Sometimes I get so immersed in my writing, blogging and branding I forget to eat and I ignore the dust bunnies that have been roaming in herds across my hardwood floors.  If I had a fish for a pet, it would be belly-up by now.  Thankfully I have two wonderful golden retriever mix dogs, Lucky and Ella.  The advantage a canine gives a writer is potentially life saving (okay maybe that is an overstatement) they demand your attention.  This forces you back into the real world.  it starts with a woeful stare in your direction, Hey mom, I need water, I need to go out, that thunder is making me nervous. If you don’t respond it escalates to a flurry of movement around your work space, perhaps a wet nose or a lick on any available body parts.  If a stranger dares to jog past on the street, the chorus of barking will jar you out of your book.  Then there are those wonderful moments when you come up for air and you catch their adoring eyes, you can’t help but set the laptop aside for a quick snuggle or perhaps a Scooby snack (don’t say that aloud, you must spell it, unless you are prepared to dole the treats out). The truth of the matter is they keep me from going belly up, even reminding me when bedtime has come and gone.  I love them so much I put them in my book The Eyes Have It, appearing as themselves of course, the ever faithful companions to the book’s heroine Lizzie.  Now if I could just train them to round up those dust bunnies . . .

My Faithful companions Lucky and Ella