Furbaby Friday with Author Charlotte O’Shay

This country gal warmly welcomes fellow Wild Rose Press Author and city girl, Charlotte O’ Shay, to share her furry friends and spicy contemporary romance with a dash of suspense, A Model Engagement. (Out 9-20-2017)

(Stanley–Charlotte’s Darling  Cockapoo Rescue)

Charlotte: Thank you Beth for dreaming up FurBaby Friday.

What a great idea! Even if they’re not doing something miraculous like the golden retriever who recently pulled a fawn from the ocean, our animals are the unsung heroes of every aspect our daily lives no matter where we live.

Pets are beloved in New York City and its immediate environs but the decision to have a pet here is a serious one. Because—space. People are wise to consider the ramifications of the breed they choose or that chooses them! City dwellers live cheek by jowl and their pets must do the same.

One of our first family pets when I was a kid was a mixed breed an adorable puppy, given to my brother by his godfather. Snoopy was white haired, black-eyed terrier mix, our city kid version of the Charles Schultz cartoon dog.

Snoopy was the sweetest of dogs. We all grew up with him. Mom spoiled him with a healthy share of the same home cooked meals we enjoyed. We were lucky enough to have a small backyard behind our apartment where he could play with me and my four brothers and sister. He lived a good, long life. I don’t remember him ever being sick or ever going to the vet except for vaccinations.

(Snoopy–Beloved childhood friend)

Flash forward to college, grad school and young married life—all in the city. No pets. No time and no space.

Then we moved to the suburbs to raise our family with a gorgeous Bearded Collie we called Chance. He was perfect in every way. Hypoallergenic: my husband is allergic to cat and dog dander. And playful: Chance loved to play and run (didn’t care about eating over much) and we had the space for him to roam. He stayed puppy-like till he was 14 and only slowed down in his last year.

(Chance–Bearded Collie–age 12)

Then we moved back in the city and bringing Stanley, the adorable cockapoo we adopted seven years ago along for the adventure.

He’s also hypoallergenic but in all other ways Chance’s polar opposite. We don’t know much about Stanley’s early years and we don’t know how old he is. He came to us with a myriad of health problems and a super sweet disposition. He’s never met a discarded piece of pizza or donut he didn’t like. It’s a challenge to walk him in New York these days. He’s arthritic and his hearing is going. Although he’s definitely a country dog, he’s adapted to the city, and he’s never happier than when he is snoring by my side as I write. He only barks when my husband and I embrace and then we always try to bring him in for a group hug.

(Beth: Stanley sounds super special. Love hearing about your furbabies.)

In my upcoming release, (September 20^th) A Model Engagement, fur babies play big supporting roles. My hero, Connor, has a soft spot for rescues and a house full of them. My heroine, Lacey balks at the notion that he might view her as a human rescue.

One of the many pet related scenes:

He hardly looked like a dog he was so thin. His hair was matted and covered with sand and leaves. He could hardly lift his head even though his eyes followed their movements, so he was clearly aware of their presence.

She looked up at Connor and murmured, “We’ll need something to put him on to carry him. He looks too weak to walk.”

“I’ll go back to the boat and get a blanket.” Connor turned away to do just that as Lacey sidled closer to the prone animal.

“It’s okay, little one, everything is going to be just fine,” she crooned dropping to her knees beside him. “We have you now. It’s going to be okay.”

It took them a couple of minutes to figure out how best to transport him.

“Wait with him. I’ll pull the car onto the walkway as close as I can get to him. Then we can both carry him and put him in the backseat.”

Lacey sat with the dog in the backseat while Connor drove a careful twenty-five miles per hour. The ride was a far cry from their invigorating, top down, whirlwind five-minute, fifty mile an hour trip to the marina earlier. On the way he called the twenty-four hour emergency veterinary facility. The vet agreed to meet them there and take a look at the dog.

“It never gets easier seeing what can happen to these poor animals.” Sally Vaughn ran an expert gaze over the animal.

“Who would do this?”

Story Blurb:

Lacey Reed jumps at the chance for independence with a career in the big city. But her naivety and ambition blind her to the lure of a blackmailer. With her savings gone, she has nowhere to turn when she literally runs into financier Connor Devlin.

Though dazzled by Lace y, Connor sees the desperation she tries to hide. His gut tells him to help, and he hires her as his fake fiancée. Now Lacey has a job, and Connor has put a bandage on a family crisis.

When the blackmailer ups the ante, Lacey resolves to face him down—no matter what the consequences. Does that mean Lacey will lose the only man who’s ever seen who she truly is?

Preorder A Model Engagement in kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/Model-Engagement-City-Dreams-Book-ebook/dp/B074DPCV76/r

Follow Charlotte O’ Shay  at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-OShay/e/B01FGUH8K8/

Find Charlotte on:

Her Website: https://charlotteoshayauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlotteoshayauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/charlotte_oshay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Charlotte_OShay_author/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/coshayauthor/

***Thanks for stopping by, folk! Please leave Charlotte a comment.