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PENNY'S BOOKS

HEARTSTRINGS AND TAIL-TUGGERS

On the barren stretches that
separated our Arizona ranch
from the historic gold-mining
towns of Tombstone, Gleeson
and Bisbee, teepee-like ant hills,
eerie mirages, and devil-winds
spinning up dry river beds
created an alien dimension to
life…add to that the dust filled
air, cactuses, mesquite, and a
world in shades of gray. Listen to
the voices and heartbeats of all
God’s creatures that lived and
loved and brightened our world
each day.

Reviews: Heartstrings and Tail-Tuggers

“Penny has made more people
laugh and cry with her
animal stories than any other
author whose work has appeared in
Reader’s Digest. She is an original,
and her book is warm, funny and wise.”

CHRISTOPHER WILLCOX: EDITOR-IN CHIEF
READER’S DIGEST

"Without question, Penny Porter is the premier writer of
true animal stories living today. I enthusiastically welcome
the return to print of Porter's Landmark collection,

Heartstrings and Tail-Tuggers.

"JOE L. WHEELER, Ph.D., Anthology Editor

The Good Lord Made Them All
Christmas in My Heart series

"It was no accident that the 36 special creatures

in Penny Porter's book -- from a crippled wolf to a

blind chicken -- found themselves in her loving care.

By sharing their stories, they will live forever
in the hearts of all animal lovers."

CORNELIA PAUL KAZAL:

Author, Writer, Teacher, Miniature Horse Rancher

ADOBE SECRETS

On the northwest corner of our
desert ranch where dust devils
dance and yucca bells chime, a
crumbling adobe ruin bakes like
a muffin in the searing Arizona
sun. Its mud-brick walls are split
and scarred by time. Chunks of
mortar and shards of purple
glass skirt the old foundation,
and the weather-beaten door
sags like a broken jaw, creaking
and groaning on rusted hinges
in dismal harmony with tattered
wires and a dented stovepipe
that clatter like castanets across
the corrugated metal roof. Who
could ever live here...I wondered.
Then, we found out.

Reviews: Adobe Secrets

“Penny Porter…what a storyteller!”

PHILIP OSBORNE: Assistant Managing Editor
Reader's Digest

"Penny's stories bring the essence of her character's virtual presence. Readers almost see and hear them with the desert dwellers near them. Penny's tales need no explaining. They are heartwarming, and entertaining."

CASSIUS SARGENT: Poet and speaker

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Eugene Gifford Grace was a genius. “I didn’t come to Lehigh University to play baseball,” he said. “Lehigh equipped me to take up my life’s work.” As President of The Bethlehem Steel Company, (250,000 employees, 28,000 in Bethlehem alone), he promised President Roosevelt all the ships necessary to win the war and ended up building more than one ship a day, (approximately 1000 vessels of war for the United States Navy and Merchant Marines), during the entire 3 1/2 years of World War II. He commissioned the building of the Saucon Valley Country Club golf course, and aided the construction of many others with advice and financial help. He was proud of his locker right next to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s at the Long Island National Golf Club where both their name plates remain today. He loved giving parties and inviting stars into his home. He enjoyed life most when he could share the little free time he had with others. When the bell rang announcing the end of the day at the Steel Company, Mr. Grace left his office in the afternoon no matter how cold or hot the weather wearing a scarf and beat up old camels-hair coat and cap. Immediately, the Bethlehem police were notified to keep all traffic lights on green until he raced through the last one hoping daylight would linger long enough for him to enjoy a few holes of golf before dark. I know. I remember. I am his granddaughter, Penny.

Penny Porter, “one of the most successful storytellers ever to hit Reader’s Digest,” has published in a wide range of national magazines, including Arizona Highways, American Heritage, Catholic Digest, Range Magazine,Nevada Magazine and Guideposts. Author of six books, Penny’s work appears in 14 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, The Good Lord Made Them All series, and textbooks in 28 languages. She is the mother of six, grandmother of 8 and great-grandmother of almost 2.