An Imprint of Word Forge Books
P.O. Box 97 • Ferndale, PA 18921
Phone 610.847.2456 • Fax 610.847.8220
Web www.wordforgebooks.com
Email publicity@wordforgebooks.com

NEWS – For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Mary Shafer, Publisher
Phone: 610-847-2456 • publicity@wordforgebooks.com

“Almost Perfect” Entertains, Inspires:
New Anthology Reveals Healing Power of Handicapped Pets

FERNDALE, PA – Word Forge Books, an independent publisher located in upper Bucks County, has released its first nonfiction anthology, Almost Perfect: Disabled Pets and the People Who Love Them. The 128-page volume collects the works of eleven writers from three countries, who share their true-life tales of the wonder brought into their lives by disabled companion animals. It is being released under the publisher’s Enspirio House imprint, and was recently featured in Publishers Weekly, the industry’s trade journal.

Readers of Almost Perfect will follow the lives of nearly a dozen amazing animals who—through birth or injury—have been rendered less than perfect, and their transformative effect on the humans who love and welcome them into their hearts and homes. Through many different writing styles—some witty, some whimsical, others reflective but all engaging—these stories allow readers to share the immeasurable rewards these people have found.

The book is the brainchild of and is edited by Ferndale author Mary Shafer, whose blind cat, Idgie, is featured in one of the essays. “I am constantly inspired by her courage and indefatigable spirit,” Shafer says of the small, gray cat who was born without eyes. “So many people feel sorry for her, but that’s just the point: They shouldn’t. She’s never had eyes, so she doesn’t miss seeing. She has no idea she’s missing anything, and so to watch her squeeze every ounce of joy out of every day really makes you stop and re-think things when you’re tempted to feel sorry for yourself. I wanted to share that inspiration with others, and that’s how the book came to be.”

The book shares the courage of Colbi, a blind Alaskan Husky, who trades a hellish life in a puppy mill for the challenges of life on a farm. Inspiration comes from Ruby, the irrepressible Labrador-Doberman mix who adapts to a devastating muscle-eating disease by learning to “roll with the punches.” Cagney, the paraplegic rat, struggles along with his human “mom” through her Master’s thesis. The joyous and graceful Tux, a handsome black-and-white cat, navigates a life of almost complete paralysis. Almost Perfect inspires through these and more true, heartwarming stories of animals who have overcome physical handicaps to share happy, full lives with their human companions.

The book is available through the publisher’s website at wordforgebooks.com or by calling toll-free 888-320 WORD (9673). Local callers can call 610-847-2456.

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Just Released :

Release Date: August 25, 2008 Retail: $12.95 Paperback: 360 pages, 5.5"x8.5" ISBN-13: 978-09771329-1-1 Published by ShadowDance Press, an imprint of Word Forge Books

Mission: Murder
First in the Hattie Farwell Murder Mystery Series

By Betty Kerr Orlemann

With the single impact of a hit-and-run incident, octogenarian Hattie Farwell is forever jolted out of a comfortable retirement in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and flung into the world of high-stakes political intrigue, when her best friend is killed leaving a concert in Philadelphia.

Suddenly, a grieving Hattie is drifting amid a web of deceit and the uncomfortable dynamics of the family her friend left behind. Meanwhile, the incident begins to look less like an accident and more like murder. But who would kill sweet, gentle Annie…and why? Once Hattie convinces the police to investigate, their efforts turn up more questions than answers, and her patience wears thin.

Finally, aided by Annie’s two granddaughters and her own huge dog, Wolf, Hattie sets out to pursue her theories about what might have happened to her dear friend. Between Wolf’s nose for trouble and Hattie’s determination to solve the murder no matter what it takes, she finds herself navigating an unsavory—and increasingly dangerous—path to the truth.

Tag along as America’s latest unlikely sleuth uncovers the ugly underside of political campaigns, marital infidelity, and more than one old family secret that someone will stop at nothing to keep hidden. Learn more...