Ready for more coffee?
Smiling Dog Cafe #3 launches today
A Story of Sanctuary and Second Chances.
This week brings both excitement and frustration as I prepare for today’s release of Grounds for Hope, the third book in my Smiling Dog Cafe series. While I'm thrilled to share this Japanese healing fiction with readers, I'm once again wrestling with the publishing industry's rigid categorization system.
Where exactly does a story with light magical elements and a focus on emotional healing belong? It's not mystery or romance, and despite trying "cozy fantasy," I keep getting rejected because there aren't any elves or dragons. (Maybe I should add one?) The challenge of fitting genre-blending work into neat retail boxes continues to be one of the most frustrating aspects of being an indie author.
The only thing I can count on is using the right keywords to describe the book, and putting that information into the book’s description.
Grounds for Hope contains two novellas set at The Smiling Dog Café, a Brooklyn refuge for the weary, the grieving, and the lost. In the first, Grounds for Hope, teenager Miguel, alone on the streets after his father's deportation, is led by a mysterious pit bull to warmth and safety in the cafe. As Miguel begins to trust the rhythms of this new life, the café community gently welcomes him, one small kindness at a time.
The second novella, “Finding Grace,” introduces Tanya, a sixteen-year-old girl reeling from abandonment after her mother leaves to find herself in Nepal. Caught between holding her family together and falling apart herself, another café dog, Luna, nudges her toward the door. At The Smiling Dog, she’s not expected to explain herself. She's simply offered coffee, calm, and a chance to breathe. Over the course of the fall and winter, Tanya begins to rediscover her strength—and the possibility of grace in unexpected places.
These two stories intertwine quietly through the shared space of the café and the watchful presence of its canine guides. Grounds for Hope is about grief, but it’s also about survival, kindness, and the places that hold us while we figure out how to move forward. I really wanted to lean into the camaraderie of the cafe in these stories. And of course, you’ll learn more about Betty.
There’s even a pair of epilogues, linked at the end of each novella. And here’s a guest post I made that talks about how Betty chooses the right beans and blends for each customer.
Whether you’re new to The Smiling Dog Café or returning after reading The Smiling Dog Café and The Bridge Between Us, this book offers a moving glimpse into the lives touched by one small but powerful community hub.
Bob Kman, one of my beta readers, wrote me, “I loved both of them. Miguel and Tanya's struggles touched me. Betty is so loving. This series is a 5 star.” There are now nearly 200 four and five-star reviews— amazing for a series that only started in January.
For something completely different, check out the Tropical Thrillers group, where the first Angus Green is on sale for 99 cents and there are other discounted books that fit that title.
It is hard to comprehend everything that is going on in the Middle East right now, so I am focused on one goal: the release of the hostages. I hope that a peace deal will bring them home, and help all those who are suffering.
In love and gratitude,
Neil
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