. Only this time she’s running with Jacob Collier, the man she originally left behind and the last person she intended to see.
Jake Collier hasn’t got time to worry over Michelle Matthews’ hesitance to accept his protection. Women are dying of drug overdoses, his ex-wife included. Since he’s the lead DEA agent on his current case—and he believes the attempts on Michelle’s life are somehow related to it—Michelle is stuck with him.
When another fiery attempt sends the two into deeper cover, hurtful truths about their pasts come out. Neither is guilt free. At this point, both Shelly and Jake wonder the same thing. Even if they do survive, can they find enough forgiveness in their hearts in order to love again?
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Nook
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4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.
My stories have tons of online five-star reviews. They’ve also won many awards, including the books mentioned above. Running From Love won Denver Romance Writers’ Molly award for best romantic suspense. A Christmas Miracle, Book 1 won North Texas Romance Writers’ The Carolyn Reader’s Choice Award for Mainstream Romance and Time Will Tell won the Winter Rose Contest in the Paranormal Romance category.
5. How do you promote your books?
I promote my books in different ways. Advertising is key. Also social media helps. Mostly I periodically have the first book in a series free. I find that readers who like my voice and stories will read more of my work.
If you love animals, you’ll love these stories. Leave a comment below about a pet you’ve adopted, and you’ll be entered in a drawing for The Christmas Miracle story of your choice.
6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
Website: www.SandyLoyd.com
FB: www.facebook.com/sloydwrites
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sloydwrites
Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/sandyloyd
Thank you, Sandy, for visiting my blog and for offering a free ebook to one of my lucky readers! I enjoyed your Christmas Miracle novellas very much and look forward to reading your romantic suspense and time-travel novels, too!
READER INVITATION: I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will join in the fun and share photos of their pets! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. To leave a comment and a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!
Leslie Lynch
Hi, Marcia! Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog! I love reading books that feature pets; they add a layer of emotion and depth to stories, just as they do for our lives. I always know I can count on your delightful stories for the humor and love pets bring to them.
1. Hi, Leslie! I hear you have a pet in your novel, Unholy Bonds. Tell us about the book.
I’ll refrain from talking (too much!) about Sweetie, a formerly-feral cat we pried from an icy roadway a few years ago, but she is a great example of how deeply animals can affect us. Caring for her as she recovered from near death brought new meaning and purpose to my life during a dark time. You might say we rescued each other.
And that is what happens for Robert Davis and Zilla in Unholy Bonds, a novel partially set within the walls of a Kentucky prison. Inspired by true-life stories of rehabilitation programs that pair inmates with dogs for various types of training, Davis and Zilla are thrust into a relationship with life and death stakes. Like Sweetie, Zilla is a rescue and trusts no one—but she must learn trust if she is to live. And Davis, having established himself in the prison hierarchy as a dangerous man, has one chance to stay out of the general population—and stay out of the reach of his enemies. When he’s tapped for the prison’s dog program, he jumps at the opportunity, unaware that Zilla will force him to face his inner demons. As he and Zilla forge a relationship, Davis discovers his own humanity. But the price for becoming human is sacrifice, which may cost Davis more than he is capable of giving.
I loved writing Zilla. She’s a mutt with one blue eye and one brown eye, and embodies all our human fears. She came to life on the page for me with no hesitation at all. And her impact in the story actually made me cry as I wrote—and that rarely happens to me!
2. What about this topic (dogs in prison) motivated you to write this novel?
One of the programs that inspired Zilla’s appearance in Unholy Bonds is Missouri’s Puppies for Parole. The Department of Corrections pairs rescue dogs with inmates, who socialize them and provide basic obedience training. Once ready, the dogs are placed with adoptive families. It’s a win-win situation, and while I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out for Davis in Unholy Bonds, I knew in my heart we had to go there and find out. If you’d like to learn more about this wonderful program, please click on the hyperlink in this paragraph.
3. What other novels have you written?
Unholy Bonds is a stand-alone sequel to Hijacked, which your readers may wish to read for a more comprehensive understanding of the characters in Unholy Bonds. Opal’s Jubilee is my third novel, and is loosely related to Hijacked and Unholy Bonds. I also have two holiday novellas, Christmas Hope and Christmas Grace. Here are blurbs for all five:
Hijacked: Pilot Lannis Parker’s carefully constructed, sterile life is upended when her small plane is hijacked before dawn on a wintry Louisville morning. Her captor resurrects memories she’s tried to bury, but during a week in the Appalachian wilderness, Lannis learns her hijacker is fair and honorable, compassionate and insightful—strange attributes for a criminal. And when he discovers her secret, he vows to be the friend she desperately needs but refuses to accept.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hijacked-Appalachian-Foothills-Leslie-Lynch/dp/194172809X
Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Hijacked-Audiobook/B010HRN9H6
Unholy Bonds: Pilot Lannis Parker has triumphed over her past—or so she thinks. She faces Robert Davis, then dredges up the courage to bring him to trial, and is relieved to see him imprisoned.
