Big news! To celebrate the release of Sit, Stay, Love, I'll be at The Ripped Bodice on Saturday, April 7th for a "Rescue Dogs and Romance" event. Adoptable dogs from A Purposeful Rescue will be on site, and I'll be there signing Sit, Stay, Love, Book 2 in the Rescue Me series.  If you are in the LA area, please join us! If not, you can still order your own signed copy to be shipped April 10th.

I'm SO happy to announce that my Rescue Me series has been extended by Sourcebooks Casablanca for a full six books! The series will stay true to the first book, creating two-legged love connections for the staff and volunteers of the High Grove Animal Shelter, and finding forever homes for their four-legged friends. Future books will feature animals from a variety of circumstances that real life dogs and cats experience every day. 
 
The second book in the series, Sit, Stay, Love, will be released April 3, 2018.

I'm happy to share that I’ve had a sneak peak at the cover of Sit, Stay, Love, the second book in the Rescue Me series and love it just as much as the cover for A New Leash on Love!
 
Sit, Stay, Love will be released in April 2018, and is slated for a cover reveal in the coming month. Please sign up for my newsletter for pre-order details and a first glimpse at another great Sourcebooks Casablanca cover!

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I’m excited to share that my debut is generating some wonderful reviews! Publishers Weekly gave A New Leash on Love a starred review, saying “Burns’s auspicious debut contemporary is a warm cuddly tale full of dogs, cats, kids, and genuinely likable adults.” Read the full review here: www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4926-5083-6.
 
A New Leash on Love was also given 4 ½ stars and called a Top Pick by RT Book Reviews, saying “Wounded souls of all shapes and sizes, human and animal alike, tug at the heartstrings and evoke the right blend of tears as well as laughter.” RT Book Review’s full review will be available to the public soon.

​Considering my love of animals, rescue organizations, and, of course, love stories, it’s safe to say the flash of inspiration that led to my writing A New Leash on Love was inevitable. While the dogs, shelter workers, and the shelter featured in the story are fictional, the inspiration behind them was real. Every day, amazing and wonderful stories are born in pet adoption shelters.
 
I also found daily inspiration from my family’s two rescue dogs, Hazel and Nala.
 
As a puppy, Hazel was found in a plastic trash bag along with eight of her siblings on the side of a road. Luckily, a concerned man noticed the wiggling bag and took immediate action. Not only did he get the litter to a caring rescue organization where the puppies were treated for neglect, he adopted one of the litter as soon as it was cleared. We adopted Hazel days later. My daughter singled her out from dozens of other dogs right away. Hazel was sweet, cuddly, and in need of some extra love. Not only was she the runt of the litter, but prior to being rescued, Hazel suffered an attack from another dog. Although Hazel was beautiful to us from the start, her facial injuries worsened as she matured and she needed extensive surgery. Thankfully, she’s been fully recovered for several years thanks to our wonderful, talented, and kind-hearted vet.
 
Our newest addition, Nala, was initially surrendered to a high-kill animal control shelter at just four weeks of age. Thankfully, she was picked up by a caring rescue agency and rehabbed for adoption. It’s hard to believe now, but when we adopted her at eight weeks of age, she was the scrawniest and most timid little thing, and getting her to eat wasn’t easy. Now, she’s a bit of a doggie vacuum and has the most eternally playful nature. My family loves that she’s a constant reminder not to take life too seriously and to always find some time for fun.
 
Let's hear from you!​  Have a real-life story about your adopted pet or a remarkable shelter that you’d like to share? Please e-mail me. I’ll be posting personal stories of readers in my quarterly newsletter.

As the proud parent of two rescue dogs, I am a huge advocate for adopting a rescue dog rather than buying from a breeder.  According to the ASPCA, approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year.  No matter what breed of pet you're looking for, your local animal shelters are certain to have the perfect pal for you!
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• Read more Reasons to Adopt a Pet.
• Find a pet to adopt from a local shelter through Petfinder.com.

Let's hear from you!  Share your picture or story of your rescue pet on my Facebook page!