Thank you for hosting me today, Anastasia. Let me introduce myself to your readers. I’m Lily Dreyfus, and I am the Adoption Coordinator at the Forever Friends Animal Shelter in Bassettville, NJ. Since we’re close to Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d talk about love and relationships.
Last year Darlene put me out in public when Clues From The Canines was launched. The book was a great experience for Darlene but not so much for me. As a woman slightly north of forty, I often get referred to in non-polite terms. Words like spinster and loner are whispered behind palms. I would choose words like selective and self-assured.
As it happened, I met another person who was also selective, Pete Russo. Pete adopted a German shepherd named Burrow from our shelter. One day I ran into Pete while he was walking Burrow on the Cooper River trails, and I joined them. That led to other outings, dinners, hikes, and picnics. We bonded over the power dogs have to make our lives better.
We had different backgrounds and upbringings, but Pete and I were great for each other. We could walk for hours without saying a word, just absorbing the brilliance nature brought to the trails we hiked. Each time we saw each other, we were drawn closer.
And then Darlene killed him. I met this sweet, thoughtful guy, and she killed him. It was terrible. I was a wreck inside and couldn’t show it. My coworkers didn’t know I’d been dating Pete. Ugh, my supervisor, Martin, is such a gossip. I would’ve endured endless questions. I had my pups Boone and Crockett to help console me. Crockett is a face licker, especially when he knows I’m sad.
To add insult to injury, Darlene had Pete murdered. I knew something was off about his sudden death, and I was right. My band of canine companions helped lead me to clues, then I, in turn, led the police to the perpetrator. It was quite the emotional roller coaster.
Could Darlene just leave me to grieve and regroup? No, she colluded with my friend Mickey Sterling on a fix-up with, of all people, one of Pete’s friends. Up Close And Pawsonal, which releases March 4, 2023, opens with Jim and me on a date. We go to an outdoor concert at Haddon Glen in Haddon Heights, NJ. There’s a cover band playing, and my coworker Ingrid’s nephew, who is typically the back-up guitarist, gets to play lead guitar.
It’s a beautiful night. The temperatures are moderate, and the trees provide shade from the setting sun. Jim holds my hand. I’m tapping my toe along to the music. Then BAM! Someone drives past the park shooting from the back of a black SUV. Jim pulls me from the bench and covers me with his body. Darlene and Mickey’s choice to fix me up with a former Marine pays off that night. Jim’s reflexes are impressive. Then again, a lot of things about Jim are really impressive.
Readers will see our relationship evolve in Up Close And Pawsonal. We go on several dates. I struggle with PTSD after the shooting, and he helps me cope. I even meet one of his friends who adopts two dogs from the shelter.
Darlene writes cozies, so thankfully, some parts of my life are private. Off blog maybe you and I can chat over a glass of wine.
It was downright mean of Darlene to take Pete from me. However, Pete may have been a conduit to an even better pairing. For now, I’m enjoying Jim’s presence in my life. I feel my toes tingle whenever we’re together.
Of course, my dog Boone is not a fan of Jim, but that’s a story for another visit.
Up Close and Pawsonal
A Lily Dreyfus Mystery, Book
A casual evening of listening to music by a local cover band turns into a murder investigation when a drive-by shooting destroys the tranquility of the night and critically injures two of the band members. Lily Dreyfus stressed and unsettled from having been at the concert, is informed that one of the dead band members is the nephew of her coworker at the Forever Friends Animal Shelter. Lily will leash together a set of seemingly unrelated events to seek the perpetrator and make them heel.
Preorder (available March 3rd)
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