WELCOME AUTHOR DEANNA KLINGEL

Deanna Klingel lives in the moutains of western NC. She shares their log home with her husband and until recently, their two golden retrievers. The house is empty without them and they will soon be adopting a new furry BFF. Deanna enjoys golf, visiting with their seven children and eleven grandchildren, and volunteering with therapy dogs.She runs a community dog park. She enjoys school visits and book signings.

Q and A Time

Q:What was the first book you had published, and what did it mean to you?

A: My first book was Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog. It's a collection of moments when my two therapy dogs made a difference in other people's lives. They were both senior dogs and I was desperate to have it published while they were still alive so we could share it together. There is a thrill assigned to seeing that first book that will always be cherished.

Q: How many books have you published, and which is your favorite and why?

A:The therapy dog book was first. Avery's Battlefield followed close behind and a few months later Avery's Crossroad. Bread Upon the Water came out last month and Cracks in the Ice will be released in October. I've just finished writing Blue-Eyed Dolls. The Avery and Gunner books are book one and book two, published by Journey Forth. Bread was published by Rafka and Ice is published by Write Integrity. This has surprised many folks. The reason is because the books are all very different and the publishing criteria is different for every publisher. I enjoyed working on all of them and love all the characters for different reasons, for who they are; like my children. My favorite book is probably always the one I'm working on at the time I'm asked. It's the one that eats away at my heart and keeps me awake at night. Like the troublesome child who happens to need more attention than the others at a particular time, it needs me 24-7 while I grow to love it more every day.

Q: Why did you choose to write kids books?

A: Actually, I'm not sure I did choose it. I wrote the Avery and Gunner books, originally one huge saga, and the editor I was working with at the time told me it was for young adults. I was delighted because that's what I enjoy reading. But I didn't set out to write it for kids.

Q: What have you found most challenging in writing?

A: The biggest challenge for me is probably the challenge a lot of people have who are doing what they love most, and that is making time for other things, taking a healthy break now and then for physical exercise, talk to someone, refresh. When you're doing what you love, it's hard to stop!

Q: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

A: Write. Write everyday. Even if it's just a to-do list, write it. That's what it takes. There are no short cuts.

DEANNA'S BOOKS

Avery's Crossroad is "the rest of the story" 1863-65. I have a lot of fun marketing these books at Civil War reenactments and school days.

Avery's Battlefield received the bronze medal for excellence in children's literature from Stars and Flags National Book Award on Veteran's Day 2011. This book covers 1861-1862.

Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog is a series of short stories about Lily and Jessie and the lives they touched. I do a Therapy Dog Seminar as part of book signings for this book. I've spoken to Rotary, Red Hats, assisted living, dog training clubs, 4-H clubs, OLLI at UGA, book stores, and libraries. I've just loved being able to bring the dogs to share their story and inspire others to train and work with their own dogs. I still do the seminars, if anyone is interested. This book has received the Seal of Approval of the Catholic Writers Guild.

Cracks in the Ice, coming in October, is pure fiction. The story of Gina takes us from her childhood of privilege as the niece of a mafia don, to her dreams for Olympic gold on the ice as a young adult. When a series of crisis and bad decisions destroy everything important to her, she spirals into self destructive habits and depression. It is her own daughter with her own dreams of stardom that finally restores Gina's hope and rebuilds their family.

Bread Upon the Water, the newest release, is a nonfiction biography. This is the true story of a boy's two escapes from Vietnam in order to follow God's call to the priesthood. He is currently a priest in NC and I was privileged to have him as a pastor. It took many hours of interviewing to get his story told and told correctly. He's such a humble and holy man, I'm sure he's befuddled by his sudden "fame." For these signings I also have a Vietnamese food tasting, and a small exhibit of his weekly rations during his time in the camps. I'm interested in watching people when they study the exhibit and the reality sinks in. It's moving. This book has the Seal of Approval of the Catholic Writers Guild.

Now for a chance to win a copy of one of Deanna’s books, your choice.

For each of the following, your name will be entered into the drawing:

1) Leave a comment with your email address or check back later for the winner. If you won, you’ll need to email me your information.

2) Become a follower on this blog.

3) Leave a comment on my Youtube video.

Make sure to let me know with your comment what you’ve done.

I can only ship in the US. Drawing will be done on August 28th. Please check back to see if you've won if you didn't leave your email address. If I don't have your email address and haven't heard from you by the September 2nd, I'll draw another name

Visit Deanna's personal website at www.booksbydeanna.com.