The Read Humane Authors

 







 

Read Humane and our Fight Against Animal Cruelty and Our Spokesperson Jill Shalvis

This May, Love Romances and More is pleased to support Penguin Group (USA)’s Read Humane® 2013 campaign to fight animal cruelty.  We would like to welcome spokesperson and bestselling author Jill Shalvis to our blog today, where she is sharing with us her family’s animal rescue story discusses her Animal Magnetism series with a piece entitled “Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks!”    

Read Humane® is an initiative created by Penguin Group (USA) in 2012 to support our furry friends in honor of National Pet Month (May).  As part of the Read Humane® 2013 campaign, six special edition, animal-themed mass market paperbacks have been reissued featuring the official Read Humane® seal.  Penguin supports the fight against animal cruelty with a $25,000 donation, regardless of sales, to The Humane Society of the United States' Animal Rescue Team.

For more information, and complete lists of the six participating authors and book retailers, please visit Penguin Group (USA) or view the official Read Humane® Prezi here.

And remember to join the conversation on Twitter with @BerkleyRomance and @HSUS throughout May by using the hashtag #readHumane.  Followers are encouraged to Tweet about Penguin’s animal friendly books, share their own rescue stories, and join in other pet themed conversations.

Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over four dozen romance novels, including her fun contemporary Animal Magnetism series, which promotes animal rescue dogs. Jill is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner, and lover of animals! More information about Jill and her collection of fabulous romance titles can be found at www.JillShalvis.com.

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My Rescue Story, by Jill Shalvis…

At any point, on any day in the Shalvis abode, there are animals.  All of them rescued, always.  It’s become somewhat of a family tradition, rescuing animals in need, and we’ve found that not only is it a nice thing to do, we get a really great pet out of the deal.

A couple of years ago, our house was fairly full.  Okay, so it was straining at the wall joints.  We had Ashes -- our rescue Border Collie/Australian Blue Heeler.  Sadie – our cat who thinks she’s a dog.  Micky – a field mouse rescued from the high school science lab.  And four teenage girls.

Actually, it wasn’t a house.  It was a zoo.

But a year before we’d lost Izzie, our beloved brown lab.  And we missed having two dogs.  Yes, we’re crazy.  Anyway, on that fated day I’m about to tell you about, Alpha Man (my husband) had heard about a yellow lab puppy who needed rescue.

No.  No way.  I was adamant.  I had enough on my plate.  But Alpha Man just wanted to go make sure the lab was okay. 

So we left the mountain…

And drove…

And drove…

We were following the sketch directions from a guy who knew a guy who had told us about a woman who lived out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE, and she rescues animals.

The landscape was like something out of a Criminal Minds episode, so we were wary at first.  We had no idea what we were going to find.  A box of puppies, or a meth lab … nothing would have surprised me.  I was a little worried because the kids were with us, but it turned out the place was fifty acres of love.

Any animal in need is welcome. 

Even the funny looking ones…

The woman had goats, horses, turtles, geese, snakes, angry chickens ... you name it and she had it.  She was rehabbing it, doctoring it, loving it … whatever the animal needed.

We’d gone because of the rumor of the puppies, the yellow labs.  And she did have two puppies.  She’d rescued them out of a horrible situation.

But the yellow lab wasn’t the one who stole our hearts.  Nope, it was her little baby brother.  The runt.

He was filthy and living in a hovel. And the minute he saw us, he came alive. Wriggling, happy, loving. All you had to do was touch him and he writhed in joy and dropped to the floor for a belly rub.

And once he was picked up by the teenagers and loved up by them, he didn’t want to get down.  I tried.  I tried hard.  But the thing had wriggled his way right into my heart.  I remember looking at Alpha Man, laughing and crying at the same time.

“You didn’t want another dog,” he reminded me.

I told him to zip it.  We were taking this dog and that was that.  Besides, there was the little matter of him being in my arms and refusing to be put down.

So we never put him down again.  Meet Frat Boy…

***

Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks, by Jill Shalvis…

Now that you know a little bit about my rescue story, I want to share with you some of the inspiration for my Animal Magnetism series.  One of the fun things about writing this series is developing complex and lovable characters… that just happen to be adorable dogs!  Here’s why dogs make great sidekicks…

1. Because when you’re on the mountain trail and you come across an angry mama bear and her baby cubs, your dog will run like hell.  This will warn you to run like hell as well.  Just be careful because if your dog is like my dog, he will throw you under the bus (or in this case bear) to get home before you do.

