Now for those other animals

The pets in our home as I grew up didn't work out. The German Shepherd we were all afraid of went back to the breeder when he got out and grabbed the boy chasing me by his ankle. The farm kittens got distemper. The piano teacher's dog only liked mom, and was temporary and returned to owner. The next cat was stepped on and didn't recover. At 14 years of age my daughter changed my life by talking us into rescuing two kittens. She and her husband took one when they established their home and also adopted a dog. My husband and I added another cat, a dog and a cockatiel, all rescues. I love my family. That includes these wonderful animals. My dog is the most demonstrative when I return from a trip, but the cats come running too, and the bird calls out to me until I go see him and stroke his feathers. The furred pets don't get all the attention. The animals in my household bring great joy, love, laughter and keep my creative juices flowing. Two of them, Dr. Pepper and Sprite, are in More Than A Job. Slainte', our Calico, is in Animal Instinct along with a nod to that beautiful Shepherd that we didn't know how to incorporate into our family - our failure. I am writing my Therapy Dog, Ollie, into my next release, Return Of Joy. And since both Tami Dee and I have cockatiels, guess what shows up in our Survival Instinct, due next year?

What can I say. I love my animals. Since I can't write human friends and family into my books, I write in the ones who won't mind.