Hello again, dear Reader!

It's been a little bit longer than a month since the last newsletter, but there's method in my madness, I promise you. This month, I'm going to be talking about pets, again, but specifically dogs...hence the title of this newsletter. And even more specifically, I'll be introducing you to the dogs in some of the stories that I have published.

First, though, I'd like to reintroduce you to my pet, the Cocker Spaniel mix we call Chaz. He's ten years old, and we've had him since he was three. He's a rescue dog whom we adopted from the local SPCA, who found him at a Park and Ride on the median of the Taconic State Parkway. This is him inside and outside, our home.

We love his 'baby lion' look, but when he's groomed, he looks like the naked mole-rat in the Disney cartoon Kim Possible. Either way, he's a lovable pooch, except when he pees in the house or barks and jumps on people excitedly. Then he's just aggravating. He's the perpetual toddler in my house, so I'll never have an empty nest, even though all my kids are grown.

I haven't always been a dog parent. For most of my life, until the last seven years, I've been a cat mama. We had a dog and a cat when I was seven or eight, and he was a mutt named Bully (a pretty common name for dogs in Jamaica at the time). When we moved from the house where I remember having him, he didn't move with us.

Pets are special to many people, and they help to humanize characters in the novels I read and write. I did an inventory of my backlist and found the following information about the dogs that I've included in my stories that I thought you might enjoy. And who knows, maybe it'll spur you on to trying one of my novels. Just click on the book's title -- that's the link -- to take you to whichever dog you'd like to meet.

1. There's one dog in His Christmas Love, a black Lab named Bowtie, because he's got a bowtie-shaped white mark under his chin.
2. In A Catered Affair, there are four dogs...two Malamutes named Autumn and Winter, a half-blind Dachshund named Dash, and a Yorkshire Terrier named Miss T.
3. In Back To Life, there's a Labrador in Leeuwarden named Scrooge (it's an acronym) and two Dalmatians in Woodstock in the UK, one of whom is named Constable.
4. In Ties That Bind, there are two Presidential dogs in the White House. Both are Tamaskans, but neither is named since the story is mostly set elsewhere. (The male MC is the President's son.)

And then there are these two dogs, belonging to friends of mine. I've decided that they will be featured in some future stories of mine. Aren't they just the most adorable pups ever? They're both crossbred dogs and I'm already on the hunt for names for them. What do you think I should call each one?

I'm looking forward to hearing your suggestions. And of course, if you have any pictures of your pets -- they don't just have to be dogs -- I'll be happy to receive them, as well. Who knows, I may be inspired to use them in a future story. And by the way, what's your favorite breed of dog?

Before I go, I'd like to share another reading opportunity with you. This is an enemies-to-lovers sports romance, The Way We Fight, by Katie Rae. Both MCs are part of the NFL world, and both are strong characters There's a lot to unpack in this story, from the power dynamics between high-powered men and women, to a woman working a 'typical' man's job in a man's world, to professional rivalry and conflict of interest. Add in hot chemistry and you've got a seriously intriguing read.

And now, it's time to say goodnight, until next time. Stay safe and be well!

À bientôt,

K. T.