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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Guest Post with Author Linda Benson


Have you ever seen a child sitting by herself on a playground, on the bus, or a school cafeteria? Talking to no one, scuffing her shoe, head down and trying to ignore the world? Don’t you sometimes wonder what her story is?

Walking the Dog is a story about a girl like that. In this short novel, I’ve named her Sophie. But her name could be anything, and she could be one of thousands of kids who’ve had a pretty bad go of life and could use a friend, or someone to actually listen. In Walking the Dog, I’ve given her a friend named Jared. 

Walking the Dog is a brand new ebook from Musa Publishing. With the appealing dog picture on the cover, you might think it’s a book about dogs. Make no mistake, there are plenty of dogs in this story, as well as one quite independent orange cat. In fact, most everything that I write ties in with the human-animal bond, and how important animals can be to emotional growth and love. But Walking the Dog is really Sophie and Jared’s story. It’s about two kids tackling some very adult problems. I hope you enjoy it.

Jared feels like he's the only one who looks past Sophie's scars to see her for who she is. But can he be a true friend when she desperately needs one?

Jared is smitten when his teacher seats the new girl, Sophie, right next to him. Even with the scar running up the side of her face, Jared thinks she’s the most beautiful girl in the entire fifth grade. But why did she transfer here so late in the year? Rumors say something bad happened to her.

Jared and Sophie become friends while walking the guidance counselor’s new puppy, but when his parents object to this arrangement, Jared fabricates a series of elaborate lies to meet Sophie on the sly. But little brothers can be pests. First Petey lets the orange cat loose at the animal shelter where Jared and Sophie have been secretly walking the dogs. Then Petey turns up missing. 

And Sophie's past finally catches up with her.

Musa Publishing | Amazon | Goodreads


Linda Benson is the author of several middle grade and young adult books, including Walking the Dog, Six Degrees of Lost, The Girl Who Remembered Horses, Finding Chance, and The Horse Jar (which has been translated into Spanish.)

Her passion for nature and animals often finds its way into her writing. She has been a veterinary assistant, zoo keeper, race track groom, realtor, children’s librarian, and owned both a native plant nursery and a saddle shop. 


Ms. Benson lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a variety of animals, all of them adopted. When she's not petting a dog, cat, horse, or donkey, traipsing through the woods, or enjoying a good glass of wine, she's most likely working on her next book.

To find out more -
WebsiteBlog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads




4 comments:

  1. Entendo, pouco como tu sabes. Mesmo sem domínio do inglês, consigo captar tua mensagem.
    Pretendo explorar em espanhol The Horse Jar e passar aos amigos.
    Meus Amigos são adultos, mas curtimos bons livros.
    HUGS!

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  2. How nice! I love animals too, but I tend to label myself as a cat person. My niece, however, is an all around animal lover and wants to be a vet. I bet she will love this book. I'll have to put it on her radar.

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  3. Another great read! Your devotion to the animal world touches my heart.

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  4. Simpleroq - thanks for commenting. I'm glad someone has found a copy of the Spanish translation of The Horse Jar, one of my earlier books from Mondo Publishing, and I hope you are enjoying it.

    Page Turner - Small confession here - I'm a cat person, too, and so could not resist writing a plotline concerning a special cat into this story. *grin*

    And Cricket - thanks so much for allowing me to share this book with the Wanted Readers gang. Much appreciated!

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