Meet Denise Lee Branco | Award-winning Author & Animal Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Denise Lee Branco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Denise, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I believe that if you want to see your dreams realized, you’ve got to be willing to take risks. In 2018, I decided that I couldn’t go a day longer without living my passion full-time. I had worked for county and state government for over 32 years, but the more I loved being a part of the world of book publishing, the more I needed to be all-in. I also didn’t want to get to the end of life and regret that I didn’t take a chance on becoming the successful author that I knew deep down I was meant to be.

You see, I started writing professionally after the passing of my horse, Freedom, in 2008. It was a way for me to grieve. I put pen to paper and poured every emotion onto the page. Publishing a book would allow me to honor Freedom and keep his memory alive, and that’s what I set out to do.

Pursuing your dreams is not an easy road. With risk comes failure. I expected it, but I didn’t realize how difficult it could be to start your own publishing company and write quality books. At one point, I over-extended myself financially. Credit card debt had piled up. I’d transfer balances from one card to the other to keep going, but eventually, it caught up with me.

I decided to sell my home of eleven years and use the equity to pay off credit cards. It was hard to leave my home, but a few months later, I had a fresh start in a new home. Things always seem to work out when you’re willing to accept your situation and trust that it happened for a reason. Something much better is often on the other side.

With risk also comes reward. I spent many years between my first and second books honing my craft. I wanted to become better at writing and creating books. I’m excited to share with you that although my first book, Horse at the Corner Post, won a silver medal, my second book, Rabbit at the Sliding Door, has won 14 book awards! It feels like sweet validation! The years of learning and growing past the tears and challenges, have paid off. My third book, Dog at the Tinsel Tree, was published in October 2023. I’ve been entering it in book award contests, and I can’t wait to see how it does. Fingers crossed!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Besides honoring my beloved pets by writing their story, I use my books to help animals in need. I donated my first book to fundraisers that benefit animals. When I started writing my second book, I realized that I wanted to do more. So, I decided to donate a portion of each sale of Rabbit at the Sliding Door: Chloe’s Story to an animal welfare organization.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to make donations in Chloe’s honor that have helped rescued animals and those fleeing wars and wildfires. Dog at the Tinsel Tree: Susie’s Story has only been out for a few months, and it feels wonderful to donate to dog rescues in Susie’s name. I like attaching a note with the check that says, “A little love from Susie in Heaven.”

I want the world to know that the human-animal bond is beautiful. I can’t imagine going through life without an animal companion. I always end my books with a love letter to my beloved pet. I thank them for the life lessons they taught me and the cherished memories we made. My wish is that my books will inspire people, for generations to come, to open their hearts and homes to a rescue animal and experience a bond as deep as what I’ve been blessed to have with my pets.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d say that my main goal would be to find places where we could be out in nature…walking, biking, horseback riding, or just sitting in a picturesque setting with a cup of coffee and catching up on our lives.

I live in northern California and there are several historic towns within driving distance. Maybe we’d explore the shops and restaurants, buy interesting mementos, and try different foods. Finding an independent bookstore (or a cat café!) in our travels, would be icing on the cake!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and support of my parents. They have always encouraged me to dream big. I grew up with the mindset that I could do anything with hard work and determination. I can’t thank my parents enough for my childhood growing up on a ranch with all kinds of animal friends, because it led me to my work as an animal advocate.

I also don’t know what I’d do without my author/publisher friends. They inspire me every step of the way. I remember when I was attending writer group meetings before my first book was published. There were times when I was ready to give up on the dream. It was too hard, too costly, too overwhelming. My fellow writers lifted me with reminders that we all must start somewhere. That support came from multi-title authors, and now I can’t believe that I’m one of them!

Equally special are the people who buy my books. They fuel my desire to write even better books and make a bigger impact in the world.

And I can’t end without giving a huge shout-out to the animals that have graced my life. It has been an honor to write their story. It’s the least I can do for all the love they’ve given me.

Website: www.deniseinspiresyou.com

Instagram: @deniseleebranco

Linkedin: denise-lee-branco-27309824/

Twitter: @deniseleebranco

Facebook: DeniseInspiresYou