Interview with storyteller Carmen Leal

Writer Carmen Leal is chatting with me today about her new non-fiction, I Chose You, Imperfectly Perfect Rescue Dogs and Their Humans.

Carmen is in the midst of virtual book tour with Wow! Women on Writing. Other tour stop details are below. Also, she’s accepting writers with stories about rescue dogs for her next compilations. Here’s the link for more details.

Bio:
Carmen Leal is a storyteller and the author of eleven books including I Chose You, Imperfectly Perfect Rescue Dogs and Their Humans, Faces of Huntington’s, and The Twenty-Third Psalm for Caregivers. Carmen relocated from Hawaii to Oshkosh, yes, there is a story behind the move, and has become an awesome dog mom. For over four years Carmen provided marketing support for a rescue shelter and was involved with the adoption of over 6,500 puppies and dogs rescued from a high-kill shelter. Carmen and her husband have become reluctant gardeners and know a crazy amount about Wisconsin weeds. She is hard at work on her second book in the Wag Away Tales. She is the mother of two sons, two incredible grandsons, and Coconut, the best imperfectly perfect rescue dog in the world. Learn more about Carmen by visiting carmenleal.com.

Welcome, Carmen. Please tell us about your current release.
I Chose You, Imperfectly Perfectly Rescue Dogs and Their Humans is a must-read collection of honest, humorous, and heartwarming stories about rescue dogs who found their forever homes. This engaging compilation is the perfect gift for dog lovers that have found or are looking for the best dog ever to complete their family.

What inspired you to write this book?
After my traumatic brain injury we moved from Hawaii to Wisconsin where my son lives. My doctor had suggested I adopt a dog as I was suffering from level 10 migraines, PTSD, and was suicidal. After I adopted Coconut, he truly did save my life. I decided to begin volunteering to help the rescue shelter and so for four years I wrote bios and grant and social media content. We rescued over 6,500 dogs from a high kill shelter in Kentucky and found homes for them here in Northeastern Wisconsin. In September of 2021, I decided to write a book so that I could donate a portion of the proceeds to a rescue shelter that

Excerpt from I Chose You:
This is the intro of my book and I think your readers will understand what I am saying.

My life is full of never statements.

I will never kiss a boy. I will never get married. I will never forgive

him for what he did. I will never get married again. Or again. I will never live in the Midwest again. I will never own a dog. I will never, ever write another book.

When a person says he or she will never do something again, some- one typically chimes in with the idiom, “never say never.” Maybe people are prone to changing their minds. I think more often than not in the course of living, things happen. It could be the choices we make or the actions of others that put us on a radically different path than we planned, and those never statements come back to laugh in our faces.

This is a book about never saying never, life happening, and dogs. It’s mostly about dogs. But it’s also a book of stories rooted in my life and my journey to this weird place of being married, living in the Midwest, having a dog, writing about thousands more dogs, and somehow being mostly okay with never somehow becoming forever.

What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m working on the second book in the Wag Away Tales series. Rescued Love: Second-Chance Dogs and Their Happily-Ever-After Tales and I’m accepting submissions for stories. Here’s the link to learn more.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I always loved reading and writing stories but it wasn’t until I became a single mom and opened a marketing firm that I discovered how much I love writing non-fiction. I wrote radio and TV commercials, direct mail, grants, and more for a huge variety of clients from all sorts of industries. When my late husband died of Huntington’s disease and I decided to write the book I wish I had been given when we got his diagnosis I realized I was a writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write and speak full time. I am usually to walk the dog at 6:30 and I begin writing at 7:00. I start with my Wag Away Publishing rescue dog Facebook page. Some days I write and schedule posts in advance.

After my Facebook writing I look at what I wrote the day before in my current work in progress. I go over it and do some editing and, after that, I start the next chapter. I try to write 3,000 words a day but it really does depend on if I am writing fresh material or working on a submission from someone else for a compilation book.

I spend at least two hours a day on marketing. Before I stop working for the day I write down my five marketing musts for the next day. These could be a blog, creating memes, speaking to a group, writing articles to submit for publication, etc. I am also an adjunct professor at our local tech college teaching classes on entrepreneurship.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I can never start a book or an article without having a title and subtitle first.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a singer. I actually got a full vocal music scholarship to college but in my freshman year I developed a goiter. My thyrpid and parathyroid were removed and I could not sing for a year so my vocal scholarship became an academic one and I majored in education. The good news is that I can sing again and am active in our local chamber singer group.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I have lived in or visited all fifty states. I was an exchange student to Brazil and I taught English as a foreign language in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. I use all of these experiences and more in my writing.

Links:
Website | Facebook | Amazon

Blog Tour Calendar

April 17th @ The Muffin
Join us at WOW as we celebrate the launch of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. Read an interview with the author and enter for a chance to win a copy of the book. https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com

April 18th @ Pages & Paws
Join Kristine for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://pagesandpaws.com/

April 18th @ Rockin Book Reviews
Visit Lu Ann’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/

April 20th @ Pages & Paws
Visit Kristine’s blog again for a guest post by the author about the lifesaving value of dogs. https://pagesandpaws.com/

April 22nd @ A Wonderful World of Words
Visit Joy’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. You can also win a copy of the book too! https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/

April 24th @ Finished Pages
Join Renee for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://finishedpages.com/

April 24th @ Writer, Writer Pants on Fire
Join Mindy for a guest post by Carmen Leal about the challenges facing rescues and shelters post-COVID. https://www.mindymcginnis.com/blog

April 25th @ Barbara Barth’s Art and Words
Join Barbara for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://barbarabarthartandwords.blogspot.com/

April 26th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra’s blog for a guest post by Carmen Leal about buying a home long distance and the challenges of living in a house built in 1875. http://www.astorybookworld.com/

April 28th @ The Mommies Review
Join Glenda for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://www.themommiesreviews.com/

April 30th @ Seaside Book Nook
Visit Jilleen’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. http://www.seasidebooknook.com/

May 1st @ World of My Imagination
Visit Nicole’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://worldofmyimagination.com

May 2nd @ Literary Quicksand
Visit Joli’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://literaryquicksand.com/

May 3rd @ Beverley A. Baird’s blog
Join Beverley for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/

May 4th @ Knotty Needle
Join Judy’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/

May 5th @ Adventures With Canines
Join Sara’s blog for a guest post by Carmen Leal about her upcoming books and how your readers can be featured in my next rescue dog book. https://adventureswithcanines.com/

May 6th HERE!

May 7th @ What Is That Book About
Join Michelle for a feature of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/

May 8th @ Adventures With Canines
Visit Sara’s blog again for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://adventureswithcanines.com/

May 10th @ Beverley A. Baird’s blog
Visit Beverley’s blog again for a guest post by Carmen Leal about moving from Hawaii to Wisconsin after 60 and how to make a new life. https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/

May 11th @ The Mommies Review
Visit Glenda’s blog again for a guest post by Carmen Leal about why rescuing a dog makes sense. https://www.themommiesreviews.com/

May 13th @ Storeybook Reviews
Visit Leslie’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://storeybookreviews.com/

May 14th @ Book Reviews from an Avid Reader
Visit Joan’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/

May 15th @ Word Magic
Join Fiona for a guest post by Carmen Leal about the difference between a rescue, shelters, and fostering. https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/

May 18th @ Liberate and Lather
Join Angela for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. https://liberateandlather.com/blog

May 21st @ Balance and Joy
Visit Sheri’s blog for her review of I Chose You by Carmen Leal. http://www.balanceandjoy.com/