Showing posts with label dog stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog stories. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

"Stray Ally" by Troy Lambert

NEW RELEASE and GIVEAWAY
Stray Ally
by Troy Lambert



It's launch day for Stray Ally, the newest book by Troy Lambert, and you're invited to participate! This incredible book is being released by Tirgearr Publishing on 4 March. As ever, Troy's kept everyone abreast of the writing of this book on Facebook, and even had a mini-competition to name it. Troy is a stalwart supporter of other writers and is well worth following. Join Troy's Stray Ally release party on Facebook.
This book launch and giveaway is brought to you by The Finishing Fairies.



Description
A strange accident on the freeway, accusations of murder, and an encounter in the Idaho wilderness all propel Todd Clarke into a new friendship with a dog named Sparky. But Sparky is no ordinary dog, and there is more going on than Clarke could have imagined.
A military commander he investigated for Aryan activity and links to domestic terrorism is after him, and he’s not sure why until another chance encounter provides the answer.
With Sparky and the help of his canine friends, will he be able to figure out the Colonel’s plan and stop him in time? All Clarke knows for sure is none of it would be possible without the help of his Stray Ally.

Excerpt
The skateboard collided with my windshield, and I braked with both feet, screeching forward. The body hit the glass next, spider-webbing it as the skater’s helmet-clad head struck the glass in the center of my vision. The rear view mirror separated from the window and hit the center of the seat with a thud as the car skidded to a stop.
Marsha is gonna be pissed, came the unbidden thought. We just replaced this windshield.
Where did he come from? Creedence still blared from the stereo speakers and I turned the ignition key to the rear. Silence descended, broken a moment later by distant sirens.
I lifted my hand and felt wetness on my forehead, cut by - something. Glass? Must have been.
I opened the door, dazed. Under the helmet, a young face offered a blank stare. Nothing but blackness in the eyes: no color. Not good.
“You okay, kid?” I felt stupid asking. Stupider for expecting a response. “What were you doing on the freeway?”
I heard distant voices. Looked up. Kids, on the overpass above. Did he fall?
They pointed. One slugged the other one. A scuffle broke out and they ran. All of them.
The sirens came closer. Another car pulled up, tires squealing as it stopped, rocking on its springs.
“What happened? Is everyone okay?” the driver asked.
Struck dumb, I just pointed. The skateboard rested half on the roof, half on the shattered windshield. The skater lay below it, unmoving, his left foot against the hood ornament, the Mercedes star cocked sideways.
“Is he ...?”
He didn’t finish, but rushed over, feeling for a pulse, checking for breath. All things I should have done, but couldn’t.
He shook his head, glanced over at me. “What was he doing here?”
I shrugged.
“Did you see him?”
Head wag, substituted for speech.
“Are you okay?”
Another head wag. I couldn’t articulate what was wrong.
“You’re bleeding.”
I managed a nod, and then my legs gave out. I dropped to the pavement and grimaced as my tailbone impacted the hard surface. I heard a whimper. It must have been me, because the other driver rushed over.
I stared ahead, seeing and not seeing the scene.
The sirens got closer, red and blue light illuminated Marsha’s car, the body, the skateboard, the chrome of her wheels, even making the brake lights appear to flash.
Help arrived, even though the boy was clearly beyond help. So was I, but no one knew it yet.

Review
There are no reviews as yet for this NEW RELEASE.

About the Author
Troy Lambert works as a freelance writer, researcher, and editor. He writes historical site characterization reports for those performing remediation on former resource extraction sites, software instruction and help guides, and edits the research of others as well.
Troy's true passion is writing dark, psychological thrillers. His work includes Broken Bones (a collection of his short stories), Redemption (the first in the Samuel Elijah Johnson Series), Temptation (the sequel to Redemption), along with the horror Satanarium (co-authored with Poppet, a brilliant author from South Africa and published by Wild Wolf Publishing). His latest novel, Stray Ally, was published March 2014 by Tirgearr Publishing. Confession, the final book in the Samuel Elijah Johnson Series, will be published May 2014.
Troy lives with his wife of twelve years, two of his five children and two very talented dogs. He is a skier, cyclist, hiker, fisherman, hunter, and a terrible beginning golfer.

