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Luke, an intelligent, 89-pound yellow Labrador retriever, has an odd ability to understand human conversations and actions. When his owner’s girlfriend, Sara Colson, discovers she has breast cancer Luke is the sole secret keeper of her disease. Not knowing if she’ll survive, Sara leaves her boyfriend, Ashlundt Jaynes, to shield him from the pain. Luke, knowing how to give unconditional love, is the catalyst bringing the two lovers back together and helps them stay together while Sara and Ashlundt overcome a series of life-changing events.
At the heart of Luke’s Tale is the story of two lovers and their struggle with unforeseen disillusionment to build a lasting relationship -- and the loving, furry creature who is devoted to them beyond all reason. |
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Reviews for Luke's Tale:
"Luke's Tale isn't just a wonderful novel. It is one of the best books ever written on the subject of man's (and woman's) best friend." -Lonnie Ostrow, Best-selling Author of Poet of the Wrong Generation
"It took me a while to read this wonderful book. It isn't long, but it is so potent with messages that reached into my heart and my intellect that I kept reading, then contemplating, then reading more. Luke's Tale was a journey that took me through a variety of emotions. This tale, told through the eyes of a dog, is multi tiered and beyond the message about unconditional love (that a dog is uniquely capable of) and the lesson that Luke teaches us about love, forgiveness, and compassion, it also has one additional message that resonated to me. Like Luke, we can choose our actions and reactions, choosing to be happy, choosing to be giving, choosing to love unconditionally. Carol writes beautifully, blessing us with a literary masterpiece that is life changing when you read between the lines. It is a must read on so many levels and worth a re-read whenever we're in need of introspection." -Andrea Michaels
"This story taught me so much more than 15+ years of therapy did about how to love. Unconditional love is something we often hear preached but not demonstrated. These daily demonstrations between the characters are the most primal example of unconditional love imaginable. Wishing this to the bucket list of everyone I know. Thank you Carol for this beautiful piece of work." -Jenny Lehman
"Luke's Tale by Carol McKibben is the most wonderful, alive book I have read in a long while. If you love dogs as I do then pick up a copy. You will cry, laugh and be inspired to know Luke!" -Judy Daggs
"Oh Carol, I just finished reading Luke's Tale. If I could write my feelings of unconditional love, it would have been this story. I felt my pup Lulu, who I lost 1 year ago after 15years of togetherness, and I heard her speak to me while I read your tale...I have one of my 4 children who suffers as Ash in the story...Thank you so much for your story." -Judy Venters
5 Stars! "Luke's Tale by Carol McKibben is a heart-rending story of a couple torn apart by cancer, a couple who love each other dearly. And amazingly they are drawn together by Luke, a Labrador with a very special talent; he can understand human speech and feelings. This book will need several boxes of tissues and boy it is so well written with pure love and understanding. What a stroke of genius to write from the dog's point of view! Marvelous novel of heart breaking poignancy that is a must-read and very highly recommended." -Amazon Review
"Thanks so much for the beautiful book. Dogs are truly teachers and healers. My dogs are also therapy certified with TDI and we work with hospice. Many of the scenarios you describe are so familiar and heartrending. My Aussie, Sera, was with my mom when she passed last year and also attended her funeral. She has helped cope with so many situations in my own life. Again, thanks for sharing the story of Luke and the people in his life." -Gayle Silberhorn
"Hi Carol,
I just finished Luke's Tale, in tears, I might add. What a beautifully rendered story. I too am a writer (novels and non-fiction).
I thought you handled the voicing of Luke very well. Not an easy task to write from an animal's POV. I too have a 100 lb yellow lab named Cooper. Such loving critter. And we have had to put down several dogs over the years. I am a retired psychologist/therapist, and former Methodist minister. You did a beautiful job of bringing in the spiritual perspective. One of the kinds of therapy I did was Past Life Therapy. I've heard 100's of accounts of the white light and loved ones waiting to welcome the newly released soul. Have you written other stories? Thanks again for this beautiful, moving tale (or tail!)." -Paul Hansen, Ph.D.
"Loved your book Luke's Tale. My wife and I have six dogs now, but we have had to send many of our pets to the rainbow bridge over the many years. We know we will see them all when our time is done. Our many pets have given us so much unconditional love. We are both the better for it." - Glenn Vanden Bosch
"Just finished Luke's Tale and wanted to tell you how much I loved it. I have a deep love for every dog I have ever had.
