The toddler cried so loudly that I was tempted to cover my ears with both hands. Little Marissa was distraught, and she wasn’t afraid to tell the world how upset she felt. Her mother lifted the brown-eyed, blonde cherub from the stroller, balanced the baby on one hip, and jostled her gently. “Sh, sh,” Allison Straker whispered to her daughter in a comforting voice.
“I’m sorry, Allison, but are you sure?” Clancy Whitehead, my dear friend and right-hand person, was polite but exasperated. “Isn’t it possible Marissa dropped her gray bunny on the way into the store?”
Allison shook her head. “Afraid not. I remember her having it while we were looking at the albums. It sticks in my mind because Marissa took Gray Bunny out of my hands and kissed him. I was thinking what a cute photo it would make.”
She was right. Here at Time in a Bottle, the premiere scrapbook and craft store in St. Louis, we live for great photos like the one that Allison was describing. According to our accountant, this shop has become a destination business. People come from all over the United States to visit us because we’ve earned a reputation as being consumer-friendly, knowledgeable, and on-trend with our selections. Unlike some shops, we’ve always been child-friendly, too. In fact, this week marked our first eight days of being dog-friendly as well. Gracie, my harlequin Great Dane, has always hung out in the back in her doggy playpen. But now we have four-legged friends roaming the store. As a result of the change in policy, we have more traffic than ever. There could be problems down the road, but for now, having fur-babies around is a pleasant distraction.
Of course, right this minute, the problem wasn’t with a fur-baby. It was with a real-life, skin-and-bones, baby who was upset because her favorite toy was missing. Clancy and I had no choice but to launch a search party.
“Glad I dressed down today,” said Clancy as she looked over at me. We were both on our hands and knees, crawling around the floor. I started to say that her designer-label black jeans and black silk blouse didn’t exactly qualify as dressing down to me, but I was interrupted as two dogs went hurtling past. Sunny, a white terrier, was hot on the heels of Athena, a beautiful King Charles Cavalier spaniel. The two were having a great time running around the store in circles. As they made their circuit, Bailey, a little mixed-breed mutt, probably a Bichon-poodle cross, barked her encouragement. She was sitting off to one side, chewing on something. The way she held her prize between her two front paws was really cute. Meanwhile the dog owners were having a grand time talking about their fur-babies’ antics. Sunny and Athena were owned by two neighbors in the same apartment building, while Bailey belonged to Mrs. Thatcher, a new customer from the southern suburbs.
“Clancy, did you look under the rolling shelves?” I sat up, resting my butt on my calves.
She nodded. “Yes, I have crawled every square inch of this store.”
I thought a second. “Could Marissa have tossed it and could it have landed somewhere higher than the floor? Like on a lower level shelf?”
“Worth a look.” Clancy struggled to her feet. Once up, she offered me a hand. I wobbled a bit, but eventually I made it to a vertical position. “You take the left side of the store, and I’ll take the right.”
Ten minutes went by. My canvass of the store was interrupted several times by customers with questions. However, I stuck to good search protocols by walking a grid pattern. Even so, I didn’t see Gray Bunny, although I did hear Marissa continuing to cry. I felt sorry for the toddler, but worse for her mother who couldn’t console her baby.
“Found it!” Clancy shouted. She waved a limp gray form over her head.
I raced from the back of the store to where my friend was standing. Allison heard Clancy’s good news. She joined us from the front of the store. We arrived at Clancy’s side simultaneously as my pal gingerly held up the stuffed toy. Marissa reached for Gray Bunny, but Clancy held it just out of the baby’s grip.
“Allison? You might want to take Gray Bunny home and wash him before you give him back to Marissa. I’m just warning you because the toy is wet with slobber.” Clancy’s index finger and thumb held the bunny away from her body in the universal gesture of disgust.
“What happened? Where’d you find it?” I realized a chunk was gone from Gray Bunny’s ear.
Just then, I felt a tiny scratching at the back of my calf. I turned to see Bailey, pawing my leg.
“Don’t pick her up.” Clancy glowered at the mass of white curls and the merry black eyes. “She’s our culprit.”
Allison’s eyes traveled from the dog to the toy that Clancy was still holding. “What do you mean?”
“I had to wrestle this out of Bailey’s mouth. She was chewing on it. See? Part of the ear is missing.” Using her free hand, Clancy pointed to the weird chunk taken out of Gray Bunny’s floppy ear. “I even took a photo of Bailey holding onto the toy for dear life.”
“Bailey? Bailey, where are you?” Mrs. Thatcher called out. We signaled for her to come over and join us. When she heard the story, she shook her head in dismay. “Did Bailey do that? Did my little lambkins steal somebody’s toy? Bailey? That’s not nice. I am so, so sorry! She loves her stuffed toys at home.”
“Let’s chalk this up to a case of mistaken identity,” I suggested. “Bailey couldn’t distinguish dog toys from Marissa’s lovey, could she?”
