Brenda’s Banter & Balm

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2013

I recently completed a blog tour to promote my book Love To The Rescue. Thank you to everyone who purchased a copy and congratulations to the ten winners of a digital copy of When Dreams Collide. Happy Reading to all!

 As you know by now I live in Calgary with my husband and my Bichon Shih Tzu cross named Kelly. I have two grown sons and three wonderful grandchildren. I write happily-ever-after contemporary and western historical romances.

And I love animals! So it’s not surprising that I wrote a book featuring a rescue dog. Rover is an Irish setter and he plays an important role in the book. While the heroine is providing him with a furever home, Rover helps an unhappy and troubled little girl overcome a devastating loss in her life. (By the way, there are no spelling mistakes in that last sentence.)  

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?

Good morning!

WELCOME TO PIT STOP NUMBER ONE!

LOVE TO THE RESCUE BLOG TOUR

March 6, 2013

On day one of the LOVE TO THE RESCUE BLOG   TOUR, I mentioned that the original title for the book was Red Rover. I promised to relate the story about the change, and I’ll do that today. But first, a little insight into Rover and his personality.

Rover is a very good dog, and Amy’s nickname for him is Big Guy. Most readers fall in love with him.  Of course, like all dogs, the big guy tests his new owner. 

The morning after Rover is adopted, my heroine wakes up to discover him sleeping on the bed with her despite the fact he was snuggled up in his own bed on the floor when she fell asleep the night before.  Amy and Rover have a discussion about bed ownership and he remains in his own bed after that.  Also, Rover enjoys an encounter with a feather pillow later in the story, and I’m certain you can imagine what happens there! Like most rescued pets, Rover settles into his new forever home quite well considering the abuse and neglect he’d experienced prior to being adopted.

At the end of the book, the reader learns about Rover’s past owners and how the dog came up for adoption. The poor guy survived quite the ordeal, but he has found a wonderful home with Amy.

I’m actually allergic to dogs that shed like Rover. That’s one reason why I have always owned small non-shedding dogs like Kelly and Beau and Candy. But I love Irish setters and their beautiful red coats.

As I’ve mentioned, the original title for the book was Red Rover because of the dog’s coloring and his name. Remember the kid’s playground game? Who doesn’t remember playing Red Rover as a kid?

But, I required a tagline (the description that runs across the top of the cover). I asked for help with this little problem at one of my writer group meetings and several suggestions were put forth. None of them seemed right. And then Love to the rescue… was suggested, and everyone in the room, including me, knew we had a winner.

Hi! I’m looking forward to the Love To The Rescue Blog Tour from March 4th to March 15th. I’ll be discussing the book, the characters, and several topics or themes relating to the story. Check below for details and for a list of sites and dates where you’ll find me.

Click Here for Tour Details!

 Drop by and leave a comment to win one of TEN ecopies of When Dreams Collide, the sequel to A Bandit Creek Miracle.

See you there!

Happy Family Day, Everyone!

The sun isn’t shining, but it’s not snowing. Hope you have a wonderful day!

And Happy President’s Day to all my neighbors to the south!

Keep reading, please. This isn’t going where you might think.

My favorite ‘F’ word without a doubt is Family. In fact, family is a recurring theme in most of my writing. But running a close second is the word Friendship. I love the concept of Friendship – people we welcome into our lives because we want them there. Unlike family members whom we might absolutely adore or barely tolerate, sharing time with friends is our choice. People we share common interests with – work, children, pets, exercise, sports or hobbies. Good times and bad. There’s nothing as wonderful as a good friend.

Over the years, I’ve met some wonderful women, and I’ve enjoyed some great friendships. But three women in particular shared an astounding experience with me a few years ago.