Hi peeps, we have Tory Temple stopping by on the first stop of the tour for her upcoming re-release Keeping Karma, we have a great guest post from Tory, a great excerpt and a fantastic comment giveaway! So check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~

Keeping Karma

Tory Temple

Alex Myers is keeping deeper secrets than just his pet ferret, Karma, who is illegal in California. Both Alex and his twin sister, Tabitha, can “hear” the thoughts of animals. It’s an ability that he puts to good use working at an emergency animal clinic while studying to become a veterinarian.

One night, local animal control officer Dylan Travers comes into the clinic with an injured fawn, and it doesn’t take the two men long to act on their mutual attraction. But the closer they become, the harder it is for Alex to keep Karma and the rest of his menagerie from by-the-books Dylan. And then there’s the matter of his ability…. Will Dylan even believe him if he tries to explain?

Add to that debilitating migraines from especially “loud” animals and a scheming coworker threatening the clinic, and Alex needs Dylan’s support more than ever. Alex just wants to keep his job, his pets, his lover, and his sanity. But he can’t do it alone.

Tory Temple!

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for joining me on my blog tour, and a VERY special thank you to MM Good Book Reviews for hosting me and being my first stop.

Keeping Karma is a re-release, but it’s also been cleaned up and re-edited. It has a brand new cover that makes me smile every time I look at it! Of course, that’s probably due to the fact that aside from writing, animals are something I’m incredibly passionate about. My house is full of them! Current count is three large dogs, one weird cat, two tortoises, two snakes, and three prairie dogs. Yes, the small brown rodents who pop up out of their holes and make a barking noise. They’re hilarious!

My pets were the source of inspiration for Keeping Karma. Once upon a time, I owned a ferret named Karma, just like Alex does in his story. Unfortunately for me, I could not understand her on the same level that Alex does! But Alex’s Karma is very similar in personality to my own Karma. We lost our Karma a few years ago, but she lives on in Alex and Dylan’s story.

I wrote Keeping Karma because I’ve always longed to better understand what my pets are thinking. Alex’s ability to “hear” the thoughts of animals is definitely my wished-for superpower. Of course, he has undesirable side effects from it. I definitely don’t want to experience that part. But there have been so many times when I look into my cat’s blue eyes and wonder exactly what’s going on in his head.

I think I’d like to write a longer sequel to Keeping Karma, and this time touch on the thoughts of more exotic and/or wild animals. I did write a short follow-up to Karma, titled Teaching Topaz, but due to changing publishers, it’s not currently available. However, I’m likely going to incorporate it into a long novel so I can revisit Alex, Dylan, and of course, Karma!

Aside from my own pets, I really love hearing about other people’s fuzzy friends. (Or feathered or scaly, depending.) I’m doing a giveaway for an electronic copy of Keeping Karma. To enter, just comment below with your name, email address, and a short description of the most favorite pet you’ve ever had. I’ll start it off by telling you about Calamity Jane.

We got Calamity four years ago. My husband and I were looking for two kittens. My current kitty Ringo caught my eye immediately – a beautiful Siamese mix with clear blue eyes. My husband had his eye on another all gray male kitten, but then the adoption lady said, “Here’s your kitten’s sister,” and handed over this tiny white kitty with gray ears, paws, face, and tail. She began to purr as soon as I picked her up, and I was sold.

We named her Calamity Jane, and it fit. At four months old she was opening doors, playing fetch with paper balls, and climbing to the highest point she could reach. She wasn’t afraid of my large dogs. While her brother hid from the doorbell and strangers, Calamity was our welcome wagon, following guests around and jumping up on counters to get closer to them. She was fearless and brave.

About a month ago, while my husband and I were on a much-needed vacation, Calamity got outside. She was always trying to reach the backyard, because that’s where the magical flying creatures were, but we had successfully managed to keep her safely inside the house with Ringo. Well, Calamity took full advantage of our absence. Our housesitter tearfully informed us that Calamity was gone. It was a huge blow for me because she was such a special kitty, but she had always been incredibly independent, so although I was crushed, part of me wasn’t surprised. I like to think that she’s roaming the hills with a group of feral cats or something. I miss you, Jane.

Thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget to comment below about your favorite pet for a chance to win a copy of Keeping Karma!

Excerpt

When the sliding double doors stayed closed and nobody else came into the clinic with a panicked expression, Alex sighed and pulled his textbook closer. He leaned both elbows on the desk and propped his head in his hands while he read.

He was still sitting that way an hour later when the soft whoosh of the doors startled him out of the concentration he’d managed to find. A glance at the clock told him it was after midnight, past the time when most regular pet owners brought their animals in. The wee hours were usually reserved for people who had animals giving birth, or the random animal control officer who’d found some injured possum or something.

The two-tone tan uniform told Alex immediately what kind of client it was. He rose from behind the desk as an officer came toward him with a bundle in the man’s arms. That in itself was unusual; there was a back entrance to the clinic where the officers would pull their trucks around and ring for Alex or whoever was on desk duty.

