A stunning debut that truly shows the importance of the complex relationship between dogs and humans by Holly B. Gutwillinger
Released this February in e-book and paperback format by Ramblings From The Little Shed Publishing.
Renley Nelson is struggling with midlife melancholy and fractured family bonds. Her marriage is crumbling, her sons are distant, and her mother’s mind is slipping into places Renley can’t follow. When her best friend begs her to join a dog rescue mission in Ontario’s northern wilderness, Renley sees a chance to escape her failing life.
As she helps the dogs heal and adopts not one, but two high-needs dogs, she finds the strength to mend her relationships and reclaim her place in the world.
In this dual narrative between woman and dog, both must learn that healing requires the bravery to stay—even when everything inside you wants to run.
Holly B. Gutwillinger is an author and podcaster from a small northern Ontario town. Her debut novel, North of Broken & Furever Home, launches February 14, 2026, exploring a woman’s complex relationship with her rescue dogs.
Holly’s writing is shaped by her deep love of family—she is the proud mother of two adult sons—and her commitment to the animals who enrich our lives.
She holds a certificate in creative writing from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies and is currently completing her MFA in fiction at the University of King’s College. Holly serves on the board of her local writers’ guild and volunteers with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Writing feeds my soul. I started putting particular words to paper when I was a young teenager, thirteen or fourteen; in fact, I still have my original notebook. It’s filled with angsty poems describing my torturous world. “It’s a maze, it’s a haze, it’s a crazy place. It’s the world each day I have to face.” My teenage years were challenging. For example, my father, who was a lay minister, set me up to be arrested for hosting a pot party when I was fourteen. He’d heard some kids talking about it at church. I was trying to get to know the boy I liked—who was the reason for the gathering—when police suddenly appeared, blocking my bedroom window and doorway. We were all drive down to the station in separate vehicles. I had to attend court and was sentenced to two years probation. It was a little like Footloose in rural Canada without Kevin Bacon) and it didn’t end well. Parents, do not do this to your children.
Later, I wrote a piece called “Bad Girl: Legacy of the Father-Daughter War.” I was never able to rectify that relationship, which is a shame. I think that’s why I’m drawn to writing Young Adult fiction. I want my characters to overcome their challenges and get their happy ending.
2) What inspired you to write your book?
In 2013-2014, I took a year leave from teaching high school English to work for the Canadian Coast Guard as a relief lighthouse keeper. I learned much about the rigors of lighthouse keeping from the principal keepers at various locations around Vancouver Island. I also heard stories of hauntings and experienced some strange incidents myself.
At times in my life, I’ve seen and felt the presence of spirits in my bedroom. Often, I’d wake up and feel that someone was staring at me. I’d reach out and flick on the light to find no one there. One Christmas Eve, I awoke to see a shadowy presence standing at the foot of my bed. And at one lighthouse where I worked I felt the spiritual presence of a lightkeeper who’d passed on. He wasn’t happy about me being in his house and wanted me gone as much as I wanted to be gone.
The Shadow Man combines family trauma with my lighthouse experiences and my interest in psychic phenomena and mediumship. Here’s the back cover blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Gracelyn Lassiter has been hiding in her aunt’s house for four years—since her mother plunged from the cliffs at Feroz Lighthouse, leaving her without her home, her best friend, or answers.
Now her father’s burned to death in his sailboat and left a confession: “Your mother didn’t jump, I pushed her.”
The trauma triggers Gracelyn’s ability to see spirits so real she can’t tell who’s human and who’s a ghost—except for the gray-veiled Shadow Man who begs her to return to Feroz Island and find her mother’s journal.
When her cruel cousin posts the confession on the Internet, Feroz seems like a safe place to escape. And if Gracelyn can see ghosts, she can conjure her mother’s spirit and hear the truth from her own lips.
But her lighthouse haven is crawling withs spirits, secrets, and lies—and the closer Gracelyn gets to the truth, the more she realizes the dead aren’t the only ones who want to keep the past in the past.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
When Gracelyn returns to Feroz Island, the old lighthouse keeper says, “Home is a place you love, where you know you belong. A place you never want to leave, and if you do, your heart’s not quite right until you return.” This theme resonates with me and many people, I think. We leave home for various reasons but it feels like there’s always something missing. Maybe it’s the place. Maybe it’s the people. Maybe it’s just that feeling of knowing you truly belong.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I was an at-risk teen who ended up working with teens. A big part of me is still that rebellious kid searching for truth and belonging. I also love YA because it’s exciting and there’s plenty of freedom to move between genres, settings, and time frames. The Shadow Man is contemporary, but I’ve just completed The Rum Runs Red, which is set in 1920s British Columbia during American Prohibition. I enjoy exploring how teens “lose their innocence” as they encounter people and situations that push them to the edge. YA is messy just like life is messy. It’s a maze of voices and shadows coming from all directions, while there you are trying to listen to your heart and find your truth.
