Livinglovingandexploring!

Come on in and meet Grace, a fabulous Finnish Lapphund! Grace and her human mom, Katy, venture all over together! Katy has begun writing all about their adventures in her, ‘Everybody Loves Grace,’ series! To date, she has four stories out, with a fifth one coming out soon!

Anita Jakab Kovacs from Wasabi Publicity clued me in on this beautiful series by Ms. McQuaid a while back! She sent me the first three books in the series. They include book one, ‘Everybody Loves Grace: An Amazing True Story of How Grace Brings Love to Everyone She Meets.’ Book 2, ‘An Amazing True Story of Grace’s Adventure to the Grand Canyon.’ Lastly, book 3, ‘An Amazing True Story of Grace’s Adventure to Texas.’

In the debut story, kids and adults meet Grace, a fun-loving dog who loves everyone! It’s a great story about Grace and Katy and their life together! It starts by telling us how Grace came to live with Katy in Colorado and how happy she is.

I can see how many peoples’ lives Grace influences by just being happy, loving, and loyal. She ensures that she’s gentle with everyone and always knows when someone needs to pet her head and get some cuddles. By the end of the book, I was excited to see how Grace’s journeys were going to play out!

Here’s a short snippet of a question/answer between Katy and me:

Me: What prompted you to start writing these lovable stories about Grace and your adventures?

Katy: Close friends encouraged me to write a book for many years, but I couldn’t figure out what to write about. Was I supposed to write about women in leadership or my career at CIA?

Then, one day while Grace and I were on our morning walk, the Captain of the Denver Health Emergency Response Teams stopped in his tracks to meet Grace. It occurred to me when I got home from our walk that I was supposed to write a book about Grace and the positive impact she has on people’s lives. Grace didn’t know what was in store for her when she moved to Denver, and yet she came with such optimism. She bravely got on the plane in Canada by herself and when she landed in Denver, started making a difference immediately. The rest is history.

We are moving on to book two in the series, which follows Grace and Katy to the Grand Canyon! Sidenote, how is it that this incredible dog has been to the Grand Canyon, and I haven’t?! I’m just saying – it looks like I’ll be planning another adventure myself!

Now, getting back on track, Grace and Katy travel from Colorado to Desert Mountain, Arizona, to visit Katy’s Aunt and Uncle for a few days of relaxation and exploration! Grace has a BLAST with all of the exploring and new “sniffs.” Once they’ve spent some time visiting, Katy decides to head to the Grand Canyon.  

Once they arrive, they soon find out that dogs can’t be on the majority of the trails in Grand Canyon National Park; however, they do have certain ones, especially for dogs and their humans! They make it to the South Rim and Grace ventures (carefully) out to the edge to take in the glory! Once they’ve enjoyed their visit, where they also encountered elk on the trail, they head back to the car.

The book ends by teasing you of the remainder of Grace’s trip, where she heads to Texas with Katy!    

Another short snippet of our Q&A session:

Me: How hard is it to find adequate hotels and rest areas that allow dogs when you’re on your journeys?

Katy: This is the most challenging part of my journey’s with Grace, especially when the weather is warm. Hotels have become more pet friendly over the years and there are a couple of chains that are 100% pet friendly. La Quinta Inns is a sure bet and I try to stop at them when we are on the road. It’s interesting how many rest areas say “no dogs allowed” on the lawn! Dogs aren’t allowed in most rest areas, so I have to tie Grace up outside and run in quickly to use the facilities. I am always worried that someone could decide to take Grace, so I really don’t like to tie her up outside of rest stops. That’s why I bring a trusty roll of toilet paper in the car in case we need to stop along the road!  

Lastly, we have book three, where Grace travels to Texas. If you must know, by the way, this little trip was planned by Grace herself! She and Katy have a magical bond (that most dog owners do), where Katy knows just what Grace wants. That goes both ways, as Grace knows what Katy wants and even needs too!

Grace tells us all about how very well taken care of she is by her human. She has regular vet check-ups, goes on walks, and gets out in the fresh air, and Katy NEVER leaves her alone in a hot car! Next, she explains how they travel to Texas to visit some of her mom’s friends that live there. She enjoys the smells and summer fun!

Grace and Katy’s trip to Texas takes them all over, between San Antonio and the Alamo, to Houston, and even Austin! You’ll have to try and go check this series out if you get a chance! It’s a hands-down winner! My kids love the cute depictions and stories that go along with them! Yours will, too!

After I finished the series, I sent Katy a few follow-up questions, some of which I sprinkled in throughout my review! Here you go if you’re interested in learning a bit more!

Interview:

Me: The trips that you have gone on with Grace are so much fun!  They’re inspirational and funny!  Do you have a hard time writing about the experiences through Grace’s eyes?

