What If Shelter Animals Could Talk?

If you had the ability to talk to your pet, would you? Most people would probably jump on board and say YES! Some maybe not so on board. It all depends on the person and their relationship with animals. In Lost and Found, the first book of my teen psychic mystery series, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, I introduce Meagan Walsh, a fifteen-year-old rebel without a cause. She has the ability to communicate with animals telepathically. However, she’d buried this psychic gift after her mother died tragically in an auto accident and was only stirred to use it when confronted with a crusty shelter cat named Whiskey.

Fairy Falls was bores-ville from the get-go. Then the animals started talking.

The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter is in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new human pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear.

Forced to live with her Aunt Izzy in the safe and quiet town of Fairy Falls, Meagan is caught stealing and is sentenced to do community hours at the animal shelter where her aunt works. Realizing Meagan can hear her, Whiskey realizes that Meagan just might have the pack leader qualities necessary to save the animals. Avoiding Whiskey and the rest of shelter animals becomes impossible for Meagan, so she finally gives in and promises to help them. Meagan, along with her newfound friends, Reid Robertson and Natalie Knight, discover that someone in Fairy Falls is not only out to destroy the shelter, but the animals as well. Can Meagan convince her aunt and co-workers that the animals are in danger? If she fails, then all the animals’ voices will be silenced forever.

Excerpt:

Beep, beep, the front door sounded again. Sighing, Whiskey lifted a back leg in the middle of the hallway and proceeded to groom herself. She heard a familiar voice. The Kind One is here. Good. I’ll get my litter box done first. She stopped grooming and instantly regretted the extra mess she’d made. Then Whiskey heard another voice. This one belonged to a human who was younger and female, yet there was a rough edge to her voice, like she had just swallowed a handful of litter. Curious, Whiskey sauntered over to the reception area, jumped on the grey chair that waited there for her, and proceeded to do what she did best—observe.

“Stop whining about it, Meagan, or suck it up, as you would say. You’re doing these hours and there’s no getting out of it.”

“Isn’t there a child labour law on this?” the younger human asked.

“You’re not being paid.”

“Okay, isn’t this considered some kind of abuse, then?”

The Kind One smiled. “Only if I feed you to Mary Jane.”

“Mary…who?”

Whiskey snorted in laughter, but to a human, it would sound more like a strangled meow. The Kind One jumped and turned around. She giggled, and then moved to scratch Whiskey under the chin. “Good morning, Whiskey-girl. I hope you didn’t leave too much of a mess for me this morning.”

The girl’s face twitched. “That cat is named after booze? Nice.”

“She was found near the liquor store,” the Kind One said, smiling. “It seemed appropriate.”

Whiskey sneezed, causing her collar bells to jingle, and purred to appease the Kind One. She was Whiskey’s favourite human and she didn’t like it when the felines of the shelter made more of a mess than usual for her to clean up. However, last night, a full moon had graced the skies. Tempers were higher at this time of the month, so it wasn’t unusual to find upturned litter boxes, vomit in the cages, or clumps of fur all over the floor. The pull and power the moon had over animals was out of their control, so when it waned, things got calmer, and their home was kept cleaner.

“Mary Jane is our pit bull,” the Kind One was saying. “She’s the last one left in the shelter since the government banned the breed. I wish we could find her a suitable home. I think she’s going a bit bonkers being in the shelter twenty-four seven.”

The girl’s mouth fell open. “I don’t do dogs.”

The Kind One shrugged. “Fine. There are over seventy cats that need attention and care. I’m sure you won’t be bored.”

The girl frowned. “I don’t do cats, either. I’m...I’m allergic.”

“Oh, haven’t you heard, my dear? There are pills for that,” the Kind One said, laughing. “Go into my car’s glove compartment and grab a couple of allergy pills, and then get your lily-white butt back here so you can help me start cleaning.”

The girl moaned. She pulled at the oversized pink scrub top she wore as if protesting the Kind One’s orders, and then opened the door to go outside. Beep, beep.

“Well, Whiskey, shall we get this party started?”

Whiskey meowed, and then stretched before getting down off the chair. She ran straight to the door and let out a long-winded meow. She wanted out so she could roll on the driveway to loosen any fur the Loud One had not purged from her. Two beeps accompanied her departure. Whiskey heard a car door slam and looked across the lot. The young girl had a white stick stuck in her mouth and was heading for the side of the building, near to the dog runs. Whiskey watched as she snuck behind the lone shed and sat down.

