I love to ask authors if they had a children's book that inspired them in any way. Today Ryan Jo Summers talks about a special book from her childhood, Lad: A Dog.
Welcome, Ryan Jo!
As a child I was given a copy of the book, "Lad: a Dog" by Albert Peyson Terhune. I loved the stories of the collie's adventures and quickly obtained many of the author's other collie books. Later I learned 'The Place' he wrote of had been his actual home and the stories were true. I also adored any Lassie story I could get my hands on. I wanted to be active in collies one day, just like APT.
In the early 1990's I bought a blue merle puppy and called him Ruffian. A short time later I bought a tri-color female and called her Raven. They were to be the foundation of my dreams. By then I was testing my wings both as a collie exhibitor in confirmation and obedience plus now I wanted to write, also like APT. It was a great treat when I traveled to his home with two of my dogs in 2003.
Eventually my interest turned from showing and raising collies to the larger need of rescue and I founded a non-profit rescue organization, successfully operating it for many years. When my divorce forced it's end, I moved, becoming more serious with the other half of my dream--writing. I finally experienced success in the late 2000's with articles in magazines and journals. Some were rescue or animal related, others were not. In 2012 I finally sold my first novel to a small press traditional publisher."Glimpse Eternity" is my sixth published book.
In March 2015 I returned to the world of collies, this time adopting one from another rescue group. Coming from unpleasant beginnings, Ty has been both a blessing and a challenge for me. Sometimes, when he and I are just chilling out, I think back to when I was a child. How I was crazy for anything to do with animals and books, how I wanted to have a house full of both when I grew up. How I wanted books written by me lining the shelves next to my treasured volumes, like "Lad: a Dog" and Lassie tales. And now I do.
Inspiration begins at a very early age! Thank you, Ryan for sharing!
Take a look at Ryan Jo Summers' latest release!
In the early 1990's I bought a blue merle puppy and called him Ruffian. A short time later I bought a tri-color female and called her Raven. They were to be the foundation of my dreams. By then I was testing my wings both as a collie exhibitor in confirmation and obedience plus now I wanted to write, also like APT. It was a great treat when I traveled to his home with two of my dogs in 2003.
Eventually my interest turned from showing and raising collies to the larger need of rescue and I founded a non-profit rescue organization, successfully operating it for many years. When my divorce forced it's end, I moved, becoming more serious with the other half of my dream--writing. I finally experienced success in the late 2000's with articles in magazines and journals. Some were rescue or animal related, others were not. In 2012 I finally sold my first novel to a small press traditional publisher."Glimpse Eternity" is my sixth published book.
In March 2015 I returned to the world of collies, this time adopting one from another rescue group. Coming from unpleasant beginnings, Ty has been both a blessing and a challenge for me. Sometimes, when he and I are just chilling out, I think back to when I was a child. How I was crazy for anything to do with animals and books, how I wanted to have a house full of both when I grew up. How I wanted books written by me lining the shelves next to my treasured volumes, like "Lad: a Dog" and Lassie tales. And now I do.
Inspiration begins at a very early age! Thank you, Ryan for sharing!
Take a look at Ryan Jo Summers' latest release!
Kasey Griffin is determined to prove a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis isn't going to ruin her life or define her expectations. She is dedicated to her pregnant sister, her pets and operating her bookstore, 'The Next Chapter'. She has everything she needs to have a full and satisfying life--the daily challenges of her condition notwithstanding.
Then hunky musician Ben Salem rolls into town. Ben's subtle charm quickly reminds Kasey she is more than a woman with a disease, she is also a woman with a heart. And Ben wants it.
Will Ben still desire her once he learns the terrible details of her condition?
Then hunky musician Ben Salem rolls into town. Ben's subtle charm quickly reminds Kasey she is more than a woman with a disease, she is also a woman with a heart. And Ben wants it.
Will Ben still desire her once he learns the terrible details of her condition?
Beautiful cover! I love the dog in the background! Glimpse Eternity is a touching novella I read a month ago in less than an hour, yet the story sticks with me to this day. Click on the cover to see it on amazon. Here's a bit about Ryan Jo followed by an excerpt from Glimpse Eternity.
Ryan Jo Summers is a North Carolina writer who likes to pen romances with a twist. Love stories blended as inspirational, with paranormal, suspense or time travel--or several at once. She also writes non-fiction for regional periodicals. Her dad is a songwriter and his aunt wrote poetry, so Ryan came by the writing gene honestly.
