PUBLISHED/Kensington romantic comedy
Please Don't Feed the Mayor
Sue Pethick
BASED BY A TRUE STORY. SORT OF.
When the lumber mill closed, first the jobs left Fossett, Oregon. Now the people are leaving, too. The heart of the town is its coffee house, where owner Melanie MacDonald and her border collie, Shep, offer up warmth and encouragement seven days a week. Melanie isn’t ready to give up--if only she could find a gimmick that would make people take a second look, she knows it would bring Fossett back to life.
Melanie comes up with the perfect idea: Make Shep the mayor! A dog mayor would be the perfect thing to attract visitors to the town, and Shep is such a ham he’d be a natural! Once people saw what a cute town Fossett was, Melanie knows they’d fall in love with it and want to make it their home. First, though, she has to figure out how to make her dog the mayor, and for that she’s going to need a lawyer.
The only lawyer who might give her free legal advice is her ex-husband, Bryce. It was Bryce’s reluctance to return to Fossett after law school, however that contributed to their break-up and she’s not sure he’ll be willing to help. Bryce MacDonald works as an Assistant District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, and he’s still carrying a torch for his ex-wife. When Melanie asks him for help, he jumps at the chance. If he can help her make Shep the mayor, perhaps it will rekindle the spark between them.
When an amorous judge makes a play for Bryce, and an amoral tabloid reporter makes Fossett the laughing stock of the country, things couldn't get any worse. But Melanie--with Shep's help--turns the tables and restores Fossett’s reputation. Bryce quits his job and moves back to Fossett where he and Melanie are re-married by Mayor Shep. At the City Hall ceremony, the “translator” for the mayor intones the wedding ceremony, ending with the last lines of the book: “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now lick the bride.”
“Quirky characters abound in this gentle romantic comedy with a hint of suspense. But it’s the comic scenes featuring Shep that steal the show.... Readers who delight in tales about the bond between people and their dogs will enjoy.”
–Booklist
When the lumber mill closed, first the jobs left Fossett, Oregon. Now the people are leaving, too. The heart of the town is its coffee house, where owner Melanie MacDonald and her border collie, Shep, offer up warmth and encouragement seven days a week. Melanie isn’t ready to give up--if only she could find a gimmick that would make people take a second look, she knows it would bring Fossett back to life.
Melanie comes up with the perfect idea: Make Shep the mayor! A dog mayor would be the perfect thing to attract visitors to the town, and Shep is such a ham he’d be a natural! Once people saw what a cute town Fossett was, Melanie knows they’d fall in love with it and want to make it their home. First, though, she has to figure out how to make her dog the mayor, and for that she’s going to need a lawyer.
The only lawyer who might give her free legal advice is her ex-husband, Bryce. It was Bryce’s reluctance to return to Fossett after law school, however that contributed to their break-up and she’s not sure he’ll be willing to help. Bryce MacDonald works as an Assistant District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, and he’s still carrying a torch for his ex-wife. When Melanie asks him for help, he jumps at the chance. If he can help her make Shep the mayor, perhaps it will rekindle the spark between them.
When an amorous judge makes a play for Bryce, and an amoral tabloid reporter makes Fossett the laughing stock of the country, things couldn't get any worse. But Melanie--with Shep's help--turns the tables and restores Fossett’s reputation. Bryce quits his job and moves back to Fossett where he and Melanie are re-married by Mayor Shep. At the City Hall ceremony, the “translator” for the mayor intones the wedding ceremony, ending with the last lines of the book: “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now lick the bride.”
“Quirky characters abound in this gentle romantic comedy with a hint of suspense. But it’s the comic scenes featuring Shep that steal the show.... Readers who delight in tales about the bond between people and their dogs will enjoy.”
–Booklist
Sue Pethick is an award-winning short story writer whose life-long love of animals inspired her to write Boomer’s Bucket List and Pet Friendly. Born in San Diego, California, she now lives with her husband in Vancouver, Washington. Please visit Sue online at http://www.suepethick.com/.
