Welcome to Linda Ann Casey Smock Bookstore
Discover the Magic of Reading
Hi there!
I'm Linda.
I grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and I've always loved two things: kids, and animals. Ever since I was in elementary school, I wanted to be a teacher, because I loved helping my classmates. I graduated from Seton Hall University and started teaching elementary students in East Orange, South Orange, and Belleville, New Jersey. I married in New Jersey and raised my three boys till they were 8, 10, and 12 in New Jersey. We moved to Arizona and I divorced at that time.
Two of my sons went back to live with their dad while I became an elementary teacher in Mesa, Arizona in 1984. I taught for 30 years in Mesa and retired after 40 years of teaching in 2007. I continued working with children with reading difficulties and dyslexia up to the present.
I brought with me a Maltese dog named Fonzie and another dog named Princess Nikki to Mesa in 1984. I've had many pets over the years, from Angora cats to German Shepherds. Right now my house is home to a rather small rat terrier named Norbert and a cat named Scooter. The other doggies are my boyfriend's dog's Cupcake, Ringo and Cookie.
Ringo Takes the Lead is my first book and it is being edited at the moment. I worked with an amazing artist, Daniel, to turn my friends' and family's real pets into cartoon characters! I hope you enjoy reading the Ringo and Norbie Series.
Tail Wagging Co-Authors
Sure, I write the words—but they provide the wagging tails, warm eyes, and endless inspiration that bring them to life.
Tahoe is the Husky, Cocoa Bean is the Yorkie, Cookie, Ringo and Cupcake are the Chi's and Norbie is a Rat Terrier.
All of these animals are portrayed in The Ringo and Norbie series with real personalitlies too!
Cocoa Bean
Cupcake, Ringo and Cookie
Ringo is the Main character in the first 3 books!
Ringo is a sweet, loving chihuahua and cannot wait to get your attention when you go to his home! He twirls around for treats and sits when you tell him to! You cannot but love this little guy as he worms his way into your heart in person and in the books as well. I hope you will enjoy all of my books with Ringo as the main character!
This is Cupcake, Ringo and Cookie. Ringo is the Lead Doggie in my stories and Cupcake and Cookie are sidekicks. Then comes Norbert but we all call him Norbie.
Norbert is called Norbie for short!!
This is Norbert and he comes in on the fourth book and then the rest of the series up to my 10th book. Isn't he a cutie? The artist made him just as cute in the books with his big ears and sweet face!
Tahoe
Tahoe was a rescue pup that my son had for about 8 years. Things did not work out for him as he was always an escape artist. Tahoe would manage to get out of every home he visited or lived in through the years via the windows or breaking out of the bottom of the fences and running through the neighborhood looking for his master. He was a sweet dog with lots of beautiful husky hair. Tahoe was not happy toward the end of his stay with my son because my son had to work 12 hour shifts at work. Tahoe missed him terribly and kept getting out because there was no one to watch him so he had to give him up. WE hope Tahoe has found a new forever family but he will be in all of my books as a fun memory for us!
Scooter
Scooter was found in my back yard about 2008. She was a baby and Shadow found her and her brother by the fence one August afternoon. He was so happy to tell me about the kitties. But then they disappeared as mamma took them somewhere else. Three months later they reappeared! They were on the top of the roof of my house and my neighbors! So cute!
Then one day Scooter came over to the carport and would peek out from under the car and I started to feed her and talk to her. She then reappeared every evening at 5 pm to eat. One day I finally decided I would try to lure her into my utility room to catch her but she was too smart for that! So I found a cat trap that I borrowed and caught her. I brought her into my back bedroom and for one month would go in and talk to her and feed her until one day I picked her up!
She just melted in my arms! She was so beautiful! After that I allowed her into the house and she became my "pet" Shadow and mine of course! I tried to capture her brother but he would have none of it! He had become a ferral cat as they say and wanted to stay that way!
I forgot to mention that I had just lost a cat of 19 years to kidney failure a month before! I said I did not want another cat! Of course, that was not in the cards for me!
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