Get 'Em While They're Hot!

Today I'm unabashedly promoting two books, both of which I had a part in.

The first is a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Kindness Matters, in which I have a story on page 19 called, My Alpine Angel. My story relates back to living in El Cajon, CA and working in Alpine and the very unexpected act of kindness and decency I received from another driver one harrowing, rainy day. 

The book goes on sale March 22 at your local bookstore, or, I have some copies if you want one. The books from me, while the supply lasts, are $10 each and that includes the cost of shipping. I'll even autograph my story for you. Such a deal!

In our small read and critique group called NC Scribes, we have had a total of forty-eight stories published in CSS over the years. So much so, that the editor, Amy Newmark, calls us "The Chicken Coop."  I'm honored to be part of the chicken coop. This is my second story with CSS.

Okay, on to the second book. This one is called, Testing Michael, the seventh in my historical novels. I just finished it, self-published it, and it's for sale on Amazon under the name of Linda Loegel/Hemby (Type in Linda Hemby). My other books are under the name of Linda Loegel.

Michael Mueller is a thirteen-year-old boy who joins the Civil War as a messenger. He travels to places far outside his New Haven, CT home, makes friends, meets new people, and witnesses not only big city wonders but also the atrocities of war that give him nightmares. Will he get back to his family in one piece? Guess you'll have to order the book to find out.

I enjoyed writing this book more than any of the others and I trust my passion will shine through the pages. The battles, generals and events are true, so if you want to see the Civil War through a young boy's eyes, I urge you to read Testing Michael. You may learn history in a whole new, fascinating way.

Since all of my books are connected to each other in one way or another, this story has a double connection to Willard Manor. One connection is obvious, the other might take time to discern. 

I appreciate any and all reviews left on Amazon, but mainly, I just appreciate you being a friend or family member that I can share my stories with. Thank you for that.

Quote of the Day: A house divided against itself cannot stand. Abraham Lincoln

 

It's a Boy!

It's a boy! I'm happy to announce there's a new member of the Hemby family weighing in at twelve pounds. He's five years old and his name is Winston. He's been with us for one month now. 

Winston coming home with us

He's part Shih tzu and part poodle mixed with a whole lot of love. He's just a soft ball of curly, cuddly fur.

                

He has attached himself to me. I move an inch and he's up and ready to follow me wherever I go. Stewart runs a close second as Winston will sit with him and stay with him, until I move; then all bets are off. He sleeps between us on the bed while his bed sits on the floor acting as a toy box. 

He has adjusted to our two birds in the house, Charlie and Chip. They do love to fly low over him, though, since they know they can generally fly out of the way. Winston gets his exercise running back and forth trying to keep up with them. He caught Charlie twice but thankfully didn't know what to do with him, so I was able to get Charlie out of harm's way.

Charlie and Chip      

Chip is on the faucet and Winston is telling him to come down and play with him. Chip knows better.

Here's Winston sitting on my lap intently watching a Trump rally 

As you may know, we had to put Stewart's pug, Shadow, to sleep last March and vowed we would never get another dog. All things change, though, and recently we agreed we'd like to get an adult dog, not a puppy that would require a LOT of work and attention. This little guy who turns six in June, is an adult but still has a lot of puppy playfulness in him. He's the best of both worlds. 

The family that owned him for five years felt it was in Winston's best interests to find him a new home where he would be king of the hill and not low man on the totem pole with their three other dogs. They trained him very well. He sits, heels, and is housetrained; he's a pleasure to have in the house. EXCEPT, when a closed door gets between him and me. At that point, he howls like a coyote in pure anguish. We're working with him to get over that by giving him the job of getting in a chair when I leave. He's slowly getting better since, thanks to his former owners, he's extremely trainable.

Welcome to your new world, Winston!