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This Podcast is available to listen on all major social podcast platforms, search Talking Books hosted by J T Crowley. The video is available on YouTube search Talking Books hosted by J T Crowley and now on Roku and Amazon Fire TV cable streaming channels under ExpertsandAuthors,tv,E&Atv click TALKING BOOKS SHOW.

The Author

Linda Harkey is a multi-award-winning children’s author from Angel Fire in the Sangre De Christo Mts in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Living on thirty acres ten thousand feet above sea level has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are the stunning scenery, the spectacular wildlife of black bears, mountain cougars and elk for company as well as a cooler mountain climate a welcome blessing from the searing summer heat that scorch the lands below. The disadvantages are your neighbours are not quite on your doorstep to pop in for a coffee and chat unless you’re a cougar or black bear, and local amenities and appointments are good hours’ drive down a mountain road to the nearest community of Taos. The winter snows come early and can last for several months and at times Linda and her husband can be cut off from the world for days on end. However, they are happy living there with their adorable hunting dogs, whom many of the books are based on. This idyllic mountain home has been Linda and Mike’s home for some time now having lived in numerous places across the U.S. and as Linda says, she and Mike and their hunting dogs are at home in the mountains.

Linda is a past teacher and an enthusiastic hunting dog owner for more than 30 years, plus she has spent at least 20 odd years as a volunteer docent at two of Oklahoma’s outstanding museums. Apart from being married to Mike a retired surgical pathologist for more years than she cares to recall, she has two children and three Grandchildren and one great grandchild, plus of course a whole menagerie of German Shorthaired pointers hunting dogs both present and past.

Check out our video chat here!

Books

There are nine books in the collection and the general concept behind them all is to help young children transition to chapter books from predominately picture books, but equally have fun reading and learning about animals in their natural habitat as they themselves get up to all sorts of mischief as they go about their daily lives. 

My favourite Characters are Zeke the ticked colour coated hunting dog who thought he was a cut above the others in the pack, Tripod the three-legged hunting dog, Deacon who had a penchant for eating books, Chatty the Pheasant Hen, Willie the Crow and Blake Jake, the Turkey, and Rodney the Road Runner.

CONGRATULATIONS LINDA ON WINNING “BEST BOOK FRIDA FILM FESTIVAL ORSON WELLS IN PARIS AWARDS 2023 FOR DESERT FRIENDS EDITION TWO

The five Books covered off in the Podcast

Hickory Doc’s Tales (The Pack: First Generation).

Chicorees Hickory Doc, the oldest and wisest of five German Shorthaired Pointer hunting dogs, lives at The Lazy Dog Hacienda Kennels on Shorthaired Boulevard, Oklahoma. Folks just call him Doc. This book tells the humorous tales of life at the kennels, the relationships between the pack members and their interactions with humans as well as the mishaps with the porcupines and the cactus.

Awards for this book:

2021 International Impact Book Award: Children’s Education

2021 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award: Best Books Animals and Pets

2021 Firebird Book Awards: Children’s Early Readers (5-8)

2021 Hollywood Book Festival: Children’s Books- honourable mention

2021 Literary Titan Four-star review

2021 Literary Titan Book Award- Best Book

2021 Royal DragonFly Book Award- pets/animals

RWYK (Reading with your kids)- Certified Fun Read

2020 International Book Awards -Finalist Children’s Fiction

2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award- Finalist Series (Fiction)

2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Contest- First Place Animals/Pets

2019 American Fiction Award- Finalist Juvenile Fiction

2019 American Book Fest “Best Book” Awards- Finalist Children’s Educational

2019 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Award-Finalist

The Remarkable story of Willie the Crow: A Hickory Doc’s Tale.

One day Doc and Patch are napping on the porch at the Lazy Dog Hacienda Kennels, when a young black crow swoops down and lands on Patch’s head. This is how the dogs meet Willie, a crow with bad eyesight who befriends Patch. The other dogs don’t care for Willie so much, but wise old Doc encourages the friendship so that Patch can learn about birds. Then one day Patch falls in the swimming pool and like Doc and Zeke she can’t swim, so Willie is sent to find Newt to rescue Patch. Will he make it in time.

Awards for this book:

2022 Literary Titan Book Awards-Gold Book Award

2022 Literary Titan Five-Star Review

2021 B.R.A.G.Medallion – Children’s

2021 Little Peeps Children’s Book Awards for Early Readers and Picture Books-shortlist semi-Finalist

2021 New England Book Festival Winners- Children’s Books- Runner up

2020 RWYK- Certified Great Read

2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award- Finalist Series Fiction

Chatty the Hen Pheasant Travels with the Pack.

Chatty is a humorous Hen Pheasant who loves adventures, she’s smart and knows how to outwit Nassau a Labrador Retriever whose official name is Cimaroc Lucky Nassau, a name given by the Great One (The Human Owner). It’s a story of the playful antics of both characters set in a snowstorm on a bleak grey November day in South Dakota. Nassau is keen to impress his owner (The Great One) on the hunt, he flushes out Chatty under the snow. Thinking he’s done a great job he learns that there are rules to follow on a hunt so is disappointed when The Great One tells him to release Chatty as she’s a hen. This gobby little hen Pheasant will melt kid’s hearts. She’s not daft.

Awards for this book:

2022 Mom’s Choice Awards- Silver Award Recipient

2022 Firebird Book Award Winner- Children’s Pre-School Ages 2-4

2022 Spring Reader’ Choice Book Award- Best Children’s Book (3-7) Finalist

2022 London Book Festival Children’s Books- winner-honourable mention

2021 Story Monsters Approved Winner- Board Books (Birth- Age 3)

Blakes Jake’s Unusual Day Travels with the Pack.

