1. I hear you have a Pet Rescue romance series. Tell us about it.
Yes, I do! This is a sweet series weaving pet rescue and adoption into the love story. Rescue Road is the first novel, about a woman (Rhiann) who moves to Montana from Washington state to set up an animal rescue sanctuary. She meets EMS captain Levi Butler, who claims the land Rhiann purchased belongs to him. Enter another person who desires the property, and you have a bit of drama mixed into the story. The book is available in both paperback and e-book formats on Amazon and other platforms:
Buy Links for Rescue Road:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2W7fpBe
Draft2Digital Universal Link for Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.: https://books2read.com/u/4DE9Oe
Rescue Road Blurb: Freelance writer Rhiann Kelly shelved romance for years. Her dream of starting an animal sanctuary takes deep roots after finding the perfect location in southwestern Montana and purchasing the property for back taxes. Emergency medical technician Levi Butler knows his elderly friend left the ranch to him in his will. Levi anxiously awaits the probate to be complete so he can plan his retirement and begin his dream of raising and selling horses. When Rhiann and Levi find each other at the ranch simultaneously, sparks fly–and not the romantic kind. Yet their mutual attraction deepens, especially after Levi finds Rhiann injured in an accident.
Meantime, land developer Dallas Patterson sets his sights on charming Rhiann to obtain the land. Can Rhiann and Levi work together to detour Patterson and find a solution in which neither needs to give up their dream, or will the fence line of their hearts–and the property–separate them forever? Can their broken paths weave their hearts together as they travel the rescue road?
Other books follow Rhiann and Levi, including a Christmas novella published last year. Paws-ing for Love also brings in some drama as Rhiann experiences a significant health issue and the community of Colter, Montana, where Rhiann and Levi live, experiences the loss of a special community member. Rescue dogs and cats are part of the story as well. Readers can find Paws-ing for Love on Amazon and other platforms, again either in paperback or e-book format.
Buy Link for Paws-ing for Love: https://books2read.com/u/3RJdPj {this includes Amazon}
Paws-ing for Love Blurb: Christmas Hope or Heartbreak? Colter, Montana waltzes in brilliance during winter, with glistening snow on mountain peaks and diamond-like frost on trees and rivers. Romance and dreams flourish in this Christmas card setting. However, news of friends missing after a raging blizzard and a later accident and subsequent illness disrupt the lives of Rhiann and Levi Butler, who operate a horse ranch and pet rescue sanctuary. Will the joy of Christmas be silenced or strengthened after a pair of stray animals take refuge at the Butlers’ property? Can a cat named Mina and a Corgi christened Maverick deliver hope, or will they add more heartache for a couple and community struggling with fear and sorrow?
2. Why did you add rescue pets to this series?
Jeremiah
I have a heart for rescue animals. My husband and I adopt our pets, dogs and cats, from various groups. We currently have an English Springer Spaniel named Sadie, whom we adopted in 2019 from English Springer Spaniel Rescue, and a puppy mill survivor, a Shih Tzu named Jeremiah.
In fact, Jeremiah is the model for a dog in both Rescue Road and Paws-ing for Love (in the stories the dog’s name is ‘Jax.’). Our two 17-year-old cats are sisters whose pregnant mom was rescued, and we adopted two kittens from the litter. Our pets delight our hearts!
I volunteer for various rescue organizations, helping transport dogs and cats either into rescue from animal shelters or transport to their adoptive families. I once helped transport a Great Pyrenes mix going from Colorado to Canada! (A short story about her appears in an edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul.) I also donate a percentage of book sale proceeds to rescue organizations and animal shelters.
3. What other books have you written?
I began my author career as a children’s book writer. I wanted to inspire children to face difficulties in life with courage and perseverance. At the time, I had a blind English Springer Spaniel named Sage; she became blind over time due to Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). I knew she could be an inspiration to kids, and so I wrote Sage’s Big Adventure: Living with Blindness; the book published in 2007. The next year, we began school and library visits. Sage was amazing! Kids loved her and enjoyed her story.
I wrote several more children’s books about the next springer my husband and I adopted after Sage’s passing. Her name was Mary. I wrote three books about her, teaching kids about kindness and about nature. Now that we have Sadie, adopted six months after Mary’s passing, I envision a children’s book titled Sadie, the Smiling Spaniel, a book joy and gratitude in little–and big–things, like watching butterflies, listening to birds sing, finding friends, and having a loving home. Sadie is a joy-filled dog, and her big spaniel smile delights my husband and me! Readers interested in my children’s books can find them all on Amazon. Here’s a link to my Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/37WMk0V
4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.