But the closure she’d sought is elusive. Lannis discovers she’s as much a prisoner as Davis, shackled by fear and inextricably bound to him through his crime. She gradually realizes that healing will come only when she acknowledges Davis’s humanity—not a popular notion, but one she increasingly understands as essential. In a bold move, Lannis meets with Davis in prison—and challenges him to recognize her humanity.
Will Lannis’s gamble free her from that unholy bond and open a path to peace? Or will she lose everything in the process?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L893I6A
B&N Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unholy-bonds-leslie-lynch/1121683761
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/unholy-bonds
A
Opal’s Jubilee: Fresh out of prison, all Opal McBride wants is a chance to build a future—but her past and implacable homicide detective Josh Boone thwart her efforts. Then he discovers there is more to her story than it seems, and risks his reputation (and heart) in a quest for truth—maybe even justice.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M07L1NG
Christmas Hope: The father of Becca Sweet’s unborn baby showed his true colors when he showed her the door. With Christmas and a storm on the way, living in her car is no longer an option. She appeals to her no-nonsense sister for help, but Maggie, unaware of Becca’s pregnancy, chooses that moment to dish out some tough love.
When Sam, a reclusive veteran, comes to Becca’s rescue, their battered hearts collide. In a moment of holiday magic, they discover that Christmas hope applies to all, even to them. And will hope lead to love, the most precious Christmas gift of all?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O7AGF12
Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Christmas-Hope-Audiobook/B0170QJFSY
Christmas Grace: No one wants to celebrate Christmas this year.
Not Ella McKendrick, who, on the cusp of success as a potter, is tasked with her husband’s company party on too-short notice. She gives up her first pottery sale to pitch in, but the joy of the season is diminished.
Not Gertie Wycliffe, Ella’s mom, a new widow who is doing everything she can to avoid her first Christmas alone. No one understands the grief and terror she feels—maybe because the craziness of a seventy-four-year-old woman signing up for skydiving lessons is all she lets them see.
Not Natalie Shaw, Ella’s pregnant daughter. Natalie’s husband is deployed halfway around the world, and she believes that ignoring the holiday might blunt her loneliness.
Then disaster strikes, not once but twice. Three generations; three untenable situations. Three women who come together for each other, and remember what’s most important about Christmas.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016SRSAR8
Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Christmas-Grace-Audiobook/B01BG66794
4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.
In 2013, I was honored that my then-unpublished manuscript, Hijacked, was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s® prestigious contest, the Golden Heart®. Read below for some lovely Amazon reviews of Unholy Bonds, for which I am grateful:
“This is a suspenseful and romantic novel that manages to tackle some serious issues–trauma, forgiveness, restorative justice. . . . Lynch skillfully and realistically documents [Davis’s] growth, and his participation in a “puppy parole” program became one of my favorite subplots. Lynch weaves together many plot strands beautifully into a satisfying story that contains unusual but useful messages about healing and redemption.” —verified purchase, Amazon
“Absolutely riveting and beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption. Thoroughly researched, the characters were completely believable, and related well with each other. I was drawn into this story from start to finish. I loved it! I highly recommend you read it.” —verified purchase, Amazon
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
Marcia, again, thank you for inviting me to visit your blog, Go Pets! It is an honor and a pleasure to meet your fans! Readers can connect with me at https://www.LeslieLynch.com Find links to all my books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble (Nook), Apple, and Kobo on my website, along with a spot to sign up for my (infrequent) newsletter. For audiophiles, Hijacked, Christmas Hope, and Christmas Grace are also available as audiobooks narrated by the talented voice actress, Carol Dines, through Audible and Apple iTunes. You can also find me on Facebook at Leslie Lynch Writes; on Twitter @Leslie_Lynch_; on Pinterest at Leslie Lynch; and Instagram at LeslieLynchAuthor.
Thank you, Leslie, for visiting my blog!
READER INVITATION: I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will join in the fun and share photos of their pets! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. To leave a comment and a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!
Karen McCullough
- I hear you have a dog in your novel, Programmed For Danger. Tell us about the book.
