Meet and Greet: Deanna Klingel

Deanna K. Klingel lives in Sapphire, NC, with her husband and golden retriever. She enjoys family reunions with their seven children and eleven grandchildren. Originally from Michigan, Deanna attended Michigan State University. Though she wrote as a hobby for many years, she turned to writing passionately when all the children had grown and she and her husband retired to the mountains of North Carolina. She enjoys reading, writing, golfing, gardening, and is active in her church. Much of her time is given to therapy dog visitations.

Other works, Rebecca & Heart, and Beth's Backyard Friends can be read as e-books on Storyrealm.com. Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog was released last September. Prize-winning short stories can be found on Deanna's website, www.BooksByDeanna.com. Avery's Battlefield, released March 18 from Journey Forth  Publishing,  the first of a civil war series is for young and young-at-heart readers. Deanna is a member of SCBWI, NCWN, ACFW, CWG.

Dear Reader:

Thanks so much for inviting me. I'm pouring Earl Gray. I'll wait while you get your cup.

I'm Deanna Klingel, writing you from the mountains of Western North Carolina, where spring is creeping up the hillsides, and we'll soon be playing golf. I live here with my husband and our two golden retrievers, Lily and Jessie. Our seven kids are grown and busy raising our eleven grand kids.

I have two books I want to tell you about today. The first is Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog. It came out Sept 24 and has been going gang busters. I've had a lot of fun marketing this book because it has such a wide audience. The book appeals to care givers, hospice volunteers, therapists, as well as dog lovers and lovers of dog stories. So Lily & Jessie and I give seminars at independent living facilities, visit yappie hours, attend dog shows, and address Red Hat Societies, book stores, and hospital luncheons. We've had a ball! We've met some really lovely folks across this country that we would never have met if it weren't for this little book.

The book is nonfiction, but is not a memoir nor is it a training book. It is a collection of moments that have made a difference in someone's life, even if it was only for that moment. If there is a theme, I would have to say it is  every moment, in every life, matters. The book is available at  bookstores or at my website BooksByDeanna. Dogwise and Amazon also carry it. It's $11.95.

Warm up your tea, now, I'm going to tell you about another book. This is Avery's Battlefield, out this month (May) from Journey Forth Publishing, the young reader imprint of BJU Press. This is the first of a middle grade Civil War series. The second book is planned for September. Avery and Gunner, his hound dog, have been the love of my life for about four years, and now they are ready to march out on their exciting journey through the perilous times in Virginia, and what became West Virginia. It's targeted for middle grade, but it won't be the first time adults enjoyed middle grade literature. 

I write because I love to write. I wrote Just for the Moment to answer the questions I'm always asked when I'm working with my dogs. 1)What is a therapy dog, 2) How'd they get to be therapy dogs, 3) Can my dog be a therapy dog, too?  I wanted to bring therapy dogs to the attention of people and hopefully, as a result, open more doors to therapy dog teams. I wrote Avery and Gunner because Avery told me his story and wanted it written. I like the research involved in historical fiction.

My books will never be the "edgy" books, books with strong language and inuendo, popular in today's market. Mine will  be about strong, "square" people struggling to make good decisions and doing the right thing. My kids, my grands, and my mom, and my friends will always be comfortable reading my books. That probably means they'll be difficult to get published. Books that are being "looked at" right now are Cracks in the Ice,  Y/A; Bread Upon the Water, MG historical nonfiction; Rebecca & Heart, MG, which can be read on Storyrealm.com; Walker Hound of Park Avenue, chapter book. Beth's Backyard Friends can be read on Storyrealm.com. I'm currently writing Waiting With Elmer for a teen audience. Two short stories can be read on my website.

Speaking of websites, come visit me at www.BooksByDeanna.com. All posts on my comment page during the month of May will go into a drawing for the brand new Avery and Gunner book. You can also reach me at deannaklingel@yahoo.com. I'd enjoy hearing from you.

Thanks for coming by and sharing a cup of tea. I've enjoyed it, and look forward to hearing from you.


Deanna

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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