When Research Is Your Life

by Linda O. Johnston

Research is my life, and my life is research!

How?  Well, all the books I write these days feature dogs, and I'm always spending time with my dogs, learning to train them, letting them train me, listening to their demands, feeding them, trying different kinds of treats, and more.  I've got two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, a 9-year-old and a 9-month-old.  Their stages of training are quite different--and the younger one knows more than the older one!  At least regarding things people would like them to know.

I also love meeting, talking with, petting and playing with other peoples' dogs, including those owned by friends and neighbors, and others also being trained in our puppy's training class.

Do I feel like my Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries protagonist, Carrie Kennersly?  Not really.  She's even more involved with dogs than I am.  First, she started out as a veterinary technician, which is where she created the scrumptious and healthy dog treats she now sells at her Barkery and Biscuits bakery--next door to her human bakery Icing on the Cake.  One thing you can guess about her theme is that she likes to bake and does it a lot.  Me?  I'm not much of a cook of any kind.  But I do like sampling treats and letting my dogs indulge as well.

Right now, I'm in between my Barkery books.  The last one, BAD TO THE BONE, was released in May 2017, and the next, to be titled PICK AND CHEWS, will come out in May 2018.

But I feel like I'm always plotting and petting dogs and learning more that can be incorporated in future books.  So... Hey, pups.  Come.  Sit.  Stay.  Down.  Give me hugs.  And inspire me to write some more!