Yes, there is a dog in Programmed for Danger. Mac is my heroine’s beloved companion mutt. When someone asks if he’s friendly, she replies: “Worse. He has a generalized love for humanity that borders on neurotic.” He’s also quite fond of pizza!
The quick blurb for Programmed for Danger: Computer programming isn’t usually a dangerous occupation, but Andrea Kingston finds herself fighting for both her love and her life when she’s hired to solve Ferverill-West Company’s computer problems.
The book was originally published by Avalon Books, but is now available as an ebook from the usual ebook outlets.
Amazon Kindle B&N for Nook Smashwords
2. Why did you add a dog to Programmed For Danger?
Gremlin. The pictures are old and somewhat faded, I’m afraid.
My heroine Andrea has a snug little house in the country, but wanted a dog for protection. What she got instead was Mac, a mutt who loves everyone.
Over the years, our family has had a lot of pets, but at heart, I’m a dog person. My very first pet, acquired shortly after my husband and I got married, way back when, was a dog named Gremlin. He was part beagle, part dachshund, and very affectionate. We had him for fifteen good years. Shortly after he died we were adopted by a cat named Tiger Henry who lived in the neighborhood, but in a household where he wasn’t all that welcomed by several already-in-residence felines. The neighbor finally conceded ownership of him to us. Over the years we’ve also had a parakeet, a rabbit, a couple of gerbils, and more hamsters than I can count.
Tiger Henry, lying on the couch with my youngest daughter.
3. What other novels have you written?
Lots of them! I’ve had fifteen novels published since I sold my first romantic suspense novel to Avalon in 1989. Programmed for Danger was actually the second novel I sold, but a couple of years ago I got rights back to all of my old Avalon books and republished them as ebooks. Since it involved computers, I did an extensive re-write of it prior to re-releasing it. I’ve also had half a dozen or so novellas and a bunch of short stories included in various anthologies and some are now also available as ebooks. I write and have been published in several genres: romance, romantic suspense, fantasy, paranormal, and mystery. A few of my most recent re-releases are shown below.
4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.
Argh! I hate beating my own drum. But I’ve won several awards, including an Eppie Award (now the Epic E-book Award) for best fantasy novel (The Rainbow Bridge, now re-titled, Wizard’s Bridge) and a Vixen Award for the book now titled The Wizard’s Shield. I’m a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Rising Star, Lories, and the International Digital Awards.
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
You can find a list of all my currently available books, my bio, sign up for my newsletter, and visit my dragon collection at my website: http://www.kmccullough.com/
Other places I hang out:
Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Karen-McCullough/e/B0043TJ870/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Linda Hoover
1. I hear you have a pet in your novel, Mountain Prophecy. Tell us about the book.
Mountain Prophecy is a young-adult story set in the Appalachians in the early 1900s, where teens Dusty and Darla visit their relatives each year. This summer, besides dealing with superstition and clan feuding, they learn two girls have disappeared into an abandoned mine. Two of their cousins’ dogs went into the mine as well. One is a miniature poodle, and the other is a small, shaggy-haired mixed breed. The story has action, adventure, mystery and romance.
Here’s the blurb:
Imagine it’s 1918 and your Appalachian relatives are still feuding with their neighbors, still deeply superstitious and still believe in local folklore. Teen twins, Dusty and Darla, deal with it every summer when they visit from the city. But this year it’s more serious. Hypnotic music comes from an abandoned mine where two young women have disappeared. Yet the mountain families aren’t searching for their missing, believing trolls looking for brides are responsible.
Dusty and Darla aren’t buying the troll theory until Darla falls into a trance and starts into the mine. Dusty stops her and vows to keep her from being the next victim. Darla believes she’s been called by God to help whoever–or whatever–lives in the mine.
Imagine your isolated clan has waited hundreds of years in their mountain cavern for a prophecy to come true. The prophecy says a heavenly being will come to them, marry the prince and lead them to a better life. After catching a glimpse of Darla, Prince Aidan is sure it’s only a matter of time before the prophecy is fulfilled.
Darla is determined to accomplish the mission God has given her, regardless of what Dusty says, but will she be savior or sacrifice?
2. Why did you add a pet to Mountain Prophecy?
For animal lovers, your pet is the same as a child. If something happens to it, you’re heartbroken. As a dog lover, I can imagine what it must be like for someone to lose their dog or, in this case, know where the dog is but be afraid to go after it. A pet is relatable.
Hardison
3. Do you have family pets?
Yes. There’s Hardison, a big old tom who is very laid-back. He’s sitting on my rolltop desk in this photo. I love having him here.
Fiona is a Chihuahua/Jack Russell Terrier mix that my
Fiona
daughter Stephanie got at a no-kill shelter. Fiona is hyper and nervous, but she can be fun even though she won’t cooperate to let us take her picture.
4. What other romances have you written?
Lighter Than Air is an adult historic inspirational romance set in 1900 at a country estate near Brighton, England. Justin Ramsay wants to fulfill his grandmother’s death bed wish. Elena Bishop wants to save her home. Only one can reach their goal. Can there be a happy ending for either of them if they insist on doing things their own way, rather than follow God’s plan?
Here’s the blurb:
When Elena Bishop lost her mother at age twelve, her father lost his purpose for living. Now they’ll lose their home unless he can pay his gambling debts by the end of the summer. After praying about it, Elena believes God has given her the idea to have a family camp on the grounds of their estate.
Justin Ramsay, Elena’s neighbor, wants to go to America on a secret mission given to him by his grandmother on her death bed. His older brother believes Justin should join the military but offers him a deal. If Justin can keep Elena and the neighborhood safe until his older brother returns with his American bride, he’ll pay for Justin’s trip to America. If not, Justin will join a regiment in India. Elena might be impulsive and accident-prone, but Justin believes she’s nothing he can’t handle.
Elena and Justin disagree over the family camp, even as an attraction beyond friendship ignites between them. Within the first two weeks of camp, a little boy falls into the cold-water spring and problems continue with threatening letters and vandalism. As more money is needed, Elena goes to Brighton to see a man who gives gas balloon rides. What she finds lands both Justin and her in a situation beyond their control. With the deadline for the debt looming, will their insistence on doing things their way give them both a happy ending or destroy everything they’ve hoped for?
5. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.
It’s always nice to read that someone enjoyed a story I’ve written. I’ve included a few online reviews of Mountain Prophecy:
“This book is fantastic. Once I got started I couldn’t put it down. I read the whole thing in two days!! Highly recommend for teens and adults.”
“An engrossing tale, Linda Hoover brilliantly blends YA fantasy and Christian literature to create a unique story the whole family will enjoy.”
“I found this book to be an extremely well-written story of teen twins in 1918 Appalachian mountains who have to solve the mystery of the disappearance of two girls while dealing with superstition. The characters are rich! I thoroughly enjoyed this young-adult Christian fantasy and believe it to be a great book for young teens as well as adults. I found many lessons centered around forgiveness, trust and perseverance, just to name a few. I highly recommend!”
Readers can learn more about Linda’s books and sign-up for her newsletter on her website. Here is the website link, as well as where you can connect with Linda online:
Website: http://www.LindaHooverBooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindahooverauthor/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Hoover/e/B01MTBE4NX/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Thank you, Linda, for visiting my blog!
READER INVITATION: I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will join in the fun and share photos of their pets! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. To leave a comment and a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!
Mary C. Paul
1. I hear you have an amazing dog named ToTo in your children’s books. Tell us about him and your books.
ToTo was my furbaby since he was 8 weeks old. He recently passed at the age of 16 years and 9 months from his heart giving out. He was an amazing furbaby that was both loving and giving. I’ve written four children’s books, and ToTo was featured in two:
ToTo and the Mischievous Beagles
And…
ToTo and His Friends Talk Alphabets
When ToTo got sick with a collapsed trachea, his one medicine cost $159 a month. I was very lucky to always find a way to be able to get his meds. ToTo thought about the many furbabies whose mommies can’t buy meds, so that’s how the ToTo books came about. All proceeds from the ToTo books go to his vet, where people can apply for charity and have part of their furbabies’ meds paid for.
2. What was your first children’s book?
I started writing books as a way to make money to donate to causes. The first book was A Puppy for Joey. All proceeds go to the SEBR (South East Beagle Rescue), where ToTo and I fostered beagles from kill shelters.
3. What other books have you written?
I also have a cat rescue book, as my daughter Nicole adopted a cat. ToTo and I started helping homeless kids by making fun boxes for when they enter the shelter. Proceeds from Miss Peggy Cat Rescue go to buying supplies for the homeless kids.
ToTo also donates school supplies. So you can see what an amazing furbaby and inspiration ToTo is to me and many others.
