If you’ve ever talked to me, read anything about me, or looked at my social media pages, you’ve probably gathered that I like dogs, especially poodles. I own two poodles and they feature very heavily in my life and the lives of my characters. I just submitted the second book in my Dog Club Mystery series to my wonderful agent, Dawn Dowdle for editing before we submit to my editor at Lyrical Underground. Guess what? There’s a dog in the book. In fact, this series will include a lot of dogs. So, I’m going to introduce you to my primary inspiration in this series.
Meet Kensington. Yes, I named her after my publisher. In the dog world, a dog will have a registered name and a call name. The registered name is usually something long and clever that sounds good when announced at shows like Westminster. If I ever get around to completing the AKC paperwork to change her name from “Lou,” her registered name will be “Kensington Making Dreams Come True.” Her call name, which is basically a nickname or what you call the dog, will be “Kenzie.”
I got Kenzie from a breeder almost a year ago when she was two years old. On February 24, 2018 she turned three years old. She is a sweet little dog who loves to cuddle. She loves raw hides (don’t judge me – I have deadlines and a raw hide can keep her occupied for hours) and my socks (I don’t know where she gets them but I find them in her dog bed and sometimes stored around the house). She is very timid. When I first got her she was afraid of most flooring changes, doorways and practically everything. She is getting braver and walks from carpet to tile without the slightest hesitation.
The Dog Club Mystery series feature amateur sleuth, Lilly Echosby and her best friend, Dixie Jefferson, who competes with her standard poodles, Leia and Chyna and is a dog trainer for the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club. Not surprisingly, Lilly Echosby has a black toy poodle. Lilly names her dog after her favorite mystery writer, Agatha Christie, “Aggie” for short. The first book in the series, IN THE DOG HOUSE, will release on August 21st. The second book, THE PUPPY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH will release in 2019.
