Thanks so much for allowing us to be guests today, Tracy!
First off, here’s
a little bit about us. Sparkle Abbey is actually a pen name because there are
two of us. We are Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter and we co-write the Pampered Pets mystery
series for Bell Bridge Books. Because we
co-write the books, our publisher asked us to use a single pen name and we
chose to use Sparkle Abbey on this series because we liked the
idea of combining the names of their two rescue pets – Sparkle (ML’s cat) and
Abbey (Anita’s dog).
Our series focuses on the wacky world of precious pedigrees, pampered pooches, and secrets in posh Laguna Beach, California. The main characters and amateur sleuths are Texas cousins, Carolina Lamont, a pet therapist, and Melinda Langston, a pet boutique owner. The two would join forces and work together if they were speaking, but well…they’re not. Midwest Book Review calls the series “A sassy and fun mystery!” We were excited about that description because that’s exactly what we were trying to achieve.
We met Tracy
at the Malice Domestic mystery conference a year or so ago and we love her Downward
Dog yoga-themed mystery series. And the books involve a wonderful German
Shepherd dog, so even better! For Tracy, yoga is much more than a hobby. It’s a
vocation and a calling. She is passionate about it and it shows!
Here’s our
experience with yoga… Writers spend a lot of time at the computer. A lot. We
sit at the keyboard to create our stories, we’re there to edit and polish, and
then we’re also often online meeting readers and networking with other authors.
That’s a lot of desk time!
So the two of
us decided we needed some enforced activity and we signed up for a yoga class
through our local Community Education program. It seemed like an easy way to
get moving and de-stress, plus it was held at the local elementary in our
neighborhood so was close by.
The first
class was great and we loved the relaxation time at the end of class. (One of
us even fell asleep during one class, but Tracy tells us that happens all the
time.) However, after a knee injury for ML and foot surgery for Anita, we were
struggling with many of the yoga postures. Soon we stopped going. However, we continued
to talk about how much we liked it and how we’d like to get involved again.
At Left Coast
Crime, we talked with Tracy about some of the problems we’d had and she was
quick to ask questions and offer some advice. Advice which has made all the difference.
(She even stopped in the middle of the welcome reception and demonstrated for
us what we needed to do. We should have taken pictures.)
You see when
you’re passionate about something, it becomes a part of who you are. We feel
that way about animals and especially rescues. We try to partner with rescue organizations
whenever we can on benefit events and educational efforts. We try to share our
love of animals through our books and through the things we’re able to be
involved in as authors.
Whether it’s
cooking or quilting or antiques or stained glass, we think you’ll find many
mystery authors (especially cozy authors) combine something they’re passionate
about with their love of storytelling.
So what about
you? What things are you passionate about?
Sparkle Abbey can be found
online at the following spots:
