Boomer
Annie
Today's post is part of Bethany Masone Harar's WOW! Women On Writing blog tour for her young adult novel Voices of the Sea. Her tour started on July 28 and runs until August 21. Bethany will be making stops on some wonderful blog sites - so get on board and follow her tour. Interviews, book excerpts, give-a-ways, and of course, her wonderful dog story below. Link to The Muffin (WOW's blog) and meet Bethany and see her tour schedule. Then be sure to scroll down and read more about Voices of the Sea.
My Wonder-Dogs
I’m very excited to write about the dogs in my life today!
To start, my sister had horrible allergies to dogs, so I
wasn’t able to have them until I moved out and got married.
Since then, I’ve had two important dogs in my life.
The first, Boomer, was a beagle/basset hound mutt my husband
and I rescued in Richmond, VA. My
husband and I showed up at his foster home to see him one day, and they
suggested we take him home for a “test drive”.
That test drive lasted ten years.
Boomer was lazy and slow.
He grunted like a pig, snored worse than my husband, and enjoyed having
his ears scratched. He begged with huge,
puppy-dog eyes I couldn’t resist, and dragged his paws when he walked. Boomer hated water, but once plowed through
four feet of snow to find a grassy patch to pee on. He was my first doggy baby and I cried
buckets when he died of heart failure.
The second dog in my life is Annie, an apricot miniature
poodle. We originally adopted her and
her sister, who were the only two left in the litter, but soon realized (after
I had a breakdown and cried on the floor) that two puppies was too much. My friend took in her sister, and we kept
Annie.
Annie is a poodle princess, who is spunky, sassy and quirky. Her hobbies include playing fetch, chewing my
underwear, sleeping on the top of the couch, hiding under the dining room table
after stealing forbidden items, and enjoying belly rubs.
Annie is a lover. She
sleeps on our bed, of course, but prefers to slumber by our feet, saving the
mornings for our “special” time, when
she lays on my pillow and can sit on my face to lick my cheek. She doles out kisses liberally and is a
glutton for a good human/dog scratching session.
Like her former older brother, she prefers to be inside on rainy
days, and would rather risk a scolding than relieve herself in the snow. She loves everyone, except dogs who dare to
tread on her front lawn, and has been known to openly and wantonly accept
affection from complete strangers.
She is my baby girl,
and I cannot imagine life without her.
When I write on the couch, she cuddles up against me, often draping
herself on my laptop to re-direct my attention.
I can’t blame her. She is used to
being loved and spoiled, like a good poodle princess should.
She joined me just now, licking my face and woofing in anger
when I asked her to wait. A bone on the
carpet will bear the brunt of her frustration.
In a little while, I’ll go upstairs to bed, and she will follow, leaving
my husband behind. She’ll curl up in my
crotch. There is no better place for a
poodle.
About Bethany:
Bethany Masone Harar graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English from James Madison University and a Masters in Secondary English Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has enjoyed teaching high school English ever since. As a teacher, Bethany is able to connect with the very audience for whom she writes, and this connection gives her insight into their interests. As a writer, she wants to make her readers gasp out loud, sigh with longing and identify with her characters.
Bethany also enjoys posting on her blog, bethsbemusings.blogspot.com, is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and is an avid follower of literary-driven social media.
She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, two beautiful children, and her miniature poodle, Annie.
Voices of the Sea:
Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and independent book stores.
The Sirens of Pacific Grove, California are being exterminated, and seventeen-year-old Loralei Reines is their next target. Lora may look like a normal teenager, but her voice has the power to enchant and hypnotize men. Like the other Sirens in her clan, however, she keeps her true identity a secret to protect their species.
Lora's birthright as the next clan leader seems far off, until the Sons of Orpheus, a vicious cult determined to kill all Sirens on Earth, begin exterminating her people. When an unexpected tragedy occurs, Lora must take her place as Guardian of the Clan.
Lora is determined to gain control of her skills to help her clan, but they are developing too slowly, until she meets Ryan, a human boy. When Ryan is near, Lora's abilities strengthen. She knows she shouldn't be with a human. Yet, she can't resist her attraction to him, or the surge in power she feels whenever they're together.
And the Sirens are running out of time. If Lora can't unlock the secret to defeat the Sons of Orpheus, she, along with everyone she loves, will be annihilated.
Voices of the Sea includes a rich history of Sirens. Mythology and modern life come together in this beautifully written book that draws the reader in from the first chapter.
