Everyone knows there’s a special kind of companionship that comes with having a pet, so when my daughter was three years old, my husband and I decided to get a cat.  We knew we weren’t having any more children, so we wanted a sweet, furry friend to add to our small family.  After a lot of searching, we found the perfect rescue cat named Luna.  Before we brought her home, we prepared the house with everything we would need—the cat supplies, the food, the toys, etc.  We had long conversations with our daughter about how special it was going to be, and we were all very excited to bring Luna into our lives.  Boosted by the absolute certainty that we had all our bases covered, we piled into the car to go get her.  It was a day for rejoicing . . . Except it wasn’t.

Five minutes after picking up our cat, I looked over at my husband and he’d broken out in hives.  He was red in the face, wheezing, and having trouble breathing.  Shocked, we pulled the car over and soon realized the problem.  He’d developed a severe allergy to cats! We had no way of knowing this, because he’d grown up with cats his whole life.  Apparently, as you age, you can become allergic to things you never had a problem with before.  It was a heartbreaking revelation.  We ended up having to take Luna back to her foster family, and it was a long time before we got over it.

About a year later, we decided to look for a dog.  (This time, we got allergy tests to make sure we were in the clear.)  The day we went looking, a small white puppy ran up to my husband and started tugging on his shoelace.  Smiling, my husband looked down and said, “Okay, then.”

And that was how our dog Merlin came into our lives.  He chose us, and he’s been with us ever since. He is now over thirteen years old, almost completely deaf, and blind in one eye, but he still has the same playful personality he had when he was a puppy.  Over the years Merlin has been my favorite writing companion and a wonderful source of inspiration.  This is a photo of Merlin “flying” in my car. The cat is a sweetie who lives and “works” at our local veterinary clinic. In my Holloway Girls series, you’ll find lots of animal friends including a labradoodle puppy just like Merlin, and a cat named Luna.  I truly believe that, in addition to providing unconditional support and a sense of well-being, animals enhance our overall happiness and creativity, and I’ll be forever grateful to my dog Merlin for choosing us.     

“I loved this book!” –Jude Deveraux on Don’t Call Me Cupcake

Pine Cove Island calls to her soul . . .

As the Queen of Impulsive Decisions, Kat Davenport has found herself without a job or a place to live. So settling on Pine Cove Island isn’t the sanest choice—meaning it’s perfect. Like the mysterious Holloway cousins, Kat has her own unique gift. In her case, it’s a knack for communicating with animals. Which makes getting hired at the local animal shelter feel like kismet. Especially when she finds a room to rent at a nearby lavender farm—complete with a sweet landlord and her brawny grandson—a guy who happens to give Kat an all-too-familiar flutter in her stomach…

Jordan Prescott isn’t back in Pine Cove to find romance. He’s here to sell the family farm, a fact that bewilders Kat. A former foster kid, she can’t understand why he’d give up his childhood home. So when the big-hearted beauty starts bringing home strays from the shelter, Jordan is suddenly her adversary. Until their fiery disagreements turn into fiery kisses…

Now Kat is falling for a man who will likely make her homeless yet again. Unless she learns how to lend her considerable powers to taming the beast lurking inside this prince…