This winter really kicked my rear end . I don’t know if it was actually colder, longer, and snowier than usual or if it just felt that way, but either way, I felt drained. A kind of low-grade listlessness settled over me, the kind that makes it hard to muster enthusiasm for much of anything. My creativity? It all but hibernated. I’ve always been a summer person. I thrive when the sun is shining, when I can get outside and move, when nature feels alive and bursting with possibility. There’s something about stepping into warm air that sparks energy in me, making ideas flow as easily as the breeze through the trees. But winter? Winter is different. The days are short, the nights are long, and the cold seeps into everything. Even with the glow of holiday lights or the beauty of fresh snow, I find myself counting down to spring. I try to embrace the season—hot tea, cozy blankets, the occasional twinkling snowfall—but the truth is, I have to actively fight my way through these three months...
Every morning as I sit down to write, my own Papillon, Blueberry, curls up beside my keyboard. Her expressive eyes follow my fingers as they dance across the keys, almost as if she's reading along. Sometimes I swear she nods in approval when I nail a particularly good plot twist. It's this daily ritual that breathes life into Pixie, the telepathic Papillon in my Magical Papillon Mystery series. In creating Sarah Anderson and her four-legged detective companion, I didn't just want another cute animal sidekick. I wanted to capture that ineffable connection that exists between humans and their beloved pets—the silent understanding, the comfort in shared solitude, and yes, those moments when you'd swear they can read your mind. The Secret Language of Pets in Cozy Mysteries If you've ever found yourself in a quiet room, looking into your pet's eyes and feeling utterly understood, you already know why animals are the perfect addition to cozy mysteries. They witn...