Pen, Spoon & Dagger

National Dog Week starts today. Woof! Time to give your pooch some extra love, belly rubs, butt scrubs or whatever your hairy companion prefers As I sit at my desk, Clue, my Golden Retriever, is dozing on the floor next to me, dreaming of her next meal or hug, whichever comes first.  She is now 12 years old, grey-faced, deaf and severely arthritic.  But that doesn't stop her from enjoying life.  Every morning she wakes up, tail beating a joyous tattoo on her bed, waiting for our morning ritual of belly rubs and wriggling. Clue is the perfect name for a mystery writer's dog,right? But it's actually short for "Hasn't got a Clue."  You see, Clue is a rescue dog.  When she was just a couple of months old, her  owners dumped her on a back road to fend for herself.  Fortunately someone found her and took her to the local shelter. After keeping her the required 30 days, the shelter listed her on Petfinder where I fell in love with her at first sight. I...

Pat's ebook, Superior Longing, debuts  today! Tiger:         Pat, as an aspiring-to-be-published writer, how does it feel to see your book about to be published?  Pat: First Tiger, thanks for asking me to visit your blog. While it’s great to no longer be ‘aspiring’ at least after 9/15/11 when Superior Longing comes out, writing goes on, with all the ups and downs that brings. While I’ve tried to maintain a ‘professional’ attitude toward writing, defined sublimely by Christie: "There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don't want to, don't much like what you're writing, and aren't writing particularly well." I now can add marketing, which carries the same proviso. Note this is an ebook. I was offered a contract for a print book as well but I have seen the future…. Tiger:         When did you decide to write novels? And...