Hi, All!
Thanks so much to those who participated in the image selection for the cover of Caddy’s Tale! It was very close, almost a tie between two of the images, but we do have a winner, and I will send out the cover reveal as soon as it is finished.
In the meantime, here is an image of the dog, Caddy, who was the inspiration for this story.
Thanks so much to those who participated in the image selection for the cover of Caddy’s Tale! It was very close, almost a tie between two of the images, but we do have a winner, and I will send out the cover reveal as soon as it is finished.
In the meantime, here is an image of the dog, Caddy, who was the inspiration for this story.
I thought you might like to read an excerpt of the story, which is really a family drama with a paranormal twist. You know me, I love the unexpected!
Here’s the excerpt from Caddy’s Tale:
The puppy fought the waves. Swell after swell pulled her under water. Drowning in the sea wasn’t in her plan. The dog paddled to the surface and blew water out of her tiny nose. She struggled, but the tide’s invisible hand was stronger. The undertow pulled her down. The quiet underwater muted her whimpers. Her tiny paws shifted sand but couldn’t get purchase. Lean muscle and skin were not enough to make her buoyant. The small puppy couldn’t fight the current, the waves tumbling over her, or hold her breath.
Hands grabbed her and lifted the sputtering pup, who coughed salt water from her lungs.
Lily Loggins wadded through the surging waves holding the black pit bull pup with a white blaze clutched to her chest. Pressing her close, Lily moved to the dry sand, sat, and cradled her rescue.
“What happened, girl?” She inspected the puppy and noticed it was female and beautifully marked.
Climbing closer, the puppy licked the girl’s face nonstop.
Lily giggled and rolled on the sand with the dog who started to bark and whine at the same time. Holding the puppy out at arm’s length, she asked her, “Where’s your owner? I haven’t ever noticed strays here.”
She looked along Crescent Beach, a private alcove she’d known since she had moved here with her father.
“I’d better find out if you are chipped and locate your people!”
Glancing once more at the empty Florida beach, she jumped up, removed the long-sleeved shirt tied around her waist, and wrapped up the pup in it. She trudged the mile up to the beach house nestled just behind the dunes where she had lived all through high school with her dad after her parents had divorced. The rustic home faced the ocean complete with a wrap-around porch and floor-to-ceiling windows. Lily loved the handcrafted feel of the raw natural materials from which the bright and airy house had been built with its weathered wood, timbered furniture, wide-plank floors, and natural stone.
Climbing the stairs up to the deck, she spotted her father. He turned to face her with a smoke pipe in one hand and a glass of Jack Daniels over ice in the other.
He smiled. “What have you got there, honey?” His thick Southern drawl made him appear slow in thought, when, in fact, he was highly intelligent, a C-level safety specialist and executive, who had spoken before Congress on issues facing the mining industry. Tom Loggins had worked around the country throughout his successful career. Lily adored him not for his professional accomplishments but for his unconditional love for her. His support for her had always been unwavering.
Lily admired his tall stature. He was a bear of a man with red-gold hair peppered with silver and the bluest of eyes. His smile always carried some secret that he kept to himself.
“Dad, I found this pup on the beach! She looked as if she was struggling to keep from drowning. I didn’t see anyone around, so thought we could take care of her until I can get her to the vet tomorrow to see if she has a chip.”
Tom smiled, churned his pipe to the other side of his mouth, and nodded his approval.
“Thanks, Dad! Love you.” As Lily scampered inside, she yelled over her shoulder, “Going to give this puppy a bath! Who knows where she might have come from. Can’t wait to tell Micah about her.”
Tom shook his head. “That hotshot isn’t right for you.”
“Dad, we talked about this,” Lily shouted.
“He’s twenty-nine and you’re eighteen.”
“So?”
Tom grumbled at the thought of Micah Moore.
Lily came down the stairs, phone in hand, and with the puppy hot on her heels. “Micah wants to speak with you.”
Tom set down his whiskey and settled his pipe in a cradle and took the phone. “Hello?”
Lily picked up the pit bull puppy and listened in on their conversation.
Micah spoke with soft determination. “Mr. Loggins, I’d like to speak with you in person. Will you meet me at the Marsh Creek Country Club?”
“The place where we met, huh?” Tom smiled and the gleam in his eye held knowing and mischief.
The Loggins family had first been introduced to Micah at the Marsh Creek Country Club, where Tom was a member.
“Yes. Is seven o’clock all right?”
Lily jumped up. “Yes! We’ll be there.”
“Seven o’clock is fine.”
Tom handed Lily’s phone back to her and took a sip of his whiskey. He had a few hours to savor his drink before meeting with Micah.
An hour later, Lily rushed down the stairs. “Dad, I just got off the phone with Micah.
We’re going to call the puppy Caddy. Get it? Caddy. Micah’s a golfer.” She winked at him.
Tom rolled his eyes and puffed on his pipe. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you? We need to see if she belongs to anyone.”
“We will, but don’t you see? She was meant to come to us.”
