Frenchies Can Be Femme Fatales

That's French bulldogs we're talking about, as in the new canine nemesis of Abra the Afghan hound in Whiskey and Soda. You heard me! A certain Frenchie named after a popular American film star has the boy dogs in Magnet Springs standing at attention.

To order Whiskey and Soda as a trade paperback, click here if you like to shop Amazon, or here if you prefer B&N. Of course, if you have a Kindle or Nook, you can start reading in under a minute.

In the meantime, here's photographic proof that Frenchies can be femme fatales--or make somebody think they are. Yes, costumes help. Now you know what's making Abra mad!

Changing Up the Canine Roster

It’s an established fact that I am smitten by sight hounds, particularly that regal yet comical creature called the Afghan hound. But I’ve been known to share my life with—and deeply love—a few other kinds of dogs. So, before I started writing the latest Whiskey Mattimoe novel, Whiskey and Soda (due out in time for Summer Beach Reading!), I reviewed my canine cast of characters.

Abra the Afghan hound: the original Bad Girl of dog fiction, she’s a blonde diva (who looks remarkably like Sarah Jessica Parker in profile) prone to steal shiny objects and seduce studly canines.

Officer Roscoe: a dignified, expertly trained German shepherd; one of only two full-time cops in Magnet Springs, Michigan.

Mooney the “Rott hound”: a Rottweiler/bloodhound mix who can track and defend. And drool.

Norman the Golden: a trained therapy dog; also the accidental though “permanent” spouse (i.e., soul mate) of Abra the Afghan hound despite her filandering ways; father of Prince Harry the Pee Master. 

Prince Harry the Pee Master: illegitimate though much-loved spawn of Abra the Afghan hound and Norman the Golden; Chester has almost mastered Prince Harry’s incontinence.

Velcro: Whiskey prefers to avoid this needy teacup shih tzu/poodle mix, or as she calls him, a “shitz-a-poo.” Velcro lives with Chester although his mother Cassina doesn’t know it. Thankfully, there are servants to bribe and many rooms to hide a dog in over at The Castle.

Okay, so what do five out of the six canines above have in common, aside from the fact that Whiskey Mattimoe isn’t skilled at handling them? Except for Abra, every one of those hounds is male. That’s why I decided to bring a female into the new book. Well, that was one reason. I wanted to see what would happen if hot-to-trot Abra suddenly found herself with a rival for the boys’ affections. Would she step up her game? Would she start a girl fight? Would she find a strong ally in her oft-conflicted human, Whiskey? All of the above turn out to be true, but you’ll need to read the new book to find out how and why –and also how funny!

Where We Began: A Look Back at Whiskey #1

In my most recent post, I promised readers a brief look back at the first five Whiskey Mattimoe mysteries and then a sneak-peek at the brand new book, Whiskey and Soda, due out next month.

So, for those of you who haven't read the series in a while, or who haven't read it yet, here's a quick recap of the very first Whiskey Mattimoe mystery, Whiskey on the Rocks:



Still reeling from her husband's sudden death, 33-year-old Whiskey Mattimoe has her hands full managing her real estate business and keeping track of Chester, the 8-year-old son of a touring pop music star. And then there's Abra, an Afghan hound with a diva attitude and a penchant for stealing designer purses. 


When someone turns up dead at one of Whiskey's rental properties, the Magnet Springs part-time police force needs all the help it can get. This quiet Lake Michigan resort town is known for its mysterious magnetic fields, not murder, and the locals would like to keep it that way. At her own peril, Whiskey uncovers art theft, forgery, and some nasty dark secrets.


Bold and street smart, Whiskey can take care of herself--with the aid of an exceptionally well-trained "rott hound" who happens to have a crush on Abra. But to survive, she's got to untangle a web of deceit before it kills her business, and just possibly Whiskey, as well.

My publisher and I were delighted by critical responses to Whiskey on the Rocks:

A cozy series as satisfying as a fine single malt. --Publishers Weekly

Sprightly humor, delightful characters (including the animals), and a nicely mixed-up plot make this an entertaining debut. --Library Journal starred review

Getting the critics on your side is important, but it's what readers say or post online that matters most. I'm thrilled to answer questions about the series. Most often readers want to know what inspires me to write about (a) a woman who can't control her dog, and (b) a dog like Abra, specifically, a felonious Afghan hound with an unbridled libido.

Is Whiskey like me? Is Abra like any dog I've ever shared my life with? The answers, as you might expect, are a combination of yes and no--which is why they call what I make fiction.

I once shared a house with a woman who thought she "owned" an Afghan hound, the most glorious, graceful, gravity-defying breed of dog I've ever met. Many years later, while living in rural Michigan, I rescued a pregnant scent hound; she reserved her slavish affection for my ex, who never cared for her. That hound also had a predilection for running away and getting into mounds of trouble, which I single-handedly sorted out time and again. Combining those canine experiences with a healthy dash of narrative imagination yielded Whiskey Mattimoe and Abra the Afghan hound. 

My abiding love for the west coast of Michigan is also a feature of this series. Many of my happiest days so far have been spent on the beaches and in the quaint towns that line the greatest of Great Lakes. So imagine my delight in realizing that the newest Whiskey Mattimoe book will be available in print and digital formats just in time for beach season! I highly recommend Michigan's dunes and resort towns. If you can't get there in reality, I hope you'll visit via my fiction.

Coming up: Where Whiskey has been, and where she's going. . . . .

Finally: WHISKEY AND SODA (May 2012)

You’ve waited almost three years for it, and here it comes at last. Whiskey and Soda, Book #6 in the humorous Whiskey Mattimoe mystery series, will be out in both print and ebook formats at the end of May. I want to personally thank my loyal readers for letting me know that they wanted more Whiskey. Cheers!
Update: Whiskey and Soda is now being served. To order it as a trade paperback (available only at Amazon), please click here. Or you can start reading it today on your Kindle. Ebook versions are coming soon to Nook and Kobo.

For a recap of the previous five books, you can either check my website or tune in here again soon for blog entries that highlight Whiskey’s many misadventures. I’ll guide you in a jaunty stroll down Memory Lane—or should I say, Broken Arrow Highway—with Abra the Afghan hound, plus assorted friends and felons from Magnet Springs, Michigan. Of course, Whiskey would not approve. She is the self-proclaimed Queen of Denial, preferring to forget she even has a dog, let alone one with a criminal record and an unleashed libido.

You might prefer to check your personal bookshelf or your local library for the previous five titles. If so,here they are in order: (#1) Whiskey on the Rocks, (#2) Whiskey Straight Up, (#3) Whiskey and Tonic, (#4) Whiskey and Water, (#5) Whiskey with a Twist.

The next time I post, I promise to whet your appetite for Whiskey and Soda with a preview of the new book. Until then, here’s my toast to my readers: May you always have a dog to hug and lots of reasons to laugh. Thanks again for requesting another Whiskey.