by Jennie Chen & Giselle Nevada

Pictures by Ann Kelble

Genre: Children’s Picture Book, Pets 

Customer Review

Maria Catalina Egan

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful, Clever and Fun

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2023

This is a fabulous idea as a learning tool when for people adjusting to a new puppy. It is also a fabulous keepsake because as we all know the “puppy” stage is fleeting.
It is a fun, interactive, cleverly organized journal. A fabulous gift for new pet owners. A true FIVE STARS.

The Puppy Adventures of Porter & Midge: Out and About

by Daniel V. Meier, Jr.

A Murder/Mystery Thriller

Frank Adams Series, Book One

 

Murder/Mystery Thriller

Date Published: 05-16-2023

Publisher: BQB Publishing

 

It was cold and rainy, with low visibility. A perfect morning for sabotage. The company jet carrying a Senior VP mysteriously crashes shortly after taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says it was an accident. The victim’s wife says it was murder. Frank Adams, an independent aviation accident investigator has been hired to find out. Mounting evidence and an additional murder convince Adams that there was indeed foul play.

As what seemed to be disparate events become increasingly linked, Frank reveals a crime of international dimensions. Accustomed to working independently, Frank is forced to call on the help of an old girlfriend as well as a retired DC cop. But unraveling the truth could cost him his life as well as the lives of his friends.

 

About the Author

A retired Aviation Safety Inspector for the FAA, Daniel V. Meier, Jr. has always had a passion for writing. During his college years, he studied History at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW) and American Literature at The University of Maryland Graduate School.  In 1980 he published an Action/Thriller, Mendosa’s Treasure with Leisure Books under the pen name of Vince Daniels.

He worked briefly for the Washington Business Journal as a journalist and has been a contributing writer/editor for several aviation magazines. Guidance to Death is a return to a favorite genre of his, Action/Thriller/with the added intrigue of Murder/Mystery.

Other books by Dan are Blood Before Dawn, the sequel to the award-winning novel, The Dung Beetles of Liberia. Bloodroot, also a Historical novel about the Jamestown settlement in the early 1600s and No Birds Sing Here, is a work of Satirical Literary Fiction.

Dan and his wife live in Owings, Maryland, about twenty miles south of Annapolis and when he’s not writing, they spend their summers sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.

 

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A Children’s Book

by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada

 

Children’s Book

Date Published: 05-16-2023

Publisher: Raise the Woof Press LLC

 

CJ and Lora are on a mission. They want to ride on a float during the Independence Day Parade with their new puppies. But their camp counselor says puppies need basic puppy training before they can be in the parade. How will CJ and Lora train their puppies to be confident, calm, and open to learning new things? Will they be ready in time to ride the float in the parade?

Introducing The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About – a quick introduction to early socialization and training for puppies that will make them outstanding canine citizens and wonderful family pets. Kids will love following along with the two puppies’ story as they learn about how to take care of their own pup.  Use the included checklists to go on real-life adventures together with your furry friend!

 

 

Jennie Chen

Jennie Chen has been active in purpose bred dogs since 2001 earning over 75 titles in conformation, competitive obedience, rally, herding, lure coursing, weight pull, drafting, water rescue, packing, and animal assisted therapy. Her first AKC Champion was a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Ch Dixieland Blazing Maximus, CGC, HIT, SS, SWET, WETT, HIC, WETX, WTXX, WPD, DD, WWDS, RN, CD, THDA, VGS, 2017 GSMDCA Ambassador of the Breed, “Mouse.” Mouse was the first Greater Swiss Mountain Dog to earn any Water Rescue titles, and he was spokesdog for the Keep Austin Dog Friendly trend for many years appearing in magazines, news clips, and serving the community as an animal assisted therapy dog. Keep Austin Dog Friendly was nominated for a Webby Award in 2016.

