Holly Bargo, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! We support all furbabies, real life or fictional. We want to know all about your Fiction Furbaby, but first, please tell us about your book.

The Mighty Finn by Holly Bargo

Genre Contemporary

Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R

Meet Mike from The Mighty Finn

Full name: Mickey Finn

Nickname: Finn

Gender: Male

Species: Canine

Physical description: Black and white harlequin Great Dane

Relationship to main character: Pet/savior/confident/protector

Relationship to the villain/antagonist: There really is no one villain in this story

Where this furbaby came from: A breeder

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How do other characters react to or interact with this furbaby?

All characters in the book interact with Finn. One of the running themes within the story is that wherever Charlotte goes, Finn goes, too. Anyplace Finn isn’t welcome Charlotte doesn’t go.

What does this furbaby add to the story?

One reviewer called The Mighty Finn a combination of two love stories: 1) the relationship between a woman and her dog and 2) the relationship between a woman and a man. That pretty much describes it.

In the story, Charlotte is physically and emotionally scarred from a horrific experience. Finn was crucial in saving her and he continues to protect her from all threats, while serving as her constant companion, emotional support, confidante, and friend. There was a time in my life when the only friends I had were my dog and my horse. Charlotte doesn’t have a horse, but this dog for her is what my dog was for me at that time, only more so.

What about this furbaby will readers like, and why?

I think Finn is the dog we all wish we had, regardless of breed. He’s not perfect—food left on kitchen countertops overcomes his ability to resist it—but he’s totally wonderful as well as housebroken. I have a Great Dane and she’s … well … timid. Finn, however, is utterly devoted to Charlotte, protective of her, and still gentle enough to play with children.

Deceased author Robert B. Parker once described his famous character Spenser as an enhanced version of himself. Spenser ages through the series even as Parker aged in the writing of the books. He said that if he could do A, then Spenser could do A plus 5. In the same manner, Finn is my dog’s A plus 5, very real yet enhanced.

Please share an interesting fact or tidbit about this furbaby.

A bitch can incubate offspring from two different males at the same time. That’s where Finn’s name comes in, an old fashioned reference of having been slipped a Mickey Finn. Finn’s dam had an oddball puppy in a litter, one obviously sired by a different dog.

Describe a humorous incident involving the animal character.

Early in the book when Charlotte and Finn are playing with a Frisbee on the beach, the dog crashes into the romantic hero, Eric. I have long loved Great Danes and currently own one. For supposedly graceful, dignified dogs, they’re often quite goofy and clumsy. In this scene, it wasn’t difficult for me to imagine the big dog at his goofiest paying more attention to the toy than to his environment, making the tangle of man and dog realistic and worth a laugh that could have been viewed on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Of course, Eric at the time reacts badly and doesn’t accept Charlotte’s mortified apology.

About Selina Kyle

This post is called Fiction Furbaby, but perhaps your own pet does not have fur. If you have a pet that has fins, wings, scales, or other features, please tell us about them here.

Which, if any of the pets in your writing are modeled after your own pets? In what way?

Finn wasn’t really modeled upon a specific pet I had—and the Great Dane I have now hadn’t been born when I wrote this story—but he is based on what I’d imagine the most wonderful Great Dane to be like.

What do your pets do when you are writing?

Depends. I have six cats and one dog. The cats primarily sleep, eat, and antagonize each other. Occasionally, they visit me. The dog sleeps, eats, and constantly wants in or out. Several times a day she begs for attention.

What’s the most unusual pet you ever had?

The most unusual pet I ever had wasn’t really mine. It was more like a family pet: a wild mud puppy. When I was a kid, we had newts. After a few years, they all died. My oldest brother found a salamander-like animal and brought it into the house. We were fascinated and immediately adopted it as a pet. We cuddled with it, fed it insects, and generally treated it like a family member for the next couple of months until a neighbor saw it and informed my mother that it was a mud puppy and poisonous. So, we had to let it go.

Where did you find your pet?

My current dog came to us from a family who decided they no longer wanted a big dog.

My husband, older son, and I had gone out to dinner the night after Thanksgiving when my husband received a text from one of his staff. He could have simply not responded, replied with a “no,” or have declined to mention it to me. But he held up his cell phone and showed me a photo of a black Great Dane whose family wanted to rehome. We were without a dog at that time—and I had no intention of getting another dog. However, he knew I had a soft spot for Great Danes.

To make a long story short, I said we’d take her. That was two years ago. We learned that her first family had adopted her as a tiny puppy. Their son was five years old at the time and a comic book fan. He named her after Catwoman.

What do you feed your pet?

Selina gets better quality kibble. I make an effort to avoid feeding her anything with wheat, corn, or soy, because dogs don’t digest those ingredients well.

Describe a toy or favorite item your pet loves.

Selina has one toy, a rope tug toy. We’ve tried enticing her with other toys, like rawhide bones, but she has no interest in them. She won’t play tug-of-war with her tug toy, but she does flip it up and toss it around and she’ll chew on it. She knows that toy is hers and where it belongs (i.e., not on the coffee table or my desk).

Where to buy The Mighty Finn

Publisher Hen House Publishing
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Finn-Holly-Bargo-ebook/dp/B00X8YFTN8

Holly Bargo Social Media

Holly Bargo never outgrew a love of fairy tales, legends, and myths. Or horses. However, one foot must remain firmly planted in the real world which is where Holly makes her living as a freelance writer and editor. She and her husband have two grown children and live on a southwest Ohio hobby farm with a menagerie indoor and outdoor animals.
When she’s not working on other people’s documents or reading, Holly finds time to transfer the voices in her head to paper … er … computer. If she doesn’t, there’s a definite possibility her mind will explode.
And for those who might wonder from where the pseudonym of Holly Bargo came, it’s quite simple really. Horses. Namely an elegant and temperamental Appaloosa mare who has long since crossed the Rainbow Bridge and is fondly remembered for guarding toddler children and crushing a brand new pager.
But that’s another story.
Website https://www.henhousepublishing.com/
Blog https://www.henhousepublishing.com/eggs-the-hen-house-blog
Twitter https://twitter.com/HollyBargoBooks
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hen-House-Publishing-653473184815654/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/henhousep/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12756589.Holly_Bargo
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Holly-Bargo/e/B00JRK6VGQ/

Shout out to Rob’s Rescues – founded by a 9-year-old animal activist

Rob’s Rescues is a non-profit organization in Georgia helping people in need care for and feed their pets. It was founded in 2014 by a then nine-year-old boy. Rob’s Rescues is dedicated to collecting pet food for people in need to reduce shelter surrenders, and to advocating for the adoption of shelter pets. Rob writes monthly articles advocating for shelter animals in the Around About Local Media magazine publications. His column was first published in 2014. He also has pet food collection sites for people in need in the community and interviews amazing people. His interviews appear online once they are published in his column.
Rob volunteers for Pet Buddies Food Pantry, the Cherokee County Animal Shelter and Cobb County Animal Control and collects pet food for these organizations and the communities they serve. He also wants to bring attention to smaller, rural shelters. Mostly he wants to get kids to be Rob’s Rangers to teach kids that they can help shelter animals. Rob has also talked to kids in a classroom setting.
Rob’s Rescues is a Non-Profit Corporation and all donations are tax deductible.
Website http://www.robsrescues.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/robsrescues/
Twitter https://twitter.com/RobsRescues