Monday, June 23, 2014

Buy a book, save a dog

Or, you know, a cat. Or any other animal that someone, way less cool than you, figured would be a good idea to abandon.

See, my good friend Lynne Hinkey, who also happens to be a writer of extraordinary wit and sensitivity--she's a marine biologist, she owns two of the luckiest dogs on this or any other planet, she cried with Old Yeller (okay, everyone does that, but you get the point)--has a new novel out. And she's donating all the proceeds of e-book sales during June--yep, 100%--to the Charleston Animal Society.

This is your chance to do good.

Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons (e-book available at Amazon and Smashwords)

Author Jack Halliman sails to Puerto Rico seeking a cure for writer's block, but instead finds a dead body. When a second corpse turns up, Jack becomes one of two suspects. The other is the chupacabra. Jack has to find out who--or what--is responsible for the killings before he lands in prison. Again.

According to the town's reputed witch, belief brings myths to life. As the death toll mounts, the mayor puts pressure on the police to capture the chupacabra, but Detective Eddie Corredor thinks there's more than a monster behind the killings and he's determined to discover the truth.

As the conniving mayor, a dogged detective, and a voodoo-practicing 14-year old drag Jack deeper into the investigation, he discovers that separating reality from myth is no easy feat. The lines between men and monsters, monsters and gods, and in this case, between gods and a dog, are thin and blurry.

Is the chupacabra real or myth? Dog only knows.



It isn't a mystery, although it reads like the best page-turner and will keep you guessing. It's not a corny man-loses-dog tear-jerker, but I can't guarantee you won't need a Kleenex at some point. It's definitely not a pro-animal-rights sermon, although there's an underlying theme that, one hopes, might make some rethink their breed-specific prejudices. It is funny, and it is exquisitely written. I might be somewhat biased, but I suspect Lynne might find several die-hard fans after this novel.

And that's all besides the fact that--I'll say it again--Lynne is donating 100% of e-book sales proceeds (no, not just profits) to an animal rescue organization.

Go buy it. Gift it to your friends. Share this. Change lives.