Local author's new book teaches benefit of giving help

Local author Mary Boyle (writing as Mariah Clark Skewes) is once again providing an important lesson through her newest children's book. This time we're introduced to PUDGE, a sweet pug who comes from rough beginnings and navigates becoming a therapy dog at the insistence of his new owners, Robert and Renee. Boyle, a resident of Newcastle, said the book's pooch is based on her friends', Robert and Renee Verdugo, therapy English bulldog named Pudge. "They adopted a little rescue dog and decided they would train him to become a therapy dog, but the little dog named Pudge really wasn't interested," Boyle said, detailing how the idea of PUDGE came about. "So they were telling me this story and I said, 'Oh my gosh you guys, there's a children's book in your story.' " Just like his namesake, Boyle said her PUDGE resists any cooperation in his obedience classes, preferring instead to do what he wants. "He doesn't want to be a therapy dog," Boyle said. "He thinks he needs therapy. He wants a therapy person." It's not until PUDGE meets a little boy that he decides being a therapy dog isn't such a bad idea. "PUDGE!" is the second book in Boyle's The Nudge Series, which aims to give readers a nudge. "The idea is that sometimes through helping others, we help ourselves and to be open to receiving help," Boyle told the Auburn Journal. "They're subtle messages; they're not overt. The idea behind many of my books is accepting others, being kind and just doing good in this world." "PUDGE!" will be released on July 28 and is available for $19.95 as a hardcover and $12.95 as a paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. An accompanying "PUDGE!" activity book with craft ideas, puzzles and cooking experiences is also available for $7.95. A launch event for "PUDGE!" will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Fowler Ranch Farmers Market, 3111 Lincoln Newcastle Highway in Lincoln. The event will include crafts for kids, story readings and PUDGE cookies made by Berry Creek Bakeshop. Boyle said attendees will have the chance to meet and take photos with the real Pudge and owners Robert and Renee will be available to answer questions about therapy dogs. Boyle was a recent finalist in the 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her children's book, "O is for Pig," described as a fun Where's Waldo approach through the alphabet, was a finalist for the Best Overall Design (Fiction) and Children's Picture Book (0-5 years) categories. Boyle's gift book, "The ABCs of Hope & Healing," which works through the alphabet to celebrate and encourage adults in recovery from trauma or addiction, was a finalist in the Gift Book category. "I was very surprised and very honored to have two of my books placed," Boyle said. For more information about "PUDGE!" and Boyle's other books, visit mariahclarkskewes.com.