Mother's Day Gifts for Everyone!

I plan to spend the weekend reading the page proofs of The Money Bird, my second Animals in Focus Mystery, which will be out in September. It's the sequel to Drop Dead on Recall and features many of the same characters. Fifty-something photographer and animal lover Janet MacPhail is back, if course, with her Australian Shepherd, Jay, and her orange tabby, Leo. Professor and major hunk Tom Saunders and his black Labrador Retriever, Drake, are busy training for a retriever event along with a bunch of other water-loving dogs. Goldie and Mom are back, and Giselle, and the twins.... Well, you'll just have to read the book, I guess!

In the meantime, here are a couple of free short stories featuring Janet and Jay, and quirky Alberta Shofelter. Jay wears his tracking harness and puts his superpowers to work in both stories. Okay, normal canine powers - but he isn't a protagdog for nothing!)

Tracks

 "It all started when Alberta Shofelter asked me to shoot her dog. She offered triple my usual fee plus expenses and said that Jay could come along, so of course I agreed. Then the whole project whirled out of my control, and I found myself headed for an overnight ordeal in a Speedway motel."

 

Click here for the rest of the story.

 

 

"Tracks" appeared originally in Racing Can Be Murder, an anthology published by the Speed City Sisters in Crime (Indianapolis).

Missing Gypsy 

 

 

"Someone is out to get Alberta Shofelter. They’ve egged her new SUV and sprayed 'crazy cat lady' across her garage door. The diminutive calico she took in three weeks ago has been missing since last night, and Alberta is sure “they” have escalated to catnapping. I shove my cell into my pocket and watch Jay try to comfort Alberta. She isn’t quite weeping, but the little noises she makes are heart-rending."

  

"Missing Gypsy first appeared on Victoria Dougherty's "Cold" blog - click here for the rest of the story. 

.
Have a terrific weekend, and come back on Monday to find out how my guest, Gerald Elias, combines music and mystery. You won't be sorry!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Autographed copies of my mysteries, Drop Dead on Recall and The Money Bird (pre-order), as well as Rescue Matters: How to Find, Foster, and Rehome Companion Animals are available from Pomegranate Books in Wilmington, NC.

 Click Here to Order.