A miscellany of thoughts about dogs, cats, writing, life in the Ozarks, & occasional book reviews
From flat-buckle to martingale collars and beyond to harnesses of all sorts--choosing the right equipment for your dog can be a real challenge! Before you go shopping, it's a good idea to know that the dog's breed, temperament, and strength (think "pull power") should influence your decision. You'll find an ongoing debate in the dog …
Continue reading The Collar Challenge
Like Deadly Ties, the first in the Waterside Kennels mystery series, there are multiple scenes in Dangerous Deeds (book 2) that were inspired by real events. One of those, previously described in the post There Came Along A Kitty, is the scene in which Maggie Porter’s dog Sweet Pea rescues an injured stray kitten she finds beneath the …
Continue reading For the love of a cat
In the years since author Jim Warnock rescued a starving dog found on the Ozark Highlands Trail, Hiker-dog has become quite a celebrity at Jim's book signings. (Longtime followers of this blog might remember I shared Jim’s story of how Hiker-dog came into his life in 2014 with an update here.) And as every author knows, it's important …
Continue reading PR, Canine Style
I write mystery fiction. I write from experience, from observation, from research. The characters living in the world I create are good, bad, and sometimes both. They have virtues and vices. Some of my characters will share your view of the world and some won’t. In short, they’re the sort of people you already know or might …
Continue reading Reflections of Life in Fiction
When I travel, I'm often asked "What's it like to live in the Ozarks?" Borrowing a Native American phrase I like to say that to live among these hills is to "walk in beauty." You needn't take my word for it, though. Here's a slideshow of photographs taken by Arkansas photographer David Dedman: These photographs capture the beauty of our …
Continue reading The Beautiful Ozarks