*Well, that’s it.*
Hope it piqued your interest. In the meantime, if you want to read about my other paranormal books, go to https://www.carolmckibben.com/. I hope you’ll join me for some vampire mystery thrillers you’ll find there,. For something more like Caddy’s Tale, you might enjoy Luke’s Tale if you haven’t read it yet.
I also write under the pseudonym of Penn Scripter with my daughter, S.N. McKibben. You’ll find our books at https://www.pennscripter.com/books.html.
Til Next Time,
Carol
Here’s the excerpt from Caddy’s Tale:
The puppy fought the waves. Swell after swell pulled her under water. Drowning in the sea wasn’t in her plan. The dog paddled to the surface and blew water out of her tiny nose. She struggled, but the tide’s invisible hand was stronger. The undertow pulled her down. The quiet underwater muted her whimpers. Her tiny paws shifted sand but couldn’t get purchase. Lean muscle and skin were not enough to make her buoyant. The small puppy couldn’t fight the current, the waves tumbling over her, or hold her breath.
Hands grabbed her and lifted the sputtering pup, who coughed salt water from her lungs.
Lily Loggins wadded through the surging waves holding the black pit bull pup with a white blaze clutched to her chest. Pressing her close, Lily moved to the dry sand, sat, and cradled her rescue.
“What happened, girl?” She inspected the puppy and noticed it was female and beautifully marked.
Climbing closer, the puppy licked the girl’s face nonstop.
Lily giggled and rolled on the sand with the dog who started to bark and whine at the same time. Holding the puppy out at arm’s length, she asked her, “Where’s your owner? I haven’t ever noticed strays here.”
She looked along Crescent Beach, a private alcove she’d known since she had moved here with her father.
“I’d better find out if you are chipped and locate your people!”
Glancing once more at the empty Florida beach, she jumped up, removed the long-sleeved shirt tied around her waist, and wrapped up the pup in it. She trudged the mile up to the beach house nestled just behind the dunes where she had lived all through high school with her dad after her parents had divorced. The rustic home faced the ocean complete with a wrap-around porch and floor-to-ceiling windows. Lily loved the handcrafted feel of the raw natural materials from which the bright and airy house had been built with its weathered wood, timbered furniture, wide-plank floors, and natural stone.
Climbing the stairs up to the deck, she spotted her father. He turned to face her with a smoke pipe in one hand and a glass of Jack Daniels over ice in the other.
He smiled. “What have you got there, honey?” His thick Southern drawl made him appear slow in thought, when, in fact, he was highly intelligent, a C-level safety specialist and executive, who had spoken before Congress on issues facing the mining industry. Tom Loggins had worked around the country throughout his successful career. Lily adored him not for his professional accomplishments but for his unconditional love for her. His support for her had always been unwavering.
Lily admired his tall stature. He was a bear of a man with red-gold hair peppered with silver and the bluest of eyes. His smile always carried some secret that he kept to himself.
“Dad, I found this pup on the beach! She looked as if she was struggling to keep from drowning. I didn’t see anyone around, so thought we could take care of her until I can get her to the vet tomorrow to see if she has a chip.”
Tom smiled, churned his pipe to the other side of his mouth, and nodded his approval.
“Thanks, Dad! Love you.” As Lily scampered inside, she yelled over her shoulder, “Going to give this puppy a bath! Who knows where she might have come from. Can’t wait to tell Micah about her.”
Tom shook his head. “That hotshot isn’t right for you.”
“Dad, we talked about this,” Lily shouted.
“He’s twenty-nine and you’re eighteen.”
“So?”
Tom grumbled at the thought of Micah Moore.
Lily came down the stairs, phone in hand, and with the puppy hot on her heels. “Micah wants to speak with you.”
Tom set down his whiskey and settled his pipe in a cradle and took the phone. “Hello?”
Lily picked up the pit bull puppy and listened in on their conversation.
Micah spoke with soft determination. “Mr. Loggins, I’d like to speak with you in person. Will you meet me at the Marsh Creek Country Club?”
“The place where we met, huh?” Tom smiled and the gleam in his eye held knowing and mischief.
The Loggins family had first been introduced to Micah at the Marsh Creek Country Club, where Tom was a member.
“Yes. Is seven o’clock all right?”
Lily jumped up. “Yes! We’ll be there.”
“Seven o’clock is fine.”
Tom handed Lily’s phone back to her and took a sip of his whiskey. He had a few hours to savor his drink before meeting with Micah.
An hour later, Lily rushed down the stairs. “Dad, I just got off the phone with Micah.
We’re going to call the puppy Caddy. Get it? Caddy. Micah’s a golfer.” She winked at him.
Tom rolled his eyes and puffed on his pipe. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you? We need to see if she belongs to anyone.”
“We will, but don’t you see? She was meant to come to us.”
*Well, that’s it.*
Hope it piqued your interest. In the meantime, if you want to read about my other paranormal books, go to https://www.carolmckibben.com/. I hope you’ll join me for some vampire mystery thrillers you’ll find there,. For something more like Caddy’s Tale, you might enjoy Luke’s Tale if you haven’t read it yet.
I also write under the pseudonym of Penn Scripter with my daughter, S.N. McKibben. You’ll find our books at https://www.pennscripter.com/books.html.
Til Next Time,
Carol
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