I scooped up Bailey and handed her to her owner, while Clancy passed the soggy toy to Allison, who shrugged and handed it to Marissa. “A little dog slobber never hurt anyone. As long as we’ve got Gray Bunny all is well.”
With that, all of us returned to the enjoyable business of talking about crafts and hobbies. A little later when the store was empty, Clancy and I had a good laugh over the incident.
“I want to show you what I made with our photo-editing software while you were busy with customers,” she said, handing me a WANTED poster. In the center was a color photo of Bailey with Marissa’s toy in her mouth. Hanging from the dog’s neck was a fake sign with numbers like authorities put on someone who’s been arrested. But the funniest part was the text that read: All thieves will be prosecuted! Two legs, four legs, six legs, a dollar. We will prosecute, even if you holler!
You can read more about Kiki in Fatal, Family, Album, the 13th book in the “Kiki Lowenstein” mystery series.
After learning that their nanny isn’t the person they thought she was, Kiki and her husband Detweiler must face tough decisions about childcare. And then the drive-by shooting of a forgettable woman changes everything. How far is Kiki willing to go to protect her children–and the children of a woman she’s never met?
# # # # # # # # # # #
About the author
Joanna Campbell Slan is the award-winning and national bestselling author of three mystery series. The first book in this series—Paper, Scissors, Death–was a finalist for the Agatha Award. There are now thirteen books and nearly 30 short stories detailing Kiki’s life. Learn more at joannacampbellslan.com.
All comments are welcomed.
I can’t wait to find out more about Bronwyn and what happens next with Kiki and family!
Love the cover.😀
Aren’t my new covers wonderful? So glad to hear from you, Barbara
I liked the short story. And loved Fatal, Family … Looking forward to the next Kiki and Cara Mia books. Have a great holiday. All the. Best, Elaine
Thank you for having me, Dru Ann!
Terrific, well-written book. Thanyou, Joanna Slan, for more Kiki!
And thank you, Miss Amy, for all your friendship and help!
😀
As a long time dog mamma, I knew what happened to that toy. That is one of the many things that I love about your books; I can relate to so much even though Kiki and Cara Mia’s lives are so different from mine. LOVE the new covers!
LOL,Jeanie. I got the idea after Jax stole another dog’s toy and refused to give it up!
Jeannie, you won! The random number generator chose #3, and you’re the #3 commenter. Please email me at jcslan@joannaslan.com and tell me which Kiki book you’d like me to send you!
very timely, i just came back from shopping at a department store and my daughter and granddaughter and they lost $55. For some reason they thought it was safe to keep the money in their boot until checkout and somewhere along the way the money worked it’s way out of her boot and was lost. The girls felt horrible and I felt bad for them. It ended up being a sad shopping trip.
That’s so sad! Drat. I’m sorry to hear this.
Looks really good. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Shared this post on Twitter
Gee, thanks so much for tweeting about it, Linda! That’s very kind of you.
love all your books
Thank you! I love writing them!
Great story! It’s always tricky keeping children and pets happy.
Particularly if your pet loves to steal stuffed toys. I’ve had that problem with Jax. He’s cute, and he’s too smart. He thinks all toys should be HIS.
thank you so much…love your books.
I really enjoy reading your books on kindle. Keep them coming.
Here’s the deal: You keep reading them, and I’ll keep writing them. How’s that?
I truly love your books. I can’t wait to get my hands on more. The short story should be a full story. Keep them coming, lol!
I have thought about turning some of the short stories into novellas (short books). What do you think?
Cute story. Want to read more. Stories about pets and children are always fun to read.
Isn’t that the truth? But then, people who love kids and animals are my kind of people, so it’s easy to write for them.
Thanks for the chance
My pleasure. I’m blessed that I have Dru Ann as a friend, and therefore, a vehicle to give away a book.
I can see my rottie Scout doing that. She loves her chew toys. She loves to play.
Right now, we’re dogsitting for a friend. Our dog and hers have played themselves ragged! They’re sleeping. Earlier, they were having a tug-of-war with toys. So cute!
So cute! I enjoy your stories so much! I wish I could be in them scrapping and enjoying a browse through the shop. Oh how I wish I had the time!!
Enjoy the holidays!!
Hmmm. Diane, should I give away a character naming? That way you COULD be in a book? (PS — I hope you’ll take the time for yourself. Give yourself permission, okay?)
My dogs would love to visit this store.
And Kiki would give each of them a yummy treat.
Ha! What a cute tale. Just this morning my friend and I were discussing which stores are becoming more pet friendly, specifically to dogs. It is also nice to see more pet parents being more responsible and taking the time to train WITH them so everyone in the family is better behaved.
I’m still working with Jax to be a good doggie citizen. He’s mainly-mostly terrific. Yesterday, when we were on an airplane, he had pain from the pressure changing in the cabin. Poor baby. First time for that! I just kept rubbing his ears and telling him it would be okay. That’s part of being a good pet owner, I think. Taking care of a pet when it’s not happy!
