Dear Abby - Meet Riley (A Rescue Spotlight)

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a great week!  Except for one night with thunder and hail (!), this has been a nice relaxing week here.

I'm excited to introduce you to my friend Riley today.  Riley is an adorable 2 year old Chihuahua/Dachshund mix.  I love her story and cute pictures, and I think you will, too!

Abby:  What is your background and how did you end up in rescue?

Riley: I was left in a box in a hotel bathroom, and when the hotel housekeepers found me, they called Animal Rescue Foundation of Louisiana to come and pick me up. I ended up living with a beautiful foster care momma, Lisa. I still remember her whenever I see her every year at adoption events! My momma loves bringing me, it means so much that we can keep in touch with Lisa!

Abby:  How were your first days at your new home? 

Riley: My first night at my new home was tough. I was nervous about these new people that I hadn't met before. I stayed up all through the night. The next day, I realized that this new lady was my new mom, and the man was my daddy. I immediately fell in love with them both, and we have been inseparable ever since.

Abby:  What are a few of your favorite things? 

Riley:  My top three favorite things are Lambchop toys, puzzle toys and jerky treats. No matter what size Lambchop, I love them all...I have one that is much bigger than me, smaller than me, and MUCH smaller than me! I just love Lambchop! Puzzle toys are so much fun to play with because it makes me think and I love figuring things out. I'm a very curious little girl. Jerky treats are my all-time favorite treat. I'm not super picky about the flavor.

Abby:  Do you have any tips for people who want to adopt a rescue pet? 

Riley: Doggies oftentimes deal with separation anxiety in the beginning. You just have to be patient with us and spend time with us. Taking us to doggie day care classes or leaving the TV on with music really helps. My mom has written about some great tips about adapting to life with a new rescued dog: http://www.dearfriendsblog.com/blog/pedigreepetmonth

Abby:  Is there a rescue group you want to send a shout out to?

Riley: I was adopted from Animal Rescue Foundation of Louisiana. They are wonderful people and I'm so blessed to have spent the amount of time I did with them. Here is their website: http://www.arfla.org/ and their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arfla.

Riley, thanks for visiting!  It was fun talking to another pup who is part dachshund and who loves Lambchop toys as well.

I really like Riley's tip about leaving the TV on with music.  I like listening to oldies music during rainy weather, and find it very comforting.

My Momma said she thinks Riley and I have a slight resemblance.  I take that as a nice compliment!

I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Love,

Abby xoxox

Book Review and Giveaway - Death by Trombone by Rebecca M. Douglass

Book Synopsis

JJ MacGregor’s very bad day has just gotten a lot worse.

JJ thought starting the day without coffee was a disaster, but now there’s a dead musician behind the Pismawallops High School gym. His trombone is missing, and something about the scene is off key. JJ and Police Chief Ron Karlson are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but will they be able to work harmoniously or will discord ruin the investigation? With the music teacher as the prime suspect, JJ could be left to conduct the band, and then Graduation might truly end in a death by trombone, or at least the murder of Pomp and Circumstance!

My Review

I have several friends who enjoy cozy mysteries, as I do.  We've talked about what makes a cozy particularly enjoyable for us.  Three cozy traits that I always particularly enjoy are a picturesque small town, a school setting, and a mystery with a bit of romance as well.

Death By Trombone has all these cozy ingredients.  The book is set in the small town of Pismawallops, in the Puget Sound area.  It is a charming small town, and an enjoyable place to visit via this mystery.

J.J., the book's protagonist and amateur sleuth, is involved in the school's PTA.  I enjoyed the school setting, and the work that J.J. and her friend Kitty put into the PTA (and the mystery!).

I also liked J.J.'s budding romance with police chief Ron Karlson.  It was well written, with a realistic pace given J.J.'s acrimonimous divorce.

The mystery in Death By Trombone is well told, and it kept me guessing!  The pacing was quick, with sharp dialogue that moved the story along.  

Death by Trombone is an enjoyable weekend read, sure to please fans of small town cozy mysteries.  I recommend it! 
 

Author Bio

Rebecca Douglass was raised on an Island in Puget Sound only a little bigger than Pismawallops.  She now lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area, and can be found on-line at www.ninjalibrarian.com and on Facebook as The Ninja Librarian.  Her books include the tall tales for all ages, The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners, middle-grade fantasy Halitor the Hero, and the first Pismawallops PTA mystery, Death By Ice Cream.  Rebecca likes to spend her time outdoors, when not writing or working to make the schools the best they can be.  She spends her free time bicycling and running, and her vacations hiking, camping and backpacking.

Blog: http://ninjalibrarian.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-M-Douglass/e/B0078SLT2A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1337267938&sr=8-2
Smashwords Author Page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NinjaLibrarian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ninja-Librarian/305808032816136
Purchase Links
Amazon            Smashwords
Barnes & Noble            Createspace Store

Giveaway

(2) Signed Print Copy of Death by Trombone by Rebecca M. Douglas.  Giveaway ends 4/18.

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I received a copy of this book from Great Escapes Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Author Interview and Giveaway: A Daughter’s Doubt by Richard Audry

Book Synopsis

Mary MacDougall’s first case of 1902 seems simple enough.

Just before the 19-year-old heiress leaves for a summer holiday on Mackinac Island with her Aunt Christena, she’s hired to stop in a little town along the way and make inquiries. Did Agnes Olcott really die there of cholera? Or were there darker doings in Dillmont?