Katy: I enjoy writing through Grace’s eyes and surprisingly it comes easily to me.  I am in constant dialogue with Grace when we are on our walks, driving in the car or meeting people everywhere we go. Our conversations provide me with the material to share through Grace’s eyes. Grace makes me laugh a lot and so I try to incorporate her great sense of humor in the books.  She really is funny.  For example, every morning when we go for our walk, she plays this game as we go down the hall to the elevator.  She crouches down, let’s out a short bark and starts running down the hallway.  Then she turns around and looks at me with a smile on her face.

Me: I noticed on the website that the fourth installment will soon be available!  What can readers expect from that journey?

Katy: I’m excited to share Grace’s next adventure to Utah.  Everybody Loves Grace: A True Story of Grace’s Adventure to Utah allows readers of all ages to learn how empowering it is to go places when it’s just the girls.  People and places never stay the same so there’s adventure in going to places we’ve been before. Lessons are discovered throughout the book about the importance of learning to have the courage to do things you want to do and the awareness that people and places change over time.

PS: There’s a sale going on right now where you can get all 4 of the Everybody Loves Grace series for $33!! Check that out here!

Me: This series is the kind of book series that could continue on and on; is that your intention with it?

Katy: I would love for the series to continue on and on and for it to turn into a cartoon series,  TV show or movie. I completed the fifth book in the series, and it will be released in October.  The fifth book is about Grace’s adventure to Pennsylvania.  This road trip adventure is unique because we traveled during the winter with snow and ice and it involves a visit to Koziar’s Christmas Village. I am just finishing writing the sixth book in the series with Grace’s adventure to Washington, DC.  I will continue the series as long as children, parents and grandparents are interested! We’ve had so much fun sharing these adventures and true stories of Grace the traveler and lover of people.

Me: You worked for the CIA for years; and got to travel worldwide doing your job.  What was your favorite work assignment?  Where were you located?

Katy: I get asked this question often and I really have a hard time saying where my favorite work assignment was located.  I always found something I really liked about the places I was living and working.  I lived in the Far East, Middle East and Europe.

I truly enjoyed learning new cultures and figuring out how to get my job done adapting to the cultural norms of the country where I was living. I tried my best to understand other cultures and be respectful of their customs.  Typically, the harder a place was to live, or the more diverse it was, I liked it more.  I also enjoyed my work assignments where I was helping to build something new or transition the organization in a substantial way.

In my “off” time, I traveled and explored as much as I could!

Me: Your other pup, Tinto, was mentioned a handful of times throughout Grace’s adventures.   What was he like, and how long did you have him?

Katy: Tinto was a beautiful, sensitive and sweet dog.  He was two years old when I met him in Berlin, Germany and we were together for over 14 years.  He had the same gentle spirit as Grace and Everybody Loved Tinto. When we lived in Virginia, I used to take him to visit a nursing home every Wednesday night.  He was faithful to the residents who lived there.  He knew exactly who needed his love and attention.  Actually, I am thinking about writing a series about Tinto.  His impact on the people he came in touch with was profound.

Me: Do you have any go-to books you enjoy?  I’m an avid reader and am always looking for suggestions!

Katy: I have an eclectic taste in books.  One of my all-time favorites is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  I also recently read Untamed by Glennon Doyle and I found it a thought provoking and an excellent read.

Me: What is your favorite quote, and why?

Katy:  “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”  Thomas Jefferson

I think this quote sums up my life.  I never thought I’d be writing children’s books, but I knew I wanted to share the gift of love and kindness.  I opened up to the idea when it came to me and I am so grateful to see the impact that Grace’s stories are having on children’s lives.  Her stories are giving kids courage, hope and the ability to know they are loved.

The same holds true from my career with the CIA.  I was always willing to accept challenging assignments and live in new places because I knew it would afford me the opportunity to learn, grow and understand people from around the world in a unique way.

Me: Out of all of the places that you travel to, what is your favorite?  Why?

Katy: Again, this is a tough question to answer because I find adventure and fun no matter where I go.  One of my favorite places to spend time is Thailand.  I absolutely love the culture, the city and the beaches.  The people are so kind, the food is simply amazing and there’s always an element of surprise as I navigate the country with only street survival Thai language skills.

I was privileged with the opportunity to experience many special things in Thailand, like staying with a Thai family, traveling up country to their summer home and eating my way to and from every adventure in the countryside.  I have some wonderful Thai friends who blessed me beyond belief with their openness and willingness to share an up-close and personal experience with a Thai family.

That’s all for today! I’d love it if you took the time to write a comment and let me know what you think! Also, please go and check out Katy and Grace’s website, Everybody Loves Grace! They also have a FB page for you FB lovers: https://www.facebook.com/EverybodyLovesGrace/. Or, better yet, write me a comment AND share this cute series with someone you know will enjoy! As a matter of fact, go and check out some of my other posts if you have the time! I’d appreciate it!

Three Paws is another fantastic children’s series that I highly recommend! RA Anderson’s Puffins Exploring series is amazing! Lastly, I recommend you checking out Ted, a friendly frog, and his adventures! I’d love it if you sent me your thoughts on any/all of them!

Love ya,

Kelly Ann

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