Good morning!
WELCOME TO PIT STOP NUMBER TWO!
LOVE TO THE RESCUE BLOG TOUR
March 12, 2013
In case this is the first time you’ve popped over to check out my website, let me introduce myself. I live with my husband and an adorable (at least in my opinion) Bichon Shih Tzu named Kelly, in Calgary, Canada. Almost everyone in North America has heard of Calgary, the home of the Calgary Stampede. My husband and I raised two sons, and we’re now grandparents to three wonderful kids. I write contemporary and western historical romance with those happily-ever-after endings. And I love animals, especially small fluffy dogs like Kelly here. 
Love To The Rescue is a contemporary romance that has been described as a feel-good read. And one of the secondary characters is a dog. No surprise, right?
Here’s the blurb:
For almost two years, Amy MacArthur has mourned her husband’s untimely death, vowing to never love another. Now, after surviving a burglary, Amy welcomes a new man into her life, the handsome police officer who attended the B and E at her home.
Frightened by the intruder’s ugly threats, Amy adopts an abused rescue dog for companionship and protection while hoping to heal the animal’s damaged spirit. In turn, could her new pet help a depressed child recover from a devastating loss?
The new additions to her life are stirring a renewed desire to fulfill her fondest wish: a family of her own. But Amy is torn between preserving her husband’s memory and pursuing a new love. Is her heart willing to risk the devastating pain of losing a loved one again?
Or is she just one catastrophe away from losing it all?
Amy MacArthur is a young widow and welcoming another man into her life is the last thing on her mind. But she can’t deny the immediate attraction she feels toward Kevin. In spite of her best efforts to ignore her feelings, Amy finds herself falling for the handsome police officer. But she’s torn between honoring her late husband’s memory and giving herself permission to move on with her life.
You might be asking yourself, is that a typical reaction for a young widow?
I discussed this matter with a good friend of mine and fellow author of the Sunset Crescent Series, Louise Behiel. Louise holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology, and she offered me invaluable assistance on a variety of topics during the writing of this novel. Louise introduced me to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Both the person dying and those left behind pass through these stages. For detailed information, please consult this website. http://www.ekrfoundation.org/five-stages-of-grief/ Getting back to my heroine, Amy has worked through the stages. She realizes that her girlfriends are right and she should be getting back into the social scene including dating again.
If you haven’t read the book yet, you might be wondering how Amy’s husband died. Tragically, his car was hit by a drunk driver late one night on his way home from work. I cannot imagine how difficult this would be for anyone in that situation! Your loved one is here one day and ripped from your life the next. And Amy’s beloved stepfather was killed by a drunk driver, too. Hit and run. The person responsible was never found, never prosecuted, never punished. But Amy is a strong woman, and she’s survived both of these devastating losses in her life and another difficult loss you’ll read about in the story.
There are several options available for people facing such a horrible time in their lives. Most people would be surrounded by family and friends at a time like this. Of course, some people have no idea what to do or what to say. Sometimes friends stay away because of this. Anyone grieving the loss of a loved one should consider grief counseling with a specialist. Here in Calgary, there are agencies that specialize in grief counseling such as Calgary Counseling Services and other family group services. Ask a doctor, social worker, or clergyman for help in finding these agencies in any North American city or town.
I’m certain everyone has a friend who lost someone close – a parent, a spouse, another friend, a co-worker. What can you do to help? Just be there. It might seem pretty clichéd but calling ahead and bringing a gift of food to their home will always be appreciated. Just mailing a sympathy card will mean a lot to the person and he or she will know you care whether you attend the funeral or not. Some people just don’t do funerals! But it’s not because they don’t care.
In time, take a widow or a friend out for a meal in a nice restaurant. Instead of worrying about ‘what to say’ just LISTEN. Provide a strong, caring shoulder to cry on and lend an ear when your friend needs/wants to talk. Encourage the person to reminisce about the happy times she and the deceased shared together. Every effort, no matter how small, will be appreciated. Everyone grieves in their own way and in their own time. Eventually, you’ll know when your friend is ready to move on, as Amy’s friends did in my story.
Amy does move on and a romance blossoms between Amy and Kevin. But although she allows a new man into her life, their romance hits a few rocky patches. And of course, Amy has Rover who returns her love unconditionally, like most pets. Anyone with a pet in their lives will find comfort in the animal while working through the grieving process.
Thank you so much for dropping by today. Anyone leaving a comment will be entered to win one of ten digital copies of When Dreams Collide, the sequel to A Bandit Creek Miracle. Winners will be drawn at the end of the blog tour on March 15th. And check out the special ‘Irish’ blog that will be posted right here on my website on March 17th. Rover isn’t the only one who is ‘Irish’!
Here is the link to Love To The Rescue in Ebook version and Print version http://amzn.to/Si97FR
If you rescued a dog or cat, please email your pet’s story, including permission to post your story here on my website, to brendasinclairauthor@gmail.com
Please read the rescue story of our family dog, Beau, and other pet rescue stories by clicking on Rescue Stories above. You can also find me on Facebook brendasinclairauthor and on Twitter @bsinclairauthor
The next stop on the LOVE TO THE RESCUE BLOG TOUR will be tomorrow March 13, 2013 (hey…03 13 2013) at A Purrfect Read http://trh87books.blogspot.ca/ where I’ll discuss the importance of family as a theme in my writing. Hope to see you there.