2. Because when all the cookies are gone you can totally blame your cookie loving dog.  No one has to know that you ate all the cookies yourself.  And your dog can give you dirty looks for blaming him but he can’t actually talk and dispute your story.  Solid alibi.

3. Because if you’ve eaten in a way that disagrees with your stomach, there are never any worries.  Your dog will always, ALWAYS, out stink you.  And if he doesn’t, you can still point the finger at him.  Again, he can’t talk and dispute your story.

4. Dogs are not just great sidekicks but they also make great a really great wingman.  If you’re single, you can totally put your dog to work at charming the person you’re interested in.  Just make sure that person likes dog drool and dog hair all over everything first.

5. There is never a need for a pillow or extra blanket because your dog will always be willing to get into bed with you and share body heat.  Always.  Just be forewarned.  Being a great sidekick is not the same thing as a good bed partner.  They have a habit of being a total bed hog.

***

Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your stories with us!  If you have enjoyed Jill’s stories please feel free to show your support in our comments section below and by visiting the other participating websites/blogs…  

Read Humane® Blog Tour 2013!

For more information on Read Humane® please visit Penguin Group (USA).  To view more special features from spokesperson Jill Shalvis, please visit the following websites/blogs; each website/blog will feature a unique perspective on Read Humane, so be sure to stop by each for a new and exciting experience!  

4/29/2013            USA Today’s Happy Ever After                   Special Feature!

4/29/2013            Fresh Fiction                                                      Spotlight

4/30/2013            RT Book Reviews Online                              Special Feature!

5/1/2013              Happily Ever After Reads                              Spotlight

5/2/2013              Teresa's Reading Corner                                               Spotlight

5/3/2013              The Book Reading Gals                                  Spotlight

5/4/2013              Book Crack                                                          Spotlight

5/5/2013              Love Romances & More                                                Spotlight

5/6/2013              Books-N-Kisses                                                 Spotlight

5/7/2013              RT Book Reviews Online                                               Spotlight

5/8/2013              Cocktails & Books                                             Spotlight

5/9/2013              The Book Pushers                                            Spotlight

5/10/2013            Kindles & Wine                                                 Spotlight

5/11/2013            My Book Addiction & More                         Spotlight

5/12/2013            Eye on Romance                                              Spotlight

5/13/2013            eBook Obsessed                                              Spotlight

5/14/2013            My Friend Amy                                                 Spotlight

5/14/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                       Spotlight

5/16/2013            The Romance Dish                                           Spotlight

5/16/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                       Spotlight

5/17/2013            Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind                 Spotlight

5/18/2013            Romantic Book Affairs                                   Spotlight

5/19/2013            Ramblings from This Chick                            Spotlight

5/20/2013            Under the Covers Book Blog                       Spotlight

5/20/2013            The Romance Studio                                      Spotlight

5/21/2013            Chick Lit Reviews                                              Spotlight

5/26/2013            The Reading Café                                             Spotlight

5/27/2013            Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews            Spotlight

5/28/2013            Stuff and Nonsense                                        Spotlight

5/29/2013            Thoughts in Progress                                      Spotlight

HOUNDS ABOUND by Linda O. Johnston

Publisher: Berkley
Date published: April 3, 2012
ISBN 9780425247051
Cozy Mystery
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained Via Publisher


Pet rescue administrator Lauren Vancouver does all she can to help homeless animals find their forever homes and families, but she can’t save them all. Despite the additions to HotRescues, her no-kill shelter, there are still some animals that need a little something more. When Lauren hears about Save Em, a no kill shelter for frail, elderly and disabled pets that may well not find a home, she is all for the venture. With her friend Carlie they head out to Save Em and meet Bella, the administrator. Lauren instantly finds a kindred spirit in Bella and wants to help the special needs pet shelter succeed. Before she can do much for the shelter, however, she stumbles on a murder. With Save Em’s administrator the prime suspect Lauren has her work cut out for her. Despite her own best intentions and advice from boyfriend Matt, she finds herself in the middle of trying to solve yet another crime. While no one suspect stands out she has a few in her sights. And then the worst that could happen to her does—someone leaves off a highly contagious puppy. It seems that person is looking to hurt Lauren where it will affect her the most—harming the innocent animals at her shelter. Now it falls to Lauren to see if the two crimes are actually part and parcel of the same.

While some of the writing is flat I applaud Ms. Johnston for taking on the subject of special needs pets. Like Dr. Drummond in HOUNDS ABOUND many people feel if a pet is older or somehow infirm they should be put down almost as soon as the diagnosis is in. Having had several of my own special needs pets including one who was considered a hospice kitty I know that it is possible to give these amazing animals a good quality, if not a happy and healthy life despite their disabilities. Lauren as a character may not have much emotion when it comes to the other humans in the story but Ms. Johnston’s own compassion and love comes through when her heroine works with animals.

