Author Interview with North of Broken & Furever Home author Holly B. Gutwillinger

Welcome to the author interview with Holly B. Gutwillinger as she shares with us about her book – North of Broken & Furever Home!

Blurb

Renley Nelson is struggling with midlife melancholy and fractured family bonds. Her marriage is crumbling, her sons are distant, and her mother’s mind is slipping into places Renley can’t follow. When her best friend begs her to join a dog rescue mission in Ontario’s northern wilderness, Renley sees a chance to escape her failing life.

As she helps the dogs heal and adopts not one, but two high-needs dogs, she finds the strength to mend her relationships and reclaim her place in the world.

In this dual narrative between woman and dog, both must learn that healing requires the bravery to stay—even when everything inside you wants to run.

Ready to learn more about North of Broken & Furever Home and the author behind it? Keep reading for our interview with author Holly B. Gutwillinger!

Author Gutwillinger, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with Scribbles about your book, North of Broken & Furever Home!

Q: Author Gutwillinger, you’ve got quite the heartwarming tale here with North of Broken & Furever Home. What was it that inspired you to write this novel?

Author Gutwillinger: My dog, Sullivan (Sully) was the catalyst for the creation of this novel. For the decade we’ve had our two rescue dogs, I’ve tried everything to ease their anxieties, but nothing worked. One day, while I sat on the back deck, Sully trotted toward me, his ears bounced and his tail wagged, which was not common behaviour for him, and a short poem downloaded to my thoughts. I kept writing, and before I knew it; I had an entire recreation of their lives written in my journal.

Sounds like you had quite the inspirational event in that moment and ultimately it translated into this beautiful story!

Q: The cover that you selected for your novel is quite ideal. Were there other covers that you considered before settling on this one? Or did you just know that this was the cover when you saw it?

Author Gutwillinger: This was the first draft of the cover, and although I contemplated many other ideas, I kept coming back to this one. The colours jumped off the page, and it reflected everything I thought of when I walked my dogs (you’ll see Cash peeking out of a tree on the back cover).

The cover honestly is such a great selection at the end of the day. It conveys a touch of symbolism that helps it connect to the story.

Q: It’s not unusual for a story to have a dual POV, but in North of Broken & Furever Home you made the decision to give a voice to a young pup. What was your thought process behind this decision?

Author Gutwillinger: The more I wrote, the more I realized this was as much Sully’s story as it was mine. I wanted to honour our relationship, so I gave him a point of view.

That is just adorable and we love how well it works with the overall story.

(a) Why did you decide to make Sully aka Little Dog the second POV instead of one of the others in the story?

Author Gutwillinger: Ultimately, this is Sully’s story and the other dogs, except for Cash, are creations from my imagination. My other dog, Cash, could certainly have his own story and readers may read it one day!

Wait! The other dogs were creations of your imaginations?! Okay. That does make sense, but it’s still surprising nonetheless. LOL!

Oooh! Cash could get his own story?! That would be fantastic! Here’s hoping that it becomes a reality because we’d love to read it!

Q: We’re curious about something specific that you did while writing North of Broken & Furever Home. Why did you decide to write Renley in the third person, and Sully in the first person?

Author Gutwillinger: This is such a great question. In fact, one that I never contemplated until you posed it. I wanted to have a clear distinction between the two protagonists. Also, I wanted readers to crouch down to Sully’s level and see life through his point of view; therefore, I used the first-person point of view.

With Renley, I remained at a slight distance from her, while I wrote the story, watching her life unfold from above, not from walking in her shoes.

Okay! That makes sense in an unusual way. LOL! It definitely helps create a distinction between the characters since readers immediately know the difference. Even without the “Sully” or “Renley” identifications at the beginning of each chapter readers would know who that chapter is focusing on.

Q: We’re curious about the dogs Sully and his brother Middle Dog were once in a pack with. How did you come up with the various names and personalities for the dogs?

Author Gutwillinger: I had a vision of the pack of dogs and could see each one clearly down to the colour of fur. I knew they needed simpler names because they were a pack on their own in the woods and would not have called each other by human names. There is a hierarchy in every pack of animals and I used that concept to create the distinct personalities. The Snow-White story may have influenced me slightly with lazy dog and salty dog.

Never thought of it in that way! But you are so right! We come up with names for our pets, and so it makes sense that the dogs wouldn’t call each other “human” names.