Interesting, she thought. I wonder if the Kind One trusts her?

Whiskey decided to observe this young human. Carefully, she skulked over to the tall grass that was never cut and pushed her way through it. Closer, closer, closer she got, until she was about a stone’s throw away. The dogs were barking like the lunatics they were. Louis was in the run closest to the forest that backed onto the building, while a new dog, a Lab mix, she guessed, was in the middle. The run next to the driveway had always been reserved for Mary Jane. Whiskey glanced back at the girl who was sucking on her white glowing stick. Whiskey sniffed, and then sneezed. Her bells tinkled. Poison, she thought, pawing her face to dissipate the stench.

“Who’s that?” the girl asked, quickly removing the white stick from her mouth.

Whiskey sneezed again, sounding off her bells as she jumped out of the long grass. She gave the young human a long look of disdain, like one a cat might make while having the squirts in a litter box.

“Oh, it’s just you,” the girl mumbled, and then resumed sucking on her white glowing stick.

Silly, stupid human, Whiskey thought. She turned to saunter away.

“I’m not silly, and I’m certainly not stupid,” the girl responded nastily.

Whiskey froze and then sat down. She turned her head around to watch the girl blow smoke out of her mouth. Her long legs were stretched out in front of her and she seemed relatively relaxed. Whiskey shook her head. Had she imagined it? Did this girl really pick up her thoughts? This was a real conundrum. No human had ever come as close as this one to understanding her; to actually communicating with her. The exception, of course, had been the Kind One’s instinct to know when a cat was ill and take care of the matter, but instinct was instinct and this was something more.

“What’s the matter, Whiskey?” the girl asked, sucking on the white stick once more before rubbing it into the ground. She blew out ringlets of smoke. “Cat got your tongue?”

Lost & Found, Book One Buy Links:

PANDAMONIUM PUBLISHING HOUSE ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Celebrating #Windsor Writers: Behind the Scenes with Author Sharon Ledwith…

My writing process is always the same for every book. First, I start with the characters and build the story around them. The characters, my characters, must carry the story to completion, give readers closure. It’s a must. In order to do this, I begin writing out character tracking sheets (stats on characters’ appearances, clothing, likes and dislikes, etc.) which have served me well throughout the writing process. Then the fun begins. Research, research, and more research. I love this part of the process too. In the case of Lost and Found, the first book in a planned five book teen psychic mystery series entitled Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, I had to do a lot of research on the psychic ability of animal communication, as well as read a lot of animal behavior books and blogs. Each book in this series is a stand-alone project with a different cast of characters, one of whom possesses a unique psychic, supernatural, or prophetic ability.

The soul of Lost and Found was born out of my firsthand knowledge and experience working as an animal care attendant at a northern animal shelter during 2007-08. I found myself wondering what the cats and dogs would say to us humans. How would they act and sound? What did they really think of humans? So, chasing down the animal voices frolicking in my head, I wrote their story. All the shelter animals in Lost and Found are based on an animal I cared for in some capacity at the shelter. Now, trying to come up with each animal’s unique voice wasn’t that hard for me, since I went by the personality of the cat or dog. I observed certain quirks, how each animal behaved, what were they afraid of, what they liked, and so on. What I found was that every animal (even kittens born in the same litter) was different. Just. Like. People. When I was ready to sit down and write their story, I compiled a list of shelter animals that readers would emotionally relate to and connect with. Many came to me as a surprise, others were firmly planted in my imagination from the very beginning.

Once I gathered enough facts, and felt that my characters were sufficiently fleshed out, I sat down and created the setting—Fairy Falls—which is the backdrop that glues this series together. I actually based this fictional tourist town on the area where I was living in at the time. Write what you know, right? You see, for over eleven years we lived on a medium-sized lake in the heart of cottage country. So I took in the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, emotions, and feelings of this beautiful place, and added the challenges and obstacles of what it would be like for an uprooted teenager possessing a psychic ability to adjust to the day-to-day living in Fairy Falls. Meagan Walsh, the protagonist from Lost and Found tells us what she thinks of Fairy Falls right off the bat: “This town sucks!”, and she goes on to describe it as ‘a small, boring northern tourist town’. If only Meagan knew what life had planned for her in this magical place!