I SO look forward to being with them again some day. Thank you for this story. It has touched me. My 11 year old rescued Boston Terrier- Rosco is growing old with us. We are and will be there for each other 'til the end. God bless you daily." - Ron Ziegler
"I am a true lover of all animals, but especially dogs. The last dog I had was a tiny bundle of joy.. a Lhaso Apso. We've had others, a beagle, a mutt and two Brittany Spaniels. All so dear! I laughed, shed tears and rejoiced as I followed the story of Luke and his family. Your ability to have Luke speak in the first person was amazing and made the story so perfect. Thank you for your gifts and obvious love of dogs which you have shared with us. I hope more of your stories appear on my Kindle!" God bless, Dottie Bundy
"Carol F. McKibben writes creative fiction, primarily books about remarkable dogs. In Luke’s Tale, we find a yellow Labrador retriever that can understand human conversations and actions, and who narrates his story to the reader. In science (anthropology) this is called anthropomorphism. • anthropomorphism, n. – ascribing human characteristics to non-human things, animals, etc.
In writing it is called imagination, ingenuity, resourcefulness or creativeness. If such a condition were real, we’d find just what Carol so eloquently relates—that Luke’s human companions often miss the fact that the dog understands them, and that Luke can become quite frustrated at times. But Luke is a clever and resourceful canine, as dogs can be, and gently nudges his humans in various ways towards appropriate actions and behaviors.
"In Luke’s Tale, Sara Colson has cancer, but wants to keep it and the associated trauma secret from her lover, Ashlundt Jaynes. To do so, Sara tells Ashlundt a wild tale and attempts to disappear from his life, ostensibly out of her love for him. Ashlundt is heartbroken and Luke, clever canine that he is, figures this all out and sets out through various means to bring the couple back together again.
"It is an intriguing read, one that ultimately overcomes the couple’s dilemma and restores their relationship. There are various sub-themes here, also, including a lawsuit against Ashlundt by a client that disrupts his life in ways almost as traumatic as Sara’s disappearance. Overall, it is a story of unconditional love, one that is designed to affect the reader in a deep and meaningful way. -Don Messerschmidt, Literary Dogs
I am very, very excited. Just read 89 reviews of Luke's Tale posted on amazon.com! 4.6 out of 5 ranking. Check them out! Yay! Go to http://www.amazon.com/Lukes-Tale-Story-Unconditional-Love/product-reviews/1939564026/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Look for me on Booksie: http://www.booksie.com/other/book/carol_mckibben/lukes-tale
Snow Blood Enter the world of the first vampire, Borgio, as told through the eyes of his Kindred canine. Uncover the dark secrets of Brogio, the first vampire! Snow Blood takes the reader on a journey into the past and present world of the father of all vampires as his Kindred dog reveals a sinister plot to destroy him and all he loves.
Season 1 is currently being released in eBook and Paperback formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and SmashWords!
"Luke's Tale isn't just a wonderful novel. It is one of the best books ever written on the subject of man's (and woman's) best friend." -Lonnie Ostrow, Best-selling Author of Poet of the Wrong Generation
"It took me a while to read this wonderful book. It isn't long, but it is so potent with messages that reached into my heart and my intellect that I kept reading, then contemplating, then reading more. Luke's Tale was a journey that took me through a variety of emotions. This tale, told through the eyes of a dog, is multi tiered and beyond the message about unconditional love (that a dog is uniquely capable of) and the lesson that Luke teaches us about love, forgiveness, and compassion, it also has one additional message that resonated to me. Like Luke, we can choose our actions and reactions, choosing to be happy, choosing to be giving, choosing to love unconditionally. Carol writes beautifully, blessing us with a literary masterpiece that is life changing when you read between the lines. It is a must read on so many levels and worth a re-read whenever we're in need of introspection." -Andrea Michaels
"This story taught me so much more than 15+ years of therapy did about how to love. Unconditional love is something we often hear preached but not demonstrated. These daily demonstrations between the characters are the most primal example of unconditional love imaginable. Wishing this to the bucket list of everyone I know. Thank you Carol for this beautiful piece of work." -Jenny Lehman
"Luke's Tale by Carol McKibben is the most wonderful, alive book I have read in a long while. If you love dogs as I do then pick up a copy. You will cry, laugh and be inspired to know Luke!" -Judy Daggs
"Oh Carol, I just finished reading Luke's Tale. If I could write my feelings of unconditional love, it would have been this story. I felt my pup Lulu, who I lost 1 year ago after 15years of togetherness, and I heard her speak to me while I read your tale...I have one of my 4 children who suffers as Ash in the story...Thank you so much for your story." -Judy Venters
5 Stars! "Luke's Tale by Carol McKibben is a heart-rending story of a couple torn apart by cancer, a couple who love each other dearly. And amazingly they are drawn together by Luke, a Labrador with a very special talent; he can understand human speech and feelings. This book will need several boxes of tissues and boy it is so well written with pure love and understanding. What a stroke of genius to write from the dog's point of view! Marvelous novel of heart breaking poignancy that is a must-read and very highly recommended." -Amazon Review
"Thanks so much for the beautiful book. Dogs are truly teachers and healers. My dogs are also therapy certified with TDI and we work with hospice. Many of the scenarios you describe are so familiar and heartrending. My Aussie, Sera, was with my mom when she passed last year and also attended her funeral. She has helped cope with so many situations in my own life. Again, thanks for sharing the story of Luke and the people in his life." -Gayle Silberhorn
"Hi Carol,
I just finished Luke's Tale, in tears, I might add. What a beautifully rendered story. I too am a writer (novels and non-fiction).