Book one of Ms. Johnston’s pet rescue series, BEAGLEMANIA had some gaps in it by not providing much of Efram’s back story. HOUNDS ABOUND has a smidge too much. THE MORE THE TERRIER, book 2 has a fabulous balance of back story, current investigation and great characters.

Once again Ms. Johnston shows readers different sides of a story—in THE MORE THE TERRIER she did a wonderful job showing the different reactions people have to hoarding. In HOUNDS ABOUND she does a great job exploring many of the options available for special needs pets.

The pet rescue series does not have to be read in order; each story is a standalone but they do build on one another. I’m enjoying the progression of Lauren and Matt’s relationship—it is just the right amount of romance for a cozy mystery.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

Meet Linda O. Johnston!

Hi Linda! Welcome and thank you for taking time to talk with us today. I just finished reading your latest Hounds Abound and had a few questions and comments for you.

For our readers new to you, how long have you been writing?

All my life! My first published fiction was short stories in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and the first won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for best first mystery story of the year. My first novel, a time travel romance, was published in 1995, and HOUNDS ABOUND is my 30th published novel.


What inspired you to pick up the pen (or sit down at the computer) one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

I love using my imagination. In fact, my favorite quote is “Reality is only for those who lack imagination!” I always loved to read and decided that I could do that, too. The first time I tried I was just a child, and I started a sci-fi epic about a girl and boy who started traveling around the universe in a space ship. Never finished that one, though.

Most people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous. What’s your take on this?

As with every profession, we writers need to keep our noses to the proverbial grindstone, or at least aiming toward a computer screen, a lot of each day. We don’t usually take holidays or vacations like those who have real jobs since we can write, or at least plot, everywhere. Glamorous? Not really. But it’s always fun to get together with readers or do book signings and talk about our stories.

What is the most glamorous thing you’ve done as an author?

I’ve given lectures on writing on cruise ships. Now, that’s fun! Maybe a bit glamorous, too.

With two series, both with pets as a backdrop, are you a plotter or pantzer?

I’m definitely a plotter. I always start by plotting, then developing a synopsis that I work from, usually sticking to it fairly closely.

If you could be a character in any of your books who would it be and why?

Well, Kendra Ballantyne, the protagonist of my Pet-Sitter Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime, is a lawyer who lives in the Hollywood Hills and has a tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lexie. Although I’m a full-time writer at the moment, I’m also a lawyer, and I do live in the Hollywood Hills with my Cavalier Lexie. There’s a lot of Kendra in me. But I’ve also gotten involved with volunteering at a local private pet shelter, so there are traces of Lauren Vancouver in me, too. She’s the protagonist of my Pet Rescue Mysteries, also for Berkley Prime Crime and a spinoff from the Kendra series. They both get things resolved in their own ways, so I wouldn’t mind being either of them.

Looking over the past year, what has been the best moment for you in your writing career?
Over the past year? That’s easy. I was selected to participate in Read Humane®, a very special program established by my publisher, Penguin Group (USA). Berkley Prime Crime is an imprint of Penguin’s. They’re donating a substantial amount to the Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team, and several Penguin authors with pets in their stories have been chosen to participate to encourage readers to help support the Humane Society and get involved with caring for animals. The other authors are Rebecca M. Hale, Alison Pace, Miranda James and Sofie Kelly--and I’m especially excited to report that the spokesperson is Nora Roberts. A special version of my first Pet Rescue Mystery BEAGLEMANIA will be available to promote Read Humane--one that has a Read Humane seal in the front and information about the Humane Society and its Animal Rescue Team inside.

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time, your non-writing time?

I love being told what to do by my Cavaliers. (I have two, Lexie and Mystie.) Plus, I enjoy volunteering at that pet rescue organization I mentioned. It’s Pet Orphans of Southern California, and I’m a dog adoption counselor there.

What prompted you to write the first your pet sitter and now your pet rescue mysteries?

My first published novels were romances, and I almost always included some suspense or mystery in each of them. I decided to try writing a mystery series that I could especially enjoy writing. In case you can’t tell, I’m obsessed by animals. Pairing mysteries and animals together first in the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mystery series, and now in the Pet Rescue Mysteries, just seemed natural.

If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for lunch, who would it be and what would you eat?

