A miscellany of thoughts about dogs, cats, writing, life in the Ozarks, & occasional book reviews
While researching Arkansas land purchases for Dangerous Deeds (the next in the Waterside Kennels mystery series), I came across some fascinating information. Although my initial intention was to simply research property deeds stretching back to the days of the Arkansas Territory, I soon became immersed in historical references to land surveys. As Robert Logan wrote …
Continue reading Land Schemes and Scoundrels
For reasons that totally escape me now, I convinced myself it would be a good idea to plot my current work in progress (WIP) Dangerous Deeds by writing segments based on themes, characters, and key plot lines. So what, you might wonder, was wrong with that approach? The short answer: everything. Imagine dumping dozens of jigsaw …
Continue reading This Writing Life
Eight years ago, a two-pound kitten named Buddy adopted us. He was on his own for the first 12 weeks of his life, and the memory of his feral days resurface whenever we go to the vet clinic. I suggested falconer's gloves to our veterinarian, who laughed and said "This ain't my first cat rodeo" …
Continue reading Along Comes A Kitty
In Dangerous Deeds, residents are divided by a proposed ordinance to ban what some consider "dangerous dogs" in the county. Those in favor of the ordinance believe some breeds can never be trusted, while others disagree and refuse to endorse the proposal. When asked her opinion, dog trainer and owner of Waterside Kennels Maggie Porter …
Continue reading Breed and Behavior
In the post titled "A cat with a dog of his own" I shared a few memories of the challenges of convincing Buddy The Wonder Cat to share his home and his people with Sasha. There were a few early bumps in the road, but the two of them have happily settled down to life …
Continue reading Scenes from the home front