4. Where can readers find your books?
Our books sell on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Walmart.com. I promote mostly on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/savannah.paul.53) and word-of-mouth. I also now and then will buy a bunch of books to sign and sell personally, where all the money goes to the cause. These books and causes are ToTo’s legacy, keeping him alive forever through the smiles he brings to people’s faces when they read his books.
Thank you, Mary, for visiting my blog!
READER INVITATION: I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will join in the fun and share photos of their pets! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. To leave a comment and a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!
Maddie James aka Sophia Jacobs
1. I hear you have a “puppy nanny” heroine in your novel, The Dating Game. Tell us about the book.
I do have a puppy nanny! Lyssa Larkin is really no expert on puppies though–or men for that matter! But she decides to forgo dating to spend some time with other people’s dogs. She walks them, house-sits them, even sometimes takes care of them in her home. And all is well and life is good until… Until she crosses the puppy nanny line and starts to fall in love with Paws and Buttercup, a set of retrievers that belong to someone else. That someone is Mack Roberts, and he’s none too happy that his duo have not been crated and that Lyssa is breaking his “no dogs sleeping in human beds” rule.
Sigh. What’s a puppy nanny to do?
Blurb for The Dating Game: Sweet Hart Inn, a Harbor Falls Romance, Book 7:
Suzie Hart is earning quite the reputation as a matchmaking chef in the small town of Harbor Falls, North Carolina. Can she navigate the dating game for Lyssa Larkin?
When puppy nanny, Lyssa Larkin, tells her friends she has given up on dating and is devoting her life to dogs, Suzie realizes it’s time to take matters into her own hands. She sets up a series of speed dating lunches for Lyssa at Sweet Hart Inn, designed to help the former Harbor Falls High Homecoming Queen meet as many men as possible in a short time period. Suzie knows Lyssa needs a push and some confidence—but soon realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Lyssa inspects and rejects her dates in two bites and sends them on their way. Suzie wonders if Lyssa really wants to date or just eat double lunches and worries that soon Lyssa’s hips won’t fit her dainty dining room chairs.
That is until Suzie is approached by a potential suitor who is falling for Lyssa hard and fast—one who isn’t on Suzie’s original radar screen—and can’t help working her matchmaking magic behind the speed dating scene. But will Lyssa reject this suitor as well?
The Dating Game continues the Harbor Falls, Sweet Hart Inn romance series featuring Suzie Hart’s matchmaking antics. If you like a little humor with your romance, a bit of culinary expertise mashed up with snappy dialogue, imperfect characters, and a happily-ever-after ending, then perhaps The Dating Game is for you.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dating-Game-Sweet-Harbor-Romance-ebook/dp/B07B262JDQ/
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-dating-game/id1352802475
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dating-game-sophie-jacobs/1128061220
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dating-game-24
Universal Link: https://www.books2read.com/datinggame
2. Why did you add rescue pets to The Dating Game?
Young Sophie
Mack rescued Paws and Buttercup but in truth, they sort of rescued him. Isn’t that the way it is with pets? My Sophie came into my life when I had this fleeting thought of rescuing a dog, made a mad dash through a rescue website, and within a couple of weeks, I was the new mommy to a white fluffy puppy with high energy and adorable eyes. I was a goner. And who saved who?
Sophie Today
Sophie forced me to take care of someone else other than me. It was a task I was up to although sometimes I wondered! But we got through potty training and the chewing and destuffing stages, and now nearly 6 years later she is my loyal companion.
Sophie is part Great Pyrenees and part herding dog (so says the DNA test). I think the herding dog is either Australian Shepherd or Border Collie. She’s also supposed to have a bit of Chow and German Shepherd in her. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. She’s my girl!
3. What other romances have you written?
Quite a few, actually. As Sophie Jacobs, I write contemporary romance and women’s fiction. I’ve been primarily focusing on my Harbor Falls Romance series the past year. I do have a women’s fiction work-in-progress. Sophie is a relatively new pen name, however. I’ve been writing romance fiction since 1997 as Maddie James. Collectively, Maddie and Sophie have published over 40 romance titles. Maddie writes western/cowboy romance, paranormal, and romantic suspense.
You might want to check out my Harbor Falls Romance Series (by Sophie Jacobs), or my Montana McKennas cowboy series (by Maddie James), or if you are into time travel, My Soul Mates series (by Maddie James).
4. How do you promote your books?
Because I am mostly an introvert with a full-time and demanding day job, I find it difficult to be social online right now–so I do not do a lot of social media interaction. I realize that this likely is to my detriment. I’m also very remiss in blogging these days–a fact that I know I want to remedy. The best way to keep up with me and my release schedule is to visit my website (www.maddiejames.com) and to sign up for my newsletter .
