Coffee with a canine: Wendy Welch & Zora and Bert

The current featured trio at Coffee with a Canine: Wendy Welch & Zora and Bert.

The author, on how her dogs got their names:

Zora was named for the famous writer, as she wears the same kind of hat. Ms. Hurston was often photographed in a hat with a feather sticking up, and Zora usually has one ear up, and one ear down. We call this "wearing her good hat."

Bert... well, he just looked like...[read on]

About Welch's new book, The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap, from the publisher:

An inspiring true story about losing your place, finding your purpose, and building a community one book at a time.

Wendy Welch and her husband had always dreamed of owning a bookstore, so when they left their high-octane jobs for a simpler life in an Appalachian coal town, they seized an unexpected opportunity to pursue their dream. The only problems? A declining U.S. economy, a small town with no industry, and the advent of the e-book. They also had no idea how to run a bookstore. Against all odds, but with optimism, the help of their Virginian mountain community, and an abiding love for books, they succeeded in establishing more than a thriving business - they built a community.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap is the little bookstore that could: how two people, two cats, two dogs, and thirty-eight thousand books helped a small town find its heart. It is a story about people and books, and how together they create community.

Visit Wendy Welch's blog.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Wendy Welch & Zora and Bert.

--Marshal Zeringue