My new book released today! His New Companion is the final book in my Wyoming Legacies series, and it’s a Love Inspired K-9 Companions novel, too. I’ve written six books set in the fictional Wyoming town of Jewel River.
The first book, The Cowboy’s Christmas Compromise, sets up the premise of the series. Jewel River has seen better days. Erica Black moves to town and wants to revitalize it. She asks locals to get together to discuss what the town needs and how they can make it vibrant again. Thus begins the Jewel River Legacy Club. Monthly meetings are held in the community center, and each book in the series features at least one meeting. Some of the residents have kooky ideas, and others are hard-nosed and against change. One thing is for sure–the meetings are never boring!
In His New Companion, Ty Moulten has never been to a meeting. His mother, Christy, has been trying to get him to attend one for years, and he never has. He’s hidden himself away on his ranch for five years. He didn’t intend to, but after his fiancée died, he got depressed and couldn’t handle people’s well-meaning sympathy. When the story begins, he’s finally getting out of his shell. He volunteers to foster a service-dog-in-training on weekends, but he gets more than he bargained for. He’s introduced to Fritz, a mini-dachshund, and Ashlinn, the new girl in town with a service dog of her own. And needless to say, he finally attends a meeting.
And as he spends time with Ashlinn, Ty comes to appreciate Jewel River and the community he’s avoided. He sees how generous and supportive the people at his church and his mother’s friends can be. Plus, his mother shocks him with a surprise announcement regarding one of the characters I loved writing–Clem Buckley, a wiry, tells-it-like-it-is retired rancher.
I’m going to miss Jewel River, but I already have a new fictional Wyoming town to enjoy! My next series with Love Inspired is called Wyoming Inheritance, and the first book releases in late October.
Read an excerpt of His New Companion
He would not get attached to the dog. After all, this was a temporary gig.
Ty Moulten stood outside the entrance of Howard Service Dogs in Jewel River, Wyoming, after five on Friday and wondered again if fostering a dog on the weekends was wise. Maybe he should wait until next year when he’d have more time to get used to the idea. Or he could try in a few months when the temperature cooled. July had been a scorcher so far, and they were only midway through it.
Either the sun was melting him or he’d worked himself into an actual fever. Why was he so sweaty? Probably didn’t help that after he’d finished checking cattle, he’d opted to change into a fresh pair of jeans instead of shorts.
Life made more sense in jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. And being comfortable would help him keep his head on straight. His heart had been broken once. Shattered, really. Fostering a dog was nothing compared to what he’d had with Zoey, but it didn’t change the fact there wasn’t enough of his heart left for him to squander the little that remained.
He didn’t do love—or people in general—anymore.
***
Healing from heartbreak
Can start with a four-legged friend.
Six years after losing his fiancée, rancher Ty Moulten still struggles with grief. Organizing a fundraiser in her honor and fostering a service dog feel like a step forward, and lead to meeting Ashlinn Burnier, the service dog training center’s new administrative assistant. As Ashlinn helps Ty plan the fundraiser, he finds himself falling for Fritz, the tiny dachshund in his care, and for Ashlinn—who has a service dog of her own. But Ashlinn worries her health challenges make her a burden, and Ty wonders if he can open his heart again. Will two hardworking pups help them choose love over holding on to fear?
Purchase His New Companion!
Do you enjoy fictional towns, or do you prefer stories set in real ones?
Thanks for celebrating with me!
Jill Kemerer is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of heartwarming, emotional, small-town romance novels often featuring cowboys. Her essentials include coffee, caramels, a stack of books and long walks outdoors in Ohio where she resides with her husband.
Congratulations on the new release! Sounds like a great story. As long as the story is interesting, whether it’s a fictional town or real town doesn’t matter to me.
Thank you, Bonnie! That’s how I feel about towns in books, too!
I enjoy both. It’s interesting to learn history on actual places that I have never visited. I have read some books where the town or even country is fictional and wished I could live there, because the author brought it to life so well.
Oh, same! That’s the wonderful surprise of books–we get to go to unexpected places!
Good morning Jill! I think when writers make up a fictional town is neat! Writers have imaginations to begin with and making up characters in a community is awesome. Congrats on this new book! It sounds good!
Best wishes Jill!
Thank you so much, Tracy!
I like fictional towns that develop as the series progresses
I do, too! Love getting to see the people in the town in all the books!
Happy Book Release Day!
I like both. Fictional towns give authors more license to create, but it’s fun to read about real places, too.
Thank you, Denise!!
It really doesn’t matter to me.
Same here!
I ended up with a fictional town that grew with each story I wrote about it. I ended up with a series of 8 novellas which I wanted published two at a time. The people were consistent and grew as the town grew. I write historical so it was natural it was in Kansas as the state recovered from the civil war. I would write another fictional town in a minute.
Sounds like an amazing series!
I like both but with fictional towns you do not have to worry about being accurate just consistent.
It’s true. And no one can come at you for getting it wrong!
Congratulations, Jill! This looks like a winner. I love that dog on the cover! I prefer writing fictional towns over real ones because readers who live in the real towns often get upset over some detail the author got wrong. Fictional towns involve a lot less research.
Thank you, Linda! I agree–so much leeway with a fictional town!
Either one is fine with me.
Great!
Congratulations Jill, your book sounds Great! I like both fictional and real towns. I love your book cover. Thank you for sharing about your book. Have a great day and a great week.
Thanks so much, Alicia!! You have a great week, too!
sounds like a great story. I’m fine with either fiction or real towns
It doesn’t really matter to me whether it is a fictional or real town. I enjoy the story just the same. It sounds like a great story.
I like fictional towns!! Though sometimes I’d really like to visit them in person!
Sometimes it is easier to imagine a story actually happening in a fictional town, not some way out there made up town, but one that could actually be a real place. lol Run on sentence I know. Sorry!
I like both.
Congratulations on the release of His New Companion. It sounds like a wonderful story. Sadly, it isn’t unusual for people to get “stuck” and afraid to move on.
As for towns – real or made up – I like stories set in both. Setting a story in know places like NYC, Las Vegas, Denver, give you well know resources and places to use. The nice thing about creating your own town is it allows you to make it just what you want it to be. You set it up, populate it with buildings and people, put it in the state and environment you want. You can add mountains, a river, a lake, grasslands, railroads, whatever you like. It can be a rich setting for the reader to enjoy.
First Congratulations on the new Book, HAPPY RELEASE BIRTHDAY! I do love when a author comes up with quaint charming imagery town possibilities are endless. But also when it’s about a real town, which nice to hear about the town youn get a real in sight and learn about interesting tib bits and the history of the town which is nice, well I’m quessing I’m saying both.
I prefer fictional place no chance of reality of real life intruding into my reading world.