Animal Attraction Anthology
Animal Attraction is the newest collaboration organized by NYT Bestselling Author Lori Foster. It is available from HQN, and supports the AAF - Animal Adoption Foundation - a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio.
I am always excited to read the annual benefit anthology organized by Lori Foster. They always include touching, romantic stories. This year's Animal Attraction was no exception. Listed below are each of the stories and the corresponding link for the review.
Lori Foster - Buckhorn Ever AfterMaisey Yates - Imagine Me and You
Heidi Betts - Gimme Shelter
Jules Bennett - Partner In Crime
Lori graciously agreed to participate in my 3 Q&A.
1) Animal Attraction is the 7th Benefit anthology you have organized. What inspired you to start doing this?
I love supporting my favorite charities - and I'm always looking for new ways to do that. It seemed a no-brainer to me that dedicating all the proceeds from specific books would be a good idea, because with the way royalties are paid, books are the gifts that keep on giving. As long as the book sells - and all of mine are still selling - the charity will continue to get funds. I can't take all the credit for that though. With each book I've invited other authors to contribute a story also and so far they've all agreed. They donate a short story without any payment whatsoever, and usually contribute to promoting the book as well. Authors are some of the most generous people I've ever known - right up there with the awesome readers who buy the books!
2) Do you already have plans for next year's book? Can you give us a clue to the theme - will it be animals again?
Very likely. Everyone who knows me knows I'm a huge supporter of animals. I encourage people to get their pets spayed or neutered, and my husband and I have an ongoing effort of catching feral cats and getting them treated in any way that they need (ear mites, fleas, vaccinations) we get them fixed so they can't reproduce, and then we free them again. Most seem to want to hang out on our porch for the free food and shelter. :-) Presumably, my story will be another Buckhorn story. Not sure which character yet, but if anyone read "Animal Attraction," with my story on Shohn Hudson, they met some of the other characters and probably have a good idea.
3) Your stories so often (maybe all?) have animals in them. Can you tell us if any of them have been based on real pets that you have owned?
Several! "Riley" featured my now deceased fur baby, Brock. He was renamed Butch in the story to protect his identity. Lol Tootsie, my little female fur baby - also a Chihuahua - was featured in the follow-up story, "The Truth About Cats and Dogs." She too was renamed in the book.
My friend's dogs, Sargie and Tai, were featured in "When You Dare," Liger the cat - who people see on my Facebook page a lot - was in "Trace of Fever," and Grim the cat was in "Savor the Danger."
Most recently, in "Bare it All," I featured my brother's dog Kirby. In the book she's named Cash and is made into a boy. Lol Animals, with their individual personalities, often inspire me - but just as often I change their names and a few other things to better suit my story. :-)
Thanks Lori! I look forward to next year's book. As well as the Reader Author Get-Together.
As a prize this month, I have a "limited edition" print copy of Animal Attraction, a Reader Author Signature book - filled with several author signatures, and a RAGT tote. To be eligible, join my announcement loop by July 31.
Love Bites, from HQN, was released in 2012. It was written to support AAF - Animal Adoption Foundation - a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio. The link to all of the reviews is avialable. (Please check out my reviews!)
The Promise of Love, from Berkley Sensation, was released in 2011. It was written to support One Way Farm. The link to all of the reviews is avialable. (Please check out my reviews!)
Gift of Love, from Berkley Sensation, was released in 2010. It was written to support The Conductive Learning Center - which, per Lori's website, "is a special school for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy". The link to all of the reviews is avialable. (Please check out my reviews!)
Tails of Love, from Berkley Sensation, was released in 2009. It was written to support AAF - Animal Adoption Foundation - a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio. Several of the stories include rescued animals, but they all include at least one animal, and, of course, romance. The link to all of the reviews is avialable. (Please check out my reviews!)
The Power of Love, from Berkley Sensation, was released in 2008. It was written to support The Battered Women's Shelter of Cincinnati. This is quite an appropriate charity, as the stories focus on women overcoming various forms of abuse or neglect. I had the distinct pleasure of being able to read this anthology for review. (Please check out my reviews!)
At the Reader and Writer Get Together in Cincinnati, in addition to sharing a love of books, everyone participates in various fundraising efforts to support charities, including donated baskets. Since 2007, Lori has organized a book with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity. The first book was a cookbook with recipes turned in by authors and readers (myself included!). The title was The Write Ingredients and benefited the Troop Fund. The cookbook was published by Samhain Publishing as both print and an ebook.
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