Hungry.
The thought drifted into my mind with enough urgency to make my stomach grumble. I opened my eyes and blinked up at the ceiling. For a few seconds I couldn’t remember where I was. Morning brain fog is nothing new for me, my body needs a specialized fuel called “coffee” to get all the cylinders firing.
Hungry.
Another low growl- this time not from my stomach. I looked over to find the source of the sound and my eyes met the golden eyes of a wolf.
My wolf, thankfully. Though, technically, Moss is only part wolf, he’s the spitting image of his timber wolf mother- only bigger.
Hungry. Up!
Moss punctuated the thought with a muzzle-nudge to my cheek and a well aimed trio of rapid-fire licks. Right on the mouth.
“Ick!” I pushed him away and tossed the sheets back. “Okay. I’m up. See?”
My stomach growled again. I couldn’t really be sure if I was actually hungry or if Moss’s thoughts had bombarded me long enough to take root. It happens from time to time. Just one of the many joys of being an animal telepath. Sometimes, when I’m asleep or just really tired the shields I have around my mind fade away and I’m left unsure whether my feelings are my own or belong to the animal closest to me.
Having a telepathic ability might sound fun or intriguing. It’s not. Try waking up with the urge to hoard food for winter. That happened when I was three and a squirrel had moved into the tree outside my bedroom window. My poor parents- they found pecans stuffed all over the house for months.
I’m not saying my ability doesn’t have its perks. It does. I’ve become the go-to animal behaviorist who can get results when no one else can. Something I would not be able to do if I couldn’t have a two-way conversation with my clients- or rather, my client’s pets.
In case you’re wondering, my business cards do not read: Grace Wilde, animal psychic. I don’t tell people about that quirk. I’m pretty sure they’d think I was nuts.
As I shuffled into the bathroom- large canine in tow, grumbling about his breakfast- I glanced at the clock. If I didn’t suck down some coffee and get a move on, I was going to be late for my first appointment. Luckily, I’m a low maintenance kind of girl and in twenty minutes, I was showered, fueled and ready for the day.
Though my clients had me zig-zagging all over Jacksonville, everything was going smoothly until the last appointment of the day. That was when I hit a snag.
Even after in-depth conversation with a Quarter Horse named Biggun, I was stumped at his sudden aversion to the horse trailer.
My ability has limits- I can’t just look into an animal’s brain and flip through it like you would a picture book. I only know their thoughts when they’re thinking them. And if their mind is clouded with an emotion like fear- I get a big dose of that, too. I understood Biggun was afraid. I knew what he was afraid of. I just didn’t know why because the horse wasn’t clear on it, either.
I wasn’t about to give up, though. Tenacity is stamped in my DNA right next to stubbornness and determination.
One thing I’ve learned – the answer is there if you look hard enough, even if it means crawling under a horse trailer. And wouldn’t you know it, that’s how I found the broken support beam. It wasn’t visible from anywhere else but Biggun, being true to his name, was heavy enough to feel the floor wasn’t quite stable.
Case closed.
I was actually getting good at solving mysteries. Just ask Sergeant Kai Duncan with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. But that’s a story for another time…
Thanks to Berkley, I have one (1) copy of WOOF AT THE DOOR to give away. Leave a comment to be included in the giveaway. The book will be shipped directly from the publisher. Contest ends July 13; US entries only per publisher’s request.
You can read more about Grace in Woof at the Door, the first book in the new “Call of the Wilde” mystery series. Click here to read the first chapter of the book.
Meet the author
Spending the first years of her life on a Costa Rican coffee farm blessed Laura Morrigan with a fertile imagination and a love for all things wild.
Later she became a volunteer at a local zoo, helping out with everything from “waste management” to teaching an elephant how to paint. Drawing from her years of experience with both wild and domestic animals and her passion for detective novels, Laura created the Call of the Wilde series. She lives in Florida with her husband and far too many cats, loves the Blue Angels, wearing flip flops in November, and thunderstorms.