Indeed, Fairy Falls could be any small tourist town that you may have visited during your youth (or adulthood) that invokes happy memories and simpler times. I wanted these feelings to emerge for the reader, and make my characters realize that there truly is no place like Fairy Falls. The town itself hosts a number of stores, services, and inhabitants that you’d be familiar with when visiting any small, tourist town. There’s a real estate office, a general store, a combined pizza shop and laundromat, a small theatre, a coffee shop where the locals hang out, a restaurant and bar (where tourists hang out), a marina, an arena, schools, the police and fire stations, town hall, a handful of churches, and of course the animal shelter where most of Lost and Found is set.

The psychic teenagers in each of my stand-alone books in this series will have their fair share of adversity and prejudice to deal with. They truly believe they’ve arrived in a place so foreign, so backward, that they try so hard to find a way to leave, only to realize in the end that Fairy Falls has been waiting for them to finally come home to themselves. Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.

About Lost and Found:

Fairy Falls was bores-ville from the get-go. Then the animals started talking...

The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter is in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new human pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear.

Forced to live with her Aunt Izzy in the safe and quiet town of Fairy Falls, Meagan is caught stealing and is sentenced to do community hours at the animal shelter where her aunt works. Realizing Meagan can hear her, Whiskey realizes that Meagan just might have the pack leader qualities necessary to save the animals. Avoiding Whiskey and the rest of shelter animals becomes impossible for Meagan, so she finally gives in and promises to help them. Meagan, along with her newfound friends, Reid Robertson and Natalie Knight, discover that someone in Fairy Falls is not only out to destroy the shelter, but the animals as well. Can Meagan convince her aunt and co-workers that the animals are in danger? If she fails, then all the animals’ voices will be silenced forever.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

If you Could Talk to the Animals…

If you had the ability to talk to your pet, would you? Most people would probably jump on board and say YES! Some maybe not so on board. It all depends on the person and their relationship with animals. In Lost and Found, the first book of my teen psychic mystery series, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, I introduce Meagan Walsh, a fifteen-year-old rebel without a cause. She has the ability to communicate with animals telepathically. However, she’d buried this psychic gift after her mother died tragically in an auto accident, and was only stirred to use it when confronted with a crusty shelter cat named Whiskey.

Apparently, psychic animal communication is natural—everyone can talk with animals! Say what? I guess like Meagan Walsh, most of us have simply forgotten how to channel our inner Doctor Doolittle. Yet the universal language of telepathy allows us to use our natural intuition and abilities to communicate with other species. So how does it work? The animal communicator uses energetic preparation and intentional connection with the animal. Information is then received in the form of thoughts, ideas, words, images, sensations in the body, sounds in the mind, emotions, and sudden knowings. Communication occurs regardless of the physical proximity on the conversing parties, and is a form of remote or distant communication that does not require being in each other’s presence.

What I found interesting while researching animal communication was that past issues affect animals when stored energies (such as memories or traumas) result in tensions that cause the animal to alter its authentic behavior and be in a distressed state. Unaddressed, that state of distress can manifest into symptoms and/or disease. Animals relaying descriptions of their symptoms, feelings, and pains (as location, quality, and frequency) can be helpful to veterinary health professionals in their diagnostic process. Depression and grief can manifest in emotional and physical health problems, and addressing these underlying issues appropriately can improve balance and well-being. Specific behavior problems can be investigated and understood through telepathic communication, and training techniques can be improved with the animal’s cooperation. Even assisting animals with transitions and environment changes (think about all those pet allergies nowadays) helps prevent anxiety and abandonment fears.

Somehow, I think we humans have become so far removed from nature, especially in the last few centuries, that we’ve disconnected from our telepathic abilities to commune with other species. And it’s truly a shame. Imagine how much good a psychic ability like animal communication could be beneficial at an animal shelter, a farm, zoo, veterinarian’s office, or even in a home? With this increased awareness, you can create more loving and joy-filled relationships with your animal friends and indeed all of nature. And it sure opened a new door for Meagan Walsh, Whiskey, and the rest of the furry residents at the Fairy Falls Animal Shelter that won’t close any time too soon.

