Tuesday, December 11, 2018

To Fetch a Thief - A Guest Post

I'm pleased to welcome the dogs of To Fetch a Thief  along with their authors to the blog today.


What is your book’s title? To Fetch a Thief is the first collection in the Mutt Mysteries Series. It’s four, dog-themed novella mysteries. The authors are Teresa Inge, Heather Weidner, Jayne Ormerod, and Rosemary Shomaker.

Is your book part of a series? To Fetch a Thief is the first collection in the Mutt Mystery series.

Heather Weidner: Heather writes a mystery series, The Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series with a sassy PI who tends to get herself in and out of humorous situations.

Jayne Ormerod: Jayne writes the Blonds at the Beach mystery series.

Are any of the characters based on real dogs?

Heather Weidner: My character in “Diggin’ up Dirt” in To Fetch a Thief is Darby, the Jack Russell, and she helps her owner unearth some hidden clues. Darby is based on my Jack Russell Terrier, Disney. She and her brother Riley rule our house and keep us on our toes.

Jayne Ormerod: No, I am based on a picture my author got off of the Internet. She was dog-less at the time. But I have the loyalty and curiosity and love for daily walks that all of my author’s other dogs had.

Rosemary Shomaker: Hello, Sneaky. Thanks for asking us, the To Fetch a Thief canine characters what we like about these stories. I’m not using my name here, because that’s one of the story’s first surprises. While my creator Rosemary doesn’t own a sheprador like Adam Moreland does in “This is Not a Dog Park,” the emotional connection Adam has with his pet in the story reveals Rosemary’s bond with dogs. She idealized me, her canine character in this story, by giving me attributes she likes in the dogs she’s owned, including my general quietness, alertness, and loyalty. Most of the dogs in Rosemary’s life have been hounds. She currently owns a male, short-haired mixed hound. Before that, her family dog was a very docile female hound, park bluetick coonhound, I’m told.

Teresa Inge: Cagney and Lacey are based on real life Yorkshire Terriers who help solve the crime.

If your dog characters could talk, what would they say about their story?

Heather Weidner: In “Diggin’ up Dirt,” the dog character Darby is a Jack Russell Terrier. I’m always ready to play, enjoy a snack, or take a walk. And I have a habit of digging holes in the backyard. But my human is not too mad because I uncover something unexpected.

Jayne Ormerod: I love going everywhere with my people-mom, Meg, even when we are chasing bad guys. She is my best friend and I would die for her. Almost did! I got to be the hero! And they had a party for me! I really liked that.

Rosemary Shomaker: In “This is Not a Dog Park,” I like being Adam’s companion. He’s good to me, he loves me, and he and I get a lot of exercise. Our workouts rise to a new level when someone leaves a gift for us at our apartment door—a tennis ball chucker! Adam throws scores of tennis balls to me. I’m also a boss at Frisbee retrieving. Mostly, I’m happy to get Adam out of the apartment and interacting with other humans and dogs.

Teresa Inge: That readers enjoy my stories.

What advice would your dogs give to readers and their dogs?

Heather Weidner: Do what you do best! Dogs bring out the best in humans. I love that all the dogs in the four novellas are crime-fighters too.

Jayne Ormerod: Keep your nose to the ground and keep your guard up. People aren’t always the best judges of character, but dogs are!

Rosemary Shomaker: Dogs are great at unconditional love. My advice? Keep loving your humans, just like I love Adam. Seek to connect your humans to the world by widening your circle of human and dog friends. Your human needs you. Humans can be too introspective and often self-pitying. Keep pulling your humans out of themselves. Link them to the joys of everyday like being outside, simple walks, and a warm friend.

Teresa Inge: Make them a character in the story with their own personality.

What’s next for the authors?

We are working on the second in the Mystery Mutt series. Stay tuned for more information.

Heather Weidner: I’m working on a cozy mystery series set in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the third mystery in my Delanie Fitzgerald series. That will be out next year. Next year, I also have a story in Deadly Southern Charm: A Lethal Ladies Mystery Anthology, and a non-fiction piece in PromoPhobia.

Jayne Ormerod: Not yet. Me and my people-mom are still getting over the frights in “It’s a Dog Gone Shame!” But I have a dog’s sense there will be more adventures for us some day. We make a good crime-solving team.

