Congratulations to the hero pet winners of book #8 HERO DOG and HERO CAT contest! We had 1,919 votes for CAT HEROES, and 4,846 votes for DOG HEROES. The winners not only have their cat or dog featured as a character in PLAY OR PAY thriller, they also get an advanced Ecopy of the book, and a paw-tographed paperback print book when it releases–oh, and bragging rights! I also profile the winners in the FACT OR FICTION back matter of the book.

What’s PLAY OR PAY About?

Enemies surround her. Ties that bind can be fatal. To vindicate her guilt, she’ll need canine help to bring them to justice before they kill again. 

September Day’s new Family complicates her world. Ashamed, but resolved to set right their wrongs, she’s determined to dismantle the sinister crime syndicate before her cop fiancé discovers the tainted relationship.  

When a past trafficking victim confronts her and demands immediate justice, she’s mortified with guilt. Outraged her loved ones are also taken by the killer, September agrees to the ransom. She relies on her German Shepherd Shadow to locate the missing but must reluctantly accept help from her new untrustworthy “Family.” 

Can September and Shadow dodge the kidnapper’s deadly aim, and seize justice for the innocents?

Congratulations to NOAH!

HERO DOG WINNER: Any size, any breed or mix, helps a child victim escape from kidnapper. Strayed from home when July 4 fireworks scared him/her, the dog bonds with the little girl. Noah also stops animals in a herding trial demo from injuring her and helps a couple of would-be rescuers escape their bonds. The hero dog is adopted by girl and family at end of the story.

The winner received 59% of the votes, totaling 2873 votes. Wow!

I’m excited because a “small-size hero dog” has never won before. Heroes come in all sizes!

“My dog’s name is Noah. During Covid, I had to put my dog Sunshine down and needed a friend and companion because my husband recently passed away. I went to the Humane Society, where he chose me. Noah is a Shishon (Shitzu and Bichon). He is white, cream, black, and grey. His favorite toys consist of just about anything he can get his paws on. I think Noah quickly bonds with the little girl (in the story) because of his love for people. Whenever he sees anyone, he has to run over to them and say hello and give them love.” ~~Gail Stambaugh

Congratulations to LORD BYRON!

HERO CAT WINNER: Any size, any breed or mix, travels to festivals in RV with big tattooed male owner. Cat enjoys meeting new people, walks on leash, knows commands like “fetch” and “speak” and delights the crowds. Very confident and brave. Helps thwart the villain by “fetching” a weapon, among other things. A recurring character will adopt this cat, so s/he may appear in future stories, too.

The winner received almost 78% of the votes, totaling 1494. Wow!

And what a testament that love has no bounds–and learning new skills happens at any age.

“This is Lord Byron. As you can see, he is leash trained. He is a 22-pound long-haired gray. His previous owner had a massive stroke and could no longer take care of him. We were warned he liked to sneak out of doors and after a couple of attempts, we decided to leash train him so he could go outside supervised. His previous owner obviously was a literature lover, hence his name. He is a love bug and purr box and loves attention. If you lie down all 22 pounds will sit on your chest. Lord Byron talks – a lot. He tells you when he wants attention. He tells you when he’s grumpy because he’s not getting his way. He tells you when he wants outside. He has an unusual tail. It is short and ends with a few inches at an abrupt right angle. Something must have happened to him before his original owner James adopted him.” ~~Carol Viescas 

PLAY OR PAY Coming in October

This weekend, I complete finishing touches on the manuscript (including details about Noah and Lord Byron). Also, I just got the draft copy of the book cover–YOU’LL LOVE IT! Once confirmed, I’ll share the cover, with pre-order information for those interested.

Also–FYI (I’ve mentioned this before), I liked Shaun’s cover design so much, he’s rebranding covers for the whole series. Woot! Yes, I’ll share those soon, too. Nothing changes inside the books, so I don’t want folks to get confused with the change. This will be the 5th cover re-do for the series. Yep, that’s not unusual, and they keep getting better. This time… oh my doG and cats! You’ll love ’em.