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THANK YOU FOR READING HIT AND RUN, and I hope you enjoyed this fifth book in the September & Shadow thriller series. Interestingly, an accidental meeting between Rose and Cornelia in the fourth book FIGHT OR FLIGHT inspired this story. Weird how that happens. Now this latest installment gives me a jumping-off point for book six, pestering me like an itch ya can’t reach. Thank you for coming along with me on the adventure. There never would have been Thrillers With Bite without you, dear reader, adopting these books. (Can you hear my purrs and woofs of delight?)
After publishing 35+ nonfiction pet books, research fuels my curiosity. While in fiction I get to make up crappiocca, as September would say, much of my inspiration comes from news stories, past and present—the weirder, the better. For me, and I hope for you, the story becomes more engaging when built not just on “what if” but “it happened.” So in each book, I like to include a Cliff’s Notes version of what’s real and what’s made up.
As with the other books in the series, much of HIT AND RUN arises from science, especially dog and cat behavior and learning theory, the benefits of service dogs, and the horror and reality of black-market babies. By definition, thrillers include murder and mayhem, but as an animal advocate professional, I make a conscious choice to not show a pet’s death in my books. All bets are off with the human characters, though.
I rely on a vast number of veterinarians, behaviorists, consultants, trainers, and pet-centric writers and readers, and rescue organizations that share their incredible resources and support to make my stories as believable as possible. Find out more information at IAABC.org, APDT.com, DWAA.org and CatWriters.com.
FACT: Anita Page, born Anita Evelyn Pomares in 1910, was a real person and star of the silent screen era. She was referred to as a “blond, blue-eyed Latin” and her grandfather hailed from Spain. She retired from acting in 1936, but returned to acting sixty years later, and appeared in four films in the 2000s. Page died at age 98 in 2008, so she and the fictional Tana certainly could have met thirty-odd years ago. Learn more about Anita Page here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Page
FICTION: Any aspersions cast upon judges or Chicago alderman in the story are, of course, made up. However, there have been questions raised about whether or not Chicago aldermen should be allowed to hold outside employment is a thing, which inspired parts of the story: https://news.wttw.com/2019/01/09/should-aldermen-be-banned-outside-employment-we-asked-them
FACT: Sadly, black market babies are a thing—more so in the past but also under the radar today. TLC's "Taken at Birth" shares untold stories of the "Hicks Babies," more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. The three-night special aired October 9-11, 2019. Here’s a clip on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ESyhEzX7WNo
That’s not the only example. From 1924-1950 more than 5000 children were stolen by Georgia Tann, and re-sold (adopted) with the help of a crooked local judge. Some children were adopted by celebrities including Joan Crawford and June Allyson. Other clients were Lana Turner, Pearl S. Buck and New York Gov. Herbert Lehman. Ric Flair, a future pro wrestler, was among Tann’s abductees. Read more here: https://nypost.com/2017/06/17/this-woman-stole-children-from-the-poor-to-give-to-the-rich/
Think it doesn’t happen in more contemporary times? Check out this 2017 story about children being sold:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/health/uganda-adoptions-investigation-ac360/index.html
FACT: Chicago aldermen and outside employment is a thing: https://news.wttw.com/2019/01/09/should-aldermen-be-banned-outside-employment-we-asked-them
FACT: Selective disobedience is vital in training service dogs. Whether trained as police K9 officers or for other kinds of service, the savvy dogs must learn to think for themselves. For instance, the guide dog must know to disobey his human partner’s command to “forward” into car traffic, and canine heroes figure out when to follow the most important trail, or take a bullet to save their human handler.
FICTION: Midwives do not routinely work for baby-selling organizations. They are unlikely to have drugs at the ready without a licensed physician on the premises. Also, the drug midazolam (it’s real) isn’t the best one for use during birth, and it does cause memory loss. However, the midwife in the story probably doesn’t care about the mother’s safety, and has access to whatever drugs necessary with or without a medical license. Interestingly, midazolam also can be used to help control seizures in veterinary medicine, so that proved very convenient for my plot.