Meet the Furry Residents of the Fairy Falls Animal Shelter…

During my year-long stint as an animal care attendant, I learned so much about the procedures and daily routines of working in an animal shelter. Then, one day, I found myself wondering what the animals would say if they could talk? How they would act and sound? What did they really think of humans? So, chasing down the animal voices frolicking in my head, I decided to write their story. The result is, Lost and Found, the first book in my teen psychic mystery series, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls.

All the shelter animals in Lost and Found are based on an animal I cared for in some capacity at the shelter. Now, trying to come up with each animal’s unique voice wasn’t that hard for me, since I went by the personality of the cat or dog. I observed certain quirks, how each animal behaved, what were they afraid of, what they liked, and so on. What I found was that every animal (even kittens born in the same litter) was different. Just. Like. People.

When I was ready to sit down and write their story, I compiled a list of shelter animals that readers would emotionally relate to and connect with. Many came to me as a surprise, others were firmly planted in my imagination from the very beginning. Below are the names of the main shelter animals who I decided to animate in Lost and Found, and the roles that they played:

WHISKEY: The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter observer’s real name was Whiskers, but I thought that might be confusing when describing a cat’s anatomy. Whiskers was an old, calico cat who was on medication to keep her alive. She always tried to mooch food from us during lunch, and there seemed to be an air of wisdom about Whiskers, as if she truly was the sage of the shelter.

NOBEL: This bouncy Husky-Doberman cross was the pack leader of the shelter dogs, and was named for the town of Nobel where he came from. He was hard to handle at times, so we had to walk him outside and around to the kennel runs so he didn’t go off on the other dogs inside. Nobel had the most amazing blue eyes, and was truly a top dog in every respect. At least I think that’s how he thought of himself!

Good ol' Louis

GEORGE: The little white cat with grey markings on his ears and tail was very timid and shy when I met him. He was left on the shelter’s steps, along with his twelve siblings, and was the last to get adopted. George got along with all the cats on the floor, and would go around and scoop up any meat leftovers in the cat bowls. He seemed the perfect choice to be the underdog, er cat of Lost and Found.

LOUIS: Everybody loves Louis! Seems people relate to his goofiness and the innocence that this big Rottweiler-mix exhibits. The real Louis used to spin around in circles when we let him out for a walk. He also had a hate-on going with some of the dogs on the floor, so I removed this part of Louis’s personality to make him more lovable and easy-going.

SHADOW: Yes, there was a vicious beast named Shadow at our shelter, though she came in with two friendly kittens. Whoever put Shadow and her family in that box and plopped a log on top must have pissed her off good. No wonder she didn’t trust us humans! We had to use welder’s gloves to handle Shadow because if we didn’t, she’d lunge and spit at us while we tried to clean her cage. Shadow made the perfect antagonist for Whiskey and George, and I truly enjoyed giving her a believable voice readers love to hate. The real Shadow eventually calmed down enough to get spayed, and found a nice home with an old lady.

Poppy - one of the leaders in the animal shelter

BRUTUS: Found in a live trap, Brutus (known as Scar) came to us with red, raw ears infested with ear mites. Poor boy. At first, I was intimidated by his monstrous size, but soon grew to love him! Unlike his tough, fictional counterpart as the leader of the lost cats, the real Brutus won the hearts of the shelter staff with his charm and cuddly manner. Brutus ended up being adopted by a student studying as a veterinarian technician. Now that’s what I call karma, and it was a happy/sad day to see him go!

So there you have it, a glimpse at the shelter animals who inspired me to write Lost and Found. I wished I could have written all the animals into my book, but as you may guess, there was far too many. Which begs me to ask that if you’re thinking about getting a dog or cat to add to your family, then I urge you to adopt a pet from your local animal shelter. Trust me, there’s an animal with a personality type that will fit every household looking to give a forever home to an animal in need of tender loving care.

Cover Reveal: Lost and Found, Book One; Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls by Sharon Ledwith...

Fairy Falls was bores-ville from the get-go. Then the animals started talking... 

Sharon Ledwith has a brand new series coming in June 2017 and today I am revealing the cover to you!

Here is some information about the book:

Kindle File Size: 667 KB
Print Length: 203 pages
Publisher: Mirror World Publishing; 1 edition
Publication Date: June 17, 2017
ASIN: B0713S1DCR

Read the blurb:

The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter is in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new human pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear. 

