Happy Thanksgiving!

As always, I'm blogging here on Wednesday--Thanksgiving Eve!

Also as always for Thanksgiving these days, we're having a small celebration.  It'll consist of a dinner with my husband, younger son and his girlfriend and me.  We'll have only one begging dog on the floor near us, but Mystie's doing a good job of begging these days on her own.  No Lexie around to take control on that front any longer. 

I recently completed the major revisions to one of my manuscripts as well as another small project I took on temporarily, so now I'm back to writing my new Harlequin Romantic Suspense story--and it's deadline is starting to loom closer.  But I'm hopeful of getting it done on time. Not sure how much time I'll get to spend writing on Thanksgiving, but I might be able to get in a little bit.

Meanwhile, I'll be at an event this Saturday at Mystery Ink in Huntington Beach signing UNLUCKY CHARMS, my third Superstition Mystery.  It promises to be a lucky event!

So--I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!  Hope your celebration is a fun one.  And you?  What are you up to this Thanksgiving?

Law To Save Dogs

Last week I wrote about loving dogs.  I had so much fun doing that... as always! 

And those of you who know much about me know that I'm an officially inactive attorney.

 

Those two interests came together this week when I learned that a law has been signed by the governor of California making it legal for people to break windows to save pets that are trapped in cars in the heat.

On Monday this week I visited Santa Monica, a nearby city along the ocean, and my car showed that the temperature was over a hundred even in an area theoretically cooler than many--certainly cooler than my home in the Valley.  If anyone were to leave a dog in a car for nearly any time at all anywhere around here, it could die. 

Now, there are conditions under the new law, such as needing to contact the authorities, and staying by the car till they arrive, but no one can be prosecuted for saving an animal's life that way.

A few months ago I did find a dog inappropriately locked inside a car in hot weather in a local retail parking lot.  At the time, he didn't appear to be in immediate danger, but I was still concerned.  I ran around trying to find the shopping center's security people and was unsuccessful.  Fortunately, the owner apparently returned since I saw the car driving away.  I wished I'd been closer then so I could yell at the person, but the main thing was that the dog was hopefully okay.

Will I break a car window now?  Depends on the circumstances.  But it's nice to know I can do it legally.

Meanwhile, as I mentioned last week, October is approaching, and that's when UNLUCKY CHARMS, my next Superstition Mystery, will be published. The promotional events I mentioned then have begun.  I really had a great time at the panel at the Woman's Club of Hollywood.  The Women of Intrigue event is next weekend, I'm being interviewed online by Duquesne Law School's magazine--my law school alma mater--and my blog tour is fast approaching.  All fun!

And though the weather here in LA is supposed to start cooling down, I'll keep my eyes open anyway for pets inappropriately locked in cars.

Loving Dogs

I'm sure it's no surprise that I'm writing about dogs today.  I often do!

Yesterday, my husband brought me a printout of a flyer that a friend sent to him.  It showed the backs of a young girl and a dog sitting beside one another, and the caption was: "Whoever said that diamonds are a girl's best friend never owned a dog."

Diamonds?  I like them well enough, or at least their value.  But dogs?  They're not just stuff to show off and flaunt, though you can do that with them, too.  They're family.  They're cute and playful, smart, strong and demanding, they're dear loves, and cute amusements, and noses to sniff out good stuff and bad, and ears to listen to all your problems. and tongues to give you kisses and... well, yes.  They're our best friends.

I started writing this, by the way, while taking a break from some computer frustration.  I have several email accounts for different purposes, most of them on Yahoo, and one of them--yes, just one--was giving me problems.  The problem is gone now (knock on wood!), but not because I was able to do anything about it.  The best I was able to do online is to sign into a community where a few other people posted they had similar problems.  But customer service?  So far it's hidden itself much too well.  If anyone reading this knows how to contact a real person at Yahoo and get a response, please let me know.  Not that I'm expecting more trouble--but I bet I'll get some anyway.

One other thing to mention: writing stuff.  It's getting close to October, which is when my next book UNLUCKY CHARMS, the third Superstition Mystery, will be published.  I'm busy with promotion-related things, like ordering bookmarks and participating in various events such as the Woman's Club of Hollywood panel and Women of Intrigue, as well as an upcoming blog tour.  I'm sure you'll hear more about it as I blog here, too.

Anyway, back to dogs.  Did you know they also are clocks?  Mine tell me when it's dinnertime, sure, although they always start reminding me early.  But Lexie now takes a pill around noon, and if she's not sleeping too soundly she'll come tell me when it's time for her meds.  It doesn't hurt that I wrap it in some dog food so she'll eat it.  Oh, yeah.  Maybe that's why her inner clock works so well.

I recognize that pets of any kind can be best friends and more to their family members and think it's wonderful, whether they're dogs, cats, birds, gerbils or whatever.  I'm just glad that so many people now recognize the love, and value, of their pets.  As I do.  With dogs.