Musings . . . On Dog Years and Writing Romantic Suspense Novels

As I wrote my earlier romantic suspense novels, from Deceived through Concierge, and now, while working on Imagine and Insertion, my two papillons have been my constant companions. They’re usually lounging on the couch in my study, or right behind my chair. This is how they look when they’re watching me write:

Excited, right? When I turn to look at them, their glance back at me says, “Hey mom, I wasn’t sleeping. You can do this. Keep going.” (They really might be saying – ‘hey, when are you getting out of that chair and walking us’ – but for the moment I’ll believe what I want to believe). They are named Roux and Stella. Yes – Stella the Papillon and I share a first name. It isn’t exactly a coincidence; I’ve written about the inspiration for my pen name in this Ask Stella blog.

The American Kennel Club provides the following description of papillons:

“A tiny dog, measuring 8 to 11 inches at the shoulder, you can still spot a Papillon a block away thanks to the large, wing-shaped ears that give the breed its name (“papillon” is French for “butterfly”). Some Paps have erect ears; in others, known as the Phalene type, the ears are down. Paps are dainty and elegant, with a plumed tail, and a long, silky coat of several color combinations, the base color being white. More robust than they look, Paps are little dogs for all seasons and reasons.”

Roux is a seven and a half pound, fluffy bundle of outgoing energy. She’s a little shy, but once she warms up she’s fun-loving and impish.  She smiles. Roux is always within a few inches of one of us and will longingly stare for hours at the door if one of us leaves. Because she’s the more outgoing of the two, she’s the one who normally makes appearances on Facebook. I’ve even given her the task of interviewing characters in my novels. This is Roux:

Stella is a svelte six and a half pounds. She’s reserved, serious, with an affinity for lounging in the sun’s rays. Stella will scratch at our legs if we aren’t paying attention to her and likes to be told, in a soothing voice, how pretty she is. She frequently “talks” in complete sentences. This is Stella:

As I write this, Stella is nine years old. Roux is eight. Around their eyes, hair that once was a fiery reddish-brown is now gray. The life expectancy of a papillon is 13-15 years. My life span as a female living in the United States is somewhere around 80 years. I’m aware that statistical life spans don’t come with guarantees. As a dog lover, I know that if I am fortunate and live a full, long life, there will be a time that I long for the days that made up my years with Stella and Roux, to once again touch those wonderfully soft butterfly ears and see their beautiful eyes gazing  at me as I sit in the writing chair.

The sparkling silver lining in this harsh reality is that the relative life spans of dogs and humans reminds me how fast our days come and go. Like everyone, I juggle many different roles. Writing romantic suspense novels is something I love to do, but making time for writing in a busy life presents challenges. Making time for the business of being an author is even more challenging, because I don’t like the business of being an author as much as I love to write. I’m also a lawyer. A wife. A daughter. A sister. A friend. I’m my family’s designated grocery shopper, a fan of the New Orleans Saints … and the list goes on. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind that comes with writing and living a full life. I’m thankful for my dogs and the lesson they provide that each day is special, no matter the challenges that come with the writing life. Their wagging tails tell me to pause…breathe…keep writing…keep living….enjoy…savor…and be grateful.

With love,

p.s.  I love to hear about people and their pets. If you’d like, comment about your pets here. What makes them special to you?

(A friend of mine, David W., did this fantastic image of Stella and Roux. Thanks, David!).

And finally – I hope that you read and enjoy all of my romantic suspense novels. They’re available at Amazon in print, ebook, and the KindleUnlimited reading program. Each is a stand-alone novel that can be read out of order. However, if you’re interested in the order in which the stories in the Black Raven series were written, here it is:

• Deceived (Introducing Black Raven) – released in 2014
• Shadows (Black Raven Book One) – released in 2015
• Jigsaw (Black Raven Book Two) – released in 2016
• Concierge (Black Raven Book Three) – released in 2017
• Imagine (Black Raven Book Four)- to be released in October 2018
• Insertion (Black Raven Book Five) – to be released in early 2019