I’ve won several awards from Wyoming Writers, Inc., the state-wide writers’ group in Wyoming, where I live. One of the awards was for the education my children’s books provide, for I often put activities in the back of the books, especially the three ‘Mary’ books. My romance series is well-liked also, with people leaving reviews that include “should be a Hallmark movie!”, “What a delightful book!”, “If you love dogs, you will love this book!” and “What a clever idea for a sweet, clean romance.”
5. How do you promote your books?
I’m on social media promoting my books and the works of other authors I enjoy, and I use Book Funnel group promotions. Joining Book Funnel group promotions has helped bring greater awareness to my romance novels (I haven’t yet tried with the children’s books), and I love being part of such a community of similar authors. The most recent one I joined was called “Animal Sidekicks,” in which several romance authors and mystery book writers joined.
Speaking of Book Funnel, anyone interested in reading the prequel to the series, titled Rhiann’s Rescue, can do so for free by going to Book Funnel and downloading the book. The story is about Rhiann and her grandmother and what set Rhiann on the path to establishing an animal sanctuary in Montana.
Here’s the link to the FREE story: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/g828yqfh5h
I also do speaking engagements for various groups, and I guest on other author blogs, like this one. I am grateful to authors like you hosting authors like me!
6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
There are several ways people can follow me online and learn more about me and my writing:
My author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GayleMIrwin
I’m also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wyoauthor1
I joined Pinterest and hope to become more active on it this year: www.pinterest.com/gaylemirwin
I have a new website, as I’m garnering freelance writing jobs with magazines and newspapers, and I’m promoting that part of myself as a writer through this new website: https://gaylemirwin.com/. I blog on my website twice a month, and people can sign up for a twice-monthly newsletter on my website as well.
Here again is my Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/37WMk0V
Thank you for hosting me on your blog! I appreciate the opportunity!
From Marcia: Thank you, Gayle, for being my March interviewee and for offering a FREE story! I love discovering romances that feature animals and look forward to reading your books!
MONTHLY BLOG EBOOK CONTEST! Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win. To leave a comment and/or 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!
Blurb for Mermaids Marry in Green:
Blurb for A Merman’s Choice, book 1 in the “Sea of Love” series:
Blurb for Music for a Merman, book 2 in the “Sea of Love” series:
In Bishop Takes Knight (“Redclaw Origins” book 1), we meet former socialite Henrietta (“Rhett”) Bishop as she struggles to find work with her unusual skill set. A misread address and her own pluck win her a job at Redclaw Security, but the new job isn’t what it seems. Mechanical devices seem to have a mind of their own, and Rhett’s new co-workers are a little strange. When she takes down a dangerous intruder in the office, Rhett gets promoted to field agent—and is let in on the secret: Redclaw Security is an elite paranormal agency that investigates matters in the hidden shifter world. One of the unit’s primary functions is to collect a series of mysterious, powerful artifacts and remove them from of the public sector.
The adventures continue in Bishop’s Gambit, when Rhett and Peter pose as a married couple in a posh 1950s suburban community while investigating a series of deadly paranormal events. After the debacle of their first mission, Rhett has a lot to prove to Redclaw and seeks to carry out her assignment without the distraction of a budding relationship with Peter Knight.
As I mentioned earlier, Bishop and Knight have a real Nick and Nora vibe with their banter as they solve cases, and that alone made me want to include a spunky little dog to the series. But I also inherited Captain, my mother’s little JRT, when she died, and I’ve fallen completely in love with him! I’d never had a small dog before—all my other dogs are German Shepherds. I was worried Captain wouldn’t fit well into our household at first. But he was the BEST addition ever. He meshed in with our family as though he’d always been a part of it: sleeping with the cats, playfighting with the big dogs, and worming his way onto our bed and into our hearts. When I decided to give Rhett a little dog in the “Redclaw Origins” series, I knew Captain was perfect for the role.
’ve also recently begun writing a series of small-town cozy mysteries (so far, nothing paranormal!) under the name M. K. Dean, featuring house-call veterinarian/amateur sleuth Ginny Reese and her trusty German Shepherd, Remington. I am having a LOT of fun with this series, and there are lots of animals in those stories too!
