A warm welcome to author Jordan S. Brock joining us today to talk about new release “Change of Adress”.
Welcome Jordan 🙂
Service Dogs
Change of Address isn’t just a romance between two men who are struggling with issues of trust, self-confidence, and adulthood. There’s a third in the relationship: Kaylee the service dog.
While serving in the Air Force, Michael was shot. Though he was fortunate enough to receive excellent medical care and support, at the time his story begins, he’s still struggling with both the physical effects of his traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In addition to being a loving companion to Michael, Kaylee performs four very important tasks to help him cope with his disabilities.
First, she acts as a touchstone to reassure him that a situation is safe. She’s trained to alert him to people coming up behind him and to search rooms to verify that no one is present without his knowledge.
Second, she puts herself between Michael and anyone who comes too close, a task called “blocking” or “posting.”
Third, she performs deep pressure therapy, or DPT, to help Michael recover from anxiety attacks or dissociative episodes.
Fourth, she helps to keep Michael steady and balanced if he gets dizzy or can’t stand unaided.
It’s these trained tasks, which help Michael cope with his disabilities, that define Kaylee as a service dog under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Without Kaylee, Michael’s life would be very different. He probably wouldn’t leave the house unless absolutely necessary, and he’d spend the whole time on edge from hypervigilance and anxiety.
How do I know? I wrote Michael’s story from experience.
While I’m not a veteran of military combat, I’ve had PTSD for more than half my life. But it’s only in this last year and a half that I realized what a difference a service dog could make in my life. I was fortunate to have an older pet dog, Darian, who was beautifully suited for service work.
He’s always had polite manners in public, so it was easy to train him to perform the tasks that I needed.
My life turned around. With Darian at my side, I was able to leave the house, knowing I had someone with me if things got overwhelming. If you were at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Las Vegas this past May, you might have seen Darian with me. He even entered the Cirque du Punk costume contest as a steampunk dog version of Iron Man!
But Darian is an older dog, content to lounge on a comfortable pillow under the air conditioning vent. Now that I’ve learned how to handle a service dog in public, I’m working on training Darian’s successor. I got Bucky this past May, when he was just eight weeks old, and he’s been at my side ever since.
And if all goes well, he’ll be with me at RT17 in Atlanta, where we’ll both be signing copies of Change of Address. Who’s coming to see us?
About Change of Address
Air Force sergeant Michael Baldwin wanted nothing more than to escape his family’s political ambitions, but his dream of freedom was shattered by an enemy bullet to the head. Two years later, he and his service dog, Kaylee, resist his father’s demand to join him on the campaign trail—where a photogenic “wounded warrior” is always an asset—and instead return to the family’s summer home on Hartsbridge Island.
There Michael and his beautiful German shepherd capture the attention of Josh Goldberg, co-owner of the local bagel shop. Josh has a knack for business and a killer repertoire of his bubbe’s recipes. But lack of education undermines his confidence, and Josh’s father doesn’t share his ambition for the restaurant’s future.
Chicken soup and bacon might be the way to Michael’s heart, but he and Josh need time to learn about everything that comes after—lessons that Governor Baldwin and his relentless ambition will do anything to thwart. Letting someone in is a tall order for two men who can’t trust themselves, but if they have any hope of a future together, that’s exactly what they’ll need to do.
Change of Address is available from:
About Jordan S. Brock
Coffee-fueled author Jordan Brock writes engaging contemporary romance with a deliciously pan-romantic sensibility and an emphasis on consent, respect, and, of course, love. Her characters are constantly surprised by the way love’s slow burn sneaks up on them.
Jordan’s children are all four-legged and furry. They love to be oh-so-helpful with her writing. She can usually be found hiding from the sun with her service dog and her puppy-in-training. (She tried the training thing with cats first, since cats are so much smarter, but it was a no-go.)
Before she was published, Jordan worked as a tech writer in the semiconductor industry. She’s also created labs and learning materials for auto, diesel , and motorcycle mechanics. The technology was the easy part; the hard part was trying not to slip in pop-culture snark.
Jordan lives in the desert outside Phoenix, Arizona, despite the fact she turns into gray goo and blue hair dye when exposed to heat. For fun, she hunts scorpions in the backyard, with a blowtorch, and a crowbar. She’s chronically unavailable for at least a month after new game releases from Blizzard. She’s an unapologetic fangirl and has been known to write an occasional fanfic to prove Bucky Barnes is not a villain. Oh, and she crochets the cutest amigurumi ever.
If you’d like to learn more about Jordan, check out her blog and website at jordansbrock.com.
Connect with Jordan:
- Website: jordansbrock.com
- Twitter: @jordansbrock
To celebrate the release of Change of Address, one lucky winner will receive a stuffed United States Air Force bear and $15 in Riptide credit!
Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 29, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
I love the cover! I am really excited to read this and the teddy bear is the cutest thing. I am an ex-navy brat myself. (jozywails@gmail.com)
Thank you! I saw the bear at the BX and I knew he was perfect for this book. And thanks for your service!