Rosemary Shomaker: Look for Mutt Mysteries Collection #2 in fall 2019 for more great dog stories. I may have a story in that collection!

In the spring of 2019, you’ll find my “Heads or Tails” in the Wittier Than Thou - Tales of Whimsy and Mirth inspired by the life and works of John Greenleaf Whittier. It’s the third anthology benefitting the Haverhill, Massachusetts, Whittier Birthplace museum.

Teresa Inge: Books two and three of the Mutt Mystery Series.

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To Fetch A Thief by Teresa Inge, Heather Weidner, Jayne Ormerod, and Rosemary Shomaker

About the Book

Cozy Mystery Anthology  
Light, humorous, dog-themed mysteries.  
Bay Breeze Publishing, LLC (November 8, 2018) 
Paperback: 278 pages 
To Fetch a Thief, the first Mutt Mysteries collection, features four novellas that have gone to the dogs. In this howlingly good read, canine companions help their owners solve crimes and right wrongs. These sleuths may be furry and low to the ground, but their keen senses are on high alert when it comes to sniffing out clues and digging up the truth. Make no bones about it, these pup heroes will steal your heart as they conquer ruff villains.

About the Authors

 
Teresa Inge grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Today, she doesn’t carry a rod like her idol, but she hotrods. She is president of Sister’s in Crime Mystery by the Sea Chapter and author of short mysteries in Virginia is for Mysteries and 50 Shades of Cabernet. Website: www.teresainge.com.Connect with Teresa on Facebook, and Twitter



Heather Weidner, a member of SinC – Central Virginia and Guppies, is the author of the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, Secret Lives and Private Eyes and The Tulip Shirt Murders. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series and 50 Shades of Cabernet. Heather lives in Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers, Disney and Riley. She’s been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. Some of her life experience comes from being a technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, IT manager, and cop’s kid. She blogs at Pens, Paws, and Claws.
Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com Pens, Paws, and Claws Website and Blog: http://penspawsandclaws.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/

Jayne Ormerod grew up in a small Ohio town then went on to a small-town Ohio college. Upon earning her degree in accountancy, she became a CIA (that’s not a sexy spy thing, but a Certified Internal Auditor.) She married a naval officer and off they sailed to see the world. After nineteen moves, they, along with their two rescue dogs Tiller and Scout, have settled into a cozy cottage by the sea. Jayne is the author of the Blonds at the Beach Mysteries, The Blond Leading the Blond, and Blond Luck. She has contributed seven short mysteries to various anthologies to include joining with the other To Fetch a Thief authors in Virginia is for Mysteries, Volumes I and II, and 50 Shades of Cabernet.
Website: www.JayneOrmerod.com Blog: www.JayneOrmerod.blogspot.com
Rosemary Shomaker writes about the unexpected in everyday life. She’s the woman you don’t notice in the grocery store or at church but whom you do notice at estate sales and wandering vacant lots. In all these places she’s collecting story ideas. Rosemary writes women’s fiction, paranormal, and mystery short stories, and she’s taking her first steps toward longer fiction, so stay tuned. She’s an urban planner by education, a government policy analyst by trade, and a fiction writer at heart. Rosemary credits Sisters in Crime with developing her craft and applauds the organization’s mission of promoting the ongoing advancement, recognition, and professional development of women crime writers.
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121853.Rosemary_Shomaker

More Links:  
Website: http://muttmysteries.blogspot.com  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuttMysteries  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuttMysteries1  

Purchase Links:   Amazon  Kobo B&N

3 comments:

  1. What a fun interview! Can't wait for the opportunity to read "To Fetch a Thief".
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  2. You gotta love Jayne Ormerod's canine "Cannoli." In the interview Cannoli tells us, "I love going everywhere with my people-mom, Meg, even when we are chasing bad guys. She is my best friend and I would die for her. Almost did! I got to be the hero! And they had a party for me! I really liked that." If Cannoli could talk, he'd sound just like that! Jayne does a great job of speaking authentically for all her characters.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rosie. That's because my dogs really do talk to me, doesn't yours? :) ~Jayne O

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