Congratulations on your win!  Tell us about your experience and expertise, and how this relates to your entry.  What target audience did you write for, and why?

The Second Chance category is about dogs, often rescues, who get a second chance in life.  Since 1977 all my dogs, except for my service dog, have been rescued.  Everyone likes to root for the underdog—no pun intended—so all dogs lovers were my target audience.

What prompted you to submit this specific entry?  Why do you think it struck a special chord with the public and the judges—and with you?

I like to share the personality of my dogs, and this time I chose the toughest rescue I ever had.  The thing about grown rescues is that you really don’t know what you’re getting into, as opposed to a puppy.  Rescued adult dogs do have baggage.  My story was about me and a rescue who never really “clicked” due to his baggage. Yet despite this, Oscar, a small beagle dachshund mix, saved my daughter’s life.

How big a role have dogs played in your personal and professional life?  Was there a particular dog that sparked your interest in interacting with the public?  Tell us about this dog[s] in your contest entry.

I’ve had dogs since 1977, and I always try to use one of them in my books or stories or use them to produce a fictional dogs’ character.  The one special dog that prompted me to write about them was Sheba, my second service dog.  She was so clever, so exceptional, so devoted, so loving, and so very sweet for a German Shepherd Dog, that I had to share our partnership with others.  We connected on such a deep level—just the opposite of Oscar.

Oscar was rescued from the streets in Tijuana, Mexico as a young dog by my cleaning lady.  And although I already had three dogs, I took him in.  He loved me but never let me hold him.  We sat in his favorite position, side by side with me on the couch.  We were never truly bonded, which made me sad, but his loyalty to the family was never in question.  I loved him for 17 years.  I didn’t know what trauma the streets of Mexico had done to the aloof Oscar, but he saved my daughter’s life.  I never expected it.  He kept to himself, but when the chips were down, he exploded out of his shell to protect his family.

How have people impacted your association with dogs?  Family?  Friends?  Peers?  Do you have any favorite writers or graphic artists?  How have they influenced your career?

My husband and I are both life-long dog lovers.  He was in the Navy, and the children and I were often alone.  My dogs were not only family members and companions, they were also a source of  protection, which they proved more than once, preventing three break-ins to our home. And I was lonely when I was a single mom whose husband was gone.  My dogs filled that hole in my heart.

When I joined DWAA, I was excited to learn that I wasn’t the only “rabid dog lover” around.  I’ve been criticized by family for making dogs a big part of my life.  Except for my two service dogs, they never understood why I also had companion pets, too.  “They cost too much money.”  “They limit your lifestyle.”  “They’re just dogs, not family members.”  “They get hair all over the furniture.”  “Your house smells like dog.”  My peers in DWAA have been a breath of fresh air.  I’ve finally found people who feel the same way I do.

When you consider both your personal and professional canine-related achievements, which one stands out the most?  And why?

I suppose the first book I published with a dog character stands out.  Firsts are always special.  But professionally, I was deeply touched by a reader of mine.  I wrote a book where a regular dog keeps nosing a female character’s chest.  It turns out that character had breast cancer, and her boyfriend severely chastised her for not doing a monthly self-exam.  A reader wrote and told me that it prompted her to do a self-exam herself, and the lump she found was cancerous.  If she had waited longer, it could have been worse.  I wrote her a follow up letter asking how she was, but there was no answer.  Still, out of all the books I wrote, that book could have saved her life.  I still think of her.

As for my professional achievements, I was most surprised, honored, and humbled last year when I was awarded DWAA’s Distinguished Service Award,  in recognition for my efforts to increase our DWAA digital footprint, specifically the blogs.  I was truly enjoying myself doing so.  I didn’t know that I’d made such an impression with DWAA, and I am most grateful for their recognition.

What is the driving force that sparks your work?

I’m in love with stories.  I have been since I was a young child.  Then, as now, I read anything and everything.  In addition to reading, I watch a lot of television and movies, analyzing their writing, and learning from other writers what is exceptional, and what it faulty.  Fictional stories in any form are my life.  My husband jokingly says I live in fantasy land.  What a lovely place to be!  I have the drive and love to devote myself to my craft.  To be the best wordsmith I can be is both my goal and my joy in life.  Add some dogs to the mix, and that’s the icing on the cake!

What ongoing or future canine projects do you have planned?  Are they personal or professional or both?

Professionally, I have completed four books with dogs that I am working to post on Amazon.  It is a slow process, what with commissioning cover art and editing, but I’m getting there and excited about their future.

My personal project is the rehabilitation of our 4-year-old rescue, a “breeder” long-haired dachshund who only produced 2 live puppies in 4 litters.  She was left in the cage she’d spent her life in, starved and matted and full of fleas. Suzy is quite feral, and although we’ve had her for 5 months, our progress with her is very slow. She still won’t allow us to pick her up, though we can now pet her while she is on the floor.  That took us two months to achieve.

The crate is her safe place, as that is all she has known her whole life, but little by little we are drawing her out.  Her fear around humans is heartbreaking, but as my husband says, at least she has a better life now and a full food bowl.  She does get along with my other dachshund, so she has companionship and that is some consolation when she keeps rejecting us.  Some rescues come with terrible baggage, but Suzy’s fears are oh so slowly lessening, and that is a good thing.

What would you advise those who wish to enter the Second Chance category in next year’s contest?

Everyone loves reading about rescued dogs, including me!  But I wrote about a rescued dog who never bonded with anyone, despite his 17 years with us.  He was not outwardly affectionate, although he enjoyed being with me.  Most rescued stories end up with a human and dog living happily ever after, romping in the fields.  My dog didn’t, but he saved my daughter’s life, proving his loyalty, despite his aloof personality.  I would recommend that “Second Chance” writers talk about a dog that is unique.  Not all rescued dogs become great companions, but they can still do extraordinary things.

To conclude this interview, what thoughts would you like to add?

Don’t assume that your rescued dog will automatically produce rainbows and sunshine and happily wagging tails. They may happen down the road, but then again, like Oscar, they may not.  Ever.  Be realistic, don’t rely on false hopes.  Accept who they are, baggage and all.  Still, they are valuable canines in their own right, and may just surprise you, as my winning story shows.  And know that no matter what, you have saved them.  They might show their gratitude in the most unexpected ways.  Like saving a life.

In conclusion, I’d like to thank DWAA and the judges and all the other members who put this contest together to give us a chance to share our stories with other dog lovers.  It’s truly a special thing.