I suspect I’d invite Betty White. She seems like such a character, and her affinity for animals is awe-inspiring. For example, she’s very much involved with the Morris Animal Foundation and the Los Angeles Zoo. Plus, I love her sense of humor. I’m especially enjoying her new reality show Off Their Rockers. Despite my love for animals, I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t know about her. A nice salad would be fine with me.

You’ve gotten the call, a Hollywood producer is going to bring the pet rescue series to the big screen. Who do you cast in the major roles?

Unfortunately, probably not Betty White. Let’s see. I haven’t really considered this before. I might just let the producer hold auditions and request to watch!

Do you see Kendra and Lauren solving a case together in a cross-over?

Kendra always has cameo roles in Lauren’s stories. Lauren likes to do things herself so I’m not sure she’d be glad to have much more than Kendra’s acknowledgment But the idea could really be fun, especially since I think there would be a lot of rivalry between them!

Who are you more like? Kendra or Lauren?

As I mentioned before, there’s a lot of Kendra in me. Lauren, not so much, although I admire her self-reliant attitude and dedication to saving animals.

I have to tell you, three of my cats are rescues and I recently took in an elderly foster with some health issues. I feel rescues are the best. There is something about them that just makes them so very special.
What do you feel makes them so appealing?

Congratulations! I think we love rescues not only because we can save their lives and make sure they have wonderful homes, but because they often act especially grateful and loving--at least once they come to recognize that their lives have changed for the better.

What are you working on now? Can you tell us a little about it?

I just turned in the manuscript for the next Pet Rescue Mystery. It’s called OODLES OF POODLES, and it features the film industry and how movies with animals in them strive to get the very special certification from the American Humane Association (different from the Humane Society of the United States) that “No Animals Were Harmed.”® And, yes, it’s a mystery, so Lauren Vancouver has another murder to solve.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

I’d just like to say thank you very much for inviting me. Loved your questions!


Thank you for taking some time with us today!


Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year. Since then, she has had had more short stories published, plus several novellas, and thirty novels including mystery and romance.

Her Pet Rescue Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime is a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series. The Pet Rescue Mysteries debuted in March 2011 with BEAGLEMANIA and continued with THE MORE THE TERRIER, an October 2011 release and HOUNDS ABOUND, published in April 2012. Protagonist Lauren Vancouver runs a no-kill pet shelter in LA’s San Fernando Valley and will do anything to save animals. In the Pet Rescue Mysteries, “no-kill” means pets, not people!

Linda also writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne including the Alpha Force miniseries about a covert military unit of shapeshifters. Her first Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, UNDERCOVER SOLDIER, will be a July 2012 release.

Visit Linda anytime at www.LindaOJohnston.com. She blogs each Wednesday at KillerHobbies.blogspot.com and you can also find her on Facebook.

BEAGLEMANIA by Linda O. Johnston

A Pet Rescue Mystery
Publisher: Berkley
Date published: March 2011
ISBN 9780425240212
Mass Market Paperback
Cozy mystery
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by publisher


Lauren Vancouver helps to rescue four sweet beagle puppies that had been dumped down a drainpipe, while helping to shut down a puppy mill.Lauren is the boss of HotRescues, an animal shelter that doesn’t put down its guests.Lauren is certain she knows the culprit who dumped the puppies as he has a history of abusing dogs.Efram Kiley, one of the mill’s workers shows up at HotRescues to cause trouble for Lauren.Efram had been a volunteer helper at the shelter but no longer.Then Lauren becomes the prime suspect when Efram is found dead at the shelter.She realizes that the police are not looking much further than her, so she needs to find the killer before she lands in a cage herself.

I have given this book a three heart rating, even though I did not find it a particularly such a great story.I think that lovers of animals will enjoy the behind scenes of the workings of an animal shelter but other than that, I found the mystery rather predictable.I found the characters a bit two-dimensional and the romance not really well developed.As this is the first book in a new series, perhaps things will pick up in later books.Some of the things Lauren did while investigating the crime had me scratching my head.As an intelligent person who is divorced, has two college kids and is an administrator, some of her actions did raise some questions.Still, I think fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this book and especially those who are firm supporters of animal rescue.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this review.


Reviewed by Gina


When I saw the cover of Linda O. Johnston’s BEAGLEMANIA I couldn’t resist. Absolutely adorable, cuddly beagles grace the cover and they convey the total impishness of puppies. I anticipated a story that had these little cuties as a big part of the telling. While the beginning of the book has the rescue of some beagle pups and the mom shows up later there isn’t a whole lot that has to do with beagles.