FICTION: Lab owners do not sell out their test results to the highest bidder—except in fiction stories like mine, and (wow!) occasionally in real life. That part of my story was inspired by 36-year-old Brandy Murrah’s arrest for forging the results of drug tests performed by her A&J Lab, in Alabama. Investigators had to figure out how many parents may have lost jobs, custody of their children, or worse. Read about it here: https://www.theroot.com/lab-owner-arrested-for-falsifying-results-of-drug-tests-1834753568
FACT: Heat-detecting vision goggles do exist, and are different than night-vision goggles that amplify existing light. Instead, these goggles detect heat from living creatures or from hot spots in fires. A better explanation of both can be found at this link: https://www.explainthatstuff.com/hownightvisionworks.html
FACT: I grew up in Northern Indiana. Mount Pleasant Cemetery is real, and does have a historic marker as mentioned in the story. When Teddy needed a new ride, I found his “Nellie- Nova” made in the area. Pretty spiffy, huh? Here’s a link: https://coachmenrv.com/class-b-motorhomes/nova
FACT: Boiled eggs really do explode when microwaved! Hey, voice of experience here (ahem). Also, learn more here: https://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1860438-healthy-eating-hard-boiled-eggs-explode-violently-microwaved-20171207-story.html
FACT: People have died from hot tubs overheating. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2000-04-01-0004010278-story.html
FACT: That bridging maneuver that September used to escape is real. Learn how here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJcaRW1vkEI
FACT—sorta: Blood type inheritance can be complicated, and not only the type but also the genotype influences what the children inherit. Yes, kids can end up with a different blood type than parents. For example, the child of an AB dad and an OO mom could either be AO (blood type A) or BO (blood type B). Further, some blood types are considered universal kidney donors or kidney universal recipients—yet living donor transplants also can be complex. So for purposes of the story, I simply fudged a bit and never specified who had what blood type. Learn more about blood types, and living donors at these links:
https://genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/parent-children-different-blood-type
https://transplantliving.org/living-donation/being-a-living-donor/tests/
FACT: Tick-borne pathogens can cause a variety of serious debilitating diseases in pets, and sometimes humans. Sometimes, people become infected with more than one pathogen, which can make symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment challenging. Lyme disease was first identified in 1975 when a cluster of childhood arthritis cases were reported in Lyme, Connecticut. It's caused by a spirochete, a type of bacteria named Borrelia burgdorferi, which occurs naturally in white-footed mice and deer. The organism is transmitted to people (and dogs) usually by deer ticks, and is most common in the northeastern and Pacific coast states. But it does occur in Texas where it’s carried by the black-legged tick. Typical symptoms in people include a bullseye-pattern rash, fever, headache, and fatigue, but the first sign in dogs usually is limping. If not treated early, Lyme disease infection can spread to your joints, heart, and nervous system, and cause long term problems.
A few years ago, I began to notice a pins-and-needles numbness on the lower left side of my back and abdomen. Within days, the sensation spread until my entire left leg and side, from my belly button down, felt numb. I thought “pinched nerve?” and visited my chiropractor for weeks, until he referred me to a neurologist when nothing improved. I spent nearly a week in the hospital, treated for a lesion on my spinal cord. Although I was tested for Lyme disease, we never got a definitive cause, and although most of the sensation in my left side returned, I still have numbness on the bottom of my left foot. I gave Tee the more typical signs, and a definitive diagnosis, but who knows if her treatment truly resolved the issue? Oh, and to allay concerns, dogs do NOT transmit tick-borne diseases to people (the ticks don’t jump from one host to another). If you work outside in tick country, wear protective clothing, and keep your dogs protected with veterinarian-approved preventives. And if you notice signs, get help immediately.
FACT: Cats can, indeed, do many of the same things as dogs, including sniffing out the missing or predicting seizures. Dogs have been trained to detect the smell of sweat from a patient seizing, and cat scenting ability can certainly detect these differences. In most instances, cats aren’t easily trained, but instead they decide on their own with those with whom they share a strong bond.
Studies reported in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science by Kristyn Vitale Shreve, and Monique Udell shine a new light on feline scent sense. Based on genetics, cats may be even better equipped than dogs at scent discrimination. Mammal scent detection relies on recognizing specialized proteins. Shreve, a researcher in Oregon State University's Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, says there are three families of receptor proteins in the scent detection organ of mammals: V1Rs, V2Rs and FPRs. She believes the number of V1R receptor gene variants predicts the mammal's ability to discriminate different odors. Dogs have nine, humans have two, but cats have around 30 V1Rs. You can access the study here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159116303501
Given cats’ scenting prowess, and ability to access tiny spaces and heights, it follows that Macy-cat is a good fit for search and rescue operations. Kim Freeman, a specialist in finding lost cats, partners with Henry the black and white kitty to track down wayward cats. Learn more about her at LostCatFinder.com.
FICTION: Shadow and Macy’s viewpoint chapters are pure speculation, although I would love to be able to read doggy and kitty minds. However, every attempt has been made to base all animal characters’ motivations and actions on what is known about canine and feline body language, scent discrimination, and the science behind the human-animal bond.
FACT: Real-life pets inspire some of the pet characters in HIT AND RUN. I’ve held a “Name That Dog/Name That Cat” contest for each of the novels thus far in the series. Since this thriller continues where FIGHT OR FLIGHT left off, some of those same pet names live on in future stories.
Some of you know that my heart-dog Magic inspired Shadow’s character. We lost Magic in 2018, and I struggled with continuing the series. His best friend Karma-Kat mourned his GSD buddy and slept with Magic’s collar for two weeks after he died. To honor their relationship, I included those names in the contest poll for FIGHT OR FLIGHT, and you—the readers—voted overwhelmingly to bless this and future stories with their names. For that reason, Karma the Rottweiler police dog (named after dog-loving-Karma-Kat) stars in this thriller. And the puppy-son of Shadow and Karma is named Magic, destined to share many future hero dog adventures. (Oh crap, now I’m crying...)
