Our Furry Friends
Thank you for joining me
Over a Cup of Coffee!
This month I'd like to tell you a story about
pets I have Known and pets I have Created.
Growing up, my family didn’t have the best luck with pets. When I was a toddler, we had a golden retriever mix named Nugget. I don’t remember this, but I’m told Nugget used to sneak up on me as I was toddling about, grab the straps on my romper and shake me around like a chew toy. I’m told it didn’t make me happy. We had to find a new home for Nugget. After Nugget we had a black Spaniel mix named Jet. Unfortunately, Jet was a bit personality disordered. One day, when our neighbor was bent over weeding the garden he decided to take a bite. It was a bad decision on his part. He was soon dispatched to “the farm.”
After Jet, my mother declared we would never have another dog. As a tween, I must have been very persistent and persuasive because when I saw an ad in the Wheaton (Minnesota) Gazette, “For Sale, Puppies Too Cute to Shoot,” she relented. We acquired Pericles for a penny. He was a barnyard mix of some sort. He grew fat and happy in our household and didn’t pick up toddlers by their rompers or bite the neighbors. Peri liked to eat. When his dish was empty, he’d grab it, bring it to the living room and slam at down in front of the person most likely to feed him—which turned out to be my mother. His only sin that I can recall was that he ate my chocolate Easter bunny while we were in church.
Pets add another dimension to the fictional worlds I’ve created. In the Cabin by the Lake Mysteries, Bronte, Jamie’s rescue lab not only gives her joy, but protects her. Bronte never talks back and approaches everyday with exuberance. Goldie the cat in The Death of Goldie’s Mistress is self-centered, arrogant and an odd comfort to Liza Johnson who never wanted her. Blue, the five-pound poodle in the upcoming Sheriff Red series loves nothing more than to nestle into bed with a warm human being. He’s the opposite of what you’d expect a rural sheriff would own.
Since we no longer have pets, I have made the world that works for me. I love the pets I have created—even the arrogant cat. And I’m also glad I don’t have to feed them, send them out on a cold night to do their business or worry about their health. But I do miss the joy, the affection and yes, even the puppy breath.
Malice Domestic:
Murder Most Devious Anthology
My short story, The Plan will be included in the upcoming Malice Domestic: Murder Most Devious Anthology.
The Plan: What happens when an adoptee finds his biological mother and they both discover the other is not what they thought?
Coming soon from Wildside Press.
Barnes and Noble Book Signing with fellow Washington author Lou Kemp
Please join us at the Olympia, Washington Barnes and Noble for a book signing. I will be featuring my Cabin by the Lake series and the first Liza and Mrs.Wilkens series, The Death of Goldie’s Mistress. Lou Kemp is the author of the Celwyn Series a delightful combination of steam punk, mystery and history.
For Fans of the Cabin by the Lake Mysteries Death of a Dream Catcher Is Coming in May!
It’s summer on Lake Larissa, but the season is marred by a drought and persistent forest fires. As Jamie decides to take the next step with the love of her life, Jim Monroe, she discovers that he had an older brother who disappeared twenty years ago. Once again, she is thrust into Northwoods intrigue.
Coming Soon: “How We ‘Dunnit.’”
Women of Mystery (Charlotte Stuart, Roxanne Dunn and Linda Norlander) present: “How We ‘Dunnit,’ Writing and Publishing Mysteries for the Franke Tobey Jones Senior University.
When: Friday, May 10th, 2:00pm-4:00 pm
Where: Bristol View Bowditch Room, Frank Tobey Jones, 5340 N Bristol St, Tacoma, WA
Please RSVP to Jana Wennstrom 253-756-6219 or jwennstrom@franketobeyjones.com
Don’t Forget to Post Your Reviews!
My 94-year-old neighbor Grace just did her first review for Amazon of The Death of Goldie’s Mistress. All you have to do is leave a rating if writing a full book reviewing isn’t your strong suit. All ratings are appreciated ☺.
Best,