Congrats on your new release, Jordan. I’ve read the book, btw. No wonder Michael’s character and his relationship with Kaylee just felt so real! I love them. Can’t wait for more stories on the Hartsbridge Island universe.
puspitorinid AT yahoo DOT com
Thank you! My next book will have a half-trained puppy as an homage to Bucky, my service-puppy-in-training. He’s a handful!
The book sounds amazing & I love the picture of Darian! Thanks for sharing with us.
legacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com
Both Darian and I thank you!
Thank you for your post. It is clear that dogs are much more than pets, they can be really difficult and help us copy with many problems….
Congratulations on the new release.I love dogs, so it is already in my TBR list. And thank you for the giveaway!
susanaperez7140(at)gmail(dot)com
Dogs really do change our lives, whether they’re pets, emotional support animals, or service animals. Thank you!
Congrats on the new release. Dogs are amazing.
debby236 at gmail dot com
Thanks! They really are!
Congrats on the new release! I look forward to reading this series.
serena91291@gmail.com
Thank you so much!
Congratulations on your release Jordan I love Darian’s costume in the picture.
ShirleyAnn(at)speakman40(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk
Thank you! He loved all the attention he got in his costume. It was a nice break for him after a week of working.
I have this to read, good luck with it Jordan
I am always amazed by the many ways animals but especially dogs can be trained to help us, they are truly amazing
Littlesuze at hotmail.com
They really are. I have a friend who’s training her chihuahua/pom mix for diabetes alert. I never would’ve imagined how sensitive he is to the subtlest changes in blood chemistry. Thanks!
Very touching and informative post!
vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
Thank you!
I did not know service dogs could do so many different things. Thank you for educating me. And also for sharing Darian’s adorable photo.
jen(dot)f(at)mac(dot)com
Dogs are pretty amazing creatures. They really do want to help take care of their humans, even if it’s just providing companionship. Darian and I both thank you!
Congratulations on the new release! I started reading it last night and love it already!! I live near Atlanta so I’ll look into going to RT17 (which I know nothing about). christyoneal@gmail.com
Ooh, RT is so very fun! Don’t be afraid to go up to people and say hi. And thank you so much! See you in Atlanta!
what a great bear would love him to death and a great book!
Thank you!
great cover and sounds good
jmarinich33@aol.com
Thanks!
This sounds like a wonderful series! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Cute bear!
Thank you!
This sounds amazing! Im really looking forward to reading this series.I really enjoy books that have a character in the military. Thanks for sharing. (sfzphd@gmail.com)
Thank you!
Darian is in such a cute costume. Thank you for the post on service dogs. It’s interesting to hear how Kaylee has helped Michael.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Thanks! Darian’s changed my life, just as Kaylee changed Michael’s.
Thanks for the chance to win the cutest teddy. Congrats on the new release. Dogs complete our lives in so many ways. angelaeagle@hotmail.com
Thank you! They really do!
Congratulations on the release of Change of Address! It sounds like a great read. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful post!
ree.dee.2014 (at) gmail (dot) com
Thank you!
I have wanted to read this one after my friend reviewed the ARC!! Thanks for the giveaway chance
amie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com
Ooh, thanks! I hope you like it!
Thank you for sharing this post! Darien looks adorable in his costume. violet817(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks! He loved all the attention he got at RT16.
congrats on the new release
that teddy is soooo cute!
leetee2007(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you! 🙂
Chicken soup and bacon are some of the things that helped hubby fall in love with me 🙂 I love the excerpt and the cute photo of the dog I miss my pup a lot
Aw, *hugs* for your pup!
I find it interesting that you took the task of training your own pups. I wouldn’t have the slightest idea on how to begin training on basic commands! LOL Good for you and very admirable.
Congratulations on CoA and much success!
taina1959 @ yahoo.com
I’ve been lucky. I’ve had dogs most of my life, and some of them (especially my Australian Shepherd, Argon) were like training wheels for dog training. As long as I have an attentive dog, I’m pretty good at training the basics like obedience. I briefly worked with an assistance dog training school, but they were VERY expensive and focused on teaching to the test (Canine Good Citizen, Public Access, etc.) rather than teaching specific tasks to help with our disabilities. I found it easier to go it alone and call on a professional trainer for specific help. Plus there are fantastic videos on YouTube. Thank you!
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nice post
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Thanks!
Loving the sound of Michael and Josh – what a great sounding plot. Never thought I’d be a dog person but recently found myself really wanting to get a puppy! That’s not going to be possible anytime soon so as well of having lots of book boyfriends i’m now making do with book puppies. No doubt i’ll be swooning over your boys and Kaylee!
jjessup445(at)gmail(dot)com
Congrats. I love the shore, and that cover just draws me right in. So much to tell in just one pic.
Purple Reader – TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com