AVAILABLE NOW!

BRACED FOR MURDER, the fourth book in the Beanie and Cruiser Mystery Series, was released yesterday from Five Star Publishing.  Read about it at Kirkus Reviews. 

MUTHER TRUCKER SIGHTING

It's hard to believe that many people still don't know (or don't care) that dogs shouldn't be riding in the back of a pick-up truck.  Would you let your child ride loose back there to be thrown from one side to the other as you maneuver down busy city streets or race down the freeway? I hope not!  It seems like a no brainer, but apparently some people have no brains. 

Even if the dog is tethered, which the one I saw yesterday was not, the dog is in danger of falling over the side of the truck and being hanged or dragged to death if the leash is too long.  A dog can also get seriously burned paws on metal truck beds on some of the unexpectedly hot days we've had recently.  How long would you last while standing barefooted on sizzling hot metal?  

I watched in horror as the beefy, gun-metal gray, ear-cropped pit bull hung precariously over the edge of the truck while the driver seemed utterly oblivious to the fact he even had a dog riding in the back of his truck.  The guy was driving was one of those high-profile, black as sin, macho man machines, and his dog sure fit the image he was trying so hard to project:  ME BIG MAN.  ME HAVE BIG, MEAN DOG.  ME TOO STUPID TO HAVE DOG.  

I would have hollered at the clueless driver through his open window, but from the looks of him I figured he probably had an automatic weapon resting on the seat next to him, instead of what should have been sitting next to him inside the cab of the truck: his dog.  I figured it was pointless to report it.  Police have bigger fish to fry, but then dogs fry and die every day in Sacramento, and it's not yet even the first day of summer.  It breaks my heart that some people care so little for the well-being of their animal companions.  I could only pray as I drove on that the dog came to no harm.  



        

HOT DOGS!

I hate to repeat myself, but I will for as long as it takes to get through to people that it's just not safe to leave a dog in a car, especially when the weather turns warm.  Even 70-degree temps can be unsafe for a dog left shut up inside a car.   HOT DOGS is the subject of this month's Pets and Their People column.  I sincerely hope that yours is not. 

A NEW REVIEW

A new review of BRACED FOR MURDER from Sacramento artist, poet, and political activist, Jennifer O'Neill Pickering.

RED ROVER RESPONDERS NEEDED

If you are dedicated to providing lifesaving care and sheltering for animal victims of natural disasters, puppy mills, hoarding, and other cases of cruelty and neglect, then Red Rover encourages you to answer your calling by becoming a volunteer emergency responder for their organization.  An upcoming workshop will be held May 10 from 1-5 p.m. in Sacramento, California.  Check the link provided for Red Rover workshops held in other cities.  Workshops cost $50.  

I GET LETTERS...

But not all of them are as good as this one (name withheld for privacy):

"I happened to come across your book and found the cover interesting.  Okay so I fell for the old judging-a-book-by-the-cover bit. But in my defense it was well worth. I have a habit of reading in bed. I started your "Embarking..." novel last night and found myself bursting into uncontrollable fits of laughter that ended up as guffaws. My poor husband woke up to see if I was alright. To be honest it's not often a partnership between author and reader is so successful.  We read authors we like and make compromises as in any relationship. In this case I swear you could've been writing about me...I could be Beanie! I laughed so hard at 3:00 a.m. and felt so good for it. So thank you for giving me something to look forward to...your next book.

Your newest fan"

TESTING

Every test in our life makes us bitter or better.  Every problem comes to make us or break us.  The choice is ours whether we become victim or victor.