What a wonderful article in Books & Media's Between the Lines by Allen Pierleoni about my Beanie and Cruiser cozy mystery trilogy, where he writes about "A dogged approach to writing mysteries." Bubba, Basset #6 and my rescued hound dog muse, would be proud of his adoptive mom. He is still so much in my thoughts, especially when he appears in the pages of my hometown paper. I think he must have known, though. He sent a beautiful yellow butterfly fluttering my way today, like the many I saw just after he passed in 2009. He is always with me.

My beloved bassets really have been my guide to success in writing and life in general. Those dogs never give up the scent when following a trail, and neither have I. I've been writing since 1986, although I didn't start writing a mystery until almost a decade later and got the first one published in 2001. I always dreamed of writing books, even as a child when I was devouring Judy Bolton Mysteries. I'll always be glad I followed my dream and never gave up. So many blessings have come my way because of it.

Like a hound, the scent fades now and then and you sometimes lose your way. There are logs and muddy gullies that block your path, but that short-legged hound manages to leap the logs and gullies and perseveres in its goal no matter what. So should any writer. There'll be many things to discourage you along the way and make you want to turn back from the hunt; but if there is one thing I've learned through all of this, it's that you can never, ever quit. That holds true of publication or of any other goal you wish to achieve in life. You must follow the path to its end, no matter what.

HOT DOG PATROL ALERT! The weather has turned hot very quickly. Don't park the dogs when you park the car--not even in the shade. It's too hot for them to wait for you in the car while you shop or run errands.