Who writes dogs into their books and why. @BonnieEdwards #RomanceGems

August's theme is dogs and pets. It is an old knowledge now that dogs on covers sell books. This knowledge is from before the internet and before self-publishing became a viable choice for authors. This conclusion came from focus groups. They gravitated toward cover art with dogs. (And horses and children, too)

Dogs were not really characters then, but sometimes they'd show up as a means to get the protagonists together on the page.

Today, in my books at least, the dogs I feature have real purpose in the stories. The books wouldn't be the same if they weren't there.

They are matchmakers. They are heroes. They are sources of conflict and resolution. They are sounding boards. They are tools used in a romantic suspense. They have opinions they seemingly express with gas emissions, smiles, nudges, and effective glares.

Also, the dogs in my books mean something to me, personally. I bring some back to life to live again between the pages. (I sniffle when I write them.) Some are still alive and part of my life today. One passed away while I wrote a trilogy of books with her having a starring role.

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Which brings me to Love at Christmas, A Collection. These three stories span the Canadian/US border and Bella features in each one. She was a sweet poodle-cross who chose the hero for her owner. Bella brings more people together in the following two books.

Love at Christmas is always a bargain at half the cost of separate purchases of the trilogy.

And it's August already...Christmas is around the corner. (say 4 little boys I know)

In Love in a Pawnshop, I introduce an opinionated pit bull, named Razor. But one book wasn't enough for my Beau (more about him on the 15th) and he's been a big part of my Return to Welcome series starting with Finding Mercy.

He appears briefly again Loving Logan but in Craving Jake he rises to hero status when he saves lives and warns of danger. Craving Jake will be released in early September. When I return from a much-needed holiday, I'll be sharing links for a pre-order to my newsletter subscribers. You can sign on here:  Bonnie's Newsy Bits

I'm excited this month to kick off our Monthly Giveaway here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway For contest rules and a list of prizes check out our Monthly Giveaway Page.

Brand New Release! Like An Angel by @BonnieEdwards #RomanceGems

He needs a woman bad. And a good woman even more. But when a woman appears like an angel on the horizon, Brice Logan has to take what he can get…

New York heiress Andi Goodson needs to unplug and unwind, but a prairie farm in Canada is going too far, especially when it comes with a family in need. Coping with real children with real needs is not what she's trained for and certainly not what she wants. 

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But Andi's never been truly needed a day in her life. She's been trained as a hostess, the perfect daughter, the one in a mask of perfection no one cares to look behind. But children? No way!

Brice Logan is desperate to have a woman's help keeping his houseful of foster children together.

When Andi appears, like a misguided angel, he finds he wants more than her help.

He wants her everything.

Can love blossom on a lonely Canadian prairie between two people who come from completely different worlds? 

This month I am asking people to please sign up for my newsletter on our contest. Editing has resumed! I'm at 69K words and counting. Joining my newsletter is the best way to keep informed on my progress on Craving Jake, Return to Welcome Book 3. Bonnie's Newsy Bits

Our July contest is in full swing! Please join us in celebration of Beach Reads and Book Boyfriends.

Full details are on our Monthly Giveaway Page

But here's a brief list of what the Romance Gems have on offer for July:

Grand Prize: a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card
Second Prize: a $15.00 Amazon Gift Card
Third Prize: a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card
Fourth Prize: 2 print books, each autographed and mailed by the author
5th, 6th, and 7th Prizes: Eboook bundles of 3 Ebooks each

Romance Gems July Rafflecopter Giveaway