Blake Jake Turkey lives with his flock in Magnum, Oklahoma. This endearing story is all about the day Blake Jake encounters Rush an annoying hunting dog on the day he was caught napping in between lessons on how to make an emergency take off from the tall grass when the alarm call is given. What Rush doesn’t know, nor is he prepared for is Blake Jake’s friend Homer the Hereford Bull, who has his own ideas on how to deal with wayward hunting dogs like Rush. Poor old Rush it wasn’t his day.

Desert Friends 2nd Edition Travels with the Pack.

Animal friends in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona are found in all sizes, shapes and colours. Rodney a roadrunner and his best friend Quincy, a Gambel’s Quail, spend days racing each other through dry creek beds called arroyos. One day Rodney and Quincey encounter two hunting dogs Gator and his three-legged buddy Tripod. Danger surrounds the four friends as a thunderstorm approaches which brings flash floods to the area filling up the creeks. The force of the water sweeps Tripod away. Oh no! who will rescue Tripod before The Great One arrives.

Awards for this book Edition 1: Edition 2 has only just come out September 2023

2023 Best Book Frida Film Festival Orson Wells in Paris Awards

2023 Chicago Script Award

2023 Story Monster Press Fall 2023 selection for sustainability and the environment

2023 Story Monsters Purple Dragonfly Awards- Animals/Pets First Place (Tie)

Best Cover design-Honourable Mention- Best Illustrations Honourable Mention

2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award- Finalist, Best Overall Design

2023 BookMad Magazine

2023 BREW Book Excellence Awards – Winner Children’s Illustrated Category-

2023 BREW Book Excellence Awards -Finalist- Children’s Illustrated

2023 Reader Ready Awards Winner- Top Picks

2023 Southern California Book Festival- Nature/Animals- Winner

2022 American Writing Awards – Animals/Pets – General Finalist

2022 NABE Summer Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner- Animal/Pets

2022 Mom’s Choice Awards- Silver Award Recipient

2022 American Writing Awards- Finalist

2022 Story Monsters Approved Winner- Picture Books Age 3-8, Early Readers, Middle Grade and Making a Difference

The Other Four Books in the Collection but not covered off in this Podcast due to time.

Solitary Toes and Brown Headed Cowbirds: A Hickory Doc’s Tale.

This endearing book shares a humorous story depicting the relationships between horses, cowbirds, and hunting dogs. Doc the old wise dog is expected to keep the pack in line on hunting expeditions, but when a new animal is added into the mix, things get interesting. 

Awards for this book:

2022 Eric Hoffer Book Award- Grand Prize Short List Finalist

2022 Eric Hoffer Book Award -Legacy Fiction Category First Runner up

2022 Eric Hoffer Book Award- First Horizon Award Finalist

2022 Literary Titan Book Awards- Silver Book Award

2021 Firebird Book Awards- Nature

2021 Hollywood Book Festival-Sequels

2021 American Fiction Awards – Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-6)

2020 RWYK- Certified Fun

2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award- Finalist Series (Fiction)

The Wayward Path of the Devil and Mr Snake in the Garden of Eden.

Percy the dove and Lucy the lamb help both Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. One day the Devil and his assistant Mr Snake sneak into the garden. Why does God forbid Adam and Eve to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad? What tricks do the Devil and Mr Snake use on Eve? What happens to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?

Awards for this book:

2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards- Finalist- Christian Fiction

Doc’s Dog Days: A Hickory Doc’s Activity Book.

Doc’s Dog Days workbook includes portions of stories from the book series. These are humorous educational, character building, and portray many of life’s lessons. They help young readers to transition to chapter books. Teachers can use this workbook as activities for the series or stan alone projects for students. The students can use their creativity to finish each story either ne writing paragraphs, drawing their own illustrations, or colouring the existing ones.

Awards for this book:

2021 Next Generation Indie Book Award- Winner Activity Books of All AGES

2021 Next Generation Indie Book Award-Finalist Animals/Pets

2020 Eric Hoffer Award- Book Category Finalist

Doc, Willie and the Pack: Secrets, Gifts, Family: A Hickory Doc’s Tale.

This book is the continuing funny saga of the five hunting dogs and their everyday encounters with all kinds of animals. Doc and the Pack discover that Willie the crow has bad eyesight, but he has a big secret. Can Willie convince the pack that he is part of the family? Will the pack discover Willie’s secret? What does Zeke think to Willie’s big secret? The adventures continue at the Lazy Dog Hacienda kennels with Doc, Willie and the pack.

Awards for this book:

2022 Literary Titan Book Awards- Gold Book Award

2022 Literary Titan Five -Star Review

2021 American Fiction Awards- Children’s Picture Book Soft Cover Fiction

2021 Royal Dragonfly Book Award- Children’s Picture Books

2021 Southern California Book Festival- Children

2020 Next Generation Indie Boom award- Finalist Series (Fiction)

Social Media Platforms And Where You Can Get The Books From

www.harkeybooks.com

www.storymonsters.com/bookstore/lindaharkey

www.archwaypublishing.com/bookstore/lindaharkey

www.facebook.com/harkeybooks/

www.instagram.com/harkeybooks

Illustrator

Mike Minick has illustrated eight of Linda’s nine books, he’s a graphic designer as well as an illustrator, he lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife Joey and their two children.

You can connect with Mike Minick at www.notionboxcreative.com

All I need to say now is thank you Linda Harkey for again giving me the opportunity to interview you about your amazing Children’s Books. Roll on Zeke!!!

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