Marcia James' Website

1. I hear you have pets in almost all of your books. Tell us about them.

I love critters, all kinds of critters, so it was natural for me to include them in my books. My romantic comedy series, The Three Baers, is set in ranch country Wyoming–a perfect setting for all kinds of critters! There are (so far) four books in the series and each one features animals. Now, don’t always expect a loving kitty or lapdog. No, my critters are more of the comical and unexpected variety.

In the first book, Baer Truth, there is a dog and he is pretty amazing, in fact, he befuddles the humans occasionally. But there is also a Black Angus Bull named Frosty, and he becomes quite the pet. Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2162jjb

In the second book, Baer Necessities, there is a dog of the smarter-than-most-humans variety and a grizzly bear who doesn’t really know he’s a bear. Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2bfrsE2

In the third book, Baer Facts, a certain Black-Footed Ferret adds a lot of laughter. A little back story: I fell in love with these particular ferrets in South Dakota on an RV trip. These native furballs were almost extinct when a small group of them were found in Wyoming. A group has been working hard for almost forty years to bring them back. So, of course, they had to play a part in my book. Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2byI1uZ

And in the fourth book, A Very Baery Christmas, a holiday skunk hitches a ride for a very special Christmas road trip. As you can see, animals play a special part in this series. Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2amK3NV

2. Why did you add pets to your books?

I can’t tell you how many times pets have saved my sanity, literally. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without their beauty, majesty, and affection.

I live out in the boonies on what we call Dust Bunny Farm. (That’s a story in itself!) My kids were in 4-H, and we are

Diesel

surrounded by farms with cows, horses, hogs, goats and, of course, wildlife. Deer, hawks, and fox all roam around here, and we’ve even been graced to spy a few Bald Eagles in the last few years.

My husband and I were raised with horses, cows, and chickens and that continued with our daughters. We’ve been lucky enough to share our farm with chickens, dogs, cats, goats, rabbits, a few wounded squirrels who were returned to the wild, and one rehabilitated falcon.

Now, we just have Diesel the Wonder Dog. He is a rescue who just celebrated his 15th birthday. He still makes me smile every single day.

All these animals have touched my heart, and I wanted to be sure to include them in my books. I guess it’s my way of saying thank you for all the warmth, love, and smiles they’ve brought me.

3. What other books have you written?

Besides the Three Baers series, I’ve also written a number of other books. If you land on my webpage, you’ll see my tagline is “eclectic author.” That pretty much describes my storytelling. I can’t seem to write within just one genre.

I have another romantic comedy called Heart River Inn set in the Pocono Mountains at a lover’s resort. It was one of the most fun books I’ve written. Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2a5O1ON

My last few books have been cozy mysteries and humorous thrillers. I think they evolved from my warped sense of humor. I love thriller movies, and all I can think of watching them is “what if someone like me were caught up in this spy game?” Well, I wouldn’t be very good at it, but it could make for some funny moments, and a story is born! I’ve written 14 books and have three already scheduled for this year.

My latest series is the Mayson-Dickson Mysteries. Here’s the blurb for the first book in the series, Mayson-Dickson, the Line is Drawn:

Imagine being told you have a twin sister and that your entire life has been a lie. Then an assassin’s bullet kills the only person who knows everyone’s secrets. Emme Mayson and Jackie Dickson started a private investigation firm to learn the truth. What they didn’t count on were the dead bodies that keep appearing. Mayson-Dickson–Northern logic, Southern charm, and murder! Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2a1CYVG

4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.

My writing has received the Author / Ambassador at Library Journal Self-e Authors, Winner Queen of the West Reader Favorite Award, Amazon Bestseller–Historical, Double finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Mystery and Humorous Categories, and Baer Truth received 4.5 stars from RT Book Reviews. Nearly all of my books have received 4–5 stars.

5. How do you promote your books?

This is probably the hardest thing about writing. My favorite promotion is to participate at writer’s conferences and actually meet readers. Traveling and conference fees, however, can make this expensive.

Primarily, I use social media. I send out a monthly newsletter, which lists new books, WIP [Works-in-Progress], or books I’ve put on sale, sometimes ONLY for my newsletter readers. And my newsletter features a fun column called Dust Bunny Bits, which features slice-of-life articles.

I also have a Facebook author page and a private Facebook reader page, as well as Twitter and Instagram. So, any readers who enjoy my books can find me online. I also have a webpage, and it has links to everywhere else!

6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?

The best place to start is on my webpage: www.jociemckade.com I (usually) keep it updated with my latest releases, buy links, and links to other places I’m loitering online instead of writing!

I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter. I send it only once per month, unless Spielberg wants movie rights to one of my books, then y’all are getting a special newsletter! Here’s the link: https://www.jociemckade.com/contact

And here are the links to my other online places:

Website
Author Facebook Page
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads Author Page
Pinterest Page

My Pinterest page has boards for each of my books, so you can get an idea of locations and the characters as I see them. Plus, a few other boards, you know, for all those things I’m gonna make someday!

Marcia James: Thank you, Jocie, for stopping by my Go Pets! blog! I look forward to reading your books!

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!

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.
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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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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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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!

1. 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

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

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And…

ToTo and His Friends Talk Alphabets

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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.

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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.

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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!

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

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/racing-hearts-kleins-k-9s-book-1-marcia-james/1123114796?ean=2940158074172

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

Kobo: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=FT6Yye4GmCU&subid=&offerid=290193.1&type=10&tmpid=9310&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.kobobooks.com%2Fen-US%2Febook%2Fheating-up-the-holidays-3

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!