What was your favorite picture book as a kid?
I was a fan of Dr. Seuss books. The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back were my favorites.

What was the first “real” book (with chapters and without pictures) you remember reading?
I was an avid reader of books called the Orange Biographies series published by Bobbs-Merrill in the 1940s through the 1960s for kids between the ages of eight and twelve.

My favorites were stories about patriotic women such as Betsy Ross, and wives of presidents including Abigail Adams and Mary Todd Lincoln.

What was your most favorite book in high school?
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I was fascinated with the story and intrigued that the author was a woman.

What was your least favorite book in high school?
Other than “Romeo and Juliet,” I was not a fan of Shakespeare.

What was the last novel you read?
A Christmas book that I finally got around to reading is Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock. It’s a light and quick read about the ability of the human heart to step up when it’s needed.

What was the last nonfiction book you read?
In the Footsteps of the Savior, by Max Lucado.  I received this as a gift and it sits on my bedside table. I am a huge fan of Lucado and many of his books are in my library.

Which book lived up to the hype (from the past 1-2 years)?
Although I’ve read other good novels since this one, the top of my list is The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel, written in 2020. It’s about a woman in France during World War II who made an amazing contribution to Jews attempting to leave France during the German occupation. The story kept me captivated as the heroine’s work came closer and closer to being discovered. It’s ultimately a tale of the good that people do and the testament to hope in even the vilest of times.

Which book do you love that needs more hype?
I am a huge fan of Tessa Afshar. She writes fictional (as well as a few non-fictional) stories of people in the Bible. The Bible comes alive in her books. She grew up in the Middle East and converted to Christianity as a young adult. Her background and culture give deep substance to the stories she writes.

Next novel on your TBR (up to three).
The Mercy Tree by Sharlene MacLaren
History of Lost and Found by Beth Adams
The Girl Who Could Breathe Underwater by Erin Bartels.

All three are from my book club list.

Next nonfiction on your TBR (up to three).
I enjoy reading books with animals as key characters. I just started Nala’s World: One Man, His Rescue Cat on a Bike Ride around the Globe by Dean Nicolson.

The Watchmaker’s Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom by Larry Loftis, because The Hiding Place is one of my favorite books

Angels on the Clothesline: A Memoir by Ani Truman, recommended by a friend.

Tell us about your latest release.
Paws, Purpose, and Possibilities: How Therapy Dogs and Faith Healed My Heart was my first book, published in 2022. It’s a memoir about my work with therapy dogs as a gift to my sister who passed away at the age of forty-one. My favorite parts of the book are stories from me and my therapy dog partners about our experiences as we ministered to others with our dogs. I also talk about God’s footprint at each step of my journey and I challenge the reader to consider how God opens doors and provides the tools needed to share His love with others.

I released my second book, 5 Minutes of Gratitude: Paws and Purpose for Everyday in November. It’s a short devotional/journal using real dog stories and I encourage the reader to apply the Bible verse to them and their life.

I hope to release a similar devotional, titled Gratitude and Reflection: Paws and Purpose for Everyday in May 2024.

I am a self-published author and all books are available on Amazon.

Anything else?
I am a relatively new author and released my first book (Paws, Purpose and Possibilities: How Therapy Dogs and Faith Healed My Heart) in June 2022.  I’ve received awards from The Christian Author Awards (Grand Prize), Reader’s Choice, Readers’ Favorite, and I am a finalist in The Christian Inde Author Awards for 2023, to be awarded in April 2024.

I’m an example of what God can do when we open our hearts to His lead! As a new author, I feel like a rare bird in this world of writers and speakers where I now find myself, and where many have journeyed for a long, long time. I want to encourage anyone reading this who also might be new to this world, and thinking about writing a book, that when He looks at you and me, “Jesus … said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible’” (Matthew 19:26, NLT).

Gail Scoates is an award-winning author of her first book Paws, Purpose and Possibilities: How Therapy Dogs and Faith Healed My Heart. A lady with a heart for God and for dogs, her books remind us how God’s creation can teach us about God’s love. Retired from a long career in nursing, she trains and evaluates teams for therapy dog work, enjoys writing, and traveling. Gail has a master’s degree in nursing and has published professional and Christian articles.

https://gailscoates.com or https://pawspurpose.net/

For other book recommendations, check out:

Rhonda Dragomir
Michele Chynoweth