Maggie Pill Mysteries

We didn't really have pets when I was a kid. We had animals that lived with us and did work in return for bed and board. That doesn't mean we didn't love them, but they earned their kibble. Me, my sister, Laddie, & Ching-a-Ling The cats were there to keep the mice away (probably rats too, but that never occurred to me. Ick!) Each of our two farmhouses had a "house cat" that lived inside and was quite pampered compared to the "barn cats" who lived in the barn and multiplied freely. Each new batch of kittens was a treat for us girls, and we hunted them down in whatever spot their mothers chose to hide them by listening for their mews.What fun to move a bale of hay and find four or five little balls of fur to play with. We didn't even mind that their tiny claws were sharp enough to leave bloody trails down our forearms. The family dog was responsible for helping to herd the cows from and back to the barn. Looking back, I realize that our be...

Perils, Plots, and Puppies By Maggie Pill: Review/Giveaway/Guest Post IN THE April 21 ISSUE FROM THE 2018 Articles , and Cynthia Chow , and Mysteryrat's Maze , and Pets SECTIONS by Cynthia Chow & Maggie Pill This week we have a review of Maggie Pill’s latest book Perils, Plots, and Puppies, along with a fun pet related guest post by Maggie. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Perils, Plots, and Puppies. There is also a link to purchase it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL Perils, Plots, and Puppies : A Sleuth Sisters Mystery by Maggie Pill Review by Cynthia Chow Few know that retired Assistant DA Barbara Ann Evans has been staging “Correction Events” in the town of Allport, Michigan. Unable to bear the sight of grammatical errors public and private building signs, Barbara dresses up like a cat burglar to “tag” storefronts with corrected spellings. When she i...

Over the course of their adventures, the Sleuth Sisters have collected two dogs and a cat. When I include a pet in a book, it's always a pet I've known, and they're included as a sort of tribute to their individuality. Styx, Retta's dog, is a combination of two Newfoundlands I've known. Big (of course), friendly, and overzealous, he gets in the way a lot and does exactly what he's told not to do, but he's so lovable it's okay with his mom. Retta needs Styx. She's a widow who lives out in the country, and he provides company, security, and lots of entertainment. Faye found her dog hurt alongside the road (in the second book, 3 SLEUTHS, 2 DOGS, 1 MURDER) and took him in. He's a bit grumpy, but he's probably got good cause to be. A one-person animal, Buddy would die for Faye. For most other people, he'd just as soon pass. Faye's heart is big enough for all the animals in the world, but she and Buddy have a special bond. Barb gaine...

Making coffee: fill your coffeemaker with cold water and the correct amount of coffee. Explain to cat that you aren't doing anything she should worry about. For the 9 millionth time. Fill cat's water dish. Set it down carefully, avoiding cat's attempts to bump it with her head. Making the bed: straighten the fitted sheet, moving cat gently aside. Smooth top sheet over bottom, at which point cat will hurry to the center and crouch down. Wait for cat to get bored with being covered up and squirm her way out the side. Smooth sheets again.  Pull spread over sheets, being careful not to upset cat, who is now tumbling along with spread. Ignore her glare at the very idea that blankets should be flat and smooth. Clean catbox. Get in and out as fast as possible. Cat is waiting to use it. Work at your computer, making sure cat has a comfortable spot where she can monitor your accomplishments. Make lunch. Explain to cat that a running can opener does n...

They're not very big, and they have no words to tell us what they want, but we make all sorts of adjustments for our furry little friends. Why? Because we love them, and maybe a little bit because they'll get us if we don't. Before: "Not yet happy w/arrangement" After: "This works for me" A few months ago I chronicled the search for the perfect napping place for Old Cat. She wants to be with me as I work, but her preferred place was between me and the keyboard, which didn't work well for my writing. We compromised on a second chair at the desk, where she's sleeping as I write this. Still, it took two pillows and a couple of different blankets before she attained the desired effect. Downstairs, Old Cat has her own section of the couch (protected by her own blanket--note the strings from her kitty claw push-ups) where she spends her afternoons in pretty much the same position as she spent the morning. Evenings are spent either in my...

