The Pampered Pets Mystery Series
In
posh Laguna Beach things have gone to the dogs with misbehaving pooches,
misleading stories, and…murder. It's up to Texas cousins and former beauty
queens, Caro and Mel, to find out whodunit in the wacky world of precious
pedigrees, pampered pets, and secrets.
They’d join forces and work together if they were speaking, but they're not.
Desperate
Housedogs (Book 1)
When
Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to
help a client with his dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog
owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What Caro doesn’t expect is
that two hours later her client is dead and she is knee deep in murder doo doo.
Now with a killer on the loose, her best friend, Diana, in jail, and the police
suspicious of her motives, Caro is chasing her tail, sniffing out a killer, and
hoping the killer doesn’t find her first.
Coming
soon Get Fluffy… (Book 2)
oday we have with us a mystery writing team of Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter. Mary Lee and Anita write the Pampered Pet series, their most recent success stories, Desperate Housedogs under a pseudonym, SPARKLE ABBEY. (I’ll switch this up, depending on what your blog says)
ABBEY: The great thing about working as a team is you always have someone to brainstorm with or run your ideas past. I love that part.
SPARKLE: Skinny Hazelnut Latte. And I can answer this one for Abbey…Chai Tea Latte. In fact, at our local Starbucks they just call us the Skinny Hazelnut and the Chai Tea. If I stop by without, Abbey, they say “Hey, where’s Chai Tea, today?”
ABBEY: Oh, definitely Chai tea latte!
ABBEY: There have been so many, but the first one that came to mind was that you can get braces for your dog. Who knew?
DONNELL: You’re in a burning building. Which of your characters would you call to save you?
SPARKLE: Read. I think all writers are readers first. I can’t say I have as much reading time as I once did but when I really want to unwind, I want to be transported someplace else via a book. If it also involves a bubble bath, all the better!
ABBEY: It’s been so long…I think I used drink a glass of wine while reading a book uninterrupted. Ok, I just checked the cupboard and I don’t even have wine in the house. (I‘ve added “wine” to my grocery list.)
DONNELL: Who’s your favorite cartoon character?
SPARKLE: Foghorn Leghorn. “That’s a joke, I say, that’s a joke.”
ABBEY: Sniffles the Mouse. For so many reasons.
SPARKLE: Ah, I’d forgotten about Sniffles…hilarious and so cute!
DONNELL: How often do you get lost in a story?
SPARKLE: Oh, that’s the best, isn’t it? Just the very best. When you’re so lost in a story that you lose track of time and then you surface and you have this feeling that the story world is more real than your world… I can’t say how often, but went it happens. Wow.
ABBEY: Not as often as, I’d like.
DONNELL: My “fictitious” dog has just started jumping the fence and chasing cars. How would you as the creator of a pet therapist advise me to handle the situation?
SPARKLE: Caro would advise that your dog probably is in need of some exercise. She’d recommend getting in some long walks to burn some of that energy. She might also suggest a new toy from Mel’s store the Bow Wow boutique.
ABBEY: Mel stocks these awesome Frisbees that are perfect for playtime at the dog park.
DONNELL: I have an associate who owns a pet snake. He’s not eating his mice anymore. Should I have him consult Dr. Lamont?
SPARKLE: Absolutely! In many cases when a snake won’t eat, there’s something in their environment causing the problem. Something has changed, perhaps a new cage, new family members. Believe it or not, the most likely cause is insecurity.
ABBEY: Definitely. Caro has a lot of experience with “snakes.”
SPARKLE ABBEY IS GIVING AWAY a copy of DESPERATE HOUSEDOGS to a blog
commenter.Note:
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.
oday we have with us a mystery writing team of Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter. Mary Lee and Anita write the Pampered Pet series, their most recent success stories, Desperate Housedogs under a pseudonym, SPARKLE ABBEY. (I’ll switch this up, depending on what your blog says)
DONNELL: As a writing team, what’s your favorite part
of the process?