“Fawn,” the officer said as Alex came forward to help him with his burden. “Out on the canyon road. No one called; I was just out there and saw it lying halfway off the shoulder.”

Alex nodded and carefully took the blanket-wrapped fawn, glancing at the officer as he did so. “D. Travers” was on the thin metal nametag below his badge. Alex hadn’t seen him before, but the animal control division of the police department had a high turnover of officers.

There was no clear message emanating from the trembling bundle, even though Alex did something he rarely did and actually tried to tune in. He usually got enough of a vibe without trying; when he concentrated, he tended to get somewhat of a headache. But even though Alex focused and listened, there was nothing to tell him if the deer was actually hurt.

There was some fear, though; that much was obvious even without the fawn speaking to him. The little body was shaking even as it tried to lie perfectly still in Alex’s arms.

“I’ll bring her back.” Alex nodded at the paperwork the officer was already filling out for his report. “You can leave that when you’re done.” The animal control guys never usually stuck around for longer than it took to complete their forms.

“I’ll wait to see how the deer is. And it’s a male, not a female.” D. Travers didn’t look up from his clipboard.

Alex blinked, one hand still on the doorknob and the other arm cradling the fawn. “You checked?” It was a stupid thing to say, but the officers Alex had had contact with since working at the clinic didn’t usually pay much attention to detail.

“I checked. There are no open wounds and he seems to be breathing all right, but his left foreleg is definitely broken. Also, he’s going into shock.” The officer was very matter-of-fact as he spoke, jotting down information on the papers at the same time he relayed it to Alex.

Well, shock would explain why Alex couldn’t get a good read on the little deer, except for fear vibes. He nodded at D. Travers and pushed his way to the back, wondering vaguely what the D stood for. Probably “Dan” or “Dave.” A lot of officers seemed to have one-syllable names like that.

Dr. Hutchins came out of his small office immediately. “Janelle!” he called to the x-ray tech, who appeared from the storage room with an apron and blank films in her hands.

Alex deposited the fawn on the steel table, flinching a little in sympathy when the deer jerked in response to the unforgiving cold metal. He couldn’t put a towel down for x-rays like they could on the exam tables.

He knew technically that he wasn’t supposed to be hanging out while the animal was x-rayed and examined, but the benefit of a very small emergency clinic with only three employees per shift was that it allowed Alex to watch and learn. Dr. Hutchins was an excellent emergency-care doctor and let Alex glean as much information as he could.

Alex was lingering just outside of the x-ray room, watching the proceedings through the tiny window in the door, when he finally got hit with the waves from the deer.

Pain leg fear hide mother pain hide hide fear all came at Alex at once, even through the thick steel door, and he actually took a step back and squeezed his eyes shut tight. His hand flew to the bridge of his nose and pinched there, trying to stop the headache before it started.

It was time to back away from the animal, which happened sometimes. Sometimes, usually more with the wild animals than the domesticated ones, Alex needed physical distance or risked giving himself a migraine from the waves of communication. He didn’t know why the wild animals were more intense, except maybe that the tame house pets had learned that their needs would be cared for eventually and they didn’t need to ask so intensely.

In truth, Alex had no idea what the difference was.

He stumbled back toward the front, nearly forgetting that D. Travers would still be there. Alex remembered only when he made it back to his chair and sat down heavily. He rolled backward to meet the wall with a thunk and leaned his head there, eyes still closed.

“Uh,” came the response from the officer. He cleared his throat. “Everything okay?”

Alex’s eyes flew open and he stared at the dark-haired man in the tan uniform. The fawn’s terrified thoughts were still rattling around in his head, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. With a huge effort, Alex blinked and forced himself to speak.

“Um. Yes.” One deep breath helped to clear his thoughts, so Alex tried doing it again. Deep breath in, holding it for a moment, then letting it out seemed to allow him room to think. He did it twice and then attempted a wan smile. “Sorry. Little guy was kind of scared.”

D. Travers nodded, a small wrinkle between his brows. “Yeah.” His expression said more than the one word, and Alex tried to wipe his mind clean again so he could give the officer more than “He was scared.”

“Taking films now.” Alex forced himself to look up at the man who had moved closer to Alex’s desk. Oh, green, was his next thought, upon realizing the color of the officer’s eyes. I wasn’t expecting that.

About Tory

Tory Temple lives and works in southern California where she happens to spend a lot of time around firefighters. It makes for excellent storytelling, so Tory definitely uses that to her advantage! She is guardian to three pit bulls who only attack with kisses, two snobby cats, as well as other assorted friends from the animal kingdom. (Husband included.) Her fondest wish is to be a stay at home dog mom. You can tempt her with promises of cheese and/or Mexican food. On Saturday nights, she is usually watching Netflix and thinking about how to get the newest firemen in her head to hook up. Tory loves reader emails and looks forward to hearing from anyone who wants to drop her a line.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Email: ragingpixie@gmail.com

Giveaway!

Win a e-copy of  Keeping Karma!

To enter, just comment below with your name, email address, and a short description of the most favorite pet you’ve ever had!