Lynn Cahoon

Dear Readers,

Kensington asked me to write a short letter about dogs. I’m not sure I can keep it short. Yes, I’m a dog person. My first dog was an all-black cocker-Pomeranian mix I named Cinderella. I remember reading my books to her and she was always by my side. But when I went off to college, I was pet-less until I moved in with my first husband.

We had all kinds of dogs. He bought and sold them like they were cars. I learned not to get too attached, which was hard. I had a white Maltese during this time. She lost her baby during delivery and cried for days. We also had a wolf-hybrid who liked to pick huckleberries off the bush and eat them.

When I divorced, I swore I’d stay pet-less. Mostly because I hated the thought of losing another one due to someone’s issues. Then my new boyfriend bought me a Pomeranian for my birthday.  Bella (I have a princess theme for names) was so small, she got lost in the grass in the front lawn that needed mowed. The next year we added Demon, another Pom, to our family. A few years later, with their last bunch of puppies, my now husband decided to keep one more. So Homer joined our forces.

We lost Bella a few years ago, but the boys are still with us. And they are my constant companions if I’m home. They sleep in my office and remind me to stand once an hour so I can take them outside. If I’m not home, they wait on the stairs for me to come back. They like my husband but they love me. 

The other night we decided to order pizza. A decision that happens a lot at our house, especially when I’m on deadline. Before I could leave my office to go downstairs to wait for the pizza guy, Homer was already waiting on the steps, watching for him to arrive.

I swear he knows what we’re saying. There’s some research that dogs and cats are at a human three year old brain development. I’m not sure of that, but I know the boys understand a few words. Like Pizza. And treats. And Tonya. (She’s their groomer.)

I am so glad I broke my vow of not having another pet. The boys travel with us. We spoil them like we would grandkids, since we don’t have any of those. Homer knows how to roll down the back window, so we keep the child locks on when we drive. And a spare key in a pocket as he’s locked us out a time or two.

It will come as no surprise that I have pets in my mysteries.  Jill from the Tourist Trap series has Emma, a golden retriever, who like Bella, was given to her by her love interest.  J  Angie, from the Farm to Fork series has a hen, a St. Bernard, and a baby, but growing, goat. Even Cat is getting a pet (or two) in the new story that comes out in December.  I love my pets. Real or imagined.

Stop by my website (www.lynncahoon.com) and leave me a note about your dog. I’d love to hear your stories.

Lynn

PS – I’ll be in trouble if I don’t mention Thor. He’s our rescue feral cat who is taller than the dogs and weighs right at ten pounds. And, yes, he’s my baby too.

The time seems ripe for success as Angie Turner opens her farm-to-table restaurant in her Idaho hometown—until her new tomato supplier is accused of murder and Angie has to pick the real killer…

To Angie, nothing tastes more like summer than her Nona’s fried green tomatoes. Eager to add the recipe to the menu at the County Seat, she’s found the perfect produce supplier—her sous chef Estebe’s cousin, Javier. Just one problem: ladies’ man Javier’s current hot tomato, Heather, has turned up dead, and he’s the prime suspect. Somehow, between managing her restaurant and navigating a romantic triangle between Estebe and Ian, the owner/manager of the farmer’s market, Angie needs to produce evidence to clear Javier—before this green tomato farmer gets fried . . .

Praise for Lynn Cahoon’s Tourist Trap Mysteries

“Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true.” —Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries

“Lynn Cahoon has created an absorbing, good fun mystery in Mission to Murder.” —Fresh Fiction