Mutt Mysteries

I started making a list of pet peeves and it grew. Originally, I was brainstorming ideas for why someone would commit a murder or a crime, but it was cathartic to write them all down. Some are humorous, and others make me go, "Grrrr!" Here’s my list: ·          People who leave grocery carts in parking places instead of returning them to the corral  ·          People who leave two squares of toilet paper for the next person ·          People who leave an empty box or container on the pantry shelf ·          People who talk on the phone in a public restroom ·          People who see that the copier or printer is out of paper and walk away ·          Telemarketers, especially those who call me at work on my cell phone ·  ...

      Since many readers love a good dog related mystery, this genre has become a winning combination for mystery and dog lovers alike. Readers are now purchasing books and their audio version based on the mystery and canine together.         And as a mystery writer this is a fun duo to write about. By adding dogs in the Mutt Mysteries series, it adds more interesting characters to each story. For instance, my protagonist, Catt Ramsey who owns the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers is always running into trouble in each book and stumbling across dead bodies. But with her Yorkshire Terriers Cagney and Lacey by her side, they help sniff out clues and alert Catt to dangerous situations, including murder. I always try to grow the dog’s interaction with the characters in each book.      Since I am an animal lover with dogs of my own, one thing I don’t do is harm animals in my stories. Readers do not like that and neither do I! But it is...

My friend Sadie wants you to have a very happy Valentine and she reminds all of us that puppies need love too! They certainly mustn’t eat the chocolate in those beautiful boxes, but there are plenty of ways to show your love on this special day. I personally dislike peanut butter spread on dog bones because of what it does to the rug, but there are some easy ways to make treats that have your own special touch.  Here’s my favorite recipe for Easy No Bake Treats:   Ingredients:      Canned pumpkin.      Plain Yogurt      Peanut butter.      Bacon (sautéed until crisp and crumbled)      (Notice I’m not giving you exact amounts. Use your own judgement.) Directions:      Mix first three ingredients, form into small balls, and roll in the bacon. More ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day: Take your dog for a walk and stop when he wants to. Let him sniff as long as he ...

First thing I did when my 2021 calendar arrived was to draw a big red circle around February 7 th . It’s game day! The big one! No, not the Super Bowl, but the Puppy Bowl. The big match up between Team Fluff and Team Ruff. The premise is nothing more than hours of watching puppies play in an enclosed area painted to look like a football field. Pups play with stuffed footballs, and score points when the ball is carried over the goal line. Talk about cuteness overload! Here is the official roster of pups for the 2021 game: https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/puppy-bowl-xvii/vote . Oh, be still my mutt-loving heart! I can’t choose which team to root for! My method for choosing a Super Bowl team is easy…I go for uniform colors. But when it comes to the Puppy Bowl, I base my allegiance on cuteness. So for that reason alone, I will be rooting for Team Fluff, more specifically, Chunky Monkey, a Chow Chow/Irish Red and White Setter mix. Okay, okay, uniform color figured into my ...

     Disney and Riley are Jack Russell Terriers, and life at my house is always an adventure. They have two settings, warp speed or sleep. They’ve been great company during this whole work-from-home adventure. They help me plot mysteries, work on dialogue, and want to share all of my snacks.      Here's what I've learned from them...        1. Live in the now. Today is what's important. The past and future don't matter as much.        2. Play hard. Life can't be all work. Everything is a game to a Jack.        3. Nap when you need to. You need to recharge every once in a while.        4. Don't waste a beautiful day inside. Go outside and have fun.        5. Know when it's time to cuddle on the couch with a good book.        6. Bark if you need to, but not too much.        7. Wag and make friends. Relation...

I am stone deaf and live alone in a large house, but I never worry about break-ins because Trey handles that sort of thing for me. He could raise the roof with his barking, and it wouldn’t bother me because, as I said, I’m stone deaf. He could scare the bejeebers out of anyone who dared to enter without his approval, and, problem solved, pad happily up to me and explain what had happened. He can explain without words. Trey is a sweet, three-year-old bichon, the small white fluffs of the dog world, and a highly trained service dog who takes his job seriously. I named him Trey because he’s the third fluff I have owned and loved. Another dog, also a bichon, lives with us. I call her Kim because she reminds me of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling’s book—small, white, and desperately poor. More on her later. It started on an ordinary day when I was up in my third-floor observation deck. BTW, I am a mystery writer, and I publish under my real name of Jessica Chastain. Friends call me Jessie...

I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, but today was the day that would make or break me. As the sole proprietor of Ruff Day Doggie Boutique, I’d planned a huge marketing event. And if my big event didn’t go off as hoped/anticipated/prayed for, I’d be back slinging hash on the five-a.m. shift at Breakfast at Stephanie’s. Let me tell you, I am not a morning person. And Mr. Belvedere, my one hundred and forty-five-pound Great Dane, is not a morning dog. Life had been so much better since I’d become my own boss. Well, maybe not better financially, but in every other way. All the MBAs out there would shake their heads when they heard I’d blown an entire year’s marketing budget on a single event. Not a good business move, I know. I’d told myself that a thousand times. All the MBAs out there would shake their heads when they heard I’d blown an entire year’s marketing budget on a single event. Not a good business move, I know. I’d told myself that a thousand times. “Darby Agnes Moore!”...