I thought you handled the voicing of Luke very well. Not an easy task to write from an animal's POV. I too have a 100 lb yellow lab named Cooper. Such loving critter. And we have had to put down several dogs over the years. I am a retired psychologist/therapist, and former Methodist minister. You did a beautiful job of bringing in the spiritual perspective. One of the kinds of therapy I did was Past Life Therapy. I've heard 100's of accounts of the white light and loved ones waiting to welcome the newly released soul. Have you written other stories? Thanks again for this beautiful, moving tale (or tail!)." -Paul Hansen, Ph.D.
"Loved your book Luke's Tale. My wife and I have six dogs now, but we have had to send many of our pets to the rainbow bridge over the many years. We know we will see them all when our time is done. Our many pets have given us so much unconditional love. We are both the better for it." - Glenn Vanden Bosch
"Just finished Luke's Tale and wanted to tell you how much I loved it. I have a deep love for every dog I have ever had.
I SO look forward to being with them again some day. Thank you for this story. It has touched me. My 11 year old rescued Boston Terrier- Rosco is growing old with us. We are and will be there for each other 'til the end. God bless you daily." - Ron Ziegler
"I am a true lover of all animals, but especially dogs. The last dog I had was a tiny bundle of joy.. a Lhaso Apso. We've had others, a beagle, a mutt and two Brittany Spaniels. All so dear! I laughed, shed tears and rejoiced as I followed the story of Luke and his family. Your ability to have Luke speak in the first person was amazing and made the story so perfect. Thank you for your gifts and obvious love of dogs which you have shared with us. I hope more of your stories appear on my Kindle!" God bless, Dottie Bundy
"Carol F. McKibben writes creative fiction, primarily books about remarkable dogs. In Luke’s Tale, we find a yellow Labrador retriever that can understand human conversations and actions, and who narrates his story to the reader. In science (anthropology) this is called anthropomorphism. • anthropomorphism, n. – ascribing human characteristics to non-human things, animals, etc.
In writing it is called imagination, ingenuity, resourcefulness or creativeness. If such a condition were real, we’d find just what Carol so eloquently relates—that Luke’s human companions often miss the fact that the dog understands them, and that Luke can become quite frustrated at times. But Luke is a clever and resourceful canine, as dogs can be, and gently nudges his humans in various ways towards appropriate actions and behaviors.
"In Luke’s Tale, Sara Colson has cancer, but wants to keep it and the associated trauma secret from her lover, Ashlundt Jaynes. To do so, Sara tells Ashlundt a wild tale and attempts to disappear from his life, ostensibly out of her love for him. Ashlundt is heartbroken and Luke, clever canine that he is, figures this all out and sets out through various means to bring the couple back together again.
"It is an intriguing read, one that ultimately overcomes the couple’s dilemma and restores their relationship. There are various sub-themes here, also, including a lawsuit against Ashlundt by a client that disrupts his life in ways almost as traumatic as Sara’s disappearance. Overall, it is a story of unconditional love, one that is designed to affect the reader in a deep and meaningful way. -Don Messerschmidt, Literary Dogs
I am very, very excited. Just read 89 reviews of Luke's Tale posted on amazon.com! 4.6 out of 5 ranking. Check them out! Yay! Go to http://www.amazon.com/Lukes-Tale-Story-Unconditional-Love/product-reviews/1939564026/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Look for me on Booksie: http://www.booksie.com/other/book/carol_mckibben/lukes-tale
Snow Blood Enter the world of the first vampire, Borgio, as told through the eyes of his Kindred canine. Uncover the dark secrets of Brogio, the first vampire! Snow Blood takes the reader on a journey into the past and present world of the father of all vampires as his Kindred dog reveals a sinister plot to destroy him and all he loves.
Season 1 is currently being released in eBook and Paperback formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and SmashWords!