In Love Takes Flight, dogs bring Erin and Drew together. Erin owns a golden retriever and runs a dog kennel business. A daring jet pilot, Drew leaves his Border collie at her kennel but soon gets stranded there in a huge, prairie blizzard. Forced together, Erin and Drew overcome an icy start, but secret fears threaten to keep them apart.
In Love Leads the Way, Tessa and Mark clash at work when his boss forces him to enroll in the leadership program she manages. They both own golden retrievers, and at first, a love of dogs is the only thing they share in common. But both are single parents and have mothers with dementia…and even though she’s his coach, maybe they both need lessons in love.
On a windowsill in our home, I display a little plaque that says, “Home is where the dog is,” and I believe it’s true. One of our walls is decorated with quirky artwork featuring dogs. Over the years, I’ve owned three golden retrievers and a Border collie, and all were a big part of our family. My daughters joked that sometimes they thought I liked the dog better than them. (The dog definitely listened better!)
I write feel-good stories about women who chase their dreams and bump into romance along the way. They live in small communities near my home in the Canadian prairies, and they count on an eclectic mix of family and friends (and often dogs) to make their lives interesting and fun.
My first published mystery novel, Mahu (
The Cat’s out of the Bag shares the romance between a tortured heroine and secret billionaire who meet at a cat shelter. In billionaire romance, money is no object but the personal lives of our billionaires are not smooth sailing. It includes a road trip across Australia.
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie is a second-chance romance set around a fake million-dollar scavenger hunt in Sydney. Second-chance romances have a different structure and feel to a standard romance. This is because of the history between the two main characters. They know each other already and are still harbouring strong feelings for one another, whether they admit it or not. In this story, we learn about Tara’s childhood dog who was there with her and her brother growing up.
Get Off Your High Horse is a modern royal and sports romance revolving around the game of polo. The story is based in Brisbane and Maryborough. I shine a light on Maryborough, my hometown, when the characters visit the birthplace of P.L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins. In this story, I was able to combine my love of horses and Australian culture into the story.
Down the Rabbit Hole is a small-town romance between two best friends. It is not your typical small-town romance as the town itself is not very friendly. It is illegal to keep rabbits as pets in my home state of Queensland and the rabbit, Shorty, who is rescued highlights this. Shorty is based on a hare that was run over by a lawn mower. He was given to my daughter to care for.
I love animals. I don’t think life would be complete without them. It felt natural to me to add them to my stories. They just add another element of enjoyment.
3. What other books have you written?
I used an Irish Setter in Teach Me To Forget (odd, since I’ve never owned an Irish!) He just sort of showed up while I was describing the heroine’s motor home.
One of my favorite book “pets” is Mosby, the gray stallion in A Question of Honor, which starts the Stormhaven series, with horses in each book.
I actually have two books that have “pets”. The first book is The Scattering of Seeds. This is the first novel in the “New Frontier” series. It is a futuristic romance series about three ships that leave earth to colonize a new planet. The series follows the third ship, The Halcyon, which becomes the victim of conspiracy and sabotage. The colonists are allowed to bring pets with them since they will not be returning to earth. The colonial governor’s granddaughter, Sophie, is six and has brought her cat. Jimmy is a tuxedo cat. The governor is an Ian Fleming fan and said the cat reminded him of James Bond…all it needed was a bow tie. The name stuck. Jimmy is the reason the hero and heroine meet. He is an important character in the story.
My book, The Curse, is book two in my paranormal romance series. It has a cat in it, but cat isn’t really a cat at all. Laren Balantar is under a curse. During the day he is a man, but at night he turns into a long-haired black cat. He retains all his memories and intellect but he cannot speak.
The Hidden blurb:
Tender Misdemeanors is a romantic suspense novel from The Wild Rose Press, which tells a story that could come from today’s headlines. Federal agents in the northwest U.S. often have clashes with ecotagers—those who commit acts of ecological sabotage—and white supremacist/government conspiracy theorist types as well. Here, we have one woman trying to stand against both.
2. Why did you add pets to Tender Misdemeanors?
Although I write a bit more as alter ego Lyndi Alexander (sci-fi and fantasy), as Alana, I have one series,