Books

In this prequel to the Dogwood series, you’ll learn how the legend of the matchmaking dog came to be, and meet many of the quirky characters who made life in Dogwood, Colorado interesting over the years. The short stories include:

“A Forever Kind of Love” by Pam McCutcheon  When two high school sweethearts are reunited after he returns from the military, can they find love again?

“Gone to the Dogs” by Laura Hayden  When two strangers drive together cross-country to deliver a school bus, they rescue several stray dogs along the way. But will they be able to rescue each other?

“The Cowboy and the Librarian” by Jodi Anderson  Caught together in a snowstorm, can a cowboy and a librarian find common ground with the help of a canine matchmaker?

“A Match in Disguise” by Pam McCutcheon  Susan Brown has always hated her bland, boring name and life. Will a reunion with the town’s golden boy help her shine?

“Rescuing Nora” by Jude Willhoff  When Nora Blake wrecks her car in a snowstorm, will she freeze to death before she can reunite with her estranged husband?

“In Search of a Match” by Sharon Silva  Determined to find her soul mate, Emily Harrington accidentally kidnaps the town’s matchmaking dog. Will Match be able to help her find her soul mate...or will the handsome police officer intervene?

“Give a Dog a Chance” by Karen Fox  Dog trainer Jenna Howard proposes a program to give rescued dogs and prison inmates a second chance, but will Brand Thatcher, the man who dumped her after high school, approve it?

“Take Me Home” by Angel Smits  When Gina and Ted find their marriage hitting a rough patch, can their marriage be saved with the help of their grandchild and a special dog?

This collection of stories range from humorous to emotional, but each and every one is a heartwarming story about couples who are fated to be together, and the dogs who love them. Dogwood, Colorado: where the best things in life are rescued. 

The short stories include:
“The Book of Matches” by Pam McCutcheon  A scrapbook of the first matches seems to imply Match isn’t 100% accurate. Can an eager reporter save the town’s reputation—and his own—with the help of an attractive historian?

“Once Upon a Hero” by Sharon Silva  Lacy Morgan follows the clues found in an old Mason jar from the time capsule to unravel a mysterious message hidden since World War II. As she and Chaney Roberts dig into her family’s past, they discover a love story like no other.

“Small-Town Treasure” by Torie Fox  Handywoman Louisa Clarke can do pretty much anything: fix a fan, unclog a drain, or build a wall—including the one around her heart. But when the town’s time capsule reveals a match to her cherished heirloom necklace, can she keep her walls up in the face of a charming jewelry appraiser who seems as interested in her as in her jewels?

“Royal Exposure” by Karen Fox  When Shelley Malloy examines the items from the newly opened time capsule, she never expects to find an old photo of a prince visiting Dogwood and his sister who looks just like Shelley. She’s determined to find out if she’s related to the prince and newspaper reporter Heath Turner has signed on to help her. Only one problem—is he interested in her or the article he could get?

“Chasing Mayberry” by Jodi Anderson  When Grady Hamlin accidentally rear-ends Trixie McDevitt, she is charmed by the handsome doctor. But how can she risk her heart with a man who might be leaving when her focus is on her dream of opening her own pie shop? Especially when she learns that the time capsule might have a clue to her family legacy.

“Penny’s Promise” by Jude Willhoff  A haunting poem from the past, a hidden secret, and a missing item from the time capsule bring Josie Evans and Henry Winters together. Will their search for answers to the mystery give them a second chance at romance?

“A Letter from George” by Laura Hayden  Lost, stolen, or strayed? Several artifacts are missing from the time capsule display and someone has put fakes in their place. It'll take the expertise of Cole Lattimer and the inventiveness of Miranda "Randi" Moon to track down the culprit and recover the missing items.

“No Place Like Home” by Angel Smits  When Amelia Reade returns home to small-town Dogwood after losing her big-city job, will her past continue to haunt her, or will Mitch Callahan’s open arms give her the home she’s always desperately wanted?

