Category Archives: PTSD

#amwriting, #Canada, #sweetromance, It Happened at Percé Rock, It Happened Series, novella, PTSD

It Happened Series – Book 3 #sweetromance

April 21, 2021 Melanie Leave a comment

A year later than originally planned because the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown sent my writing mojo running for the hills until late in the year. Thankfully, it returned and Book 3 in the It Happened series (It Happened at Percé Rock) will be out this summer.

What’s it all about you ask? Here’s your answer.

When Melissa Scott flees to the village of Percé, she’s determined to leave her painful memories behind her.

Gareth Young, a soldier with the Canadian Forces, never got over losing his friend in the war in Afghanistan. Nowadays, he’s happier in his own company than that of others, until she enters his life.

Despite her recent breakup and knowing rebound relationships don’t work, Melissa falls head over feet for the handsome military man, only to discover he comes with enough baggage to fill an army cargo plane.

Will the couple be able to work through their issues and achieve a happy ending together?

Between the Scott and Layne families, there are seven characters for six books with five coming from the Scott family – Christopher, Amy and Michael (twins), Roger, and Melissa.

Book 1 in the It Happened series starred one from each family – Serenity Layne and Roger Scott, hence the need for only six books in the series.

Book 2 featured Serenity’s brother Erik and Hilary Dunbar, a Vancouver Police Constable (a very unlikely pairing).

Roger’s youngest sibling, Melissa stars in Book 3 – It Happened at Percé Rock.

I’m trying to create movie tie-ins with this series and have managed with the first two books.

Book 1 – It Happened on Dufferin Terrace – Miracle on 34th Street meets Sleepless in Seattle.

Book 2 – It Happened in Gastown – Trainspotting meets Hot Pursuit.

This one is proving to be a bit of a conundrum. I have one movie, but the second is proving more difficult. I need a movie with the main character suffering from PTSD. Currently, I’m leaning towards Beaches meets Born on the 4th of July but there could be a better one. I’ve searched online without much success.

If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comments.

Thanks so much.

Did I mention dogs have starring roles?

#sweetromance, emotional therapy dog, It Happened at Percé Rock, It Happened in Gastown, It Happened on Dufferin Terrace, It Happened Series, Novels, PTSD

I’ve chosen my name!

January 17, 2021 Melanie 5 Comments

I need help choosing my name. I want to thank everyone who offered suggestions either here, via email, or on social media.

You might think I misbehaved with my doleful expression and am in trouble for it, but I assure you that’s not the case. I’m just sad because I don’t yet have my name.

Here is the complete list that Melanie’s fans and readers have come up with:

Bruno
Buddy
Carrot
Celtic
Cooper
Copper
Danbie
Dexter
Dilis
Fergus
Hero
Ivy
Jerry (named for a man who had PTSD)
Jesse
Luke (associated with the saint of healing)
Murtagh
Percival (Percy for short)
Red
Rollo
Rooster
Rufus
Rufus the Red
Rusty
Sadie
Sergeant
Thor
Trevor
Tyson

There are three that I’m rather partial to and a couple that won’t work. One is because I’m a boy, and it’s a girl’s name (Sadie). I’m an emotional support dog. I don’t want to need one of my own.

The other that won’t is Buddy. He’s already a doggo in the book. His breeder name is Frankfurt’s Champion Beauregard, and he’s a wee black and tan Dachshund who looks much like this chap below.

You can’t have two characters with the same name in one book. It just doesn’t work.

So which ones are my favourites?

They are:

Jerry
Luke
Percival (or Percy for short)

Which of these three names do you think suits me best? Do I look like a Jerry, a Luke or a Percy?

I’ve decided I’m a Percy. Actually, it was Gareth who eventually came up with my name. It seems fitting since he and Melissa met in the town of Percé. You might think it’s strange using a name so close to the setting where “It Happened,” but you pronounce them differently.

This previous post includes the doggos in the series (although not all with photos).

#amwriting, dog, emotional therapy dog, It Happened at Percé Rock, It Happened Series, novella, Novels, PTSD

It’s all in the name #servicedogs #therapydogs

October 5, 2020 Melanie 11 Comments

I need a name.

I can’t go through life as the dog with no name. Once upon a time, there was a horse with no name, but that was a song.

But first, let me tell you a bit about myself. I’m a male and about a year old. I’m about to become an Emotional Support Dog for Gareth Young, a former soldier who has PTSD, in Melanie’s current novel. It Happened at Percé Rock.

Here’s some of Gareth’s story and the root of his PTSD. He and his best friend since like forever, Normand Levesque, enlisted in the Canadian military and assigned to the Vandoos. They were deployed to Afghanistan, where Normand was killed when a roadside bomb exploded and destroyed their armoured vehicle. Gareth took quite a bit of shrapnel in his right arm from the shoulder to his hand, so he has the physical and the emotional scars. Normand didn’t have a mark on him.

Lately, things have been getting much worse for Gareth. Medication, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy aren’t working. That’s when he psychiatrist suggested an Emotional Support Dog. It took some persuading on the doctor’s part, but eventually, Gareth went along with the idea, and I’m thrilled he chose me. I’ve been working with Gareth for a while now, getting to know him, his needs and his triggers.

So you see, I’ve got my work cut out for me.

Anyway, if you think you’ve got the perfect name for me, please leave it in the comments. I’d love to hear your suggestions. I can’t be forever known as Dog.