Meet Bennie!

Bella Books just revealed the cover for my upcoming book, Bringing Me Dreams. Normally I’m not a fan of putting faces on the cover, but how could I resist Bennie’s? Just look at that sweet face! This little guy’s a Cavapoo, a cross between a Cavalier King Charles and a toy poodle. After his rescue from a puppy mill, Bennie turns around and rescues Keenan from despair over her partner’s suicide. He’s so good at comforting her that she trains him as a therapy dog to comfort others, including her anxious dental patients.

I love dogs, but for lots of reasons I don’t have one…the main one being Jenny says no. She almost broke when she saw some adorable puppies up for adoption at our vet’s office, but those were Mountain Curs. Handsome dogs, yes. They’re also big dogs with endless energy, running from tree to tree chasing squirrels. So with much regret, I turned down what likely was my only chance to get a dog. At least it started a conversation about adopting a second cat, which I’d been wanting to do for quite some time. Our home and lifestyle are better suited to cats, which you probably know if you follow the adventures of Rozzie and Agnes on my social media feeds.

Alas, I have to get my dog fix vicariously — by writing about them.

• Chester, the Basset Hound from The Shaken Series
• Hershey, the chocolate Labrador from Malicious Pursuit
• Petie, the Boston Terrier from Mulligan
• Buster, the “border mutt” from Sumter Point
• Prissy, the miniature Dachshund from Out of Love
• Bijou, the Greyhound from Rhapsody
• Skippy, the Chihuahua from West of Nowhere
• Dexter, the pit bull from Life After Love

I’ve found that cats are somewhat easier than dogs to work into stories, since cat owners can stay out overnight with their new girlfriend and all they have to worry about is “cattitude.” So why is my cat list so short?

• Slayer, the orange tabby from Just This Once
• BD, the coal black demon from Sumter Point
• Madeline, the Calico from Photographs of Claudia
• Marvin, the longhaired tuxedo from Playing With Fuego
• Hedy & Rafa, the twins’ new kittens in Words Unsaid

Tell me in the comments: Are you a dog person or a cat person? Or both? Or something else? Or none of the above?

*abruptly changing the subject*

I recently did an interview with a website called Relationships Are Complicated. It’s a fresh concept, focusing on how writers imagine relationships and how they impart lessons to readers. The site explores and advises on a variety of relationship topics, and includes interviews with romance authors and therapists. Here’s the link. I hope you’ll give it a read. These questions really made me think!