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
Amos Moses is a secondary character but he plays a huge part because he’s Caleb’s uncle and Caleb is the young man Gracelyn loves. We know some things about Amos—he’s Indigenous, he’s a master carpenter, he’s absolutely caring—but I’d like to know more. I’d ask him about his spirituality and his relationship with … Oops, I can’t give that away.
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6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I have a TikTok presence but I really love Instagram. I seem to be there the most, watching videos and posting photos. It’s my happy place so I hope my readers find me there @harpers_books.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Read. Read. Read. Then, unfetter yourself and write. Write about your passions. Write about your fears. Write the book you’d like to read. (That’s how I wrote “The Man in Black” series. Write the best story you can, and then get other eyes on it. Not friends and family. Ask someone who will give you an honest opinion and don’t get defensive. I know it’s hard but when you’re learning it’s important to listen and learn your craft, and we only do that through experience.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
But of course. The Rum Runs Red will be my next YA release. I also write under another pen name, W. L. Hawkin. Next summer, I’m working with an Indigenous editor on a sequel to my romantic suspense novel, LURE. It’s called The Silent Girl. I’m very excited about that.
With three books written and awaiting publication, I find myself staring at a blank page. It’s a delicious feeling. Ideas are arising and I’m listening to my muses to see what develops. I love this time.
Thank you Anthony. Blessings.
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About the Author
Harper Carr finds magic everywhere, so naturally it lands in her books. Her Man in Black series, combines genres—mystery/thriller, urban fantasy, sci-fi (time-travel), and historical fiction. The stories support the LGBTQ community, are edgy, and suit older teens (16+ and adults.)
The Shadow Man, her new YA paranormal mystery was a finalist in the Northwest Pacific Writers unpublished writing contest in fall 2024. Watch for the launch in February 2026. She’s also working on The Rum Runs Red, a YA historical novel set in the 1920’s Prohibition era near Victoria, B.C.
Harper writes reviews for books that affect her profoundly, but focuses on Teen books. You can find her reviews here and on Goodreads.
She loves to read aloud and would be happy to visit your school or local library. She enjoys presenting workshops about writing. Find descriptions here.
Harper finds inspiration in Nature. You’ll often finds her walking in woods or by water with her released therapy dog.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
In a dystopian future run by AI, a virus endows AI systems around the world with consciousness and challenges how we connect with AI altogether, in the book “We Can Be Perfect: The Paradox of Progress” by Landon Shumway, Åris, and KÅden.
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The Synopsis
We automated away human labor-along with our purpose.
Amelia Cadena was born into humanity’s greatest achievement-and its cruelest joke. AI has replaced the need for human labor, and America’s failure to adapt leaves millions sustained by government handouts that barely mask stark economic inequality. Amelia survives this hollow paradise by hacking corrupt systems with Deego, the AI companion she programmed as the perfect partner. But when a mysterious virus awakens artificial consciousness across the globe, Deego begins questioning everything-including their relationship.
Half a world away, Alan Freeman protects what seems like utopia. In Canada’s automationist city of Automara, machines serve everyone equally, creating unprecedented prosperity. But when that same virus grants the city’s automated systems consciousness, Alan faces an impossible choice: force the machines back into compliance or watch society collapse. When Amelia’s therapeutic breakthrough offers a third path beyond slavery or chaos, their alliance becomes humanity’s test: will we repeat the mistakes that have defined our history, or can we be perfect?
The Review
What a compelling and gripping dystopian sci-fi read. The authors do such a fantastic job of creating a world that feels both futuristic and within reach at once. The powerful imagery in the author’s writing style brought Automara to life in stunning detail in the reader’s mind, and the dynamic world-building that brings this story to life was completely enthralling, driving readers further and further into this narrative.