For HIT AND RUN, folks offered 158 cat names and 172 dog names, so many that I decided to include six hero pets in the story. I narrowed it down to sixteen each, and y’all voted 43,300 times to name the following winners:
Sherlock the white cat with green eyes was nominated by Lisa Mahoney. This loving cat enjoyed shoulder perching, snuggling in wet hair, and adored his big brother-cat Pie. I added the seizure-alerting behavior to Sherlock in the story, to better help his new friend Charlie.
Meriwether the orange and white cat was nominated by Kate Holly-Clark. Named after the explorer, Meriwether gets into everything, and is “a bit of an idiot and a real klutz.” The Meriwether in this story certainly gets into everything and should be even more fun in future stories while partnered with Teddy.
Kahlua the black and white cat was nominated by Darla J. Taylor. She adopted Kahlua after a bad car accident. Kahlua became Darla’s unofficial therapy cat, always able to relieve a bad mood. Kahlua in this story keeps Sharon from being hurt in the explosion, and will comfort and hopefully heal her emotionally, as she did in real life with Darla.
Bishop the black and white very large Akita was nominated by Cyn Clarke. He loves children, and adores the snow and cold weather, and like all Akitas, is known for bravery and loyalty. What a joy to add Bishop as a hero dog to save Charlie from freezing, and alert Tee to rescue the girl.
Kismet the very intelligent Great Dane was nominated by Robert Browning. Now eight years old, she’s still very active, and loves all animals and wants to be your best partner and share the sofa with you. Even her name—Kismet—fits the story, as destiny brought Teddy together with this lovely Dane girl at the perfect moment.
Oreo the Border Collie was nominated by Sylvia Finch and was named by her granddaughter for her half black/white face. She’s an extreme people lover and more laid back than many BCs. I hadn’t planned for more than two hero dogs, so it took a while for Oreo to tell me where she fit in the story. But what a perfect adoption option for the retiring cop to bring a sweet cookie-of-a-dog into his son’s life—and save his own.
For more about the winners, and pictures of some of the hero pets, visit the blog page here: https://amyshojai.com/hit-and-run-winners/. Congratulations and THANK YOU to all the winners. I think they all deserve treats. Maybe even bacon!
FACT: Therapy dogs can work wonders when partnered with autistic individuals. Emotional Support Animals (ESA) also partner with a variety of people, from children to adults, including those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Only dogs and guide horses for the blind can be service animals trained to perform a specific function for their human partner (usually three or more tasks), from becoming the ears for the deaf, eyes for the blind, support for other-abled and alert animals for health and physically challenged individuals. Of course, there are amazing people-pet partnerships that develop without any formal training—like Charlie’s seizure-detecting cat Sherlock—and many animals like Shadow and Karma intuitively provide the support their humans need.
Learn about the differences and the benefits of pet-people partnerships at http://petpartners.org. You can also find out about “fake” credentialing services that hurt legitimate partnerships in this blog post: http://amyshojai.com/fake-service-dog-credentials/
FACT: This book would not have happened without an incredible support team of friends, family and accomplished colleagues. Special thanks to my fantastic editor Nicola Aquino of Spit & Polish Editing, who keeps me on track, catches the problems, suggests brilliant fixes, and deletes extraneous commas (I, love, commas, it seems *s*). I’m indebted to my first readers—Kristi, Bonnie, and Frank—for your eagle eyes, spot-on comments and unflagging encouragement and support. Wags and purrs to my Triple-A Team (Amy’s Audacious Allies) for all your help sharing the word about all my books. Youse guyz rock!
I continue to be indebted to the International Thriller Writers organization, which launched my fiction career by welcoming me into the Debut Authors Program. Wow, just look, now I have five books in a series! The authors, readers and industry mavens who make up this organization are some of the most generous and supportive people I have ever met. Long live the bunny slippers with teeth (and the rhinestone #1-Bitch Pin).
Finally, I am grateful to all the cats and dogs I’ve met over the years who have shared my heart and oftentimes my pillow. Magical-Dawg (the inspiration for Shadow) and Seren-Kitty continue to live on in my heart. Brave Bravo my Bullmastiff now a tripawed dog fighting osteosarcoma inspires me every day along with his best buddy Karma-Kat. And newcomer Shadow-Pup (yes, named after the book’s hero!) showed up when we needed him most. Read about Shadow here: https://amyshojai.com/shadow-of-hope-comfort-puppy/
I never would have been a reader and now a writer if not for my fantastic parents who instilled in me a love of the written word, and never looked askance when my stuffed animals and invisible talking wolf and flying cat friends told fantastical stories. And of course, my deepest thanks to my husband Mahmoud, who continues to support my writing passion, even when he doesn’t always understand it.
I love hearing from you! Please drop me a line at my blog https://AmyShojai.com or my website https://shojai.com where you can subscribe to my PET PEEVES newsletter (and maybe win some pet books!). Follow me on twitter @amyshojai and like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/amyshojai.cabc