I hope to see you around!
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
Maddie’s Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiejacobsauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maddiejames
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/themaddiejames/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/660725.Maddie_James
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Jacobs/e/B06XFCS9J6/
Thank you, Maddie, for visiting my blog!
INVITATION: I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will join in the fun and share photos of their pets! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. To leave a comment and a photo, click on the word “Replies,” which is just below the social media icons for this interview. Go Pets!
Marcia James
My June Go Pets! interviewee had a scheduling conflict, so–since June is my birth month—I’m interviewing myself. 😉
1. I hear you have rescue pets in your novels.
All of my books have pets in them, and yes, they’re all adopted from shelters or rescue groups. Because pets bring so much unconditional love into our lives, I include them in my love stories. Cats, dogs, and other pets have a way of revealing a soft side to a book’s hero and heroine.
I especially enjoy writing about rescue pets since I’m a “No More Homeless Pets” supporter. I have friends who breed show dogs, and that is very different from the unscrupulous people who run horribly abusive puppy mills. Millions of cats and dogs—along with bunnies, pot-bellied pigs, birds, and other pets—end up in crowded shelters each year. Through my fictional rescue pets, I hope to spread the news that shelters and pro-pet groups have wonderful, adoptable, adorable animals looking for loving homes. Rescue pets aren’t all sad and injured cats and dogs that some television commercials might lead you to believe. So when looking for a pet, “Adopt, Don’t Shop.”
2. Why did you choose a Chinese crested hairless dog as your logo?
My first novel, At Her Command, included Smokey, a tiny crested as a DEA drug-sniffing dog. Smokey was the perfect foil for the tough, Alphamale hero and the perfect quirky breed to represent my stories’ mix of humor and heartwarming romance. (My novels feature heroines you can root for, heroes to die for, and funny dogs.) So each of my romances includes a crested as either a main character or a cameo.
3. Tell us about your Klein’s K-9s Service Dogs series.
Klein’s K-9s is my contemporary romance novella series featuring the skilled staff and compassionate volunteers of a NC service dog training facility and the local animal shelter. Is there anything better than a sexy story with a guaranteed happy ending…and dogs? I’m currently writing the fifth novella in the series.
“Racing Hearts” is the first in the series and the first time one of my books made the national and international bestseller lists for all fiction ebooks on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
Stock car legend, Tom “Torque” Tyler, faces a bleak future following a traumatic head injury and seizures. Determined to drag her high-school crush from his self-imposed solitude, service dog trainer, Meg Klein, and a tiny but talented seizure response dog bring Tom hope and love.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1OzgWn9
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/racing-hearts-9
Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/racing-hearts/id1067050913?mt=11&at=11lopo
Print: http://amzn.to/2rdDcjo
4. Rumor has it you enjoy writing Christmas romances.
True. There’s something special about a holiday romance, and so far I’ve written three of them. My first was “Heating Up the Holidays,” a second-chance-at-love story:
Chris Spencer isn’t looking for a second chance with his first love. And the last thing Nicky Paxton needs is her high school heart-breaker. But thanks to a special dog and a lonely child, they might just get their Christmas desires.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lIKwiI
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heating-up-the-holidays-marcia-james/1112359121?ean=2940014947442
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/heating-up-the-holidays/id700356654?mt=11
My second holiday story, “8 Hounds a-Howling,” is a romantic comedy and the second in the Klein’s K-9s series:
Celebrity photographer “Jax” Jackson volunteers to shoot the Klein’s K-9s’ dog-themed “12 Days of Christmas” fundraising calendar. His hidden agenda: Convince past love and calendar coordinator Amy Walters to give him a second chance.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1OkNlPc
B&N: http://tinyurl.com/goockbq
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/hysgahc
Apple: http://tinyurl.com/j7lzjb6
My third Christmas novella, “Scrooge & the Secret Santa,” is an enemies-to-lovers romance and the fourth in the Klein’s K-9s series:
Police dog trainer Patton Carter is a thorn the size of a tree branch in Faith Harman’s side. In addition to her physical therapist day job, Faith teaches therapy dog classes, which Patton dismisses as unimportant. Then Fate intervenes, and he’s sidelined with a knee replacement. Will spending time with Faith and her therapy dog open his eyes and his heart?