That said, it is about dogs, and a few cats, and what wonderful companions they are. How they are loving, affectionate, forgiving, cuddling and how people can do them wrong. I liked Lauren Vancouver, the heroine’s, devotion to protecting the animals that resided in her shelter while they waited for new homes. I enjoyed the parts of the book that dealt with the animals.

I didn’t find the heroine all that engaging and struggled with the leap to her being suspect #1. Yeah, she’s standing over the deceased’s body but even after going back and re-reading the pages leading up to it I didn’t see why she was automatically suspect #1 other than she needed to be to kick off the series. There were threads that became repetitious—that her first husband was a one of a kind super guy and husband #2 left a lot to be desired. The explanations about caller ID on her Blackberry pulled me out of the story—you either have it or you don’t. There were any number of times I wondered if the author began to write the book and something came up and she had to put it down for a period of time and then picked it up again and didn’t re-read or remember what she’d written before. There were a few more leaps but none as big as her being the main suspect. This came up several times with the reminders that she wasn’t sure if she wanted another dog or not.

There were a few times I felt like I started the story in the middle and somehow didn’t have the first part of the book when it came to Efram. I suspect he was a character in one of the earlier books that are part of Ms. Johnston’s prior series. It would have helped to have just a bit of his backstory so we know why he is at HotRescues.

This was my first of Ms. Johnston’s books. I like a good cozy mystery and plan to pick up the earlier series. BEAGLEMANIA wasn’t a horrible read by any means. If you are looking for something quick and easy to read it’s a good bet.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE MORE THE TERRIER by Linda O. Johnston

Publisher: Berkley
Date published: October 4, 2011
ISBN 9780425243794
Cozy Mystery
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained Via Publisher


Pet rescue administrator Lauren Vancouver’s life has settled down after she was being accused of murder not so long ago. She’s happily running HotRescues, her no kill shelter, dating animal services captain, Matt Kingston, her dog Zoey is a constant companion and her kids are doing well in school. Yes, life is good—settled, happy and peaceful. What more could a woman want? Certainly not a mysterious phone call from a former mentor asking for help. So when that mentor, Mamie Spelling calls her, despite misgivings, Lauren heads over to visit the other woman’s pet rescue shelter. What Lauren finds there angers her: Mamie is a hoarder. She has more animals than she can care for and many of them aren’t in the best shape. Lauren calls Matt for advice and animal services arrive to take the myriad cats, dogs and assorted others to safety. Before they can complete the rescue however, Bethany Urber arrives on scene.

Bethany heads up an organization called Better Than Any and is the mastermind behind a consortium of pet rescue shelters. The thing about Bethany though is that if someone doesn’t come on board her consortium from the git go, she bullies and blackmails them into joining. When Mamie refused to join, Bethany threatened her with exposure of the hoarded animals. A heartbroken Mamie watches as her pets are taken from her one by one even as Bethany plans a meeting to discuss the horrors of hoarding. When Mamie is found standing over Bethany’s body what can the police conclude but that Mamie is behind Bethany’s murder?

In THE MORE THE TERRIER Linda O. Johnston tackles the often misunderstood psychological disorder of hoarding. Like Lauren, many people are appalled and disgusted by the hoarder’s behavior. Some feel pity. Others like Matt understand their illness while others, like Bethany prey upon and revile them. Ms. Johnston depicts these and many of the other reactions people have to hoarders and she does it well. She takes the reader into each of the reactions and at the same time, builds compassion for Mamie and those that suffer as she does.

I personally didn’t like Bethany and there was a part of me who didn’t feel bad for her when she died. Bad of me, I know, but she wasn’t a likeable person and she did emotionally batter people who only wanted to help animals.

At points there was just a little too much personal backstory—personal from Lauren’s point of view, however this was a much stronger story than the first in this series, BEAGLEMANIA. Davie, a teenager in the story came off more like a junior high or younger boy than high school age. At times I wondered if Davie may have had a learning disability or be developmentally delayed. It would be nice to see him in a future story that centers around one of those disabilities and how working with animals can be such a benefit to them. With BEAGLEMANIA several times I felt like an outsider or that I missed something in the book. Not so with THE MORE THE TERRIER. There are no gaps or leaps to different conclusions but an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the development of Matt and Lauren’s relationship—it isn’t being hurried or plunged into marriage but is given time to grow. I am now looking forward to the third book in this series, HOUNDS ABOUND.

THE MORE THE TERRIER and BEAGLEMANIA are standalone stories and you do not have to read one before the other to feel like you are part of the action, it just makes it more enjoyable to do so.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.