As always, there are so many people to thank. The members of the Nose for Trouble Facebook group came to the rescue when I was looking for a name for the animal shelter in Wagtail. I believe Bree Herron and Stephanie Evans were the first to suggest the word Guardian. Several others suggested it or variations, as well. Thank you all! It is now officially the Wagtail Animal Guardians or WAG.
But it was the members of Delicious Mysteries who helped me work out the phonetic pronunciation of “Darling, put your puppy down” in a deep Southern accent. We Southerners have a tendency to make two syllables out of one. It was Rae Ann Barnett who nailed the crucial missing link of “put-chore.” I can just hear Macon saying it, and I hope my readers will hear him as well.
You may have noticed that Trixie and Twinkletoes grow larger with each cover. I thank my wonderful cover artist, Mary Ann Lasher, for capturing them so beautifully!
I would be remiss if I did not thank Betsy Strickland, Susan Smith, Amy Wheeler, and my family for listening to me drone on endlessly about my stories and for always being so supportive.
Special thanks to Julie Mianecki, who edited this book, and to Michelle Vega, who saw it to completion.
And finally, my gratitude to my agent, Jessica Faust, for always looking out for me.