How does a monthly deal strike you? I can only offer discounts on ebooks, but saving money is always a good thing, right?

Because I just finished reading Dean Koontz, DEVOTED – a dog and a boy pitted against a new, ungodly—as in totally human—evil (free on KindleUnlimited), I decided to offer one of my heroic dog books up for comparison. (Kidding. Yes, George is a very smart Great Dane, but nobody dies a violent gruesome death in my book. Promise.) I mostly enjoyed Devoted, but I can’t recommend it to readers who abhor violence and bad language. The core story of Woody and Kipp and their unifying force: the “Wire,” is lovely.

Sometimes, a dog’s gotta do what a dog’s gotta do.

George Ralston’s human family needs his help. Life was better with a mom and nothing’s been the same since the old one left. George may not be a retriever, but he has the perfect replacement in mind.

Paws Spa owner Kara Williams’s goals are written in stone. The single mother of twins has scrimped and saved to take her pet care salon to the next level. She loves her animal clients but can’t always say the same about their owners. Even Brad Ralston—her youthful secret crush. His dog, George, is acting out. Rumor has it his son is, too. Recently divorced men—no matter how attractive—are Kara’s kryptonite and she keeps her distance…until a huge winter storm takes the roof off her house.

Dog trouble. Ex-wife trouble. Kid trouble. Restaurant owner and chef Brad Ralston desperately needs a live-in housekeeper. If she comes with twin little girls and a bunny, so be it. Twice burned—his ex-wife and ex-best friend ran off to Mexico together—Brad’s heart isn’t part of any business agreement…unless a matchmaking Great Dane has his way.

Forever and Ever, By George is Book 7 in the West Coast Happily-Ever-After series. If you’re a fan of romantic comedies packed with cute kids, an ark of animals, and a crotchety side-kick or two, you won’t want to miss Debra Salonen’s sweet, fun, feel-good story set on the Oregon coast.

If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, you owe it to yourself to buy Forever and Ever, By George.

Click this link to: Buy George
At check out insert this code to save 50%: 8D8N7KRI2V

Holy siding, Batman! We’re half-way done!!!

It’s true. Paul and I have rounded the corner—literally—on Jon-Paul’s house siding project. It’s a good thing I had no idea how difficult this was going to be or I might never have started. But, like writing a book, once I begin something…I will reach: The End.

And this job was a group project: below clockwise: JP siding the electrical chase, Malte painting the body color, Paul—the master sprayer—doing his thing, Deb the primer and trimmer getting it done.

Here are two dramatic Before & After shots.

The front of the house and the master bedroom sides will require a lot of moving of scaffolding. My favorite thing…NOT. But, since the gym is closed, I can say I’m still working out.

Last week's Q&A was: Do you still call people on the phone to chat, catch-up, stay connected? Yes or No?

Oh, how I loved your answers! I’m happy to know the phone is alive and well and being put to good use by eighty-percent of you. As one of the non-calling twenty-percent, I salute you.😉

Here’s what prompted this question: I learned from a reliable source that a friend of mine was dealing with a serious, non-Covid health issue, but the ongoing Covid issues were making the all-important seeing of specialists and scheduling a speedy treatment difficult.

I felt guilty that something so important to such a dear friend had slipped past me until I realized that all of our typical methods of communicating: at the Post Office or community fundraisers or bumping into each other in stores or at craft sales had been sidelined due to Covid.

So, I picked up the phone and called her to see how I could help. I was relieved to hear that she’d persevered with proper diagnosis and treatment and could claim a very promising prognosis. We talked for a good half an hour, and the next day when I delivered a little care package (outside, wearing a mask and maintaining very careful distance). We talked some more—about families, sidelined plans, and a future get-together once it’s safe. She told me how happy she’d been to hear my voice—and I felt the same way.

Then, the next morning I learned of the death of Susan Crosby, a dear friend and published author who welcomed me to the writing community and acted as a mentor to me for many years. When she retired and became active in other areas of her life, we lost touch. The news of her passing made me take a hard look at my friendship skills. Being a friend—as many of you shared in your response to last week’s question—means reaching out and checking in with the people we love and value…before it’s too late.

I’m not known for my successful New Year’s Resolutions, but this one is mine for 2021: I will call, email or text my friends no less than once a month. But my first line of connection will be a phone call because there’s nothing like hearing a friend’s voice to know you’re not alone in this crazy world.

My two randomly selected winners this week are:

Lennie McDonald
and
Debbie J.

(Lennie and Debbie congrats. Please email me your pick of either a $5 Starbucks or a $5 Amazon gift card.)

Q&A

This week’s Do you subscribe to KindleUnlimited? Yes or No?

(Two winners will be chosen by random drawing to receive either a $5 Starbucks gift card or a $5 Amazon gift card. Please reply the usual ways:
email or on my DebraSalonenAuthor Facebook page.)

Stay well, my friends, and happy reading,

Deb

Next week: Jigsaw madness…

PS: Attached is the link to Susan’s obituary. The Happily-Ever-After aspect lifted me up and made me smile—exactly the way a Susan Crosby romance always did. legcy.co/2LtSzD2