Furbaby Friday with C. Becker!

Welcome C. Becker (Colleen) and her beloved furbaby. Colleen is also sharing her new release, a suspense published by The Wild Rose Press, Finding Euphoria.

Colleen: Thank you Beth for hosting me.
The biggest and best decision my husband and I ever made (other than having kids) was the addition of our Jack Russell dog, Brownie, to the family. We adopted him seven years ago, after enduring years of kids pleading to get a family dog. When I realized how deeply my youngest son was praying for a dog, I agreed. Once my husband and I made the decision to adopt, choosing a family pet suitable for our family couldn’t have been easier. We went to a house where the family was selling five-month old puppies. Brownie’s siblings ran around us, barking. Of all the dogs, Brownie was the only one who went up to my youngest daughter. He sort of just stayed next to her and didn’t bark. Like he was saying, “Take me.” His behavior sold me. We brought him home, and he took control of the house—in a good way.

Brownie is happiest when everyone is home. When the kids leave for school and college, his tail goes down, and he “knows” he’ll be alone for a while. If I’m home during the day, he’ll sleep on the couch while I work writing at the computer. When I stand up, he takes his cue that it’s time to play. He is great playing catch with his ball and he loves the dog park.

He sleeps with all the kids, rotating during the night, in different rooms. Whom Brownie sleeps with at night is always a focus around the breakfast table.
Jack Russells are known for being highly energetic animals. Brownie loves to run and at any time, can go wild, running in circles around the house. My youngest daughter takes him for 4-5 mile walks every day so he stays healthy and fit. He could walk all day, sniffing the air and everything around him. He’s also extremely protective, barking to let us know of any visitor at the door. He recognizes the sound of our cars driving down the neighborhood.

An intelligent animal, Brownie knows a few tricks, but he has trained us to let us know when he wants to eat and drink, go to the bathroom, play ball, and have a snack. His latest trick is holding off relieving his bladder in the morning until someone takes him for a long walk outside. He loves to have his belly rubbed and to snuggle up with anyone who is sitting or lying down. He enjoys attention, but has brought more love and happiness to our household than we could have ever imagined. The kids recently nicknamed him Bub, because “He’s such a Bub.” Through a unanimous vote, my novel is dedicated to him.

Finding Euphoria is a suspense novel published by The Wild Rose Press. The rating is PG-13.

BLURB:

Hailey Langley refuses to be a victim and has moved on from her traumatic past. But her marriage problems worsen when a deadly illicit drug threatens to draw her into the life she left behind.

Mark Langley has allowed his job to interfere with his marriage, but he never suspected the secrets in Hailey’s past might hold the key to solving both of his current investigations.
Together, they must unravel the mystery of the drug called Euphoria and find a way to save not only their marriage, but countless lives, before it’s too late.