In addition to Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, she also owns a pride of Lowchen or The Little Lion Dogs. In 2019, she piloted her Lowchen, GCHS Musicbox Got Your Six at Roman Reign “Target” to #1 All-Systems, #1 OH for 2019 and 2020. Target went on to win the Breed at the AKC National Championship in 2019, Westminster in 2020, and Best in Specialty Show in 2021.

Jennie has served on various board and committee positions in the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America, the Lowchen Club of America, as well as regional Newfoundland and Bernese Mountain Dog Clubs. She is a GSMDCA draft judge and weight pull judge.

 Giselle Nevada

Originally from the Philippines, Giselle came to the US to attend Wellesley College where she studied Economics. After graduation, she worked in managing risk/compliance teams, specializing in machine learning and more recently, risk policy.

Giselle has owned several mastiffs over the past 20 years, some from reputable breeders and others she rescued as adults. Her experience with rescuing and fostering mastiffs led her to become interested in socialization as a way of preventing future issues. She enjoys working with her dogs and has trained them in various canine sports such as carting, conformation, agility, rally, trick dog, nose work, and more. Her puppy, Porter, is an example of the success of early socialization, having earned multiple performance dog titles and even starred in a movie directed by Marian Yeager called “Match Me If You Can.”

Giselle is an active member of various dog clubs such as the Scentwork ATX Club, Capitol Dog Training Club of Austin, and the Mastiff Club of America. She has lived in Austin for over two decades, and her passion for dogs and socialization continues to inspire her work.

 

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The Honor of Outcasts, Book One

 

Historical Romance

Date Published: 04-06-2023

Publisher: Sunset Petals Press, LLC

 

A man who finds his power in the blade of a sword.

A King and Queen who find their peace in each other.

And the cruel woman who twists their fates in her wicked hands.

 

Hayden is exiled to the castle of Engleside.  As the bastard son of the King, he hates his rich and powerful father for not saving his beloved mother.  And he is hated by the Queen, who sees him as a threat to her son’s throne.  Hayden’s only companion is Mal, a fast-talking troublemaker, and his only salvation is his love of wielding a sword.

Magnus and Solveig are the much loved King and Queen of Gurnhaven.  In warmth and laughter, they raise their children and rule their kingdom.  But their peace is threatened when soldiers from Engleside ride into one of their villages, forcing Magnus to try and avoid a war while Solveig warns that it’s inevitable.

Hayden knows if a war breaks out, the Queen will send him, hoping he doesn’t return.  But he isn’t the only one who has to navigate the twisted plans of the calculating Queen.  She has entire kingdoms in her grasp.

 

An epic of kingdoms at war, woven with the intimate love stories of those fighting to control their own futures, The Honor of Outcasts series shows how some passions burn so strongly, they can bring empires to the ground.

 

Excerpt

 

Dear Hayden,

          You are more than battles and blood.  Your hands have taken countless lives, yet they have been placed so gently, so delicately upon me, and caressed me so tenderly and deeply into love that I was, for moments, no longer bound within my skin.  And there you would meet me, outside of our bodies, where we entwined the parts of us that exist much deeper than our sweating flesh and rushing blood.

          Your hands, who drop their weapons to draw me closer, let me have them.  I will care for them.  I will give them a new purpose.  I will take your hands and dig them into the earth until the soil releases its bounty for us to feast upon.  And when we fill our stomachs, they shall rise together in laughter, for joy is the bounty of freedom earned.  We will laugh, and while your lips curve like the crescent moon, I will teach you peace.

          The weight of war has beared so heavily upon your shoulders that they now have the strength to carry the foundations of a nation.  One not so cold as an empire, but one where fires burn for comfort and warmth.  For while kings have used you to destroy, they have given your arms the power to heave these stones and trees and build a haven, where hearts touch, sun warms, trees sway.

          Be not haunted by the scars you bear or the skill you wield, they will see us protected.  And in my arms, you will see the beauty in what you’ve become, and find the peace you have long been fighting for.

