I'm Back!

I returned earlier this week from Malice Domestic and the Mystery Lovers Festival, both of which were a lot of fun!

Since my blog topic is generally to be about pets (plus, I love ‘em!), I’m happy to say that my Cavaliers Lexie and Mystie were well cared for by my younger son. Plus, I heard lots of stuff about other people’s pets while I was gone.

For one thing, my mystery publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, threw its delightful annual dinner for its authors on the Friday of Malice, and I sat at a table filled with really nice and entertaining people--some of whom couldn’t resist talking about animals, which was great fun for me! Nope, I didn’t have to initiate that part of the conversation, but I certainly participated in it.

One enjoyable fellow writer owned some goats, not as pets but livestock, and she clearly was fond of them. Others talked about their cats and dogs. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (yay!) were mentioned, as were potbellied pigs (who star in an upcoming Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery). The best comment of all came from Dean James, who was also the moderator of my panel on whether or not our protagonists need a Watson, like Sherlock Holmes: since we write cozy mysteries, we all probably arrive with pet fur on our clothes. I certainly did!

Next weekend: on to the Palm Springs Book Festival. And, yes, Lexie and Mystie will have company while I’m paneling for the day.

--Linda