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Gabbi Grey: My Animal Rescue Story (Contest)
Tuesday, April 1st, 2025

My first dog, Keiko, was a black lab/shepherd mix.  My brother owned a black German Shepherd.  She’d gotten loose and come home pregnant. We didn’t even know who the dad was until the puppies were born. I took one. To be very clear — neither my brother nor I had the maturity to handle being dog owners.  I muddled through, though and — somehow — Keiko lived to eleven.  Her death devastated me, and I swore off dog ownership.

At the time, I had a cattery of Himalayans with two queens — Lady Arabella de Bergerac (father Cyrano, Bella for short) and Lady Jane Eyre Rochester.  My stud was Sir Sinjin Fitzwilliam Darcy.

They were an interesting brood. Again, I wasn’t as responsible as I should have been. That said, many families got wonderful himi babies (including, apparently, one of the Housewives of Vancouver…?).

The queens aged out, I rehomed Sinjin to a lovely retirement, and life continued.

Until a friend posted on FB that her sister had bought a small dog and things weren’t working out.

6 years since Keiko had passed.

I went to my building manager and, she thinking I only had 3 cats, approved my request (I had 4 — long story).  I let my friend know I could take Ally.

Ally had found a home.

I was… I don’t know the right word. Not upset or resigned…determined? I had permission and was ready to open my heart again.  Another friend directed me to Animal Control and Henry.  An older abandoned small dog available for rescue.  I hustled down there — only to find a couple had beat me to it.  My application was warmly received, though.  I had good references, my building manager approved, my cats were good with dogs and, most importantly, I’d had a dog previously.  Henry went to the couple, but the shelter said they’d keep my application.

Two days later, my friend called.  Ally’s rehoming hadn’t worked. Could I take her?

Sure!

Thus began my journey into doggie parenthood again. (The shelter called a couple of days later with a Bichon Frisee and I was sorry to say no – if Henry had worked out, I’m not sure what I would’ve done about Ally…so the universe watching out for me…).

I brought Ally home and went to my friend who had directed me to Henry.  I wanted to be a better dog parent this time. Now in my late 30s, my life was vastly different than my early 20s.

She said, “Get thee to PetSmart and trainer Barb.”

I did.  Four rounds of training later, Ally passed her Tricks class as well as her therapy dog training.  She thrived in the training environment and when I took her out in public, she did really well.  Except she would sometimes hesitate, so we never did the St. John’s Ambulance training to get the provincially-recognized certification.  The certificate I did receive (and the training that went with it), opened doors, though.  We did all right.

Then came COVID.  By then I just had Ally and Bella (Jane had passed and my last two kittens had been rehomed to a sanctuary where they’re living their best lives).  Without Ally being out and in public all the time, she started to withdraw.  Then came the masks, tiny elevators, and many strange people as we wound up moving three times in one year.

When restrictions eased, I started taking her out again, but we never got back to where she was.

Sigh.

Then came a message out of the blue from a good friend: would Ally like a buddy?  Since my friend was going to Africa for a trip, I was assuming she wanted me to dog sit.

Nope.  Her soccer buddy had a nervous dog who needed rehoming urgently. He needed to be with someone who worked from home because he cried all day every day when left alone — he was upset, his owner was upset, the neighbours were upset — just a mess.

My vet friend, whom I trust implicitly, said, “Don’t do it.”  That dogs on meds with behavioral issues were a ton of work.  That I had my job and my writing career — which was essentially a second job.

Then she realized I was going to do it anyway, so she coached me on everything I needed to know.

A few days later, I brought Finnegan home.

Total disaster.  Bella had passed the year before, and Ally had settled into being an only child.  She did NOT want a Finnegan.  For his part, Finnie is a very sensitive boy, and her obvious animosity from Ally hurt his soul.  I thought I’d have to rehome him.

Then something happened.

Ally stopped snarling (well, snarled less).  She wasn’t so…angry.  She gave him some space.

He thrived.

I discovered he could be left alone — because he had her.

And her anxiety over me leaving lessened as well.

Win/win.

One month later, I officially adopted him (well, thanked his previous owner.  That was a sad situation because she’d rescued him with the best of intentions and, in the end, he had three homes in four months).  The owner philosophically said she was Finnie’s steppingstone to his forever home.  Which was so true. If she hadn’t mentioned her dilemma to my friend, and if I hadn’t been working from home, I never would’ve rescued Finnie.

That’s the story.  We haven’t had a snarl in more than a year.  Oh, Finnie turned out to be quite a bit older than I’d been led to believe. Whatever.  So he’s 11, Ally’s now 10 and I never saw myself as rescuing TWO dogs — let alone one as a five-month-old pup and one as a 10-year-old senior.

My plan is to only rescue senior dogs from now on.

But my two are exceptionally healthy.  Both have lost weight in the past two years which was good because both were a little chunky.  The vet is thrilled with their progress.

My vet friend said she’d never been so happy to be wrong.

Finnie fits perfectly.  He was the missing piece we didn’t know we needed.

He’s not perfect — he’s food obsessed, wants to kiss everyone, and is a little excitable (no one believes he’s 11).  Ally’s not perfect either.  She’s territorial, unwelcoming of strangers, and doesn’t like certain people (although once she gets to know you, she’ll love you forever).

And there you have it.  A LONG story.  But I hope a good one.  I’ve never been happier, and they’re living their best lives.

Okay! I’m happy to give away a prize!  I’ll give away a copy of any of my Animal Rescue books – eBook for the three or audio for Love Furever.  Just let me know – have you ever met a rescue animal? Or considered doing it yourself? Pet as a child? Or allergic and unable?  Not everyone has the capacity to have an animal, I get that.  Just share something that touches you.  Maybe a book with an animal where the story stuck with you? Random will pick a winner and if you have all my animal rescue books, I can give you something from my back catalogue.  Good luck!

(Pictures — Ally, Finnie, my friend Kit, and my on Finnie’s official adoption day — he’s black and white while Ally’s tan and white.  The second photo is of them last month letting me know what they think of wearing their coats and of me working all the time…)

Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue: Series Synopsis

Fur babies are family, too! Gaynor Beach, CA, is a welcoming place for gay and bi men to raise their kids, but until now, the Gaynor Beach animal rescue landscape has been a deficient patchwork. One man is determined to change that, to open a rescue for animals in need. But it turns out, it takes a whole village to raise a shelter. And in the process of creating a refuge for furry, scaly, and feathered friends, human hearts may find each other too.

Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue is a shared world gay romance series featuring cute critters in need and the men who care for them.

Love Furever – Gabbi Grey
Impurrfections – Kaje Harper
Iguana You to Want Me – Meredith Spies
Husky Love – Gabbi Grey
Ruff Start – Roan Rosser
Yorkie to My Heart – Gabbi Grey

Links:
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3RVSRP6
All 6 books available in other stores: Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes& Noble, Smashwords, Google Play
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/388666-friends-of-gaynor-beach-animal-rescue

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile:  https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey

March into April (Contest)
Monday, March 31st, 2025

March

Work-related:

  1. I didn’t write a single word in all of March. I really didn’t intend to. I had too much on my mind.
  2. I completed 5 editing projects for other authors in March!

Health-related:

  1. I had an immunotherapy appointment. Such a breeze after chemo!
  2. Otherwise, I pushed my health and my stats completely out of my mind. I didn’t need the stress!

Happiness-related: 

  1. I attended my art guild’s meeting this month for a Show & Tell of what we’ve all been working on. It was really nice!
  2. I painted every day until this last week as part of #the100dayproject. Here are a few small pieces I completed:

April

For work-related, I plan:

  1. To complete 1 or 2 editing projects in April, but not beginning them until mid-month to give myself time to recover.

For health-related, I plan:

  1. To undergo a radical hysterectomy, plus a couple of other organs on the 1st!
  2. To undergo immunotherapy whenever my oncologist says I’m ready for more.
  3. To rest and recover!

For happiness-related, I plan: 

  1. To spend time with the family while I recover from surgery. I’ll be in the living room in a lift chair for quite a while. I’ll be impossible to ignore. LOL.
  2. To continue the #100dayproject when I’m ready.

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in April

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

See you later!

I won’t be posting again until I feel well enough to do so. I do have some guests lined up to post while I’m away. Please be sure to stop in and tell them hello and thank them for picking up the slack for me! Until then, I hope you all stay safe and find happiness in all the little things. Love, DD

Report Card & Contests
Sunday, March 30th, 2025

Report Card

Last week…

  1. I worked my butt off on two editing projects I have to complete before my surgery on Tuesday! I’m almost there. I hope to finish both today!
  2. I worked on getting caught up on some administrivia to get ready for my upcoming surgery and recovery.
  3. I paused the #100daychallenge. I’ll resume the challenge when I’ve recovered enough to want to sit and paint. I’m hoping that will be mid-April, but I might be dreaming.
  4. I went flea-market shopping with the girls. It’s a small thing, but something we all love to do. We like finding our random treasures. I found a white enamel covered box, rectangular, and I have no clue how I’ll use it just yet, but I love enamel, so I had to have it. When I’m recovered, I’ll figure out where it “belongs.”

This next week…

  1. I will complete two sets of author’s edits today (I hope). One author still owes me her last pages (You know who you are! LOL)!
  2. I have more administrative things to do today and tomorrow morning to “get my affairs in order” before surgery.
  3. I need to make sure all my passwords still work on my phone and laptop because I won’t be going near my desktop for a month!
  4. I have to pay all the monthly bills tomorrow so that won’t be lingering over my head as I recover.
  5. Tuesday is the big day! All my girlie parts, plus a few others, are going bye-bye-bye!

