The Magic City

The Magic City

Friday, July 17, 2015

Golden Heart® Finalist Kelly Farmer’s dogs Jack and Al invade #FuzzyFriday and share Puppy Love!

Hi! My name is Jack. Do you have treats? Here’s a kiss on your hand because it has a treat in it, right? Right?

My brother Al will be here in a minute. He’s sleeping. People call us “old timers”, but our mommy prefers to say we’re teenagers. We still act like dogs half our age.

(Al, snorting awake) Huh? What? Is there food? No? Okay. (Falls back asleep)

Want to go for a walk? We’re Mommy’s personal trainers. Since I’m a Labrador retriever and Al is a Lab-husky mix, we love to go for walkies. If Mommy has been sitting in front of that glowing thing she calls a “laptop” too long, I stare at her until she takes me out. I can stare for a long time. Sometimes it’s because I want food, too. Are you sure you don’t have treats? Here, I’ll roll on my back in the grass to entertain you.

(Al leaps up in a sleepy stupor) Where’s Mom? Where’s Mom? Is she in the kitchen? I love the kitchen! Oh, hi. I’m Al. When did you get here? Do you have treats? Here, I’ll sit. And nudge your hand. Everyone says I’m very silly. (They say Jack is handsome, but don’t tell him that. He has a big ego.)

Our mommy does this thing called “writing romance novels”, which is when she stares at that laptop for hours, muttering to herself. Jack and I sometimes think she’s talking to us and we wag our tails. She also talks to “Siri” when we’re out on our walkies and she gets an idea. Oof. Just thinking about walkies makes me tired. (Passes out in the grass)

Jack again. I was busy digging in the mulch. Mommy is a finalist in a contest called the Golden Heart. She’s going to a big conference next week for the Romance Writers of America. That means Al and I get to hang out at Grandma and Grandpa’s house--yes! The book Mommy wrote is called Puppy Love. It was inspired by the time she spent working at an animal shelter. Don’t talk about that with Al--that’s where she adopted him from.

(Al, chasing bunnies in his sleep) Don’t like cages. Don’t like cages.

The lady in the book is a veterinarian who moves to a small town in Southwest Michigan to work at an animal shelter clinic. Some of the cats and dogs in the story were inspired by pets Mommy knows. There’s a naughty husky who talks she says is like Al, and two needy Weimaraners she says are like me. I don’t think so. (Crawls up on your lap) Tell me I’m a good boy. (Al woofs in his sleep)

Our mommy’s a big supporter of giving pets a second chance at a forever home. The man in Puppy Love is, too. He’s a lawyer from Chicago who’s back in his hometown to help his mommy because his daddy “crossed over the Rainbow Bridge”. He rescues an injured dog in the pouring rain at the start of the book. I like him--he has treats. These two lost people find their way together by helping pets in need. It’s like the shelter’s motto: Where Two Hearts Become One.

(Al opens one eye just to make sure a turkey sandwich hasn’t fallen near him)

Mommy is excited about making lots of new friends as she pursues her dream of being a published author. She asks people to “Like” and “Follow” her, which I think means sniffing each other’s butts at the park. If you see us, say hi! Al and I love making friends, too. Especially if they have treats.

Do you have a rescue pet story to tell? Please share it in the Comments!

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Kelly Farmer has been writing romance novels since junior high. In those days, the heroes were the star quarterback on the high school football team who drove Corvettes and were named Brad. Now, she writes down to earth stories about the guys and girls next door. Her current manuscript, Puppy Love, takes place at a small-town animal shelter in a fictional Southwest Michigan resort town. It is a 2015 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Finalist in the Contemporary Romance category.


When not writing, she enjoys walking her two large, spunky senior dogs, quoting from Eighties movies, and following NHL hockey. Kelly lives in the Chicago suburbs, where she complains about the weather 300 days a year.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyfarmerauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyFarmerAuth


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J-Dog thinks Jack and Al are awesome, and he will be keeping his paws crossed for Kelly during the Golden Heart ceremony July 25 (which you can watch live  - for more info, go here). He's hoping Kelly will write another book called Kitty Crush.  

J-Dog wanted to remind you of the good work the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic does. They provide much needed low cost, high quality spay/neuter services. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page. 

One of the great things the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic does is a TNR program.  Trap-Neuter-Return involves trapping the cats in a feral colony, getting them spayed and neutered, adopting out kittens and friendly cats, then returning the adult feral cats to their territory and providing them with food and shelter.  TNR significantly reduces noise from fighting, odor from spraying, and more litters of kittens.  

J-Dog does all his shopping through AMAZON SMILE. Through this program, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchase to a charity of your choice, like the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic.  J-Dog is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card (purchased through Amazon Smile to help the Spay Neuter Clinic) to one of the people who leaves a comment. Check back Wednesday to see if you won.

Up next week, Lou Anders's fish Lilly Pad and Blue. The fish turn things on their head and make it #FishyFriday. They'll be talking about the latest Thrones & Bones release, Nightborn. It is going to be awesome. Can't wait! 

13 comments:

  1. So that's what Jack and Al have been up to! Those crazy dogs... And J-Dog, the heroine of the second book in the series adopts two tabby kittens!

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  2. Happy walkies, and good luck in the Golden Heart!

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    1. Thanks, Chris! Of course, The Boys will be in my acceptance speech if I win. :)

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  3. So happy you rescued Al from the shelter--that's where I get my kitties from. Jerry, my oldest cat was at the shelter for a long time. He was fostered out, even won an award at a cat show, but was ultimately in a pet store rescue area where I saw him. He was lively and loving. But when my husband and I inquired about him a week later and came to get him, he was back at the shelter and looked very depressed. He wouldn't even come out of his cage to greet us. We took him home anyway and he perked up immediately. He loves toys and our other cats and is still the most playful cat in the house despite the fact that he is now a senior citizen. Shelter rescues are a blessing.

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    1. Hi Aidee- What a beautiful story! I'm so glad your family connected with Jerry and have given him a terrific home! :)

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  4. Okay. This is just the cutest thing ever. My first dog was a Lab-cocker mix and definitely adopted from the wrong side of the tracks. Best of luck to Kelly in New York!!!

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    1. Thanks, Blythe! Remember that romance writer discussion we did years ago with Laura Moore at a Chicago library branch? We discovered that all three of us had owned Labs! :)

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  5. Jack and Al are awesome. When will your book be coming out? I can't wait to read it.

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    1. Thanks, Joan! My manuscript is currently out for submission. So hopefully you'll be able to read it soon! Feel free to find me on Facebook and/or Twitter (links above) for updates. :)

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  6. Great blog, Kelly! All of our animals have been rescues. My two senior citizens passed away in the last few months, but I still have my 13-year-old long-haired dachshund and my 7-year-old black cat. We rescued Morgan from a very abusive home, and we got Midnight out of Animal Control a few hours before he was going to be put down. I love to hear rescue stories. There are so many good animals in need of homes. I want to buy your book when it comes out.

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  7. Hi Carol! So very sorry about your senior pets. Every day is a gift with my boys. Thank you for giving such a loving home to so many deserving four-legged babies! :)

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  8. The winer is Carol Post! Carol, please email me your email address at mtagiccitywritingblog@gmail.com so I can send you your Amazon gift card

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  9. Yay Carol! :)

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