On Saturday, January 27th, I saw a post from the local animal shelter about a little dog whose owner had to go into a nursing home. The shelter was overfull and this little guy was camping out in one of the staff offices. His first night was rough and he really needed out of there.
I called. A family was coming to meet him first - so they said to call back.
I called back. The little boy was too much for the dog to handle. I went up with 20 minutes to spare before they closed and met Jojo. He’s a little over two years old and well over 20 lbs overweight.
He spent a good part of the first afternoon-evening with his nose pressed to the window, crying and looking for his owner. He sits on the porch and stares at the driveway, checking every vehicle that comes up the drive.
Slowly, though, he’s settling in. He’s snuggling with the boys, learning the schedule of the house (No, Jojo, I do NOT wake up at 7:30am and want to play.) and figuring out where he fits in with everyone. Slow and steady, with consistent love and instruction is the way to win him over, I know. All of my pets have been rescues of one kind or another, and it can take months for them to feel safe and comfortable. For Ace? It took a year plus.
Anyway - I now have another writing buddy and Ace is happy he has someone he can play and wrestle with that he doesn’t have to worry about being so fragile (like he does with Bear).
Next up - Poll results: Not many of you voted - I mean, come on - the email went out to over 5k readers and I could only get 45 of you to vote? Really?
With the 45 that voted,
40% of the people that voted said they love the serializations
27% said they don’t care, they just read the email.
22% said they hate that I’m doing serializations at all.
7% said they have serious FOMO (fear of missing out)
4% said they are planning on subscribing soon.
Okay, good to know. I’m still doing the serializations and I hope more of you sign up and get excited about what’s coming. I’ll be tossing in chapters of whatever I’m working on, and I’ve got a LOT of books planned this year.
Now - here’s one for you - Check out a free book by one of my author friends!
Will she let down her guard for a knight in a flour-dusted apron?
Exclusive access to the first in the small-town steamy Pier 3 Coffee series: Mocha for Mateo by Melanie Greene
Alicia Wells never asked for a knight in flour-dusted apron to show up full of ideas for saving her surf-side cafe. She’s quite brilliant at plans, which is how she kept Pier 3 Coffee afloat through plenty of tough times already. She’ll just have to do it again.
Mateo James doesn’t want to live for his family bakery, but even more, he doesn’t want his father to die for it. So he’ll do what’s required of him, including throwing himself into community organizing. If it helps his parents, and Alicia, to thrive, he’ll sacrifice anything. Even his own chance at happiness.
As Alicia charges forward with his plans to save Pier 3, Mateo would love to slow her down long enough to show her the value of their connection. But if she won’t let him in, he’ll have no choice but to let her go.
And So It Begins - Chapter Three - Subscribers Only
And So It Begins - Chapter Three - New York, NY 1803
It was Sebastien that had become ill first. That summer in the city had been particularly warm and wet, restricting much of their usual outdoor entertainments. Sebastien managed the family’s wine imports and exports from the office on the docks in New York harbor. Their father, Etienne Arnault, Baron de St. Auban of Arnoux, had brought his family from France in 1789 to avoid the French Revolution. He’d continued in the family’s hereditary business by setting up a shipping and distribution company in New York city. His wife, Cassandra Vanderbilt, a cousin of the Vanderbilt family, used her connections to get them set up and the business prospered.
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