LOL! It’s always fun with fairytales influence stories in unique ways like how you used it to help you name the dogs. LOL!

Q: Why did Salty Dog have such an issue with Sully? Was it simply because Sully was smaller and less able to contribute to the pack like the others? Or was there more to it?

Author Gutwillinger: Salty dog had a rough beginning in life and didn’t want to be ostracized from the pack. He was jealous of all the attention Little Dog (Sully) was getting and figured if he could get rid of him, he would maintain his ranking.

We’re going to be honest with you…we were not a fan of Salty dog. We honestly thought of him as a bully, but figured that there was some story behind his behavior. This helps put him in a light that helps readers better understand his character.

Q: Sully is such a shy, nervous dog throughout the story. Does this stem from him being not born around humans? Or is there more to it than meets the eye?

Author Gutwillinger: This is who Sully is in real life. I’ve never known his true origin story and often wonder if he was physically abused or not raised with humans, thus the reason I wrote it that way.

Oh okay! That makes a lot of sense. With no background to really build on it allowed you to create one for him in the gentlest way.

Q: How difficult was it writing the tension between Renley and Jesse? Was it easier to do since they are fictitious characters? Or did you draw from “real life” to make them more realistic?

Author Gutwillinger: You are correct in saying that because this is fiction, I could literally have these two characters act however I wanted, but in every marriage, there is conflict, commitment, and compromise. I tried to show that push and pull through everyday occurrences, but also when the family adds a new member.

We’re sure that readers will absolutely appreciate the realism that you weave into the story concerning the relationship between Renley and Jesse. Gives something familiar to connect with.

Q: In writing North of Broken & Furever Home you make a point of showing how both Cash and Sully are returned to the animal shelter. Was the intent behind this particular detail to remind readers of the tragic struggle that animals go through when they are “paired” with the wrong people?

Author Gutwillinger: Yes indeed. Often, a dog may not be the right fit for a family, and they will in fact return them. It happens more than we know. I wish there was a way to avoid it, but it happens.

We love that you used this element in your story because it really goes to help highlight an important fact for readers. It presses home the heartbreak of the animals adopted only to be returned because they just weren’t “the right fit” for that particular family.

(a) Was the shelter in the story a “no kill” shelter, or was it a shelter that had a “timeline” in how long an animal could be there?

We’re just curious. LOL!

Author Gutwillinger: The shelter in the story was (is) a no-kill shelter, and I based it off the shelter where I adopted Chance from (who is mentioned in the beginning of the story).

Cue relieved exhale. LOL!

Q: The majority of the animals throughout North of Broken & Furever Home communicated amongst themselves. Why was Willow, the cat, the “exception”? Did she just feel that she was “above” speaking or interacting with Cash and Sully?

Author Gutwillinger: Willow is our current cat, and she is the most independent feline I’ve ever met. She keeps to herself and doesn’t interact much with us, but it’s like I can tell how she’s feeling without words. I stayed true to her character as much as possible.

Wait! Willow is a real cat?! How cool is that!?! LOL! So that ultimately makes complete sense that you would stay true to who Willow is in real life and keep her as the aloof feline she is. Got it! LOL!

Q: Renley and her mother have what appears to be a complicated relationship. Has it always been this way? If so, why?

Author Gutwillinger: Yes, and writing Renley and her mother’s story was a way for me to work through my tumultuous relationship with my mother. I know family dynamics can be complicated, and I wanted these characters to have their own arc and be relatable for readers.

There is definitely realism in there and we’re sure that those who read North of Broken & Furever Home will gravitate towards that in their own ways.

Q: Throughout North of Broken & Furever Home, you note that Renley has a habit of quitting things rather quickly. Why is it so hard for her to stick some things out?

Author Gutwillinger: This was definitely one of my traits as a young woman, and I know I am not alone. I was that person who started different hobbies and quit them just as soon as I got frustrated. I’m self-taught in most of the creative skills I have, which was probably why I gave up so quickly. I’m not quite like that anymore, but I still like to juggle several hobbies at once. (the ones I love to do for joy, not for results)

That definitely helps bring Renley into perspective knowing that not only were you going for realism in her character, but you were giving her a piece of yourself. It means that she has room to grow, which she absolutely does in the story. Which once again reflects you in the character. Love it!

Q: Okay, we have to ask…what was it like writing Cash’s character? He’s so rambunctious! He literally jumps out of a second story window and decides to go for a swim in frigid waters!