Her hobbies include poetry, bird watching, houseplants and gardening, gathering with friends, hiking in the forest, painting canvas and ceramics, and working wiggly word find puzzles, mah johngg or chess. She lives in a 1920 cottage with a menagerie of pets. She often daydreams of the shore and frequently uses water as settings in her stories.
You can follow Ryan Jo by clicking on your favorite form of social media below!
WEBSITE: www.ryanjosummers.com
BLOG: http:summersrye.wordpress.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RyanJoSummers
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Jo-Summers-author-page/312875648810797
ROMANCE REVIEWS:http://www.theromancereviews.com/mypage.php?location=ryanjosummers
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6604705.Ryan_Jo_Summers
And now....an excerpt from Glimpse Eternity
Silence hung between them. She shifted from foot to foot. Should she offer coffee, cook breakfast, or ask what happened that he spent the night? Self-consciously, she tugged at her hair again. Muttonchop whined at the tension slowly filling the room.
“So, does that happen often?” he asked slowly, cautiously, reaching out to pat Muttonchop. “Last night?”
Her eyes widened, breath caught. She felt like a deer in the headlights. So this was where he was going to walk out, she decided. Thomas padded into the room and sat, watching them. She wanted to scoop the big cat up, to hold him as a shield from what was to come. He was going to ask just enough questions to find out what was wrong with her and then decide it wasn't for him. Who would want her once he knew? She took a breath, steeling herself for the inevitable.
“Sometimes.”
He considered that, tilting his head. “Have you seen a doctor? It seems kind of out of character for you.” He cracked a quick grin. “Please don’t look like I’m scaring you because it’s starting to scare me.”
He was scared? She was terrified. She pulled in a hard breath. “I have seen a doctor. It's complicated.”
This is just a peek at Ryan Jo's beautiful novella. Thank you, Ryan Jo for stopping by today to share your inspiration!
Inspiration hits me at the oddest times...sitting at a swim meet I jotted ideas for my first novel...hmmm...I wonder where I'll be when I come up with ideas for my future children's book...
Were you ever suddenly inspired? And if so, did you act upon it?
Who knows what inspiration will lead to? I say, life is short...go for it:)
---Anne
Ryan Jo Summers is a North Carolina writer who likes to pen romances with a twist. Love stories blended as inspirational, with paranormal, suspense or time travel--or several at once. She also writes non-fiction for regional periodicals. Her dad is a songwriter and his aunt wrote poetry, so Ryan came by the writing gene honestly.
Her hobbies include poetry, bird watching, houseplants and gardening, gathering with friends, hiking in the forest, painting canvas and ceramics, and working wiggly word find puzzles, mah johngg or chess. She lives in a 1920 cottage with a menagerie of pets. She often daydreams of the shore and frequently uses water as settings in her stories.
You can follow Ryan Jo by clicking on your favorite form of social media below!
WEBSITE: www.ryanjosummers.com
BLOG: http:summersrye.wordpress.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RyanJoSummers
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Jo-Summers-author-page/312875648810797
ROMANCE REVIEWS:http://www.theromancereviews.com/mypage.php?location=ryanjosummers
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6604705.Ryan_Jo_Summers
And now....an excerpt from Glimpse Eternity
Silence hung between them. She shifted from foot to foot. Should she offer coffee, cook breakfast, or ask what happened that he spent the night? Self-consciously, she tugged at her hair again. Muttonchop whined at the tension slowly filling the room.
“So, does that happen often?” he asked slowly, cautiously, reaching out to pat Muttonchop. “Last night?”
Her eyes widened, breath caught. She felt like a deer in the headlights. So this was where he was going to walk out, she decided. Thomas padded into the room and sat, watching them. She wanted to scoop the big cat up, to hold him as a shield from what was to come. He was going to ask just enough questions to find out what was wrong with her and then decide it wasn't for him. Who would want her once he knew? She took a breath, steeling herself for the inevitable.
“Sometimes.”
He considered that, tilting his head. “Have you seen a doctor? It seems kind of out of character for you.” He cracked a quick grin. “Please don’t look like I’m scaring you because it’s starting to scare me.”
He was scared? She was terrified. She pulled in a hard breath. “I have seen a doctor. It's complicated.”
This is just a peek at Ryan Jo's beautiful novella. Thank you, Ryan Jo for stopping by today to share your inspiration!
Inspiration hits me at the oddest times...sitting at a swim meet I jotted ideas for my first novel...hmmm...I wonder where I'll be when I come up with ideas for my future children's book...
Were you ever suddenly inspired? And if so, did you act upon it?
Who knows what inspiration will lead to? I say, life is short...go for it:)
---Anne
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