On The "Coming Soon" List for Years, Stray Exceeds 10,000 Downloads and Is Now In Paperback.

July 22, 2011 - PRLog -- Stray is a unique, gritty, and compassionate novel that combines the setting of a substance abuse treatment center and next door animal shelter.  Stray has delighted readers so far and has been well received to the tune of 10,000 plus downloads.

The positive reviews have followed.  From Goodreads: "Stray is one of my favorite books lately. It is a surprisingly gentle and sweet story about a counselor in a drug rehab center and his clients. Their stories intertwine and flow around the stories of the dogs in the shelter across the parking lot. The author treats the addicts with a great deal of respect and compassion."

From Barnes and Noble:  "Highly Recommend! DON'T PASS THIS ONE UP!!! I have to say this is a book not to be missed. The way the characters come together is great! Since I personally work with animal rescue, I particularly enjoyed the dogs in the story. The struggles with addiction are well described and may even be an inspiration to those in a personal battle. It is true what they say 'Love is the answer'"

And from Amazon "An Intense Read. I loved this book! It was very believable & wonderfully written."

The novel had been stuck in limbo for years. It was set to be published in 2004 by an e-book publisher who had it on their 'coming soon' shelf, where it stayed for years until the company went out of business. The novel, and the author’s contract, were then set free. The characters are vivid and true to life, and the inside look into sites unseen is what gives the novel its unique flavor.

The author, Mark Matthews, is a therapist who has treated addicts and alcoholics for nearly 20 years. The setting is based on his work at a treatment center which shared a parking lot with an animal shelter. This inspired the author to write a story that parallels the stray, lost animals in the shelter, with the stray, lost souls struggling with their addiction. "The novel illustrates the universal longing in all of us," he states  "as we wander through the aid stations of society looking for a place that feels like home."

Stray can be found in paperback and kindle version on Amazon, as well as Barnes and Noble, and other online retailers.

http://www.amazon.com/Stray-ebook/dp/B004EYUC10, for details.