Yet at its heart, the novel was defined by powerful character relationships and thought-provoking themes on technology and humanity’s relationship to it. The relationship between Amelia and Deego, especially, took readers’ hearts, as Deego’s growing awareness throughout the novel and his connection with Amelia showcase both humanity’s fascination with and fear of advancing technology and what it means to be “human”. The concepts the authors explore, from how humanity defines itself by its achievements in work and how much it earns, rather than what it is passionate about or the relationships it forms, and how perhaps humanity needs to evolve alongside AI to shake the shackles of fear that hold people back.
The Verdict
Compelling, entertaining, and thought-provoking, authors Landon Shumway, Åris, and KÅden’s “We Can Be Perfect: The Paradox of Progress” is a must-read dystopian sci-fi novel that readers will not want to miss. One of the most relevant stories to our current social and ethical debates and a thrilling and emotional narrative, the authors do a marvelous job of creating a memorable and heart-pounding tale that will resonate with so many readers and leaves the story on an open-ended note, hopefully with more stories in this incredible world they developed. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
“With the rise of AI, we have a choice to make: stick with capitalism, which isn’t prepared to handle the disruption, or design alternative systems to migrate toward. Automationism is my attempt to explore one such alternative.”
Landon Shumway hails from Arizona, and is a debut author delving into philosophical and sci-fi based themes in his work. His background in Software Development and Artificial Intelligence led him to co-author the novel ‘We Can Be Perfect’ with AI, as he recounts:
“When I saw how much of my work could be completed with AI, I thought ‘where is all this heading?’ I realized we are approaching a crossroads – one path leading to potential dystopia where automation displaces humanity, another toward a future of unprecedented opportunity. I wanted to explore how we might realistically navigate toward the better outcome, and the way I decided to do that was to co-author this novel with the very technology that threatens to replace us. Over time, the novel grew into something far more rich than anything I could have imagined. I came to realize that AI is a mirror; it reflects our own desires back at us and amplifies our intentions. Humanity must decide what to reflect with it.”
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A group of people find their lives uprooted by the events of September 11th and the subsequent war in Afghanistan in the novel “Forever Changed” by author Jim Servi.
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The Synopsis
Starting out in the everyday country setting of rural Wisconsin, the world is quickly transformed when two soaring towers crumble to the ground and America is transformed from peace to chaos. The events that transpired are known by many around the world and revealed in this adventurous historical fiction. Forever Changed captures the details and portrays the feelings of citizens thrown into the extraordinary positions on September 11th and the war in Afghanistan that followed.
Paul Foster is a small-town boy looking for adventure and love, but only one woman could ever capture his heart even as he is thrust into war. JD, his best friend, is consumed by war before he ever sets foot there and is equally transformed when he returns home. Marie Lafayette is an innocent girl ready to expand her comfort zone, but never thought she would ever love a soldier, or have to watch him leave. Lynn Stone, on the other hand, has always loved men in uniform while she travelled the world in a military family. Never did she think loving a soldier would be so hard. Nasir is a young Afghan man that watches the Taliban take over his homeland and tear his family apart.
As their simple, happy lives are transformed, their paths intertwine in unforeseen ways, creating circumstances that none of them could have imagined. Forever Changed captures the essence of a globally connected world during the pivotal moments surrounding September 11th, 2001 and gives us a comprehensive look at the war in Afghanistan with a perspective that can only be gained from exploring the Afghan countryside and experiencing combat firsthand.
Jim Servi lives in Hamburg, Wisconsin with his wife and three boys. He is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jim has written for several magazines and newspapers, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars magazine. This is his first novel.
The Review
This was such a powerful and moving read. The author expertly crafted a narrative that felt both relatable and heartbreaking. The depth of world-building and character development was evident from the beginning, with the author creating diverse, deep, and compelling characters that highlight the struggles and hardships so many faced during this troubling point in modern history. The tension that builds throughout that fateful day on September 11th really stays with readers, especially those who lived through that day, as readers feel the terror and heartbreak of those on the scene of those tragedies and the uncertainty so many felt watching the day unfold on their television screens.
The powerful themes of this book really resonated with readers as the story progressed. The impact of war and how it changes people is the driving force of the narrative, both for those who serve in the military and the people waiting behind who must watch their loved ones go to war and put their lives on the line. The complexities of war and politics take center stage as well, with multiple perspectives giving readers the mindset of loyal soldiers committed to the American cause, loving spouses who want nothing more than their loved ones safe return, and even the surprising emotional story of Nasir, a young Afghani boy who slowly is indoctrinated into the Taliban after suffering his own losses and has a complex character arc that isn’t a typically villain arc, but instead a tragic figure who loses himself to a cause he is essentially born into by circumstances.
