Author Event - Patricia McConnell, Ph.D, in conversation with Jeff Nania

Name: Author Event - Patricia McConnell, Ph.D, in conversation with Jeff Nania
Start: 2026-03-02T18:30:00-06:00
End: 2026-03-02T20:30:00-06:00
Location: Great Northern Distilling

Schedule

Mon Mar 02 2026 at 06:30 pm to 08:30 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Great Northern Distilling | Stevens Point, WI

Doors open at 6:30 pm, event begins at 7 pm. Tickets required, which comes with one copy of the book.
Join us at Great Northern Distilling to welcome Patricia McConnell, Ph.D, in conversation with fellow Wisconsin mystery author, Jeff Nania!
Both authors will be available after the event to chat and sign copies of their book.
PATRICIA MCCONNELL
Patricia is known worldwide as an expert on canine and feline training and behavior and for her engaging and knowledgeable books, speeches, and seminars. She is the author of the much-acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash (published in 13 languages), For the Love of a Dog, and her memoir, The Education of Will. Her self-published books and booklets on dog training and companion animal behavior problems have sold over 750,000 copies, and continually receive rave reviews from professional trainers, veterinarians, and animal lovers from all over the world. She was the behavior columnist for The Bark magazine, “the New Yorker of Dog Magazines,” and wrote for many other publications, including APDT’s Chronicle of the Dog and Natural History. She has made numerous television appearances, including spots with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Martha Stewart, and Wayne Brady.
JEFF NANIA
Jeff Nania is a former law enforcement officer, biofuel creator, nationally-renowned conservationist, and an award-winning author. The books in his Northern Lakes Mystery series—Figure Eight (2019), Spider Lake (2020), Bough Cutter (2021), and Musky Run (2023) —have been recognized by Midwest Book Awards, Independent Publisher Book Awards, and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Jeff’s narrative non-fiction writing has appeared in Wisconsin Outdoor News, Double Gun Journal, The Outlook, and other publications.
Jeff was born and raised in Wisconsin. His family settled in Madison’s storied Greenbush neighborhood. His father often loaded Jeff, his brothers, and a couple of dogs into an old jeep station wagon and set out for outdoor adventures. These experiences were foundational for developing a sense of community, a passion for outdoor traditions, and a love of our natural resources.
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Away to Me
The vivid, immersive nature writing of William Kent Krueger and Peter Heller meets the taut suspense of Louise Penny against the lush, sprawling landscape of rural Wisconsin in the first of a new mystery trilogy by internationally renowned animal behavior expert Patricia McConnell, bestselling author of The Other End of the Leash and The Education of Will.
"Like All Creatures Great & Small meets Agatha Christie – only with more glorious writing, more training tips, and more border collies! I could not put this novel down – and when I did, I felt blessed by the company of great characters both human and canine, inspired to live lives of courage and hope." —SY MONTGOMERY, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus, What the Chicken Knows, and The Hummingbird's Gift
Maddie is living her best second life on a 40-acre sheep farm in the Wisconsin countryside. In addition to her passion for training sheepdogs—including her spirited border collie Jack—she sees all manner of dogs with behavioral problems ranging from biting to thunder phobia as part of her local practice. No stranger to trauma herself, Maddie has worked hard to recover from the ordeal of her previous marriage.
But things take a turn when Maddie’s friend and mentor, George, is inexplicably killed by a rifle shot fired from the woods during a sheepdog trial. Maddie is devastated and also baffled—it’s not hunting season, and who could mistake a man, standing alone in a field, for a deer?
She’s still reeling from George’s shooting when a shelter calls her for help with a German shepherd found half dead beside the highway who’s too aggressive to feed and care for. The dog flourishes at the farm, but when Maddie returns one day to find her house invaded, it’s clear that she has stumbled into a situation far more complex and sinister than she realized. And her romantic involvement with an enigmatic young shelter worker soon leads to even more trouble. As Maddie continues to search for answers to George’s death, it quickly becomes apparent that her own life is once again in danger . . .