Mary’s mentor, Detective Sauer, thinks it’s merely a case of bad luck for the dead woman. But Mrs. Olcott’s daughter suspects her detested stepfather played a hand in her mother’s untimely death.
With the reluctant help of her aunt and her dear friend Edmond Roy, the young detective struggles to reveal the true fate of Agnes Olcott. As she digs ever deeper, the enemy Mary provokes could spell disaster for herself and the people she loves. But in the end, it’s the only way to banish a daughter’s doubt.

Birdhouse Books Interviews Richard Audry 

Birdhouse:  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Richard:  Probably when I was a teenager. I loved reading, especially mysteries and science fiction. And I developed this view that creating stories that moved and entertained people was a lofty sort of vocation. It was always in the back of my mind that some day I would write novels. As it happened, I did make a living as a writer for many years—but as a journalist and copywriter. The novel-writing thing has come to dominate in just the past four or five years. And I hope that my stories do move and entertain readers the way my younger self hoped they would.

Birdhouse:  What was your favorite book as a child?

Richard:  The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. It’s still my favorite work of fiction, bar none. Its wonderful tales of friendship and adventure among the anthropomorphic critters of the countryside—Rat, Mole, Toad, Badger, and the rest—touch and delight me whenever I read them.

Birdhouse:  What is your writing day like?  Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

Richard:  It depends where I am in the process. If I’m working on a first draft or outline, I’ll be at my standing desk on the computer five or six hours a day. I try to write at least a thousand words every day and I don’t like to start unless I have a very good idea of where I’m going with the story. If I’m in the editing stages of a book, I’m at my “sitting” desk in front of another computer. Or at the dining room table, reading the manuscript out loud. It’s amazing how hearing the words spoken can help improve the book.

Birdhouse:  What was the most surprising thing you learned while creating this book?

Richard:  I always thought my young sleuth, Mary MacDougall, would be very methodical and self-contained—as she was in the first two novellas. But as this book proceeded, Mary more or less told me that I could get that notion out of my head. In the end, she takes some big risks. How her audacious gambit ends up, I will leave to the reader to find out.

Birdhouse:  Who are your favorite authors?

Richard:  I’m very fond of classic crime-fiction writers like John D. MacDonald, Robert Parker, Robert Crais, and Michael Connelly. Among less-gritty mystery authors, I enjoy M. C. Beaton, Janet Evanovich, Josephine Tey, and Dorothy Sayers. For sci-fi and fantasy, it’s folks like Ursula LeGuin, Kristine Rusch, Clifford Simak, and Neil Gaiman.

Birdhouse:  What is your next writing project?

Richard:  I’m currently working on the outline for my third canine cozy, starring King Harald and his “boss” Andy Skyberg. This time they will be snowbound at a hotel/resort and, not surprisingly, mischief will ensue.

Author Bio

Richard Audry is the pen name of D. R. Martin. As Richard Audry, he is the author of the King Harald Canine Cozy mystery series and the Mary MacDougall historical mystery series. Under his own name he has written the Johnny Graphic middle-grade ghost adventure series, the Marta Hjelm mystery, Smoking Ruin, and two books of literary commentary: Travis McGee & Me; and Four Science Fiction Masters. 

Visit D. R. MARTIN & RICHARD AUDRY BOOKS

LIKE Richard Audry on Facebook 

Purchase Link
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Daughters-Doubt-Mary-MacDougall-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01BFNWBYS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454704534&sr=8-1&keywords=daughter%27s+doubt
Link for Novellas – http://www.amazon.com/Mary-MacDougall-Mystery-Duet-ebook/dp/B010EAQWRK/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454707194&sr=1-2

Giveaway

(1) Set of Mary MacDougall Mysteries - 2 Print Books - by Richard Audry  (ends 4/18)

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Did You Know Tuesday - Fun Facts About ABBA

The 1970's Swedish pop group ABBA launched their career after they won the Eurovision Song Contest on April 6, 1974.  In their honor, a few fun facts:

ABBA has sold over 380 million albums and singles.  Wow!

The group began with two married couples:  Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.  Faltskog and Ulvaeus divorced in 1979, and Andersson and Lyngstad divorced in 1981.

The original name of this band was "Fest Folk" ("party people" in Swedish).

The name ABBA comes from the group members' first names:  Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni.

They wore sparkly, outlandish outfits because they could write them off their taxes in Sweden.  Tax law there dictated that stage outfits could not be street clothes.

The group disbanded in 1982, but had a resurgence in popularity after the musical play Mamma Mia! was released. 

The movie musical Mamma Mia! was the top grossing movie in the U.K. in 2008.  It was #14 in the U.S.

My favorite ABBA song is "SOS" (1975):



Do you like ABBA?  What is your favorite of their songs?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson (1977)

Do you remember "Strawberry Letter 23"?   This is one of those "turn the radio up" songs for me.  It always reminds me of spring and summer.  I think it's the lyrics, with lines like:

"All through the morning rain
I gaze - the sun doesn't shine -
Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind."

This song was originally by Shuggie Otis, who wrote and recorded it in 1971.  His version was a softer soul ballad.  Later, "Strawberry Letter 23" was recorded by The Brothers Johnson.  Their version, produced by Quincy Jones, was more of an uptempo dance tune.  It went to number 5 on the Billboard chart.

Fun trivia:  the 12" single was on red, strawberry scented vinyl.

For your listening pleasure: