ON THE FARM

This image is part of my experimentation with AI

Fall is the beginning of "Mud Season" here on the farm.
Preparations for fall include stocking up on straw
and wood shavings as part of "mud control,"
weatherizing the chickie/duck coop and yard,
and making sure there is plenty of hay for the horse and donkey.
In spite of cold, rainy weather that will settle in soon,
I'm very grateful for the occasional pleasant 65ish degree days
we've had for later than normal.
Hope all of you are finding small delights in your life!

Now available in print--just in time for Halloween reading!

 LAUGH. LOVE. BARK.

 

A half-bionic computer nerd 

teams up with a beautiful witch 

and an assortment of Halloween characters 

in a series of misadventures to save 

a small country from a zombie apocalypse.  

 

BUY NOW!

NEW RELEASE--MORTALITY POEMS

 I have two poems in the
newly-released
MORTALITY POEMS

Available at Amazon &
other online retailers
digital or paperback

 Ah, the dog days of summer for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, chilly winter for those in the southern half of our Earth, and tropical paradise for still others. What I share with many people in all locations around the globe is a love of dogs and other critters.

Dogs used to rule my life. How about you? Now that "honor" is shared by farm critters. My schedule revolves around their meal times. Plus I am on call 24/7 for urgent potty breaks for our old miniature pinscher or runs to the barn to comfort the horse and donkey when thunder settles low and pounds its fist on the metal roof.

Every day is a chance to celebrate how fortunate I am to share my life with these beloved creatures. That celebration shows up in pretty much all my books, such as ROYAL STREET DOGS, which is featured in this GIVEAWAY of books for animal lovers.

Giveaway runs from AUGUST 20-26, 2024

Here's the link to the giveaway: http://AuthorsXP.com/giveaway

You could WIN all 15 eBOOKS...individual ebooks...
bonus paperbacks, or the bonus bestseller!

ROYAL STREET DOGS
is my 2 for 1 feature in this giveaway.
This is a duet of two of my sweet romantic comedy series:
CHRISTMAS PAWSIBILITIES and STREET DOG DREAMS.

CHRISTMAS PAWSIBILITIES
Humor, fantasy, sweet romance...and alien canines!

With their world destroyed and their space ship malfunctioning, the royal dogizens of Planet Canid have little choice but to crash land on Earth--in the midst of Aunt Maddie's eccentric family planning a Christmas wedding for former playboy, Ryan Madison, and elfenchaun, Dori. But nothing seems to be going as planned. The Canine King has been kidnapped for tortuous experiments. The groom's first-grade crush shows up with pieces of a broken mechanical dog, and the bride wonders if he will break her heart. Can Aunt Maddie's zany family rescue the Canine King and still make it to the church in time to save the wedding?

STREET DOG DREAMS
As foretold in an enchanted tapestry...

Rescued and bored, the Royal Canines dream of a new dogdom with devoted humans who speak the language of dogs. Hop aboard our invisible flying machine as Aunt Maddie and Uncle Horace join an international search for this magical place. The search takes them to an abandoned village in Sardinia, Italy, where Chiara Caddu tries to bring attention to the plight of homeless dogs. Dressed in a dog suit, she stands near the street that local Sardinian animal rescue organizations despondently call Corso Randagi or Street Dog Boulevard since so many dogs are dumped along its narrow edges. Her adored childhood friend, Alessandro (Alek) Romano, uses his status as a veterinarian to work within the bureaucracy to help homeless animals. To save the street dogs from a crime lord who wants all the kibble for himself, they must find a way to combine their clashing approaches and fulfill the prophesy of an enchanted tapestry to turn an abandoned village into an automated town where dogs can open their own refrigerators, play in the park all day, and always have a soft bed to sleep on.

 I am participating in a 99 cent book sale today only (Friday, August 9). A mix of genres, so hope you take a look and perhaps discover a great new read. 

STREET DOG DREAMS is the book I have in this sale--a sweet romantic comedy dealing with the serious problem of dogs dumped on the streets or abandoned out in the wild. Can this serious topic be respectfully treated with humor? That was perhaps my biggest challenge when I wrote Street Dog Dreams.

I did not stand on the street in a dog suit, as one of the main characters in this story does. But I've worked at an animal shelter. Volunteered there as well. Did a brief stint as a doggie foster parent with not much success, because I ended up adopting most of the dogs who were supposed to only stay temporarily.

What is my dream for these dogs? The same as Chiara and Alek and the rest of the heroes of Street Dog Dreams: a world where dogs (and an occasional cat!) are treated like royalty. A bit of laughter along the way can give a positive boost to continue this many times challenging journey.

Is the dream worth the challenges? If you haven't read this book yet, I invite you to join Chiara, Alek, Aunt Maddie, Uncle Horace, the Royal Canines, and their street dog friends to see what they think in Street Dog Dreams!

TIP: If you click on the book cover graphic above, it will take you to my website, where you can access my books page and buy the digital version of this book for 99 cents even after this special sale.

Chickies and ducks hit the radio waves

Under my writing alter-ego, Genie Gabriel, I was recently interviewed by local radio host, Liz Cruz, for her program Word Up on Salem, Oregon's KMUZ radio. This program features interviews with local writers and other creative artists. We talked about several of my books as well as my recently discovered venture into poetry, and how my move to the farm is reflected in my writing. This interview was broadcast Saturday, August 3, at 6pm.

She came to the farm to do the interview, and my chickie girls and ducks added their voices to the taping. The horse and donkey were mostly silent but you may hear them munching on carrots.

If you want to listen, the link is [https://kmuz.org/shows/word-up-1st-3rd-saturdays] for 8/3/2024.

Christmas in July!

 CHRISTMAS PAWSIBILITIES

is part of the Daily Deal at

AuthorsXP

Humor, fantasy, sweet romance...and aliens!

Just 99 cents for

digital version

Former playboy Ryan Madison has wanted no one else since he met elfenchaun, Dori. He has waited many long months for her to be certain she could love a mere human and his quirky family. Now, as they are planning their Christmas wedding, a box of broken childhood memories arrives, as well as a space ship carrying alien canines that crash lands into a neighbor’s barn. 

Rescued from 1800s Olde Ireland by Uncle Horace in his time machine, elfenchaun Dori is still in awe of modern times and her love for Ryan. When his past shows up in the form of a first-grade crush dressed in a chicken suit, Dori can't help but like the woman in spite of fearing Ryan may want to call off the wedding. 

However, as Aunt Maddie's family and their friends come up with a plan to rescue the alien Canine King, who has been dognapped by the evil commander of the Geeks in Green for tortuous experiments, the past fades into hilarious pawsibilities. Who is the mysterious man with a flying car and a laser weapon? Can Uncle Horace fix the broken pieces of a childhood toy? How do the Blue-Haired Ladies with their Nertz tournament fit into the scheme of things? And who are the special guests at Ryan and Dori's wedding?