Guest Post & Giveaway by author Alison Holt

I am very pleased to have author Alison Holt as my guest today!

Passion is a funny thing. I inherited my greatest passion, the love of animals, from my grandmother, Naomi Holt. She was an incredibly strong woman who was the first female in her county to actually wear... heaven forbid...pants in public! She also understood animals better than anyone I’ve ever met, and she passed that love and devotion on to me. Like her, there has never been a time in my life where I didn’t have some type of pet close by.

For me, growing up on a working cattle ranch in Arizona was nothing short of incredible. I learned to ride almost before I could walk. I loved racing after a stampeding herd of cattle over the desert floor on Smokey Jove, my coal black quarter horse. I hunted with raptors and played tackle football in the cow pens with the hired hands. My father taught me to shoot when I was six and I trained my first dog, well, when the dog was still bigger than me!

Joining the Tucson Police Department seemed like a natural transition after such a rough and tumble childhood. I had earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in writing at the University of Arizona and was looking for a career that could satisfy my other great passion in life - the need to know what “it” is like. What is just around the corner that I can’t see? What haven’t I done that I’d love to do?

A police officer is always waiting to see what will happen next. And the exciting part is, you have to meet the challenge head on. There is no choice. That’s what I loved about police work.

While I was a cop, I worked every possible job I could, changing assignments every few years just because I could. I loved working as a patrol officer on the city’s south side, but the idea of becoming a detective fascinated me. When I was a detective, I wanted to be a sergeant, and when a sergeant, I spent hundreds of hours studying to be a Lieutenant. I was a hostage negotiator; I commanded Undercover Units and Riot Control Squads, just because I could. Just because I wanted to know what “it” was like.

Then something strange happened. Again, passion is a funny thing. Someone asked me if I would have any regrets when I retired. I thought, “What have I missed?” The answer was easy. Shortly thereafter, the K9 sergeant position opened, and against the advice of all my fellow commanders - except one wonderful Deputy Chief of Police (she really is a saint in my book) - I took a voluntary demotion from the rank of Lieutenant and became the Sergeant/Supervisor for the 11 man K9 squad. That assignment was a rocky ride, but well worth it because now, I’ll always know “What it’s like”.  

When I retired after twenty exciting, extraordinary years on the police department, I went back to working with Raptors at a wonderfully unique program at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. I rode horses, renovated houses, and continued to train dogs, but most importantly, for now at least, I began to write.  I love to write just as I loved to train animals and just as I loved being a cop. I hope that through my writing, you can share a little of my passions and my experiences and know what it’s like to wonder what “it” is really like.

Alison, thank you so much for stopping by. You've had an exciting career as an officer and I am sure that your experience will make for great characters and stories!

Alison is currently on tour promoting her two latest novels The Door at the Top of the Stairs and Credo's Hope. 

Check out the other stops on the tour:

8/22   author guest post @ Reader Girls
8/23   author guest post @ Jagged Edge Reviews
8/23   author guest post & giveaway @ Workaday Reads
8/24   author guest post @ Books Glorious Books
8/26   excerpt @ Reader Girls
8/27   author guest post @ Backseat Nightmares
8/28   excerpt @ Romance In The Backseat
8/29   excerpt @ Fade Into Fantasy
8/31   excerpt @ Books Glorious Books
8/31   author guest post @ Getting Naughty Between The Stacks
9/2    excerpt @ Jagged Edge Reviews
9/3    review & giveaway @ Reviews By Molly

Alison is giving away an eBook copy of Credo's Hope to two lucky readers!

Mandatory: Must be a GFC follower. Leave a comment below (including your email address).

Additional entries:

(1) Follow @Alison Holt Books on Twitter

(1) Friend Alison Holt on Facebook                        

This is an international giveaway. The winners will be chosen by random.org.  The winner must respond to the email within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Giveaway ends on September 10th at 11:59 PST.