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

    1. Gabbi Grey: How I figure out what comes next! (FREE Read + Contest)Last day to enter! Get your FREE read, plus enter to win another FREE story!
    2. Get your FREE read! WITH HIS ROCK BAND!This offer ends Tuesday! Pick up your FREE read. This is a limited time offer!
    3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Welcome Spring! — Win an Amazon gift card!
    4. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Eliza Potter — Hairdresser, Social Critic, and Myth Buster (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
    5. Word Search: Favorite Book Hero Jobs (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
    6. Tell Me a Story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
    7. Saturday Puzzle-Contest — Favorite Fast Food — Win an Amazon gift card!

Just a quick note. I’ll go into surgery sometime on Tuesday. I’ll have guests on the blog, but there won’t be daily posts until I feel well enough to sit at my desk, so closing out current contests may lag. Also, I won’t be here to share my guests’ posts. If you can, please share them on your social media to help get out the word for them.  

Saturday Puzzle-Contest — Favorite Fast Food
Saturday, March 29th, 2025

It’s Saturday, and I have a list a mile long of things to place in my rear window. So, here’s a quick puzzle. The topic came to mind because…I’m hungry. 🙂

Solve the puzzle, then let me know what your favorite fast foods are for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Personal Update!
Friday, March 28th, 2025

I have a huge To Do list that I keep trimming because I’m running out of time to do everything I thought I needed to get out of the way before my surgery next Tuesday.

My surgery is scheduled for some time on Tuesday. They’ll call the day before and let me know when. My sister, Elle James, has already volunteered to take me to Little Rock the day before. We’ll hole up in a hotel near the hospital, then she’ll be with me there for the duration of my stay. My lovely daughter will come for the surgery but has to head home afterward because…kids and animals. If all goes well, I’ll be there for two nights, then I’ll be sent home.

She’s having my lift chair moved to the living room while I’m gone because I won’t be able to go up and down stairs for about six weeks. I’ll be “installed” in the living room, which will be annoying for them, but I expect I’ll sleep a lot. I’ll be in the chair because my daughter, who had a hysterectomy years ago, says I won’t be able to comfortably get in and out of bed. She has it all planned out how she’s going to care for me. I hate that I’ll need that kind of help, to and from the bathroom, getting up to walk, etc. I know I’m going to be miserable, and a lot of things will fall by the wayside while I recover. Google says I won’t be able to swim for six weeks, and she just smiles and says I probably won’t feel like it anyway, but I hope to prove her wrong. Full recovery will take about six months.

I’ll be stranded away from my desktop for six weeks. Which means, I’ll be using my laptop, which I don’t love. I’m not sure how that will work. Likely, she’ll have to find some sort of desk/tray thing to place over my chair so I can reach the keys. How soon I’ll be back online is a huge question. I do have some guest authors’ posts to pre-post so this website won’t be completely dead. I’ll ask you all to support them, and me, by sharing their posts online. You won’t mind that, right?

I figure I’ll be back to editing in a couple of weeks—in short spurts. Lots of rest in between. The kids will watch movies with me so I don’t go stir-crazy. I think I’ll like their noise and commotion, the sounds of living, being around me upstairs.

Am I scared? It’s odd. I’m not. I know a million things can go wrong, but hey, I’ve made it this far, and this journey has been surprising. I’ve come farther than I could have hoped at the start last August. I hope I fly through surgery, that I avoid any major infection. The worst I will let myself consider is dealing with the discomfort and pain. I can do that. I already have experienced some of that. I’m feeling positive and making plans for the future. When they put my under, I’ll hold to an image of me floating in my pool with the sunshine beating down on me—my favorite place and activity in the world.

Krysten Lindsay Hager: College Basketball Second Chance Romance that’s F*R*E*E in Kindle Unlimited
Thursday, March 27th, 2025


I always love watching basketball in Spring because the games have such high stakes and the fact so many friends and family members get behind their teams that make it to the tournament. I always have my main team (the school I went to) and then my other faves with teams that family or friends went to or that I took classes or went to conferences at. So, it made sense that I would write a college basketball romance where a teen soap opera star named Valeria runs into the ex she never got over on the streets of New York City. Davis St. James is still as adorable as ever and now he’s transferred to a school nearby where he’s playing basketball.

The two reconnect after Davis has a scary situation that Valeria helps him through. Pretty soon they become each other’s support systems again as she is dealing with self-doubt in her acting career and he’s stressed over the upcoming basketball tournament. But can two teens from different worlds make it work?

I had fun writing this one—especially the scene where Valeria and her friends watch the game and help coach by yelling at the TV—it’s pretty much what I do when I watch. Do you watch college basketball?

 

You can pick up a copy of the book here. It’s free in Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3

About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager is a bestselling author of YA and contemporary romance. She writes romance because she loves bringing people swoony moments and hope-filled happily ever afters. She writes about falling in love, fame, fitting in, frenemies, first loves, and finding your way in the world. She loves reading, watching movies, and lipstick.

Website: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/

Tell Me a Story… (Contest)
Wednesday, March 26th, 2025

I love this photo. I’m sure there’s a story there. So, why don’t you take a stab at describing the story?

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me a story. It doesn’t have to be long, or even good, just have fun with the assignment!