To Fetch a Villain Guest Post

To Fetch a Villain Guest Post

All Four Authors’ Guest Post

How our pets have adjusted to our working from home.

Heather: Pre-COVID, I did some of my day gig at home. I’m an IT manager, so we do some night and weekend work remotely. The pandemic shifted everything. I now report to the office one day a week, and I work from home the rest of the time.

My husband and I share our house with a brother/sister pair of crazy Jack Russell Terriers. They are quite active and love to run and walk outdoors. They each have a cuddle cup in my upstairs office where I write (and now work from home). They remind me when I’ve been sitting too long and it’s time to play. They also both know when it’s time for lunch. They’re always on the lookout for snacks and a chance to get a bite of something.

We live at the top of a hill in a wooded neighborhood in Central Virginia, and they like looking out the windows at the birds and squirrels who hang out in our trees.

They’re favorite pandemic trick is to photobomb my video conference calls. My desk faces a big window that looks out at the treetops, and they like to jump up in my lap when they see birds or their arch-enemies, the squirrels. They’ve made quite a few appearances in my video conferences.

Jayne: Pre-COVID: I worked primarily from home as a full-time Realtor® and part-time mystery writer. I did my thing (come and go as necessary), my two dogs did their thing (sleep, eat, play.) We got along quite nicely.

Amid-COVID: I work almost exclusively from home, and still come and go as necessary, but less frequently. But now when I’m doing my thing at home, the dogs need to be nearby; underfoot, cuddled near me on the sofa, or on my lap. The lap part is the challenge because Tiller, a mutt in every sense of the word, weighs one-hundred pounds, and my lap is just not big enough for both him and my laptop. It seems my pups sense the shift in the atmosphere, and want nothing more than to give and receive comfort. I’m not complaining, mind you. Nothing better than a good dog cuddle to ease the stress and worry of pandemic life. Cuddles and food, that’s how I get through the day. Oh, wait a second. Lightbulb moment. It occurs to me that their dogging my every step when I’m in the house may be a result of my oh-so-frequent trips to the snack cupboard. I usually share. My pups are food motivated, and I am food comforted in times of extreme stress. So perhaps this is a learned behavior for them, and not so much a “we’re here for you, mom” thing. Either way, it’s wonderful to have them around.

COVID restrictions have certainly affected us all, and while we look forward to when things return to normal, or at least we adapt to a “new” normal, I’ll pass the time curled up with my two dogs…and a good book.

Maria: No problem! Writing fiction is a solitary business, normally done at home. We writers have probably had to make fewer adjustments than anyone in these strange times. My cat, Lulu, is fourteen-year-old snowshoe cat. If you don’t know what a snowshoe cat is, just think “Grumpy Cat with sweet face” Lulu loves to sit beside me on the sofa in my den while I write. She keeps me company. Sometimes we take a break for a snack or a few minutes on YouTube. Lulu loves Cat Videos. She pats the screen. Maybe it’s not a pat. Maybe she’s trying to catch that mouse.

I truly believe that many of us have our cats and dogs to thank for keeping us sane during the pandemic. They are wonderful companions. They never get tired of listening to us. At least I don’t think they do.

Teresa: I have been working from home since March and my dogs love me being home with them. I love it too. They sit by my workstation and sleep. When I get up, they get up. I take breaks with them throughout the day. They’ve become my best friends during the pandemic.

About To Fetch A Villain


To Fetch a Villain – Four Fun “Tails” of Scandal and Murder A Mutt Mystery
Cozy Mysteries
3rd in Series
Publisher: Bay Breeze Books
Paperback: 244 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8681709619
ASIN: B08LSQ7VVX

Old dogs and new tricks abound in TO FETCH A VILLAIN, the third installment in the Mutt Mysteries series. This collection of four novellas illustrates why dogs are our best friends and the perfect companions for digging up clues, solving crimes, and bringing villains to justice. Let sleeping dogs lie? Not when the MUTTS are on the case.

About the Authors

Heather Weidner

Heather Weidner writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series (Secret Lives and Private Eyes, The Tulip Shirt Murders, and Glitter, Glam, and Contraband). Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, and Deadly Southern Charm. Her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series (To Fetch a Thief, To Fetch a Scoundrel, and To Fetch a Villain). Her new cozy series, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, launches October 2021.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers. Through the years, she has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager.

Maria Hudgins

Maria Hudgins is a mystery writer and a former high school science teacher. She is the author of the Dotsy Lamb Travel Mysteries, the Lacy Glass Archaeology Mysteries and several published short stories. Her favorite things are traveling, reading, dogs, and cats. She lives in Hampton, Virginia with her cat, Lulu.

Jayne Ormerod

Jayne Ormerod grew up in a small Ohio town and attended a small-town Ohio college. Upon earning her accountancy degree, she became a CIA (that’s not a sexy spy thing, but a Certified Internal Auditor). She married a naval officer, and off they sailed to see the world. After nineteen moves, they, along with their two rescue dogs Tiller and Scout, settled in a cottage by the Chesapeake Bay. Jayne writes cozy mysteries about small towns with beach settings. You can read more about Jayne and her many publications at www.JayneOrmerod.com.

Teresa Inge

Teresa Inge grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Today, she doesn’t carry a rod like her idol, but she hotrods. She is president of Sisters in Crime Mystery by the Sea Chapter and author of short mysteries in Virginia is for Mysteries, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Coastal Crimes: Mysteries by the Sea, and Murder by the Glass.

She resides in Southeastern Virginia with her husband and two dogs, Luke and Lena.

MUTT MYSTERIES

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5 Comments

  1. Thanks for posting about the Mutt Mysteries authors and our sidekicks during the pandemic!!

  2. Thanks for letting us stop by! This is great!



  3. Thanks for allowing the Mutt Mystery authors in for a visit! Appreciate your support of all things cozy. Wishing you and your US readers a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday! ~Jayne O

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