Local author Elsa Watson will read from her new novel “The Love Dog” at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Barnes & Noble in Silverdale. Watson also is the author of the books “Dog Days” and “Maid Marian.”
Watson’s previous novel “Dog Days” was names one of Publishers Weekly’s five best romance novels of 2012. It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and four stars from the Romantic Times Book Reviews. “The Love Dog” is the story of Samantha Novak, a paralegal who was recently fired from her job. When Telltale, a Hollywood tabloid, asks her to write an expose on the reality television dating show, The Love Dog, Samantha is thrilled. She’s always dreamed of being a writer, and the fat paycheck won’t hurt. After being recently left at the altar, she’s not too keen on love either. Hired as the canine star’s handler, Samantha finds that digging up dirt on set is harder then she thought. Apollo, the show’s star, is a sweet golden retriever who takes his job as the “love dog” very seriously. He only wants to help couples fall in love and make everyone on set happy. Mason Hall, the show’s producer and leading man, is down to earth, charming, and… very attractive. If Samantha doesn’t reveal to the world that the reality show isn’t exactly “real,” her new career will be over before it starts. But when she falls in love with Apollo and Mason, will she still have the heart to expose The Love Dog’s dirty secrets? Watson notes that “The Love Dog” is very near and dear to her heart.
“I modeled Apollo after our rescue dog Lucky,” she said. “Lucky is a very sensitive, caring soul who feels things deeply — just like Apollo. Of course, being dogs, they also share a love of cheese crackers and peanut butter.”
Local New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs said this about Dog Days: “I was lucky enough to be an early reader of this book. It’s exactly the kind of novel I can’t wait to share with fellow readers – I wanted to wave it in everyone’s face, saying, ‘You must read this!’ Dog Days is everything I love in a book – funny, tender, beautifully crafted and cleverly plotted, with a perfect twist of an ending I didn’t see coming.”
