Kathleen Gerard's "dog" days of summer

We're glad to have Kathleen Gerard at CLC today to talk about her favorite season and feature her latest novel, The Thing Is.

Kathleen Gerard is a writer whose work has been awarded The Perillo Prize, The Eric Hoffer Prose Award and nominated for Best New American Voices and Short Story America, all national prizes in literature. Kathleen writes across genres. Her short prose and poetry have been widely published in magazines, journals and anthologies.

Her essays have been broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR). Kathleen’s woman-in-jeopardy novel In Transit won The New York Book Festival – “Best Romantic Fiction” (2011). Kathleen is a book reviewer for and a contributor to Shelf Awareness and maintains the blog, “Reading Between the Lines.” You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Synopsis:
Meredith Mancuso is depressed. Ever since the death of her fiancé, she has shrunk from the world. Even with her successful writing career, she's not motivated to work. When her sister, Monica, begs for a favor, Meredith wants nothing more than to say no. But she’s ultimately roped into pet-sitting an orphaned Yorkshire terrier named Prozac.

Blessed with spiritual wisdom and a high IQ, Prozac is an active pet therapy dog. To heal brokenhearted Meredith, he rallies his fan club at Evergreen Gardens, an independent living facility, where he visits each week.

Prozac and the community of resilient older folks challenged by losses of their own propel Meredith, often against her will, back into the land of the living. Meredith learns that most people carry some sort of burden, but it's still possible to find meaning, purpose, and joy—and sometimes, even love—along the way.



Favorite season: Summer

Favorite thing about this season overall: I love flowers and summer gives me a chance to cultivate and enjoy my "garden" of flower boxes.

During this season...

Favorite thing to eat: Anything grilled - especially grilled pizza

Favorite thing to drink: Nothing beats a nice, chilled Rosé wine in the summer

Favorite thing to wear: Sunglasses

Favorite holiday that occurs: Fourth of July

Favorite thing to do: Sit in the sun and read

Thanks to Kathleen for visiting with us and to Red Adept Publishing (Sage's Blog Tours) for coordinating this interview.