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2m6dw5H
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scrooge-the-secret-santa-marcia-james/1125883824?ean=2940157242763
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/scrooge-the-secret-santa-klein-s-k-9s-book-4
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/scrooge-the-secret-santa/id1211038525?ls=1&mt=11lopo
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
In addition to my website and monthly newsletter, I’m on social media, and I hope you’ll visit me there. Here are my online links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarciaJamesAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Marcia_James
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marciajamesauthor/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/marciajames/
Amazon Author Central page: https://www.amazon.com/author/marciajames
INVITATION: I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will share photos of their pets. Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. Go Pets!
J. Paulette Forshey
Paulette Forshey
1. I hear you have a Jack Russell terrier in your novel, Miracles From the Heart. Tell us about the book.
Miracles from the Heart is two heartwarming Christmas stories in one book. The first, “The Christmas Gift,” helps a couple who married for convenience find love, happiness, and the family they’ve always wanted. In the second story, “Magic of the Christmas Flute,” a little girl’s Christmas wish brings more than joyful holiday music to her family.
2. Why did you add a dog to Miracles From the Heart?
Belle
I wrote in the Jack Russell Terrier to honor my late dog Belle, a great Jack Russell who brought so much love and laughter in my life.
Dogs have been a part of my life since I was born and adopted. Thanks to my parents, I learned that you don’t have to be of the same blood, or species, to be considered family. My first babysitter was my mother’s dog, a Boxer named Dinah. She watched over me from my bassinet to when I was five. After Dinah passed, it was the beginning of a long list of canine companions through the years. Mutts, Bassett Hounds, Airedale Terriers, an Irish Setter, a Doberman named FooFur, and a Jack Russell named Belle.
Belle came into my life when our two sons were nearly grown (and no longer needing me as much) and my husband was still doing long-distance truck driving. I was feeling a bit lonely and lost when Belle came into my life as a six-week-old puppy.
Belle and I went everywhere together, she fit perfectly in my oversized purse. When not traveling around town, she spent many an hour waiting under our kitchen table on me as I wrote one book after another. Her reward for her patience was a soccer ball and our huge backyard. She’d push that ball with her nose all over the acreage until she’d collapse in
Yvette
a happy pile of fur. Then one day I lost her to a horrible accident. Jack Russells will eat all types of things, and Belle would find, no matter how well we watched her and patrolled ourselves, loose change especially pennies. We believe the copper in the coins poisoned her.
She’d been a huge part of my family and her loss tore a mega hole in my life and heart. When I wrote “The Christmas Gift,” I used the theme of family to bring two lost (spiritually) humans together through the love of a small dog. It was my way to honor Belle and what she’d meant to me. Sappy I know but true.
Later, thanks to a suggestion from an author friend who believes in pet rescue groups, I now have a rescue Papillon named Yvette. She rescued me.
3. What other romances have you written?
I love to write paranormal romance as well as contemporary. I believe vampires, angels, or otherworldlies need love, too.
The Tarczal Alliance brings A New Breed of Biter to life. Can a woman with a legendary past and a vampire with a broken heart change the world with their love?
33 Days Till Christmas – Sometimes it takes a human to save an angel! Gabriel is sent to Earth to save a woman and finds himself saved.
The Estate, where Cuilean Kelley is about to have his reality and dreams collide. A novella of ghostly love.
If you like something a bit spicier I have a contemporary ménage à trios novel, A Tango Trinity — Where three must become one to find true love. Irena’s Texan knows there is only one way to fully satisfy her…by sharing her with her with another man, her dance partner.
4. Tell us about your book reviews.
Miracles of the Heart- “Two ‘sweet’ stories that never become maudlin or syrupy. Each carries a subtle moral tone that doesn’t preach. Miss Forshey is a superior story teller in the best sense of the word.” — Mary Hungate, reader
The Tarczal Alliance – “Refreshing hot stuff with a twist!” — Elaine Bergstrom, author of Mina and Nocturne
The Estate – “A short paranormal romance. I enjoyed this story. J. Paulette Forshey is a master of paranormal romance!” – Rita, reader
Midnight Magic Reviews says this about A TANGO TRINTY: “What do you get when you combine a sexy Texan, a sensual Argentine, and a beautiful Russian dancer? A steaming hot trinity ménage or more specifically, you get the amazing story- A Tango Trinity by J. Paulette Forshey. Ms. Forshey introduces you to an unstoppable love, where Irena’s Texan knows there is only one way to fully satisfy her…by sharing her with her dance partner. And even though this is a sizzling ménage romance, it has all the other elements to a good story as well. Spend a night with Ms. Forshey’s A Tango Trinity. You won’t be disappointed. We give it 5 Midnight Magic Girls!”