                                                                                 With All My Love

 

          The battle waged around him, and Hayden thought of plants, green, soft, and sun-warmed, growing up from the ground like soldiers who were born and died in peacetime.  The tomatoes they bore were a fluorescent red, the opposite shade of the blood that covered him.  One red was the color of death, and the other was life.

          They were her plants, tended and kept by her soft, loving hands because she was peace and he was war, and it didn’t take him long to feel which one was stronger.

          She was the world around him, and everywhere he looked he saw her.  The forest was her eyes, a place where you could look deeper and deeper for eternity.  Her hair flowed like a river.  Her skin was warm as the sun, and when she spoke it was moonlight, the only thing to grasp in the darkness.

          He remembered the feeling of her face against his hand, the softness of her neck, how she would move her body in his hands so he could touch all of her and she could feel him everywhere.  He wanted nothing but those moments, but violence took him anyway.

          He carried her letter with him, he couldn’t feel it against his skin, but he knew it was there, written in a time when there was no fighting, and instead, they had futures, full of warm, ripening tomatoes, growing serene and safe on their vines.

 

 

About the Author

Dahlia Red lives in the United States and gives her time to books.  She is excited to share The Honor of Outcasts series with you.  You can find her on Instagram and facebook @dahliaredwrites.

 

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by DV Fischer & Amanda K. Mann

Genre: Dark Curvy Girl Vampire Romance 

Bound by Blood

by C.G. Coppola

 

The Coyote And The Companion Series, Book 2

 

Urban Fantasy Romance

Date Published: 6-23-2023

 

 

After an unexpected hookup, I end up dating Grayson Knight—my former mortal enemy. We still argue constantly, and I’m sure we’ll break up at some point, but after a family dinner goes well with Dad—the city’s Police Sergeant—I have hope.

Then I start noticing things. Like how Grayson gets called away at odd times, or how skilled he is with gymnastics. Then there was the fight at school—the one where he dominated his opponent. None of it seems important until we’re attacked by a monstrous creature—and Grayson springs into action. It’s almost like he knows what to do…like he’s done it before.

Knowing something is off, I confront him about his unusual behavior, but he dismisses it. Not satisfied, I decide to discover the truth for myself. Because Grayson has a secret—and I’m going to find out what.

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Historic Romance

Date Published: 12-12-2022

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

 

In 1944, a German artillery shell destroyed Milt Greenlee’s future in professional baseball. His hideously scarred face and useless arm require him to relearn and recondition. But no amount of rehab will restore his looks or his self-confidence. There’s no chance a “cripple” like him could catch the eye of the stunning Nurse McEwen 

Army Nurse, Annie McEwen dreams her voice will take her far away from her hateful, overbearing father. She hopes Milt, a patient who fought in Sicily, might be the one who can help her find closure with the death of her cousin.

As their attraction grows, how can their relationship survive Annie’s fears and Milt’s secret?

 

Excerpt

Milt stirred from half-sleep when he heard a commotion near the door. A starched-white nurse murmured instructions to an orderly who juggled a metal tray loaded with supplies. A second orderly, also holding a tray, managed the door. Once inside, both men obediently followed the nurse to the first bed in the ward, just to Milt’s right. 

When the nurse flashed the patient a smile, Milt’s breath caught. With those red lips curving up, her cheek dimpled and, even across the few feet between them, he saw the twinkle in her eye. 

When she turned to take something from one of the trays, he studied her face: pale skin, perfectly shaped, delicate nose, and auburn hair pulled back and tucked underneath her white nurse’s cap. 

The singer! Could it be her? In his ward? 

She hadn’t been here yesterday. She must have been off duty for the show. 

She plunged a needle into the soldier’s exposed buttock. Her face winced as if she was on the receiving end of the stabbing pain. When she withdrew the needle, she vigorously rubbed the site of the injection and gave the patient an apologetic smile. He grinned back at her like a guilty schoolboy who’d taken his just punishment. 

