FROM THE DESK OF SUE STAUFFACHER

Dear Readers,

In honor of this book, my German shepherd mix, Sophie, got sprayed by a skunk she found in our yard. Ugh. It is a hard smell to describe. Add one cup of burning wood to one cup of rotten garbage to two cups of rotten egg and you’ll be getting close. After trying lots of homemade recipes (which all worked a little), we went to the pet store and got an odor-neutralizing product. That was the best thing.

Two crow families also decided to build nests in our yard and raise their young while I was writing this book. I know because Mama and Papa Bird got hopping mad when I walked anywhere near that part of the yard, flapping their wings and cawing like crazy. It was fun to watch the baby crows get big and practice flying, but I don’t know about living next door to them. They are noisy neighbors.

Another thing writers say to each other is “Write what you know.” Believe me, I know skunks and crows!

Happy Reading!
Sue