Get Fluffy meets Fifty Shades of Greyhound ! Writers and Other Animals...
Today I'm delighted to welcome authors Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter to my blog. They write books with such pet-themed titles as: Desperate Housedogs, Get Fluffy, Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, Yip/Tuck, Fifty Shades of Greyhound, and The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo ! Irresistable! And they've brought with their wonderful pets here with them today, to help tell us about...
We write a pet-themed mystery series and we
belong to a Facebook group of authors who write books with animals in them. All
the stories are different, but what we have in common is our love of animals.
We can’t speak to why the others chose to include animals in their stories, but
we will share our own story of how we came to write mysteries with names like: Desperate Housedogs and Yip/Tuck. Or our latest, Downton Tabby.
1. Pet
Love
When we were told our cozy mystery needed to have a “theme” we realized that if
we were going to do a series, it should be around something we felt passionate
about. Cooking? No. Crafts? No. Our families? Yes, but we didn’t think we
should kill them - even if was just in a book. Though, there are days… Then, it
hit us. We are crazy about our rescue pets! So, we decided to incorporate
people and their love for their pets into our mysteries.
3. Comic Relief Part of what keeps us turning the
pages of a book, whether a cozy, a thriller, or other types of fiction, is the
pacing and tension. Having a misbehaving pooch or cuddly cat to break the
tension can be great, but what’s even more fun is how we all behave when it
comes to our furry family members.
5. Common
Ground. We’ve found that readers who have a love for our furry friends also
enjoy the types of stories we write. This shared passion has brought us in
contact with a wonderful group of readers and friends who love their pets and
enjoy a light-hearted mystery.
Sparkle
Abbey is the pseudonym of mystery authors
Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter. They’ve chosen to use Sparkle Abbey as their
pen name on this series because they liked the idea of combining the names of
their two rescue pets – Sparkle (ML’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). The authors
co-write the bestselling Pampered Pets Mystery Series which focuses on the
wacky world of precious pedigrees, pampered pooches, and secrets in posh Laguna
Beach, California. The main characters and amateur sleuths are Texas cousins,
Carolina Lamont, a pet therapist, and Melinda Langston, a pet boutique owner.
The first books in the series, Desperate Housedogs, Get Fluffy, Kitty Kitty
Bang Bang, Yip/Tuck, Fifty Shades of
Greyhound, and The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo have received rave
reviews. Midwest Book Review calls the series “A sassy and fun mystery!”
Currently the Kindle versions of Sparkle
Abbey’s backlist titles: Get Fluffy,
Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, and Yip/Tuck
are on sale at the discounted price of $1.99. And the most recent titles, Fifty Shades of Greyhound and The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo are
on sale for $2.99.
Writers
and Other Animals
We write a pet-themed mystery series and we
belong to a Facebook group of authors who write books with animals in them. All
the stories are different, but what we have in common is our love of animals.
We can’t speak to why the others chose to include animals in their stories, but
we will share our own story of how we came to write mysteries with names like: Desperate Housedogs and Yip/Tuck. Or our latest, Downton Tabby. 
1. Pet
Love
When we were told our cozy mystery needed to have a “theme” we realized that if
we were going to do a series, it should be around something we felt passionate
about. Cooking? No. Crafts? No. Our families? Yes, but we didn’t think we
should kill them - even if was just in a book. Though, there are days… Then, it
hit us. We are crazy about our rescue pets! So, we decided to incorporate
people and their love for their pets into our mysteries.
2. Character
Insights You’ve
heard the quote that says, “We can judge the heart of man by his treatment of
animals.” Well, it’s very true. How someone interacts with an animal reveals a
lot about that person and we love to use that to give readers insights into the
characters in our stories.
3. Comic Relief Part of what keeps us turning the
pages of a book, whether a cozy, a thriller, or other types of fiction, is the
pacing and tension. Having a misbehaving pooch or cuddly cat to break the
tension can be great, but what’s even more fun is how we all behave when it
comes to our furry family members.
4. Amateur
Sleuthing
In a mystery that features an amateur sleuth, there must be plenty of
opportunity for sleuthing. We’ve chosen to use cousins who, through their
professions (pet therapist & pet boutique owner), not only come in contact
with a lot of pets, but also have a view into the lives of the people they come
in contact with.
5. Common
Ground. We’ve found that readers who have a love for our furry friends also
enjoy the types of stories we write. This shared passion has brought us in
contact with a wonderful group of readers and friends who love their pets and
enjoy a light-hearted mystery. 
Sparkle
Abbey is the pseudonym of mystery authors
Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter. They’ve chosen to use Sparkle Abbey as their
pen name on this series because they liked the idea of combining the names of
their two rescue pets – Sparkle (ML’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). The authors
co-write the bestselling Pampered Pets Mystery Series which focuses on the
wacky world of precious pedigrees, pampered pooches, and secrets in posh Laguna
Beach, California. The main characters and amateur sleuths are Texas cousins,
Carolina Lamont, a pet therapist, and Melinda Langston, a pet boutique owner.
The first books in the series, Desperate Housedogs, Get Fluffy, Kitty Kitty
Bang Bang, Yip/Tuck, Fifty Shades of
Greyhound, and The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo have received rave
reviews. Midwest Book Review calls the series “A sassy and fun mystery!”
They love to hear from readers so stop by
their website www.sparkleabbey.com or visit them on
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/sparkleabbey to check out all their latest news.
Currently the Kindle versions of Sparkle
Abbey’s backlist titles: Get Fluffy,
Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, and Yip/Tuck
are on sale at the discounted price of $1.99. And the most recent titles, Fifty Shades of Greyhound and The Girl with the Dachshund Tattoo are
on sale for $2.99.
The
next installment, coming in June, is:
Downton Tabby
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