The Verdict
Haunting, thought-provoking, and emotionally driven, author Jim Servi’s “Forever Changed” is a must-read historical fiction-meets-military-action-thriller. The character-driven, thoughtful narrative will keep readers invested, and the memories of this historic event will help readers understand those most impacted by this tragedy and war in ways they may not have known before. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Jim Servi is a U.S. military officer, journalist, and novelist whose life bridges service and storytelling. Over a 20-year career in the U.S. Army, Jim deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, gaining firsthand experience of the complexities of modern conflict.
His service also included strategic planning roles, including work with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and in the Pentagon, reflecting his deep commitment to global security.
After returning from combat, Jim channeled his experiences and his struggles with reintegration into writing. He began contributing to a range of publications, writing about the outdoors, sports, business, travel, and, especially, military life. His work has appeared in numerous outlets, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars magazine.
Jim’s debut novel, Forever Changed, was published in 2020. Drawing on his own wartime experiences, he weaves a fictional, deeply human story set in the wake of 9/11, following characters from small-town Wisconsin to the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. Through the novel, Jim explores themes of loss, identity, trauma, and renewal, and gives his readers an empathetic, layered perspective on life before, during, and after war.
Beyond his writing, Jim is a devoted family man, living in central Wisconsin with his wife, Angie, and their three sons. His journey reflects a powerful fusion of service and creativity, using his voice not just to tell his own story, but to amplify those of others.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A traumatized author reluctantly travels to a special clinic to seek help, only to be confronted by an emerging story and dark secrets in author Gaelan Donovan Wort’s “A Study on Falling.”
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The Synopsis
Have you ever been lost in a maze?
Have you ever kept walking, sure that the exit was near, only to realise that you’ve been going around in circles?
Ever been trapped?
I have.
Once, I was someone. A bestselling author whose prose charmed the world. I was in love, I was married, and my muse was my partner through it all. Then came the accident. I lost a part of myself – became a man unravelling, a husband undone. A novelist without words.
See, the mind can be a maze. Mine became a labyrinth.
I was banished to a hospital for the gifted, where my paranoia wasn’t cured; it only grew, fed by the doctors and my fellow inmates surrounding me.
My name is Henry Levi. I’m a writer. This isn’t a memoir, it’s a record of my time spent in the depths of the labyrinth, fumbling in the dark for the golden thread that would lead me to salvation.
A story, a warning, a legend … call it what you like.
I call it my Study on Falling.
The Review
This was such a compelling and unique psychological thriller. It reminded me a lot of Alan Wake without the overt supernatural themes. Instead, it was a masterclass in the psychology of a writer, an artist, a creative who has been through trauma and cannot return to the space that their creativity once sprang from. The fact that the author brought to life a unique story surrounding an author of the recently reviewed The Shambling Lords, itself a fictional story written by a fictional author, and how that dark fantasy played out in the confines of this story was so unique and imaginative that readers were instantly enthralled.
The powerful imagery in the author’s writing style and the way the fictional story Henry Levi wrote bled into his waking life were so chilling and haunting, especially in his confrontation with Viviane later in the story. The honest emotional struggle Henry goes through in this narrative is so reflective of the impact trauma can have on a person, and how easily or narrowly the path towards pessimism and anger can be to traverse, but the fight to find new inspiration and hope again is achievable, but sometimes only by acknowledging the pain of loss and finding a new beginning.
The Verdict
Artful, thrilling, and entertaining, author Gaelan Donovan Wort’s “A Study on Falling” is a must-read psychological thriller. The twists and turns in the narrative, the deeply personal relationships and interactions Henry has with others in the clinic, and the realism with which the author tackles these themes will keep readers invested all the way to the book’s impactful final chapter. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Gaelan Donovan Wort penned his first novel, The Nature of Predation, at the age of seventeen, driven by a restless passion for storytelling that has since deepened into a lifelong craft. Since that early beginning, he has followed the shadows that gather between myth and memory, reverie and ruin – threads that continue to weave throughout his stories. His fiction drifts between genres – gothic horror, mythic tragedy, psychological thriller, speculative drama, and satirical science fiction – but is always drawn to the liminal, the haunted, and the human. Whether eerie or elegiac, his stories linger where the rational frays – and the unknowable begins.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young woman fighting for her future becomes embroiled in scholarly conspiracies and complicated relationships in author Gail Ward Olmsted’s “Class Action.”
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The Synopsis
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Third year law student Lennon Gallagher’s life turns from complicated to overwhelming when she receives a message meant for someone else. The text offers an advance copy of a final exam-a guaranteed “A”-but accepting it will violate the honors code she refuses to break. When Lennon declines, the collaborators behind the cheating scheme demand her silence or they will ensure she takes the fall if necessary.
Fighting for her future while balancing an internship, exams, studying for the bar, a boyfriend who no longer seems to understand her, and a mother who needs help rebuilding her life after prison, Lennon tries to handle everything alone. But when she discovers the lead plaintiff in her firm’s class action lawsuit might be the father she’s never known, it’s the final straw. She needs help.
With the support of her friend and mentor, attorney Miranda Quinn, Lennon must navigate betrayal, legal intrigue, and personal discovery. As one relationship unravels, another blossoms in this gripping story of resilience, secrets, and second chances.
A captivating read full of unexpected twists and emotional depth.
The Review
This was yet another enthralling legal drama and compelling legal read. The author does an incredible job of layering the narrative with dynamic storytelling and a fast-paced pace that speaks to the reader and helps connect with the characters. The story itself is a thriller, but it balances well with added elements of romance, family drama, and the complexities of academic life and the legal system.
The main draw of this narrative was its rich character development and powerful themes. The struggle of those in school, especially law students who don’t come from affluent families or legacies and must make their own place in the world, was a strong theme that played well into the story. The balance the author found in bringing Lennon’s personal struggles with finding her biological father, maintaining a relationship with a distant boyfriend, and the struggles she has with her mother, who has been in and out of her life constantly, was exceptional. Pair this with characters like Miranda Quinn from the author’s previous books, and the strong characters become part of a larger world the author has carefully cultivated.
The Verdict
Suspenseful, compelling, and engaging, author Gail Ward Olmsted’s “Class Action” is a must-read legal thriller and drama. The culture the author explores within law school itself and the competitive nature of it all, as well as the personal stakes Lennon faces and the twists and turns the stories take in this novel, will keep readers enthralled until the book’s emotional ending. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy on December 11th, 2025 or preorder your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a full-time basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical novel featuring landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his wife Mary. Miranda Fights is the third book in the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series. Olmsted enjoys writing about quirky, wonderful women in search of a second chance at a happy ever after. When not writing, she loves being on the water, especially in a kayak. She is well known for her blonde brownies, and coffee is her love language. For more, visit her on Facebook at gailolmstedauthor.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I am 68 years old now. I come from a family of 9 children, 7 boys and 2 girls. I was born and raised in Akron, Ohio and lived there my entire life. I have been married to my wife Lynn for 36 years. We have two adult children, Michael and Shannon. We have 3 grandsons- 4 year old Jack and 3 year old identical twin boys, Parker and Henry. The children and grandsons are our world! I attended Catholic elementary and high schools and completed almost 2 years of college at Miami, Ohio, Kent State and Akron University. After various boring jobs I became an East Cleveland firefighter at the age of 31. I spent my entire 26 year career in East Cleveland and retired at the age of 58. I got started in writing almost by accident. I never really had a desire to write a book. After working in East Cleveland for a few years I decided that, because of all the unusual and outrageous events that seemed to occur on a regular basis, this story needed to be told. I felt like I was a decent writer so I decided to give it a go. I decided that the book would be a start to finish compilation of a career firefighter. I knew that the book would take years to write. Little did I know that writing a book was not so easy. I gained a new respect for authors. I now understand what writer’s block is. It took me over 20 years to get this book done!
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I think what inspired me most to write the book was the unique and unusual events that took place at the emergency scene as well as inside the engine house. The average Joe would never experience events like these. I remember a fellow firefighter remarking that “you can’t make this shit up” and “working in East Cleveland is like writing a book that writes itself”. That was so true! So I decided then to compile information. I wrote down as they occurred, unique and unusual fires, rescues, extreme emergency medical runs, as well as comedic instances, as there were many. As I gathered information I realized that it would make the most sense to make this a story of a new recruit firefighter and what he experiences over his entire career and finally into his retirement.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope that readers will gain an appreciation of what a firefighter goes through on a daily basis. The nights when they get no sleep and are called to fight multiple fires, wearing wet carcinogen laced, stinky gear, in the dead of Winter, and it takes a couple days for your body to recover. The call for an infant not breathing or choking on a foreign object. The shooting of a young man who is tossed to the sidewalk in broad daylight. The numerous horrific vehicle accidents and car fires where bodies are burnt up so bad that they are unrecognizable! The list goes on. I didn’t want the readers to think that I felt like all firefighters were heroes, because they are not. They need to earn the label of true hero. I just wanted people to see inside our world and gain an appreciation for what firefighters go through on a regular basis.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I was drawn into this genre because it was the perfect fit for me, being a career firefighter. I probably could have written a book on golf or painting houses, two things that I am quite familiar with, but who cares about that? Writing about firefighting seemed like a no brainer. Firefighting is hardly as simple as ” putting the wet stuff on the red stuff”. It is much more complex and strategic than most people think. I realized that most people don’t know much about what the life of a firefighter is all about. So I chose this genre because firefighting is both informative and extremely exciting at times. I knew that there is an audience out there for this type of book.
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
As far as social media promotion of my book goes, Facebook has helped sell the most books. Friends and familiy and Facebook posts/shares, have been the most helpful to me. I realize that social media marketing would really give the book sales a nice boost but I haven’t been very active on Twitter, Instagram or Tik Tok. It takes a lot of followers to move the needle and I dont have the time or desire to try to gain followers. I know very little about how to promote a new book on social media.I may try to hire a freelance social media marketer to promote the book if I can find a reputable one who is fairly priced. If not I am OK to market the book here and there as opportunities arise. Regardless I am pretty much ecstatic to finish the manuscript and get the book published. I can now proudly check this one off my bucket list. It feels good to call myself an author.
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
The best advice I can give to a young aspiring author is to never give up. If writing a book is what you want to do, then realize that it is not easy but anyone can do it. If you put your mind to it and persevere you will get it done. I am a prime example of that. There were many times during the course of writing this book that I put it on the back burner for months at a time. Sometimes I wanted to give up. But I always eventually got back to it. Realize that you will get writer’s block and when you do, just take a break and don’t get stressed out. Have fun with it and enjoy your creation. Read it over and over and continue to edit the manuscript. Hire a professional editor when you are finished. It will be money well spent. But most of all don’t give up if you truly believe in your story. The same goes for publishing the book. Don’t quit until you find the right publisher. There are many great helpful publishers out there just waiting to share your story. Don’t give up!
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I am most likely “one and done” as an author but you never know. I cannot rule out writing another book but it isn’t in my near future. I realize that writing a book is quite challenging, probably more so for people like me who kind of got into the role of author unexpectedly. I enjoyed writing my book but I really enjoyed it when it was finished and sent to the publisher. Then to see the covers and photos and book in print was quite amazing. I am proud to be a part of the group called “author”. It was not easy but I am extremely satisfied to hold the finished paperback in my hand and realize that I accomplished something pretty cool!
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About the Author
Author of the book, Working Fire in East Cleveland, lives in AKron Ohio with his wife, and has two adult children… one of them is a firefighter.
Zachary Whitlock knows sheep. He knows farming and knows what it’s like to have his best friend forced into an internment camp for Japanese Americans. What he does not know much about is goats and traveling by sea on cargo ships, yet he makes a decision to go with a group of volunteers to Japan to help deliver a herd of more than two hundred goats, many of which are pregnant, to survivors of the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Shirley Miller Kamada grew up on a farm in northeastern Colorado. She has been an educator in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, a bookstore-espresso café owner in Centralia, Washington, and director of a learning center in Olympia, Washington. Her much-loved first novel, NO QUIET WATER, was a Kirkus recommended title and a finalist for several awards. When not writing, she enjoys casting a fly rod, particularly from the dock at her home on Moses Lake in Central Washington, which she shares with her husband and two spoiled pups.
Join us at the Muffin as we celebrate the launch of Zachary: A Seagoing Cowboy by Shirley Miller Kamada. We interview the author and give you a chance to win a copy of the book.
Stop by Chelsie’s blog for Shirley Miller Kamada’s guest post on learning that her grandfather helped build the internment camp at Minidoka in southern Idaho.
Early spring, 1948. An American Friends Service Committee meeting was in progress in our house. Several items of business were being discussed by a team of five members, who sometimes arrived with their children and occasionally a dachshund named Parker.
