About Talaina

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Born and raised in a Small Town, UT, USA, I have always loved animals and been curious about the world--both reality and worlds created by authors.

I love reading everything from personal development to epic fantasy and am a self-proclaimed nerd. A few of my favorite fiction authors are Brandon Sanderson, Larry Correia, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dennis E. Taylor, Dan Wells, and Scott Meyer. And more. Many more. I love reading! As much as I LOVE the smell of books and organizing my bookshelves, audiobooks have become one of my favorite formats because I can listen to engaging stories while doing mundane tasks, like dishes or laundry.

I enjoy traveling to see new perspectives and to meet new people in their natural environment. People fascinate me with their individual experiences and unique perspectives and motivations. But what I have learned most is that people are more alike than many initially believe, and remembering this will build stronger relationships and make the world better overall.

I often say that everyone has a story, and as someone born with the heart of a storyteller I love to discover everyone's stories.

As mentioned, I love animals. They are hilarious, tons of fun, and bring purpose to my life. I currently have two doodle dogs (that I never planned on owning), and an orange cat (that I swore I would never have). Life is funny like that.

My ride-or-die has been with me through so much over the past five years, and is a Goldendoodle named Thaylen. Or Dood. Or Hopper. Often Nerd. He's the pooch with a dozen names and a bad hairdo that makes everyone he meets smile--even the self-proclaimed dog haters. I call him my social butterfly because even if he starts out a little shy, once he decides you're a good one, you're his new best friend and his day has been made. Thaylen is my running buddy and has completed countless virtual races and hundreds of training miles, including several half-marathons. And he isn't even it for the metal!

My next oldest is that darn cat, Wayne. I guess he's still technically a kitten for a few more months, but if you ask him, age doesn't matter. It's all about the swagger. He's simultaneously the most doglike cat critter and the quintessential orange Tom. He does what he wants. And is sassy while he does it. Because that's who Wayne is. If anything goes missing, just blame Wayne. He won't mind. But keep the butter out of reach.

Last but not least is the most recent random addition to the crew. Rock is a gigantic, lanky, stubborn, genius, dough head Great Pyradoodle/Bernadoodle mutt that is still a pup and growing like a weed. At this writing he's surpassed 80 lbs of legs and loose skin, and if he grows into it will probably be close to 100 lbs of bold independence. This guy is fearless and will squeeze your heart while he crushes your body. If he meets you, just know that you are officially part of his flock--whether you like it or not. He's also turning out to be quite the running buddy, but due to the situation I adopted him from will probably never do the longer distances with Thaylen and me to protect his hips. Rock is a big ol' bruiser with a huge heart. Even if he wasn't what I was looking for, he's what our pack needed.