Dogwood, Colorado: where the best things in life are rescued.

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."  ~ St. Francis of Assisi

Stop dreaming and start doing today! Take control of your writing career on your own terms with this 12-step author business plan for writing success. After all, your book is more than a work
of art. It's also a commercially viable product that readers will want to purchase and bookstores will compete to sell. If traditional publishers require a business plan for each and every book they market, why shouldn't you? It's time to take the reins and be professional by creating a business plan for your work so you can join the world-wide publishing party! Don't wait a minute longer.

Get started today on the right path by following the principles in From Dreamer to Doer: A 12-Step Indie Author Business Plan for Writing Success.

• Define your business. What do you want from your business?
• Create a business plan for each of your books.
• Prepare a media sheet for each book
• Brand yourself, not just the book you're publishing today.
• Social media and book marketing. You must think about your book in terms of its commercial viability.
• A list of promotion services to help with your marketing plan
• Setting a budget for your writing. Calculate the cost of publishing your book.
• Pricing Strategy. Discover how to look at competition creatively
• Targeted audience and metadata. Determine how your author platform will help your book succeed.
• Newsletter. Determine who your reader is and the size of your audience.
• Understanding your website.
• How to set achievable writing goals.

Pick up a copy today and change from dreamer to doer. Make your publishing dreams a reality

SHE’S NOTHING HE EXPECTED…

After being betrayed by her cheating ex-husband, Cindy Dawson makes a major decision to go after what she wants—a family of her own. Being the last single woman in her group of friends in Cedar Falls, Colorado, Cindy decides she needs to leave town—their happiness is killing her. She takes a job in Denver and joins a singles group to find her soul mate. To realize her dream, she’ll risk rejection and dating frogs to find her prince.

BUT EVERYTHING HE NEEDS…

Officer Jack Riley wants nothing more than to be left alone. He does freelance writing and works nights. When he goes undercover to get the story about dating in the singles scene he hates the idea. Then he meets Cindy.  He realizes there is more to life than grieving the loss of loved ones and fighting his demons. He isn’t really living, if he’s not out there experiencing life in all its messiness—the good, the bad and the love.

Cindy and Jack must learn to forgive the past in order to find their own Sweet Home Colorado.

Chronic pain disables more people than cancer or heart disease. More than eighty-six million patients have been diagnosed. One out of three will have this condition. This book takes a no-nonsense approach that can be understood by chronic pain patients, families, friends and professionals alike. It is a practical guide describing lifestyle changes others can learn and use to take control of the pain. Share the struggles and triumphs of the following types of chronic pain patients:

• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Pain Due To Compression Fractures From Osteoporosis
• Failed Back Syndrome Pain
• Cancer Pain
• Arachnoiditis Pain
• Abdominal Pai

Dyan Evans is reluctant to return to Dogwood, Colorado where Jack Donovan broke her heart nine years ago. But she’s inherited the family realty business and is determined to make a success of it. With any luck, she can avoid seeing him altogether.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans. Jack has grown into a handsome, caring man, and now works for the Dogwood police department, which she is forced to deal with all too often as she attracts funny, oddball situations like a magnet. Though her feelings for him start to stir again, she backs off when she learns he is engaged to her high-school nemesis, Carolyn.

Jack isn’t sure how he let himself get manipulated into this engagement with Carolyn, but when Dyan shows up in his life again, he realizes how much he still cares for his high-school sweetheart. He has to break it off with Carolyn before he can pursue Dyan, but he doesn’t want to hurt Carolyn’s feelings. Rock, meet hard place. Maybe he can convince Carolyn breaking the engagement is her idea.

Despite Dyan’s frequent misadventures as a real estate broker, and the chaos they often cause, Jack feels the chemistry between them grow. But his principles won’t allow him to pursue Dyan until he’s a free man. If that ever happens, can he convince Dyan to let the past go and plan a future with him?

