Mirth, Mutts and Mark Twain

"He wa'n't no common dog, he wa'n't no mongrel; he was a composite. A composite dog is a dog that is made up of all the valuable qualities that's in the dog breed—kind of a syndicate; and a mongrel is made up of all riffraff that's left over." ~ Mark Twain

Pets play an important role in storytelling. When I envisioned there would be a big, ugly, but lovable dog in Frank, Incense and Muriel I was certain Big Boy would belong to Val, Muriel's aunt. 

Big Boy may be a mutt she rescued from the pound, but he's so very much more. He’s playful, energetic, yet mindful of his owner. He's a perpetual puppy always looking to discover something new, exciting and tasty. Life with Val is good. He gets fed and groomed and he loves doggy treats. Expensive doggy treats!

Today is day 10 of the Mystery We Write Blog Tour and I’m visiting with Jean HenryMead.

I’m also sharing an excerpt from Frank, Incense and Muriel, book one of the Muriel Reeves Mysteries, where Frankie is first introduced to Big Boy.

Here’s a snippet:

..........

(Frankie) He fixed me with a level stare but before he could reply, the outside door, that lead from the kitchen to the backyard, swung open.

“You-hoo, Muriel."

“It’s my Aunt Val,” I explained. “We’re supposed to go to the mall after we drop off her dog at--”

Loud, frantic yowls drowned out the remainder of my sentence. The massive, furry creature galloped toward us. Long legs a blur, its claws scraped the ceramic tile like fingernails on a blackboard. Thick blobs of drool splattered in all directions. I braced myself for the inevitable gooey assault, but the animal bypassed me completely. 

Frankie bolted to his feet. “What the--?” 

..........

To read the entire excerpt click HERE. Leave a comment (either here or on Jean’s blog) and you will be eligible to win one of three e-copies of Frank, Incense and Muriel, the first book of my Muriel Reeves Mysteries. The winners will be announced December 9.

Good luck in the draw and happy reading!

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