Doncaster woman pens book as tribute to her beloved late pet dog

Deborah Fox decided to put pen to paper following the death of her much-loved pet terrier Jake in 2019 – and Second Hand Rose was the result.

The book tells the story of Abigail Hirst, a city reporter, who returns to her hometown to take over Second Hand Rose, a quintessential antique store, following the sad passing of her beloved grandmother, Rose.

This new life seems perfect for Abigail and her trusted terrier Jake - until she starts to notice strange happenings.

Abigail investigates gruesome deaths and mysterious disappearances as the town’s dark past is uncovered.

Partner Paul said: “Deborah had never written a book before or even had an inclination to do so until this difficult period of her life when Jake passed away after a brief illness.

"She had an idea of a story but at that time she only knew how the story ended so she started tapping away every evening after work and at weekends and within two months had the finished article to go with the ending.

"There was no intention of doing anymore with the book at that time as the writing did help the grieving and she didn't really think it was a story worthy of publishing other than letting close family and friends having a read through."

Out curiosity, she and Paul then decided to send it off to a publisher, more to get some professional feedback then any expectations of a contract.

A few weeks passed and an email came from publishers Blossom Spring out of the blue with not only positive feedback but also an offer of one their contracts to publish the story – and even a comment about a potential series of stories.

Added Deborah: “It wasn't a difficult decision to accept the offer and Blossom Spring then took to work to turn this raw material into a fully fledged published book which has now just been released and can be purchased on Kindle or paperback at Amazon across the world."

Deborah is still working full time in a distribution warehouse while trying to promote the work locally and is hoping of national and international success.

Added Paul: “The book is and will always be a tribute to Jake and is why Deborah wanted to share her story as it may inspire others that are and have gone through similar circumstances.”