Guest Blog: FOUR AUTHORS Tell All About Four “Tails” of Miscreants and Murder

FOUR AUTHORS TELL ALL ABOUT FOUR “TAILS” OF MISCREANTS AND MURDER

• To Fetch A Villain, the third book in the Mutt Mysteries series, features Four Fun “Tails” of Miscreants and Murder. Tell us what it’s like to write with multiple authors?
  1. Teresa Inge – We coordinate the stories, editing, cover art, publication, and book promotion. Since the four of us are in other series together, we love coordinating the series.
  2. Heather Weidner – It’s fun. I love being in group projects for discussions and camaraderie. Writing is solitary, so I enjoy hanging out with writer friends in a collaborative effort.
  3. Jayne Ormerod – Great fun. We write individually, resulting in four stand-alone stories. It’s like Christmas morning when reading the book from start to finish. The real fun is planning (often at Williamsburg Winery), marketing, and book signings.
  4. Maria Hudgins – The best part is readers get more than just my slant on things. My dogs and are friends, partners, and equals in brains and common sense. The other authors provide entertainment and activities for their pets.

Since readers of crime fiction love a series, what is your protagonist’s name and background and

do you use the same protagonist in each book?

1. 1. Teresa Inge – Catt Ramsey, owner of the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers in Virginia Beach, is in the wrong place at the wrong time throughout the series. But when accused of murder, she’s on the case with pups Cagney and Lacey, sister Em, and family friend Jonathan Ray
   2. Heather Weidner – My protagonist is sassy private investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald. She’s also my sleuth in the Delanie Fitzgerald mysteries. It was fun to include her and her computer hacker/partner, Duncan, and his English bulldog, Margaret, outside the regular series.
   3. Jayne Ormerod – I use a different protagonist and canine sidekick in each story. Different personalities are needed for different situations. But the “voice” is the same. It’s more like sitting in a sharing and caring circle while each amateur sleuth tells her adventures in crime fighting.
   4. Maria Hudgins – Jessica Chastain, a mystery writer is totally deaf but very competent on her own. Her trained service dog, Trey, acts as her ears and watches out for her. In my other series, Dotsy Lamb, a retired history professor gets into trouble around the globe, and Lacy Glass, plant pigment expert and archaeology wannabe, attends digs, wherever a certain archaeologist is working.

As dogs are the primary characters in your story, what are their names and breeds and how do they help solve crime and murder? And do you ever include your own dogs in the series?

1. 1. Teresa Inge – Cagney and Lacey, two Yorkshire Terriers go everywhere with Catt Ramsey to solve crime and murder. They bark and alert Catt to dangerous situations. I sometimes include my own dogs Luke and Lena, two shepherd mixed dogs in the series.
   2. Heather Weidner – Margaret, the Wonder Dog, an English bulldog is sidekick to Delanie’s partner, Duncan, at Falcon Investigations. She naps, snacks, and provides security at the office. One summer, she alerted Delanie and Duncan to a snake in the ceiling. My Jack Russell    Terriers are Disney and Riley from the same litter.
   3. Jayne Ormerod – We’ve had six dogs during our lives. Each inspired certain traits of my fictional dogs. In my story “Ruff Day”, Mr. Belvedere is a silver Great Dane and some of his antics stem from my sister’s experiences as a dog walker.
   4. Maria Hudgins – Trey and Kim, Bichon frises are based on my bichons, Holly and Hamilton, who were with me until five years ago. Trey, a trained service dog, is devoted to making Jessica’s house run like clockwork. Kim, a rescue is working to put her sad past behind her. Together, they’re playful but can be forces to be reckoned with!

Anything else you want to share about future books in the series or yourself?

1. 2021. Teresa Inge – I am writing a story for the next Mutt Mysteries book, To Fetch a Killer. Murder by the Glass and Virginia is for Mysteries will be published in 2021.
   2022. Heather Weidner – I write the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries and the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries. The fourth Delanie book will be out in 2021, and the first Jules book will launch in October 2021.
   2023. Jayne Ormerod – Some book proceeds are donated to animal welfare by each author. I send mine to Hope for Life Rescue in Virginia Beach. Our dog Scout and grand-dog Porter came from there. Tiller is our double rescue dog.
   2024. Maria Hudgins – I have no dogs now. Lulu, my snowshoe cat that I keep indoors has little opportunity to fight crime. She loves to be read to and prowls the house at night. Her nightly snooping might be a start to a story.

Maria Hudgins

Maria Hudgins is the author of four Dotsy Lamb Travel Mysteries, Death of an Obnoxious Tourist, Death of a Lovable Geek, Death on the Aegean Queen, and Death of a Second Wife. These stories are set in Italy, Scotland, the Greek Islands, and Switzerland. Before using a place as a setting, Hudgins visits and takes copious notes. Two mysteries in her new Lacy Glass Series are available on Kindle and Kindle Prime. Scorpion House centers around an expedition house in Luxor, Egypt. The Man on the Istanbul Train follows the young botanist from Istanbul to an archaeological dig in central Turkey. She lives in Hampton, Virginia.

Teresa Inge

Teresa Inge grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Today, she doesn’t carry a rod like her idol, but she hotrods. Love of reading mysteries and writing professional articles led to writing short fiction and novellas. She is president of Sisters in Crime Mystery by the Sea chapter and author of short mysteries in To Fetch a Thief, To Fetch a Scoundrel, To Fetch a Villain, To Fetch a Killer, Virginia is for Mysteries, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Coastal Crimes: Mysteries by the Sea, and Murder by the Glass. Connect with Teresa and her social media sites by checking out her website: http://www.teresainge.com .

Jayne Ormerod

Jayne Ormerod grew up in a small Ohio town then went on to a small-town Ohio college. Upon earning her degree in accountancy, 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, have settled into a cozy cottage by the sea. Jayne’s publishing credits include more than a dozen mysteries of varying lengths. A complete list can be found on her website www.jayneormerod.com.

Heather Weidner

Heather Weidner writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series set in Virginia (Secret Lives and Private Eyes, The Tulip Shirt Murders, and Glitter, Glam, and Contraband), and her Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries launch October 2021. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries, 50 Shades of Cabernet, and Deadly Southern Charm. Her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. Through the years, she has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers. Find out about Heather and her social media contacts through her website: http://www.heatherweidner.com