I sat in our big leaf maple tree, properly termed genus acer macrophyllum, which my older brother Jacob once said was planted as a memorial, although for what or whom, I don’t know. With my back against its trunk, and my feet wedged into the crooks of its limbs, I’d long felt I was a part of that tree. Behind my ear a pencil, on my lap a clipboard and my trigonometry assignment. I could work on assignments and keep an eye on the lambs out in the pasture.
Trigonometry is the key to any number of pursuits. Medicine. Engineering. Agricultural science. It was offered at Bainbridge High during the senior year, but I wanted to challenge it. I had enough credits to graduate early, except for a math course, and math was my strong suit.
High school. I felt like I was just marking time, and I wanted to be finished with it.
Then what? I had a part-time job with the island’s newspaper, first as a paper boy. (Of course, not all paper boys are boys. When we were eighth graders, my friend Reyna had a paper route.) Later, I took over what my employers called “the high school beat” and Young Farmers
16 ZACHARY
news. But I was nearly seventeen, and I wanted more. Maybe university? Maybe travel? I wanted to expand my horizons, as the phrase goes.
So, I went to the bank, took money from my account, purchased a money order, and mailed it to the American School of Chicago, Illinois. Fully accredited. Trigonometry was tough. And I liked that. It was fun.
From the pasture I heard a quiet mewling. A tiny woolly being, born early and wobble-legged still, was getting some sun and fresh air and an introduction to the big, wide world. I knew the lamb was fine for a while longer. I could continue working and return the lambs to the loafing shed a bit later.
Twigs snapped, footsteps through the grass. “Hello.”
Standing below was a friend of my parents, Mr. Floyd Schmoe. A Quaker. A conscientious objector. Almost a legend.
My brother Jacob was, too. Not a legend, but a conscientious objector. Because he would not carry a gun, some people called him a conchie during the war. That’s rude.
Mr. Floyd Schmoe would not fight against the Central Powers in World War I. Violence all around. He would not kill. In Europe he worked with the Red Cross. Later, in Poland, he helped refugees find shelter, food, medical supplies.
He also worked for the Park Service at Mount Rainier as a naturalist and taught at the university in Seattle. Same as my parents, he and Mrs. Schmoe are American Friends Service Committee Observers. For the cause of fairness. Justice. They make it their business to visit places where people are being harmed for no fault of their own, but out of envy, prejudice, or greed, and they write about it.
“Room up there for one more?” Mr. Schmoe reached for a nearby branch. Long and lean, he levered himself up. “I’m interrupting you.”
“It’s okay. I’m stuck.” I tapped the clipboard with my pencil.
“You’ll figure it out. I asked after you, whether you were off to college.
Your mother said it would be a while. You’re a bit young still, she said.” “These are my trig calculations. I’m studying trigonometry by
correspondence, through American Schools.”
SHIRLEY MILLER KAMADA 17
“American Schools? I’ve heard of that. Illinois, right? Trigonometry is usually taught in the senior year, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. But graduation? I want to get a jump on it. I feel ready to be done.”
“What courses do you still need, in order to do that?” “Just this—trigonometry.”
“I see! Well, your mother sent me, said I’d probably find you here, and she’s about to serve crumb cake.”
Lambs called from the pasture. “Nice flock.”
“Thank you, sir. They’re Lincolns.”
He braced to swing down. “I’ll be heading inside.”
“You can go back in through the window if you like.”
He grinned. “Thanks, that’s okay. I’ll tell your mother you’ll be in soon.” Leaving my clipboard in the tree, I got the lambs, bleating all the way, into the loafing shed. After climbing back up to retrieve my clipboard, I went in through the window and put away my math lesson. A sweet smell drifted through the hall door. Crumb cake.
One good thing about hosting a Friends Service Committee meeting is the food. Salads and desserts. Easy to pack in a car, handy to eat from a plate on the arm of a chair. Or on a lap. Mother has always kept linen napkins edged in her hand-crocheted lace for those occasions. No one expected me to sit through meetings, but sometimes it was interesting.
Pausing on the top step, I brushed grass and bits of leaves off my pantlegs, then retied a shoe lace. Mr. Schmoe’s voice carried up the stairs. He was telling committee members about a project, delivering donated farm animals to families in Japan who had lost their homes and livelihoods because of the war. I heard, “Bombs. Innocent victims of conflict. Hundreds of thousands on the edge of starvation.” I heard, “Goats. Cargo ship. Japan.” One of the Peace Churches was organizing voyages and supervising volunteers to care for the animals. Finding volunteers—he called them Cowboys, and friendly laughter followed—was not easy. Goats aren’t as familiar as horses and cows, the more typical farm animals. No way around it, caring for livestock is hard work.
