Rescued
by Miriam
Newman
GENRE: Non-Fiction
BLURB:
What do you do when you are alone
in the world? If you're a nice middle-aged lady with a social conscience, you
go to your local shelter and adopt a rescue dog. Of course, sometimes it isn't
only the dog who needs to be rescued. That's when life might send you a
Dancer-Dog.
Excerpt:
“We’re
home,” I said in that tone you use when you give a dog the good news, and her
soft ears pricked. She sat up, looking
eagerly out the window. She hadn’t come
to any palace, just a hundred-year-old Victorian cottage swamped with evergreens,
bamboo and a lot of weeds I never found time to whack. But it boasted a fascinating yard I had
already decided to have fenced in despite the cost. Sam and I walked the perimeter of the
proposed yard so the dog could pee copiously once more, and then my friend had
to take her leave of us. She had been
walking Dancer and the dog seemed a trifle confused when I took the leash, as
though she had considered Sam her new owner, but when I led her into a warm
place that smelled like food, she went right in.
Kitty,
accustomed to dogs, actually deigned to thump down from the rocking chair to
greet us. The next thing I knew, I was
flattened against the solid oak door as a rampaging whirlwind ripped out of my
unprepared grasp. The cat had MOVED--God
save the mark!—and Dancer responded instantly.
Poor Kitty, who hadn’t run that fast since her youth, whipped up the
slippery wooden steps. She was able to
make good her getaway because Dancer had never before encountered steps. The dog thrashed at the bottom, lunging in
impotent fury, unable to deduce how to get upstairs.
“No!”
I admonished when I could catch my breath.
“Bad dog! No chase!”
She
looked at me as if I was crazy.
“Oh,
come on,” I said, relenting. “Let’s
eat.”
“I
was just about to,” her expression said.
“Where did that cat go, anyway?”
Kitty
had gone to the attic. She stayed there
for a long time and she must have had telepathy with Smudgie, the barn cat,
because I didn’t see old Smudge for days.
Her
food disappeared and so did she.
There
followed a delightful afternoon and evening of snoozing on the couch with the
dog tucked in the same position she had assumed with Sam, in this case flat on
top of me with her nose between my neck and shoulder. As long as her eyes were hidden, that tuck
seemed to say, she couldn’t spot anyone coming to take her away from heaven. A wave of protective warmth suffused my
heart. This dog must have been through
hell. Who knew what awful things had
happened to her? Well, her troubles were
over. I would see to that.
Interview
with Miriam Newman
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
This current book, Rescued, is a
non-fiction account of my first adventure in the wonderful world of animal
rescue. Ordinarily, I am your typical
romance writer with a penchant for history and fantasy, so that will undoubtedly
be where I return.
How long would you say it takes you to write a book?
It can take as little as six months
or kick around for years before it finally “comes out.” Fortunately, while one is brewing there is
usually something else being written.
It’s just that I can feel the other one looming in the back of my brain.
What is your favorite childhood book?
Oh, “The Once and Future King” by
T.H. White introduced me to fantasy with a strong dash of history. I have been enthralled ever since.
What made you want to become a writer?
My mother. Mom didn’t write, but she had a passion and
respect for the written word so strong that I sort of absorbed it by
osmosis. She read me reams of poetry
and, not surprisingly, that was what I first wrote. But it was apparent I was going to write a
novel. It was only a matter of
time.
How long have you been writing?
Since I could print. Seriously.
I used to write my “novels” on Mom’s shopping lists. I’m not sure exactly how she knew what to
buy, but I don’t think she cared.
How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
“Rescued” is the true account of my
first rescue dog, Dancer. I adopted her
from a local shelter after my husband died and although she was the most
neurotic of creatures that dog was a saving grace. She was the proverbial rescue dog that
rescued her human and I thought her story was worth telling. All proceeds from the book will go to rescue
work.
For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book,
where should they start?
If anyone is interested in rescue
work, your local animal shelter is a great place to start. They usually are acquainted with various
rescue groups in your area and it is not hard to form a network of some of the
greatest people and pets you’ll ever know.
Just for fun
(a Favorite song: Yellow
Brick Road by Elton John
(b Favorite book: The Once
and Future King
(c Favorite movie: Lord of
the Rings
(d Favorite tv show: Anything
on History Channel
(e Favorite Food: Oh, the
choices—but probably cheesecake.
(f Favorite drink: Coffee.
Any kind, strong, as much as possible.
(g Favorite website: I can’t
even think—there are too many!
Thanks so much for visiting with us today!
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Fantasy
poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for as long as I can
remember. I was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I
bring that background to my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses,
an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric social services and many
trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My published works range from
contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction
and historical romance. Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a “motley
crew” of rescue animals. You can see my books at www.miriamnewman.com.
Buy Links:
All
proceeds to be donated to Home Free Animal Rescue, Red Bank, NJ.
Giveaway:
$15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
5 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you for hosting this morning!
I've enjoyed following the tour for Rescued and I'm looking forward to checking it out - thanks for sharing all of the great posts along the way.
Thank you for the interview, I only caught the tour in the last 2 days but I'll be checking every post :)
Thank you all. It has been fun~
Post a Comment