SPARKLE:
I love, love, love brainstorming and it’s so great to have someone who
knows the storyline and the characters to brainstorm new ideas. We get to put
our heads together and come up with all kinds of mischief for Caro and Mel!ABBEY: The great thing about working as a team is you always have someone to brainstorm with or run your ideas past. I love that part.
DONNELL: Favorite time of the
day?
SPARKLE: I’m a total night owl. (As you could probably tell from the time
stamp on my emails. LOL)
ABBEY:
My first thought was when I’m sleeping, but I don’t seem to get much sleep any
more. So I’d have to say afternoon.
DONNELL: Coffee, tea or other?SPARKLE: Skinny Hazelnut Latte. And I can answer this one for Abbey…Chai Tea Latte. In fact, at our local Starbucks they just call us the Skinny Hazelnut and the Chai Tea. If I stop by without, Abbey, they say “Hey, where’s Chai Tea, today?”
ABBEY: Oh, definitely Chai tea latte!
DONNELL: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve
learned while researching a book?
SPARKLE: Gosh, it’s hard to say. One fun
thing I learned (and used in Desperate Housedogs) was that Gypsy Rose Lee was
an avid dog-breeder of Chinese Crested dogs. In fact most active kennels can trace
their ancestry of their Chinese Cresteds to her line. That was something I
didn’t know. Oh and also the fact there’s a pet airline totally devoted to pet
travel. The pet always travels in the cabin, never in cargo. Don’t believe me? www.petairways.com ABBEY: There have been so many, but the first one that came to mind was that you can get braces for your dog. Who knew?
DONNELL: You’re in a burning building. Which of your characters would you call to save you?
SPARKLE:
Wow, I really had to think about this one. I think I might call Diana
Knight. She’d rally the troops and she doesn’t take “no” for an answer.
ABBY:
I’d like to say Mel’s fiancé, Grey Donovan, but with my luck, he’d be out of
town on an undercover mission. I’d call Mel. She wouldn’t hesitate to call the
fire department while on her way to rescue me. Of course, once I was safe, and
after a hug, she’d chastise me for calling her first and not the fire
department.
DONNELL: What do you do to unwind and relax?SPARKLE: Read. I think all writers are readers first. I can’t say I have as much reading time as I once did but when I really want to unwind, I want to be transported someplace else via a book. If it also involves a bubble bath, all the better!
ABBEY: It’s been so long…I think I used drink a glass of wine while reading a book uninterrupted. Ok, I just checked the cupboard and I don’t even have wine in the house. (I‘ve added “wine” to my grocery list.)
DONNELL: Who’s your favorite cartoon character?
SPARKLE: Foghorn Leghorn. “That’s a joke, I say, that’s a joke.”
ABBEY: Sniffles the Mouse. For so many reasons.
SPARKLE: Ah, I’d forgotten about Sniffles…hilarious and so cute!
DONNELL: How often do you get lost in a story?
SPARKLE: Oh, that’s the best, isn’t it? Just the very best. When you’re so lost in a story that you lose track of time and then you surface and you have this feeling that the story world is more real than your world… I can’t say how often, but went it happens. Wow.
ABBEY: Not as often as, I’d like.
DONNELL: My “fictitious” dog has just started jumping the fence and chasing cars. How would you as the creator of a pet therapist advise me to handle the situation?
SPARKLE: Caro would advise that your dog probably is in need of some exercise. She’d recommend getting in some long walks to burn some of that energy. She might also suggest a new toy from Mel’s store the Bow Wow boutique.
ABBEY: Mel stocks these awesome Frisbees that are perfect for playtime at the dog park.
DONNELL: I have an associate who owns a pet snake. He’s not eating his mice anymore. Should I have him consult Dr. Lamont?
SPARKLE: Absolutely! In many cases when a snake won’t eat, there’s something in their environment causing the problem. Something has changed, perhaps a new cage, new family members. Believe it or not, the most likely cause is insecurity.
ABBEY: Definitely. Caro has a lot of experience with “snakes.”
GOT A QUESTION YOU'D LIKE TO ASK READERS AND FANS?
SPARKLE ABBEY: As debut authors we often talk about this question so this is the perfect group to ask.
