PAW ENFORCEMENT

Get Lost in a Story welcomes 

DIANE KELLY 

author of the Death & Taxes romantic mystery series & a brand new 

Paw Enforcement K-9 cop series

Before we get on with the interview, here’s a quick excerpt to give you a taste of the story:

Chapter One

Job Insecurity

Fort Worth Police Officer Megan Luz

My rusty-haired partner lay convulsing on the hot asphalt, his jaw clenching and his body involuntarily curling into a jittery fetal position as two probes delivered 1,500 volts of electricity to his groin. The crotch of his police-issue trousers darkened as he lost control of his bladder.

            I’d never felt close to my partner in the six months we’d worked together, but at that particular moment I sensed a strong bond. The connection likely stemmed from the fact that we were indeed connected then--by the two wires leading from the Taser in my hand to my partner’s twitching testicles.

#

I didn’t set out to become a hero. I decided on a career in law enforcement for three other reasons:

1)  Having been a twirler in my high school’s marching band, I knew how to handle a baton.

2)  Other than barking short orders or rattling off Miranda rights, working as a police officer wouldn’t require me to talk much.

3)  I had an excess of pent-up anger. Might as well put it to good use, right?

Of course I didn’t plan to be a street cop forever. Just long enough to work my way up to detective. A lofty goal, but I knew I could do it--even if nobody else did.

I’d enjoyed my studies in criminal justice at Sam Houston State University in Hunstville, Texas, especially the courses in criminal psychology. No, I’m not some sick, twisted creep who gets off on hearing about criminals who steal, rape, and murder. I just thought that if we could figure out why criminals do bad things, maybe we could stop them, you know?

To supplement my student loans, I’d worked part-time at the gift shop in the nearby state prison museum, selling tourists such quality souvenirs as ceramic ash trays made by the prisoners or decks of cards containing prison trivia. The unit had once been home to Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame and was also the site of an eleven-day siege in 1974 spearheaded by heroin kingpin Fredrick Gomez Carrasco, jailed for killing a police officer. Our top-selling item was a child’s time-out chair fashioned after Old Sparky, the last remaining electric chair used in Texas. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

To the corner, little Billy.

No, Mommy, no! Anything but the chair!

            I’d looked forward to becoming a cop, keeping the streets safe for citizens, maintaining law and order, promoting civility and justice. Such noble ideals, right?

What I hadn’t counted on was that I’d be working with a force full of macho shitheads. With my uncanny luck, I’d been assigned to partner with the most macho, most shit-headed cop of all, Derek the “Big Dick” Mackey. As implied in the aforementioned reference to twitching testicles, our partnership had not ended well.

That’s why I was sitting here outside the chief’s office in a cheap plastic chair, chewing my thumbnail down to a painful nub, waiting to find out whether I still had a job.

Read a Little, Buy the Book

AND NOW FOR THE INTERVIEW!

Angi:   You’re known for quirky characters and humor in your Death & Taxes series. Is your new Paw Enforcement series similar?

DIANE:  Definitely!  My humor is my trademark, and my characters in Paw Enforcement are just as zany. My heroine, rookie Fort Worth police officer Megan Luz, has an Irish temper that she doesn’t always control well. She’s a master with her baton. Her new partner Brigit is a stubborn shepherd-mix with dominance issues. When the two of them are paired up, it’s a fun, funny mix.

Angi:  I see that you write some chapters from the dog’s point of view. What was that like?

Diane & Reggie
She's a deaf Dalmation/American Bull Terrier mix

DIANE:  So much fun!  A challenge, too.  I had to really think like a dog and imagine how I would feel if I were in Brigit’s shoes – er, paws.  I have 3 dogs myself, so I’ve had some experience with canine behavior, but I also worked to make Brigit have a unique personality all her own.

Angi:  So your cop has anger issues and the dog has dominance issues. Who’s the leader of their pack?

DIANE:Good question.  They two continually vie to see who will emerge as the alpha.  These moments allow for lots of humor, and for development in their relationship.

Angi:  Did you perform any special research for this series?

DIANE:  I attended the Citizens Police Academy in my town, where I learned a lot about police work. I also interviewed two of the K-9 officers.  They gave me lots of insider information. It’s an absolutely fascinating line of work.

Angi:  What’s next for you?

DIANE: Death, Taxes, and Silver Spurs, book #7 of my Death & Taxes series, releases at the end of July.  Paw and Order, book #2 in the Paw Enforcement series, releases on December 30^th, just in time for people to spend those gifts cards they got for Christmas. 

FIND DIANE

Contact   Website     Facebook   Twitter @DianeKellyBooks 

Goodreads   Killer Fiction   Previous GLIAS interviews

The TARA HOLLOWAY series by DIANE

DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A NO-WHIP LATTE

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND EXTRA-HOLD HAIRSPRAY

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND A SEQUINED CLUTCH

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA

READ THE EXCERPT

DEATH, TAXES, AND HOT PINK LEGWARMERS

READ THE EXCERPT

DIANE’S giving away one book from her backlist to one North American blog commenter leaving their email address.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Feel free to email your contact information to Angi at GetLostInAStory@gmail.com instead. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DIANE WANTS to know: Who have your favorite non-human characters been in books, movies, or TV shows?