Forced to live with her Aunt Izzy in the safe and quiet town of Fairy Falls, Meagan is caught stealing and is sentenced to do community hours at the animal shelter where her aunt works. Realizing Meagan can hear her, Whiskey realizes that Meagan just might have the pack leader qualities necessary to save the animals. Avoiding Whiskey and the rest of shelter animals becomes impossible for Meagan, so she finally gives in and promises to help them. Meagan, along with her newfound friends, Reid Robertson and Natalie Knight, discover that someone in Fairy Falls is not only out to destroy the shelter, but the animals as well. Can Meagan convince her aunt and co-workers that the animals are in danger? If she fails, then all the animals’ voices will be silenced forever.

Are You Ready for the Cover?

You Can Pre-Order the Book, Too!!

Mirror World Publishing:

Paperback:
https://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/collections/poetry/products/lost-and-found-paperback

Ebook:
https://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/collections/poetry/products/lost-and-found-ebook

Other Retailers:

Amazon US:
http://amzn.to/2q2Alfv

Amazon CA:
https://www.amazon.ca/Found-Mysterious-Tales-Fairy-Falls-ebook/dp/B0713S1DCR/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493565088&sr=1-1&keywords=Lost+and+Found+Sharon+Ledwith

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/lost-and-found-175

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-and-found-sharon-ledwith/1126287196?ean=9781987976281

Meet the Author:

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventure series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.

Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her WEBSITE and BLOG. Look up her AMAZON AUTHOR page for a list of current books. Stay connected on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, GOOGLE+, and GOODREADS.

Author Tagline:

Escape to the past and have a blast.

Connect with Sharon Ledwith:

Sharon’s Website:

www.sharonledwith.com

Sharon’s Blog: 

http://sharonledwith.blogspot.com/

Sharon’s Facebook Page: 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/seledwith

Sharon’s Author Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/Sharon-Ledwith-210150205690477/

Twitter: @sharonledwith: 

https://twitter.com/sharonledwith

Goodreads Author Page: 

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5821744.Sharon_Ledwith

Goodreads Book Page: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35017082-lost-and-found

Google+ Page: 

https://plus.google.com/116758820349834035390#116758820349834035390/posts

Amazon Author U.S. Page:

http://amzn.to/2p9rync

Amazon Author U.K. Page: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B0084DUHJO

Pinterest: 

https://www.pinterest.com/seledwith/

Café Press Shop: 

http://www.cafepress.ca/sharonledwith

Ringing in the New Year with a New Series…

Happy New Year to all my followers and readers, and I wish you the very best in 2017! Now that the holidays are over and it’s back to the grind, I’ve got an awesome announcement I’d love to share with you. After getting traction with The Last Timekeepers time travel series—now having three books under my belt—I decided to take a chance and submit my teen psychic mystery series, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls to Mirror World Publishing this past fall. On November 17^th 2016, I received a contract for publication for Lost and Found, the first book in the series, which targets readers aged 12-17. Lost and Found is slated to be released sometime during the summer of 2017. Woo hoo!

Here’s a glimpse of the series overview:

Imagine a teenager possessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with this freakish power, all the while trying to lead a normal life. Now, imagine being uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing much ever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go. Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected…

Set in a small northern cottage community, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, speaks to many of the important issues facing teens today. With Fairy Falls as the backdrop that glues the series together, each book is a stand-alone project with a different cast of characters, one of whom possesses a unique psychic, supernatural, or prophetic ability.

Lost and Found, the first of the five-book Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls series, finds the Fairy Falls Animal Shelter in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear...

BTW—Lost and Found is near and dear to my heart and a true labor of love, since I wrote this novel after my experience with working at a local animal shelter as an animal care attendant. Every dog and cat featured in in this story is based on an animal which I cared for or handled in some capacity. This is a novel that truly speaks for the animals!

So there you have it, a sneak peek at the next series I’ll be penning! And don’t worry about me falling behind on The Last Timekeepers series, I’ve already planned and started Book #3 The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave, featuring Drake Bailey as the point-of-view character. I guess I’m just gonna have to learn to juggle between these two book series. Wink.

Heads-up: I’ve got my Annual Birthday Goodreads Giveaway happening in February, so I’ll keep you posted. As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog today. I really appreciate all your input and comments. Cheers and be well!