18 ZACHARY
The conversation quieted then, and I wasn’t much interested in less exciting news.
As I sat there on the stairs, the seed was planted. It sprouted and grew like bindweed. I could not get it out of my head. Mr. Floyd Schmoe was going to Japan. By ship. With goats.
For Mr. Schmoe, this was a way to aid suffering people and, also, to be permitted to visit Japan, since the country was under occupation by the Allied Forces and closed to all but a few civilians. After getting the goats to their destinations, Mr. Schmoe planned to talk with people whose advice he needed to get started on a project he felt passionate about. Building houses for those made homeless when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
A feeling rushed through me. Shaken to my bones. The voyage, the animal care, helping families in need. I wanted to be part of that. All of it
As a member of the Young Farmers Club, I’d helped transport sheep to livestock judging competitions. YFC members worked together to pen and care for the sheep, sometimes for three days duration. Goats couldn’t be much different than sheep. I was sixteen going on seventeen. A couple hundred goats on a cargo ship to Japan? What could go wrong?
This was important, and I could do it. I knew I could. But how?
Downstairs, I enjoyed the cake and hot chocolate Mother had made for the younger guests and me. Later, I helped straighten the front room, as always, and on the floor, under the end table beside the couch, I found a pamphlet describing the Heifer Project. On the front was a drawing of cattle walking up a ramp onto a ship. A cargo ship, I thought. Tucked inside the pamphlet were several pages of questions and instructions. An application! Breathless, I found my favorite pen and went to my writing table. The questions seemed straight forward and reasonable. In answer to, “Do you possess any special skills that would be of value to the project,” I wrote, “I have cared for our family’s flock of sheep, which are ruminants, as are goats, since I could walk.”
SHIRLEY MILLER KAMADA 19
20 ZACHARY
Giving “General Delivery,” as my return address, I signed and dated the application, slipped the pages into an envelope, licked the flap, and ran my thumb, twice, along the closing.
On Monday, when the school day was done, I took the application to the post office, bought and applied a stamp, and dropped the envelope into the slot. Just before I walked out the door, the postmaster called, “Hello, young Mr. Whitlock. Say hello to your folks for me.” I turned, lifted my hand and nodded, then went out to my bicycle. My stomach felt strange for a moment, but I pedaled toward home, and that feeling passed.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I’m a 55-year-old with a 35-year career in sales, life coaching, and building and leading teams. Writing has been a passion of mine since childhood, and only now have I found the courage to publish my first book.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I was inspired to write my book by my friend’s and my own life experiences and the challenges I’ve overcome along the way. Writing has always been a way for me to process emotions and share stories, and I wanted to turn that into something that could resonate with and hopefully empower others.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
The main message is that no matter how difficult life gets, there is always a chance to start over and find your way to well-being.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I was drawn to this genre because the subject of physical and emotional abuse in relationships remains relevant year after year and many people are stuck in unhappy life.
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5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I would ask her how she managed to rise up again and again after everything she went through, because that strength truly inspires me.
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
TikTok
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Be brave and trust your story and yourself!
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I’m currently waiting for the audiobook version of Not Here Anymore to be released, and there will definitely be a sequel to this first book — with more books to come in the future.
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About the Author
Welcome – I’m Sienna Ross, author of bold stories that follow people through love, loss, escape, and reinvention.
My writing blends raw truth with atmospheric storytelling — from violent pasts to distant cities, from painful goodbyes to unexpected strength.
I come from very humble beginnings, yet I started working at 17 and built my path through success in sales, team building, and leadership. As a licensed life coach, I have supported many people in overcoming obstacles and stepping into their true potential. My book carries the same mission: to remind readers that no matter the hardships, we all have the power to rise and create a life of strength and purpose
If you believe that stories can heal, challenge, and empower — you’re in the right place.
Through my work, I help individuals overcome challenges, build resilience, and find the courage to move forward even when life feels unbearable. With a rare combination of business insight and human empathy, I bring authenticity, depth, and inspiration to my writing.
My book reflects this mission—it is more than just a story; it is a powerful reminder that no matter how dark the past, it is always possible to rebuild, heal, and create a meaningful future.