“We missed you, Nurse McEwen,” the patient said. 

“Thank you,” she replied. 

Returning the hypodermic to one of the trays, the beauty dressed in white moved away from the first bed and approached Milt. 

“Good morning, soldier.” She met his gaze and for an instant he saw recognition before she shut it down as if she’d never seen him before. “Time for your penicillin shot,” she said. Her melodious speaking voice almost matched her singing voice. 

“Sure,” Milt replied, making an effort to smile despite his pounding head. If she didn’t want to acknowledge their brief encounter the previous day, why should he care? It didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy having a beautiful singer as his nurse. 

“Which side?” she asked. 

“Huh?” Had that sound come from him? 

“Which side do you want the shot in? Right or left?” 

He watched her lips form the words. Soft, expressive lips. He blinked, knowing he had to reply. “Uh, left is okay.” The cast on his left arm stuck out so much it made it near impossible to roll onto his left side to expose his right cheek. Which made the left as his only choice. In the last few weeks, he’d gotten so many shots in his left butt cheek it probably looked like a purple pin cushion. 

“All right. Just roll over and push down your pajama bottoms.” She turned to retrieve a hypo from one of the trays. 

Embarrassment bloomed at the thought of this beautiful woman perusing his exposed bottom. Shots in the butt were routine, he told himself. But they weren’t usually administered by a lovely red head who sang like an angel. And who had a shapely figure hidden underneath that white uniform. He had to distract her and himself. 

“Are those your backup singers?” he asked, finally grasping a coherent thought. 

“What?” She turned back to face him. “What did you say?” 

Determined to make an impression on her, he turned on the charm. “Your backup singers. Aren’t you gonna sing for us?” 

Her eyes crinkled up into a shy smile and pink spread across her face. “Not today, I’m afraid.” 

“That’s a shame. I really enjoyed your singing.” 

She inserted the hypodermic needle into a vial of medicine. “Thanks.” Her reply sounded a little distant as she concentrated on getting the exact amount of medicine into the syringe. 

Milton lay there watching the vision in white and remembering the sexy blue dress she had worn on stage. 

Her gaze returned to his but this time a frown marred her features. “I said to roll over, soldier.” 

“Oh, yeah.” Milton pulled the cover aside with his right hand and rolled his body while keeping his gaze fixed on her face. 

“And push down your pajamas,” she instructed. 

Milton glanced at his casted arm jutting out toward the ceiling and bent at the elbow. His fingers protruded from beneath the hard stuff but remained useless. 

Her face flushed crimson as she realized the futility of her request. 

“I’m so sorry. Here, let me help you.” Her gentle voice conveyed understanding. 

He felt the heat rising and looked away before she saw the tell-tale color. 

Her cool fingers brushed his skin as she pulled the waistband of his pajamas down to expose his rear end for all to see, including her. 

He closed his eye tight and waited for the pierce of the needle. Instead, he felt her gentle touch. 

“Just relax.” She spoke so softly it felt like her words were just for him. Then he heard her humming the same tune she had sung on stage. His mind drifted back to that vision of loveliness, only this time she sang just for him. He barely felt the needle prick. 

“There. All done.” She gave the site a gentle massage then pulled his pajamas back into place. 

When he rolled back over to face her, a smile lit up her face, not to make fun of him, but to convey her understanding of his awkwardness. 

He managed a nod when she patted his leg. Then she and her accomplices moved on to the next bed. 

“Come back any time.” Milt flashed his most winning smile. She rewarded his effort with a deeper blush. Their gazes locked for a fraction of a second. He wished he could extend that connection indefinitely. Already her attention had shifted to her next patient.

About the Author

Barbara Whitaker  was born in the wrong decade. She loves everything about the 1940’s and WWII, so she decided to write about it. Her historical romances embody that fascinating era in history. Visit Barbara’s website http://www.barbarawhitaker.com

 

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