You can reach Laura on her website, Twitter or on Facebook.
Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
What a wonderful idea. Dee
Thanks, Dee!
love 1st books in a new cozy series!!
thank you for the giveaway!!
You’re welcome, Cyn! And thanks!
I like getting new books in a series. Thank you for the chance to win
Well, I hope you pick Woof up! (you won’t be able to put it down-or so I’m told) 😉
What a clever title. I look forward to this series.
Woof Woof! Thanks!!
Sounds great, love the title, :). Look forward to reading it
Thanks so much, Debbie!!
This sounds great – I love a little paranormal mixed in with a cozy. Thanks.
Me, too, Linda! Thanks!
Sounds like an intriguing book. Thanks for the chance to win.
Sure, Thing, Nancy!
I’d love to have a pet like hers. I’d never be afraid to be out late at night. LOL
Please enter me in the contest Dru.
So would I! Well, if I could handle a wolf-hybrid, and I’m not sure I could.
Good luck!
I’ve been looking forward to this one!
Thanks, Sarah!
Loved this first in this series. Get writing, Laura. I’m old & can only read w/ E-Reader enhancement. Excitedly waaiting for the next in the series.
Yes, Ma’am!! Book 2, A Tiger’s Tale, is with my editor- hoping to work on edits soon and get it on the shelves! (just for you!)
Sounds, interesting. Sometimes it would be nice to be able to know what your animals are thinking or feeling.
“sometimes” being the operative word!
😀
I’ve always wondered what my Beagle, Stella, is thinking. This sounds like a great new series, and the opportunity to get in on the ground floor is fabulous. Count me in, as always. dz87507 at gmail dot com.
She probably wonders why some humans yell “Stellaaaa!” when you tell them her name, Denise…
😉
Sounds like a Great Read
Thanks, Staci!
This series will be a must read for this animal lover. I can hardly wait to find it in the store–unless I win this book, of course.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sue! And good luck!
Love the title, Laura! The series sounds like a lot of fun. Best of luck with it!
Thanks, Ladies!! Mwah!
Sounds like a good read.
Hope so, Rita!
😉
Going on my tbr for sure !
Yay! Thanks Kathy!
Sounds like a winner. Count me in too. judydee22002@yahoo dot com
Done, Judy! Good luck!
Congrats to Laura on her success! The Call of the Wilde series sounds like a winner and one that I think I’d like to read. Thanks for the chance to win!
Thanks so much! And I hope you’re right (about the series being a winner!!)
A cozy mystery, telepathic abilities and a wolf — what’s not to like? I love the title. Thanks for the chance to win.
You’re a woman after my own heart, Darlene!
Thank you for introducing me to this author! And thank you for the chance to win.
Just discovered your blog and I am looking forward to following it. This one sounds like a fun read. Would love to win a copy.
Dru Ann’s blog is great! and good luck!
Nice to meet you, Mary- and good luck!
Sounds like a great series, another one to add to my growing list. I love cozies about animals, this sounds totally unique, love it.
Thanks so much, Debbie! I hope you will!
What a great “interview”; I look forward to reading Woof At the Door in the near future, and if I were to win the giveaway, that would be a guarantee that I will get it read sooner than later. This concept-genre is a nice new refreshing approach to mysteries and that is something that I am truly looking forward to experiencing. Thank you for this opportunity.
My pleasure, Cynthia! Good luck!
This sounds like a great new series! I can’t wait to read it!
This looks like my type of cozy. Can’t wait to read it ~
Great, Linda, thank you!
I think an animal psychic would be very interesting.
Me, too, Lisa! lol
Thanks Laura for bringing Grace’s adventures to my readers, and also thanks for commenting.
Its was my pleasure, Dru Ann! thank you for having me- and for having such a great blog!
Contest is closed.
Wow, another great series, to read. Laura, your book sound great. I would love to read, it. I know, late for the contest, but that ok.will be adding to my read list.
Thanks so much, Teresa! I hope you enjoy it!