Author Gutwillinger: That’s Cash for you! Every momentous event in the story happened in real life. It was too good not to be included in the book. Cash is currently thirteen years old in human years but still acts like a two-year-old dog. It’s quite impressive.

Those events with Cash happened in real life?! No way!! Oh goodness! No wonder those scenes played out so smoothly! We were literally on the edge of our seat with most of them, but especially the swim! We were so worried! LOL! And to know it actually happened?! Wow!

Q: After reading North of Broken & Furever Home all the way to the end, we are wildly curious – are the Sully and Cash in the story based off of real dogs??

Author Gutwillinger: Cash and Sully are in fact my two rescue dogs, and we’ve had them for over a decade now. They are the cutest little old men, and I wouldn’t change anything about them. They’ve thrown me curveballs along the way, but my life is fuller because of Cash and Sully.

That is just…so heartwarming to know that you’ve now had them for so long and the powerful impact that they’ve had on your life. Brings tears to our eyes. LOL!

Q: Now, for the ultimate question based off of the ending…is this book your real life story fictionalized??

LOL! We had to ask, because…you just never know.

Author Gutwillinger: You aren’t totally wrong.

I started writing this story to understand Sully better. A group of writer friends encouraged me to write my story with the two dogs, which is how I began. When I realized this story was about acceptance, I had to include Sully’s voice, and I wanted readers to know of their origin story, but I had to recreate it.

Ultimately, Renley has similar traits to me, but she is her own character now, and I would happily be friends with her. Emma is based on my bestie.

North of Broken & Furever Home is such a triumph as a story. You took personal elements and blended them together with fictional aspects to create such a beautiful story. It all comes together to create something that we’re sure our readers will truly enjoy.

Q: Will there be more stories about Renley and the pups or is this a one and done type situation?

Author Gutwillinger: I have plans for two or more books in what will become a series. Emma and Ben make a connection in the current novel, and I’m working on their story in the next, which will of course include Gracie, the new puppy. Cash and Sully will have appearances throughout as well.

Yay to more books! That is music to our ears! We’re excited to know that there will be at least two more books in the series. North of Broken & Furever Home was such a delight to read, so it’s nice to know that we’re going to get more furry friend stories.

Q: What book, author Gutwillinger, would you recommend readers pick up after reading North of Broken & Furever Home?

Author Gutwillinger: I’ve just finished Dog Person by Camille Pagan and although it brought me to tears more than once, it is in my top three for this year.

Well, there you go fellow readers! If you enjoyed North of Broken & Furever Home and are looking for your next recommended read then go grab Dog Person by Camille Pagan!

Q: Is there any books that you are currently working for readers who want to follow your works to look forward to? If so, would you mind sharing a little bit about it?

Author Gutwillinger: I am so very excited to announce my upcoming contemporary romance where the meet-cute happens in the dog park.

The friendship of two lifelong friends, who are in search of love, happiness, and rescue dogs, is tested when the most unlikely meet-cute unleashes at the Telling Tails dog park.

Oh it sounds like your upcoming contemporary romance is going to be a really fun book! We can’t wait to check it out!

Something to look forward to fellow readers!

Q: Is there anything that you’d like to share with our readers before you go?

Author Gutwillinger: I’d love readers to know that before I read the book, I thought of myself as someone who rescued her dogs. After this part of our journey and human-dog relationship, I realized our story was one of acceptance. Once I did that, everything shifted, and although they are still my dogs, I see them differently, and my approach toward them has changed.

Beautifully put author Gutwillinger! Thank you so much for sharing!

Author Holly B. Gutwillinger, we appreciate you taking the time to share with us here at Scribbles and our readers about your book, North of Broken & Furever Home. We look forward to reading more of your work in the future! Thank you so much for your time today!

We enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to read and review North of Broken and Furever Home and you can check out the review here.

About the Author:

Holly B. Gutwillinger is an author and podcaster from a small northern Ontario town. Her debut novel, North of Broken & Furever Home, launches February 14, 2026, exploring a woman’s complex relationship with her rescue dogs.

Holly’s writing is shaped by her deep love of family—she is the proud mother of two adult sons—and her commitment to the animals who enrich our lives.

She holds a certificate in creative writing from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies and is currently completing her MFA in fiction at the University of King’s College. Holly serves on the board of her local writers’ guild and volunteers with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.