5. How do you promote your books?
Facebook, reviews on various sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, GoodReads, etc.
6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
My web page: www.jpauletteforshey.com
Facebook: paulette.forshey@facebook.com
Twitter: @ForsheyJ
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/J.-Paulette-Forshey/e/B004YPN0LI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Thank you, Paulette, for sharing your books and your memories of your many canine companions! I enjoy your books and look forward to reading many more.
I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will share photos of their pets. Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. Go Pets!
Stacy McKitrick
1. I hear you have a chocolate lab in your romance novel, Ghostly Liaison. Tell us about the book.
Ghostly Liaison is about a woman (Bridget), who discovers a ghost-seeing “talent” she inherited after a near-death experience, and the ghost (Charlie) she’s currently roommates with. Charlie’s brother, Rob, thinks she committed suicide via a drug overdose, because that’s how her killer set it up. Bridget decides to help prove Charlie had been murdered, but unsure how to go about it without sounding like a loony-tune or becoming the killer’s next target. Here’s the book blurb:
When Rob’s sister passed away, she left him her dog and her house. He can handle the dog part, but he doesn’t need another home. Especially a fixer-upper the neighbor swears is haunted. Then he meets Bridget, who’s working on getting her life back together after a car accident left her scarred in more ways than one. She can’t pass up Rob’s offer of free lodging, regardless of the shape it’s in. Or the roommate that’s part of the package. She’s never believed in ghosts, but now she’s living with one who wants Bridget’s help in catching a killer. There’s only one problem: the killer has unfinished business…
Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2k6ylAF
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2hCjSLZ
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2xF6vic
iBooks: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781370959129
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2yJRprV
2. Why did you add a dog to Ghostly Liaison?
I’ve never included pets in any of my other stories, but thought a dog would do great in this one because I always think dogs can see more than we can. And I picked a chocolate Lab because it’s a dog I wouldn’t mind owning. (Unfortunately, having a pet in this time in our lives isn’t feasible or fair to the animal.) Barnaby (who I named as a tribute to our late cocker spaniel, Barney) is more than just a pet, though. He’s a real character in the story because he can see ghosts all the time, whereas Bridget can only see ghosts if she’s alone or with another ghost-seer. I had a lot of fun writing Barnaby and wish he were mine in real life. And maybe one day I’ll get my own chocolate Lab. They are just the cutest!
3. What other romances have you written?
Besides the Ghostly Encounters series (which book 2 is now available!), I also have the Bitten by Love series, which features vampires. In fact, the hero vampire from Bite Me, I’m Yours, makes a cameo appearance in Ghostly Liaison (both books are set in Dayton, Ohio). My vampires blend in with the “real world,” and I thought it would be fun to actually show that. No one in Ghostly Liaison knows that vampires exist, and neither would the reader unless they read my vampire series. Both series are set in the same “world,” but I haven’t made an effort to cross the series because not all my ghost-loving readers like vampires. Maybe one day they’ll give them a chance, because my vampires are nice.
4. How do you promote your books?
Promote? I gotta promote? Just kidding. Although… Promotion and I don’t get along so well. It’s why I hired Barclay Publicity for my latest release (Ghostly Interlude, Book 2 in the Ghostly Encounters series). I still have a lot to learn, but think in the end the best promotion is the next book. I just wish I were a faster writer, but it is what it is and I’m not going to force it.
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
I’ve got a blog I update fairly regularly and a Facebook page (links listed below). No Twitter, though (I just don’t have the patience for that one). I send a newsletter out once a month (or try to), where I tend to give away books and swag I’ve gotten at various conventions.
Stacy’s Links:
Website: www.StacyMcKitrick.com
Blog: www.stacysrantings.blogspot.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6564751.Stacy_McKitrick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StacyMcKitrickAuthor/
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/stacymckitrick
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bCN0Oz
Thanks, Marcia, for featuring me on your blog! I love dogs and cats, and it’s fun when they’re featured in a book as an actual character (instead of a “thing” in the character’s life). I’m going to feature a parrot in my next Ghostly book (whenever I get to that one). My friend has a parrot who does these really neat things, and I just have to use him. He’ll be my comic relief.
Thank you, Stacy, for sharing your books and links! I can’t wait to read your Ghostly Encounters series! I was always a fan of happy ghost stories growing up, including The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.
I hope visitors to this pro-pet blog will share photos of their pets. Each month, I’ll randomly pick one of the pet photos to feature on my social media pages and in my reader newsletter. Go Pets!