If your dog were an actor, who would he be most like?* If your cat went to college, what would she major in? If your horse got to decorate the stall, which colors would he choose? If your guinea pig rented a movie, what would he want to watch? If your parakeet had a purse, would it be designer, practical, or casual? *Burt here strikes me as an Abe Vigoda type. Just wondering... For my regular readers, I've decided to move the blog to Thursdays and see if I'm better able to keep up with stuff that way. (Peg's still on Mondays)

Today I'm challenging you. Tell me: Is your pet on Santa's Naughty List or his Nice List? A sentence is fine. A paragraph is better. A photo is awesome. This is Burt. He's on the Nice List because he's so patient with his little pet girl.

They never judge. They forgive, even when you pull their tails. If you want to play with a toy, okay, they will too. When you laugh, it makes them happy. If you don't want the rest of that cookie, they'll take care of it for you.

   I've finally started writing the fourth Sleuth Sisters (Remember, there's another author in my head who has obligations too). Though a title isn't required for the writing part, my mind is toying with the possibilities. A lot of cozy titles are plays on words and that's okay, but I don't like them to be too cutesy. Since this mystery has to do with water rights, I'm wondering if A Long, Tall Drink of Murder is a good title. Be warned: tomorrow I might have a whole different idea, and to be honest, titles with "dog" or "cat" in the title sell extremely well. Maybe I should get Styx or Buddy or Barb's stray cat into the title, because of course they'll all have a role. Opinions?

MURDER IN THE BOONIES has been climbing the Amazon rankings, and watching it is a little addictive. Many authors admit to checking stats several times a day, and I do when a new book is released or a new giveaway is scheduled. The 3rd Sleuth Sisters is in the top 50 for cozies right now. It's just so cool to be loved! Today's the last day for 3 SLEUTHS, 2 DOGS, 1 MURDER on Kindle for free, so if you haven't snapped that up, you've been warned. I didn't know how a giveaway of the middle book of a series would go, but it sailed to #1 in free contemporary fiction (it's at #3 today) and over 50,000 readers have downloaded it, so I guess I'll call it a success. The theory is, of course, that if you like the one you get for free, you'll buy the others. So far it's working! Other than that, I don't have much of a sales strategy. Other authors tell how they adjust the price of a book for so many hours and watch their rankings to see if it helps. Or the...

Remember that old TV show, That Was the Week That Was ? (Um, me neither. That was way before my time. Really.) Anyway, this week is the release of the third Sleuth Sisters book: Murder in the Boonies. It's available in print now on Amazon and at Ingram. The Kindle version goes live on Wednesday , so all of you who pre-ordered should have it show up on your device then. This one concerns the sisters' family farm, which Retta manages, renting the land to a local farmer and their parents' home to a man, woman, and her three daughters. When they move away abruptly, the sisters become suspicious, fearing at least some of them didn't leave voluntarily. To make matters more complicated, the renters leave behind their animals, and the sisters have to figure out what to do with them. Strange things happen. Strange men appear on the property. And strange ideas lead to danger for not just Barb, Faye, and Retta but for a lot of others as well. Here's something for ...

Lad, Ching, my sister & me I grew up on a farm. We had animals everywhere, in the house and in the barn. They were expected to earn their keep in some way. Our collie, Lad, (above) helped my dad and grandpa fetch the cows when it was time for milking. The cats kept the rodent population down in the barn and pretty much non-existent in the house. Some were pets, of course, notably our Siamese cat named Ching-a-ling (above) whose main activity was looking down on any being unfortunate enough to not be Ching-a-ling. There were ponies who let us ride them when they felt like it. But mostly the animals contributed something--assistance with work, some necessary product like eggs or milk, and of course, meat. Because of all the animals I knew as a child, I became a pet person. Though Lad was our only dog through my childhood (He lived to a ripe old age), I married a dog lover, and we always had one or two around when our kids were growing up. We usually had multiple cats, too, sinc...

Last week I wrote about dogs and their understanding of words. My cat was not amused, so here's the low-down on cats, in her own words. "Of course we understand every word you speak, but you are silly and inconsequential, so we do not deign to respond. If we wanted to go somewhere in the car, we'd drive ourselves. In fact, we do, at night, when you're asleep. I've been to Detroit twice and Chicago once in the last year. Less is more to a cat. A tiny bump with my head means more than all the gyrating those dumb dogs do to get your attention, so be grateful. Oh, and one more thing: When I play, even if I look silly or accidentally fall off the couch in the process, I expect you to keep quiet about it. Is nothing sacred?"