11 Days for Hero Dogs!

I know I’ve talked a lot about Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 the last month or so. Or longer. It was lovely to hit the USA Today Bestseller list, but the reason for doing all the work, for spending all the time and effort was, for Veronica Scott and I, about Hero Dogs and veterans.

Why do we care? All of us involved in this project have ties to veterans in a variety of ways. For me, it’s all about my Dad. My dad turned 18 toward the end of WWII and deployed to Alaska after his basic training. He used to talk a lot about his time there, and it was only later that I learned he’d been sent there to prepare to invade Japan. Instead, the war ended, and he came home.

He met my mom, and because he needed work and it was hard to find, he joined the Wyoming National Guard.

And he ended up shipping out to Korea a few months after he and my mom were married. This time he spent two years in such fierce fighting, I think he was surprised he came home.

It was only later in our lives that I learned more than my dad’s funny stories, including about the citation for bravery that his battalion received. My dad also received a special award from the Korean government.

I do remember times, when things were tough, he’d joke about it being easier than Korea. At least, I thought it was a joke. I had to get old enough to understand it wasn’t a joke, but the bar by which he looked at the rest of his life.

Yes, this was hard, but it wasn’t as bad as getting shot at.

Okay, this was challenging, but it was better than slogging through mud made that way not by water, but by the blood of the dead.

Getting older and struggling with health issues wasn’t easy, but he’d come home. He’d met the son born while he was on the battlefield and been able to build a life with his sweetheart.

I exist because my dad came home.

He’s gone, but the lessons I learned from him live on in me. There is no way for me to understand the bonds forged by men who fight together. I know his comrades in arms showed up for his Last Call. I know that men—soldiers—who didn’t know my dad showed up to honor him because that’s what they do for each other.

I try to thank soldiers for their service when I see them, and it is not an intrusion into their privacy, but Veronica and I wanted to do more.

I thank my dad by not forgetting him, and all those who have fought so that I and others could be free from tyranny.

I thank his comrades-in-arms by supporting organizations that help them. One of these organizations is Hero Dogs. They raise and train service dogs and place them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

So that they can come home for their families, for the kids waiting for them and for the kids that aren’t born yet.

And I thank them for the freedom I have to live my life.

So, for these last eleven days (our donation period ends on Veterans Day, Nov 11, 2017), I want to do more to get the word out about Hero Dogs and the wonderful work they do. But I need your help. If you already bought Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 THANK YOU. And now would you be willing to please help us reach our donation goal by:

1. Sharing this post with your friends and family. You can email it using the share button below.
2. You can also post it to Facebook and other social media sites using the share buttons below.
3. Tell five people who love pets, reading and veterans!

And I’d like to thank YOU for helping us get the word out for this final push.

We know a lot of people missed out on Pets in Space 1. Email me your receipt for buying Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2  with the subject line of Pets in Space Offer, and I’ll send you a link to download two stories from Pets in Space 1 for free (Star Cruise: Stowaway and The Real Dragon).

Here are instructions on how to find/send your receipt.

And if you’ve already bought The Real Dragon, my short story in Pets in Space 1, never fear! I’ve got an alternate offer for you. Send that receipt and I’ll tell you how to score more Pets in Space 1 stories.

Thank you again for all the support we’ve received for Hero Dogs, Veterans, and Pets in Space!

Perilously yours,

Pauline