Rescuing Jack – Caitlin Ricci

I wanted to write about an animal rescue for a while. I’ve mentioned horse rescues in books before and will do so again in the future but an animal shelter was something new for me. I’ve always grown up with pets around whether they were dogs, cats, birds, or reptiles. I had bunnies for a while there too but they weren’t my favorite. Not enough cuddling from them. As an only child I was the stereotypical spoiled mess and though I didn’t realize it then, I can admit to it now. My mom tried very hard to give me everything I wanted and I’m grateful to her. I was a bratty teenage girl but she still managed to get me to my riding lessons each week until I got the car and was able to do it myself.

I’ve worked for a lot of people and done some pretty fantastic things in my life but few things have been as rewarding to me as rescuing an animal. We adopted our most recent addition on December 21st. She’s our second child, along with our four-year-old lab mix. The little puppy was a wreck at first and had a rough struggle with Parvo that I’m very happy to say she made it through. There were some scary days there. But now she’s crazy and hyper. I’m convinced she’s a border collie- lab mix from her energy level which is scary at times because she’s intelligent and hyperactive. It’s a dangerous combination for a curious puppy.

It is my love of animals and my belief in rescuing that made me want to write about a shelter and the people that work there. Running a rescue is hard work and it’s a lot of long hours and getting animals in that haven’t had an easy life so far. But there’s something wonderful in being able to bring an animal back from neglect or abuse and be able to see them connect with people again.

Dogs are fantastic in that they will generally love people even after horrific life experiences. They are resilient, loving, and deserve everything we can give them because they give us all of themselves. I’m happy with how this book came out and can’t wait to dive back into this world with a sequel.

Thank you for hanging out with me today. My next novel, Rescuing Jack, comes out from Dreamspinner Press on February 7th. I’m excited because this is my first novel with them but also because these characters are ones that really stood up and grabbed my attention right away. I knew I had to write about them and in a short amount of time this novel came to be.

I’d love to know what you thought of it. Feel free to email me at authorcaitlinricci@gmail.com or visit me online at www.caitlinricci.com.