Guest Author: Gayle M. Irwin and Rescue Road

 Gayle Irwin, with her rescued shih tzu, Jeremiah.

Gayle M. Irwin is fellow member of the author support group called Marketing for Romance Writers. When she discovered that our blog features mainly sweet and clean authors and their books, she contacted me about her new release featuring pet rescues. I’m always interested to hear about how authors weave their personal interests in their books, so I invited her to share with us her passion and involvement with these pets, as well as her book Rescue Road. Please welcome Gayle!

Pet Rescue Woven into My Writing
Guest Post by Gayle M. Irwin

​The pony-sized white dog leaned against my leg after our walk around the rest area. I couldn’t blame her for seeking assurance; I was the third person she had met that morning. I’m sure she wondered why every two to three hours she encountered new people and took a ride with those strangers in their strange-to-her vehicle.

Jazmine, Gayle’s first pet rescue transport

​I patted the dog’s head and spoke to her in a soothing voice. I knew this day was the first of a few more to come. By the end of her journey, the Great Pyrenees-mix would encounter five more people before reaching home. The dog’s name was Jazmine; she was my first dog rescue transport. I was Jazmine’s ride from Casper, Wyoming, where I live, to Sheridan, more than 150 miles north. Her destination was Calgary, Canada, where a family of five awaited her. 

Now, more than 12 years later, I still vividly remember Jazmine with deep fondness. I’ve transported several other dogs, and some cats, for rescues since, but she will always hold a special place in my heart, not only because she was my first rescue transport, but also because of her story: surviving abandonment and giving birth to a litter of 12 puppies in the wilds of Wyoming. A happily-ever-after came for all of them. A story about Jazmine and my brief time with her published in Chicken Soup for the Soul’s 2017 release, “The Dog Really Did That?”

​I love weaving pet rescue and adoption into my stories. Whether books for children or romance novels for adults, readers find layers of this topic in my writing. I worked for two different humane societies during my younger years, and my own pets are rescued animals. For example, the shih tzu my husband and I adopted in September 2017 was born and raised in a puppy mill. For more than three years, he served as a stud, confined in a cage with little human interaction. Upon his rescue, and more than 30 other dogs from that backyard breeder, the rescuegroup’s veterinarian had to pull 28 teeth from the little dog’s mouth. He spent another 1 ½ years at the sanctuary, learning some humans are compassionate and caring. 

​He still had to learn about living in a home, but now, after being with me almost four years, Jeremiah (the name I christened him) is a sweet lap dog, a companion walker, and a co-pilot in the car. He is also a ‘cast member’ in two of my romance books: Rescue Road and the sequel, My Montana Love.

Jeremiah, a puppy mill survivor adopted in 2017

​Rescue Road is the first book in my Pet Rescue Romance series. The story brings together a freelance writer who rescues animals and the community’s emergency services captain plus a collection of other characters, including an unscrupulous land developer. There is romance, drama, and lots of pet rescue and adoption in this story. The primary canine character, Jax, is modeled after my Jeremiah. Four books are part of the series thus far with a Christmas novella planned for release in November. I enjoy composing these books for it brings together several of my passions: writing, pet rescue and adoption, and western settings.

​If you enjoy sweet romance stories set in places like Montana and Wyoming and you’re a pet-lover like me, I believe you will enjoy Rescue Road and other books in the series. I donate part of book sale proceeds to pet rescue organizations to help animals like Jazmine and Jeremiah.

Blurb for Rescue Road:

Freelance writer Rhiann Kelly shelved romance for years. Her dream of starting an animal sanctuary takes deep roots after finding the perfect location in southwestern Montana and purchasing the property for back taxes. Emergency medical technician Levi Butler knows his elderly friend left the ranch to him in his will. Levi anxiously awaits the probate to be complete so he can plan his retirement and begin his dream of raising and selling horses. When Rhiann and Levi find each other at the ranch simultaneously, sparks fly – and not the romantic kind. Yet their mutual attraction deepens, especially after Levi finds Rhiann injured in an accident. Meantime, land developer Dallas Patterson sets his sights on charming Rhiann to obtain the land. Can Rhiann and Levi work together to detour Patterson and find a solution in which neither needs to give up their dream, or will the fence line of their hearts – and the property – separate them forever? Can their broken paths weave their hearts together as they travel the rescue road?

Rescue Road can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. Print copies are available at Amazon.

Author Bio:
Gayle M. Irwin is an award-winning author and freelance writer, being recognized by Wyoming Writers, Inc., and the Wyoming Press Association for several of her works. She is a contributor to seven Chicken Soup for the Soul books and the author of many inspirational pet books and stories for children and adults. Her sweet, contemporary romance series, Pet Rescue Romance, consists of Rhiann’s Rescue, Rescue Road, My Montana Love, and Finding Love at Compassion Ranch. Gayle volunteers for various dog rescue and humane society organizations and donates a percentage of all book sales to such groups. Learn more at her website: https://gaylemirwinauthor.com/.

You can find Gayle at her website and on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Amazon, and Goodreads.