Giveaways
Send your story of a dog (your "Stray Ally") that you rescued or that helped you through a hard time to author@troylambertwrites.com by 29 March for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. The winner and story will be shared on Troy's blog Monday, 31 March.
You can also enter the shared giveaway for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

Links



Sunday, March 2, 2014

"My Dog Understands English" by Cherise Kelley

EXCERPT
My Dog Understands English!
by Cherise Kelley


Cherise Kelley, better known for her Dog Aliens series, has recently released a nonfiction account of the amazing things dogs do that make us think they understand what we say. Today you can read an excerpt from Cherise's My Dog Understands English! This book blitz is brought to you by Reading Addiction Book Tours. Please be sure to visit the other participating blogs as well.


Description
Dogs are smarter than we think.
Has your dog ever surprised you by doing something you said the first time? You are not alone! Here are 50 stories about amazing dogs who understood what their humans said. Some even saved lives in the process!
Chloe the golden Beagle braved a hurricane to obey the new command, "I need Dad, Girl."
Ellie the Coonhound helped her human family escape from an angry bear by obeying the new command, "Get it!"
When her human brother said jokingly, "Maybe Cocoa could dig again and find it," Cocoa did just that!
Our Queensland Heeler mix, Raffle, gave me the idea for this book when he finally but unexpectedly ate some green beans off the kitchen floor after I said, "Oh, so you'll eat grass but you won't eat green beans, eh?"

Excerpt
By the time my eyes fluttered open, Hurricane Elvis was already underway.
The entire house was shaking by the time I woke up. The wind angrily pounded at the window with such force that I was sure it was going to break. I sat up and tried to flip the light on, but the power was out. Terrified, I climbed off the bed and hid between it and the wall. I was still disoriented from just waking up, but I remember vividly not being able to hear anything except the storm. As I sat there though, I heard a noise from outside the room.
Mustering up the courage to pull myself up on my knees, I opened the door just in time to see the living room window shatter as a tree flew through it.
As I watched the storm raging inside the house, I grew worried for my sisters. I called for them, but they didn't answer. I could feel the panic swelling up inside me, taking over. I looked over my shoulder. My dog Chloe was close behind me, and I told her to stay. Then, I began my journey across the living room. The plan was to crawl underneath the tree. I could reach the bedroom that way. As I crossed the living room, the wind pushed up.
Before I knew it, the entertainment center was on top of me, pinning my legs down.
Try as I might, I couldn't move. I now realized the predicament I was in. Thankfully, Chloe hadn't listened when I gave her the command to stay. As soon as I was trapped, Chloe was on her stomach, crawling to me. I looked at her with tears in my eyes, and with a whimper, she nudged me.
I whispered, too scared to speak in my normal tone. "I need Dad, Girl."
That was all I said. I never expected anything to come of it. After all, I had never taught her a command that was anywhere close to this. I was only telling her because it made me feel more comfortable. I was so scared, and hugging and talking to my animal made me feel better. But before I could pull her into my arms, she pulled herself out of my grip and ran back in the direction we had come from.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the cold that pressed against my unprotected body. I was rapidly growing numb. I could hear Chloe barking, but faintly so. I didn't realize what she was doing. My dog was getting my dad's attention. Within seconds, he was alerted to the situation and was fighting the storm to get to me. It didn't take much for him to get the window blocked off and the entertainment center off of me. The rest of the storm was waited out quietly.
That was how Chloe became so much more than just the family pet. She saved my life, and all because she understood English so much more than we expected her to.

Review
This is a book of short dog "tails" that highlights the bond between human and their canine best buddies. It emphasizes the fact that dogs are smarter than we give them credit for. Mine, I know, outsmart me all the time.

About the Author
Cherise Kelley grew up in a family of teachers. Her father, Ronald Morris, taught at Arcadia High School in Southern California. Her mother teaches new parents about the special needs of their premature infants. Her sister, Kristine Morris White, is a grand prix level dressage horse trainer.
Mrs. Kelley became a credentialed teacher herself in 1991 through a "fifth year" of study after earning her bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley. She has taught English at the college, high school, and middle school level but prefers to substitute so that she has time for her writing.
Cherise writes fiction from the dog's point of view, for dog lovers of all ages.

Links