EXCERPT:
He turned the bottle around in his hand and set it on the end table. “Don’t put me in this position. You know what would happen. Grace is his mother. She’s the one who needs to stay with him.”
Regret tugged at her heart. “I wouldn’t take any time away from her.”
Parker groaned. “Just you being there would make her feel uncomfortable.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
“But I’ve stayed away for seventeen years,” she whispered.
“That was the adoption arrangement.”
She bit her lip. “I can’t stay away any longer.”
“You agreed to those terms in the contract. You terminated all parental rights.” Parker stood and paced to the kitchen.
“But it’s not fair!” She put down her water and began wringing her hands.
Straightening his arms, he leaned against the bar. “Hailey, please don’t start. I know how you feel…”
“You couldn’t possibly know how I feel. I need to see him.” She fought to control the bitterness in her voice.
“No.”
She rose, knocking over the water bottle. “He’s my son!”
“Not anymore, he isn’t.”
The rebuke stung. “He’ll always be my son!”
“When you gave him up, you promised to keep your distance.”
“I have.”
“Forever.”
The reminder lanced her heart. “You’re being unfair. He’s dying.”
He slammed his fist on the bar. “Don’t say that. He can’t die.” Parker pushed himself up and stomped near the window, raising his hands to rest on top of his head as he faced the curtain.
A muscle twitched in her hand. Her knees buckled. She sat on the edge of the couch, wringing her hands. “I was young. I couldn’t give Justin the life he deserved. I’m not asking to take him back. I only want to see him.”
Rubbing his jaw, he walked back to the couch and sat. The hard lines on his face softened. “The adoption papers were clear. No contact.” He placed his hands on top of hers and stilled them. “If the decision was mine, I would allow it, but Grace would lose it if she found out you’re Justin’s biological mother.”
Her hands squeezed into tight fists. The urge was unbearable. “I wouldn’t tell her.”
Parker ran a hand through his hair. “Argh! Don’t you understand? She’d take one look at your face and know the truth. Don’t forget, you’re the one who wanted us to protect him.”
She stood. “Well, you did a hell of a fine job, didn’t you? You divorced Grace and deserted him. Parenting takes sacrifice, Parker. You were too busy changing careers, and now he’s messed up with drugs. How did that protect him?”
Standing, he reached for her.
“No. You stay away from me.” She extended her hands and backed up a step. “Justin’s dying! Dying, Parker! And I don’t know him…You won’t let me see my own son.”
He wrapped his arms around her.
She pushed him, pummeling her fists against his chest with all her strength.
He silently took his beating.

BUY LINKS:

Finding Euphoria at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Euphoria-C-Becker-ebook/dp/B07NPX6ZBL
At Apple itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/finding-euphoria/id1453326981?_bbid=11795784&mt=11
At Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130573850?ean=2940161287873

SOCIAL LINKS:
C.Becker website
Facebook C.Becker Author
Twitter C. Becker author
Amazon Author Page C. Becker

Author Bio: A native of western Pennsylvania, C. Becker earned a B.S. degree in Medical Technology and MT (ASCP) certification. She has worked in clinical settings analyzing body fluids and testing drugs of abuse. As an author, C. Becker has published multiple stories in various genres.

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave Colleen a comment.

New Friend and Furbaby–Adopting a Rescue Dog

When we brought our new rescue dog, Jilly, home we were thinking of our sad little pom-poo, Sadie, who badly misses her longtime friend, Mia. As it turns out, Jilly is such a sweet, calming dog, she’s not only helping Sadie feel better, but also me and others in the family. She’d make a great therapy dog, and is doing just that in our home. I guess we needed her as much as she needed us. I’d prayed for the right dog and she is, though not the one we originally applied to adopt. When my mom, sister, brother, niece and I made the trip to the Petsmart store in Waynesboro on Saturday, we intended to adopt an entirely different dog. But, as a friend reminded me, dogs have a way of choosing you and that one didn’t choose me. Jilly connected with my sister, Catherine, while I tried to befriend ‘Honey’. When I realized Honey wasn’t the dog for us, Catherine said, ‘How about this one? She’s really sweet. I have a good feeling about her.’

Jilly is such a loving dog that some caring soul had already paid her adoption fee, so money wouldn’t stand in the way of her finding a forever home. She’d been passed over for weeks until we found her, or she found us. She curls beside me on one side of the couch and Sadie on the other. Kitty Percy even sat with me after concluding Jilly isn’t the threat he’d feared and he mistrusts any new pet, even kittens. That says a lot about her good nature.

I want to thank Augusta Dog Adoptions for the wonderful work they do in rescuing many needy dogs and helping them find forever homes. And a shout out to Petsmart for their support of dog rescue and adoption. For more on Augusta Dog Adoptions visit: http://www.augustadogadoptions.org/

Friend them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/augustadog.adoptions

From what the rescue folk and we can tell, Jilly is part Blue Heeler, a cattle dog, and part Pit Bull, which I’ve been wary of, but am learning can be very nice dogs depending on how they’re handled, and part we’re not sure what else. If you have it in your heart to adopt a dog, you may find your new best friend.

“One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that he doesn’t try to find out why.”  ~Author Unknown

***Images of Jilly with Sadie, Me, and niece Cailin on the sun porch and Cailin and grandson Colin with Jilly in the living room.