Love at First Bark is a stand-alone sweet romance, third in the Dogwood series (may be read in any order). If you like reading about second chances, matchmaking dogs, and humorous situations, you’ll enjoy this book.

Gemma MacKade was found in the desert near an ancient meteorite crater when she was a baby, but no one knows anything about her mysterious origins. Now eighteen years old, she is annoyed when her peers taunt her about being part alien. Since she’s always been strangely drawn to the stars and has strong psychic abilities, Gemma’s beginning to wonder if they might be right. With her reputation for weirdness, will she be able to find a date for the prom?

When Ari Stith arrives on Earth and meets Gemma, he experiences strong feelings for her, emotions his people gave up long ago. But he can’t act on them—he has been sent to Earth to retrieve Gemma—a long-lost Star Child—as well as powerful disks left by Star People who crashed on Earth long ago. First, though, he must work with Gemma to find out why her town is suddenly plagued by UFO sightings, cattle mutilations, abductions, and murder . . . and prove his people aren’t to blame.

IT WAS AN OFFER SHE COULDN’T REFUSE...

Grace Sanders lost everything that mattered to her, her health to a debilitating disease and her husband to another woman. Experimental surgery gave back her health, but couldn’t repair her heart. Only time will heal the damage left behind by an unfaithful man so Grace throws herself into a new project—to save her trusting grandmother from being preyed on by an ex-con.

A MAN SHE COULDN’T TRUST...

Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, Seth Taylor lost everything that mattered to him, years with his daughter and the belief he’ll never love again. Released from prison, he finds a job as a ranch foreman at the Cactus Rose Ranch in Cedar Falls, Colorado. His widowed boss refuses to let growing old destroy her dreams and she believes in second chances.

DREAMS LOST...

After her father dies in a suspicious car crash, a grieving Jenna Myers moves to Denver to manage the apartment complex she inherits. The crime goes unsolved. But when one of her tenants is also murdered, Jenna must face a dark truth. It was a case of mistaken identity. Not only was her father’s death no accident. The killer is after her.

AND LOVE FOUND...

When Homicicde Detective Michael Locassio saves Jenna from a burning apartment, the sparks fly--literally! He may be surly and gorgeous, but she needs his help to solve the murders. She may be beautiful and spirited, but he needs her out of his way. The last thing Michael wants is for Jenna to end up dead like her tenant—his undercover agent.

Of all the risks Jenna and Michael must take, their greatest may be the risk of loving someone and accepting love as they find their Sweet Home Colorado.

He’s not what she expected…

Starseed is a paranormal romantic suspense about Elle Thomas, a hairstylist with psychic abilities. When her hometown of Sweetwater, Colorado is suddenly plagued by UFO sightings, cattle mutilations, abductions and murder, fear is in the hearts of its citizens. Because of her abilities, Elle is shunned. An orphan found in the wilderness, strangely drawn to the stars, she has always been taunted by her peers about being part alien. It’s the last thing she’d ever wanted to be, but her strong psychic abilities make things worse than ever for her. When she meets a handsome mysterious stranger, Kole Stith, her attraction to him is overwhelming and she can’t understand why the feelings aren’t mutual. Her abilities tell her otherwise.

She’s what he never knew he always wanted…

Confirmed bachelor Kole Stith is sent to Earth to retrieve a Starseed—Elle Thomas, and the Dropa Stones—disks that hold secrets of the universe and return them to the Ancient One. Kole discovers he possesses human emotions and falls for Elle. But he must put his feelings aside and discover who is abducting and murdering the citizens of Sweetwater to prove his people aren’t to blame. And fulfill his mission on Earth: Together, Elle and Kole are the only hope to heal Eath's endangered, polluted waters.

This boxed set of romance novels includes the stories of three best friends, Grace Saunders, Cindy Dawson and Jenna Myers.  Each must struggle to embrace finding true love.  Sometimes when you are blessed, taking a second chance on love can give you the happy ending you've always dreamed of.

Contains No Direction Home, Fly Away Home and Home Sweet Home.