So cute! I have just recently found your books and am loving reading them.
Kim, that’s great news! How did you “discover” me? My work?
Loved the short story 🙂
I love all the Kiki stories and Cara can’t wait to read more!
That’s the kind of wonderful comment that keeps me working hard. Thank you so very much!
I’ve totally enjoyed the growth of the characters and how different but alike they are. Their lives are believable and the reader immersed and gets more and more involved with their lives and families. Waiting for the next adventure!
Pamela, I pride myself on writing “real” people. Early on, a book doctor told me that my work would NEVER sell because my characters were too realistic. So, I’m laughing my butt off these days!
Cute story and so true. My lab chewed up everything for 2 yrs. Everything from stuffed toys to the wooden steps which we had to replace 3 times.
Oh, my! Can you imagine the pain of that going through your system? Sometimes dogs can be pretty crazy.
This was cute!
What a pretty doll! Thank you!
Cute story. Love dogs in stories. They can get into such mischief.
Yes, dogs can be mischief-makers. They give us such joy, don’t they? And laughter? I was laughing earlier, and my husband videotaped the dogs “kissing” me. I’ll have to post it on http://www.facebook.com/joannacampbellslan
Thanks!!
You are welcome! Thanks for being here.
So cute! Thank you!!
I love your last name. Gabriel is an angel, just like Michael, my son.
Love all your books. I would love to see Mia Cara too
She’s been “nagging” me to start writing about her again. Stay tuned!
OMG!!! I’m soooo excited for the next book!!!
Have you read Fatal, Family, Album? Book #13? Or even the prequel–Love, Die, Neighbor? It’s new, too.
Awesome…need to read more!!!
Jerilynn, I hope you will. If you haven’t read Kiki, I hope you’ll give her a try. I’ll be re-releasing all my short stories next year, one a month.
Thanks for sharing your story. I enjoyed it. Thanks for the chance to enter.
You are welcome!
Cute story!
Thank you, Charlene. Happy Thanksgiving!
I always enjoy a visit with Kiki and this was no exception! Thank you for sharing your talent, creativity and sense of humor with us❣️
*blushing* That’s so nice to hear. I love what I do. (Okay, there are some days, but those are too few to care about.) And I am so lucky to “meet” so many wonderful people through my books.
This is such a cute story and as a dog owner I can relate… the first day we got our Lucy she waltzed in the house and took one of my collectible Boyd’s bears and started chewing!
Oh, no! Those bears are expensive! Really! And collectible! I hope you were able to rescue it!
I love all your stories. I am so glad you have continued this series. I could see my fur baby doing the same thing.
Pamela, it was a tough row to hoe. Honestly. I was told that I would NEVER get my rights back, and that was such a nightmare scenario, but I never gave up. I loved Kiki and I believe in her and I was willing to put in the time, money, and effort–and WOW! I am so glad I did.
Love your stories. Keeps me involved in the plot. Great characters. Interesting story line. You have great imagination and logic to write so well.
Actually, Christine, I struggle a bit with logic. I’m not naturally a logical person, so I have to step back and say, “Okay, is that logical?” Thank you for the pat on the back, because some days I need that encouragement.
That was a fun break from housecleaning and cooking. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍽🍁
I hope you have a lot of yummy leftovers. As for the clean house, I envy you! I’m always struggling to keep the place tidy. Good for you!
Perfect ending. My little dachshund loved chewing on her wood toys. she considered the kitchen cabinets her “toys” until Mom wiped the cabinets with bleach.
Laura, I had to squirt Jax’s leashes with bitter apple spray. He would chew through them when I wasn’t looking. That little dickens.
Laura, Jax used to chew through his leashes when I wasn’t looking, so I sprayed his leashes with bitter apple spray. That worked!
Such a cute little story. Love the picture of the no stealing sign she made.
Isn’t that a fun visual? I always try to think about the five senses: smell, touch, hearing, taste, and sight. Usually I write a first draft and go back and add those senses in. Thanks for noticing.
When my younger son was small (he’s 30 now!), his dog ate EVERY SINGLE ONE of his stuffed animals over the course of a few weeks! Luckily, my son (about 7 at the time) had begged desperately for the dog. He wasn’t sure about the trade for a while, though!
I bet you found bits of toys in the poop in your yard, didn’t you? I remember when my son was small. Our Bichon ate his action figures. I would go into the back yard and see an arm sticking up out of a pile of poop. Or a leg. It was weird and funny at the same time.
thank-you. can’t wait to read more.
Kathleen, I hope you will. Please give my series a try. You can read my Kiki books “free” if you have a membership in Kindle Unlimited.
It is always fun reading anything you write. I love how you end some of your stories and leave us hanging until the next one.
That’s very sweet of you, Dottie. I like to think of life as one big cliffhanger, right? You never know what will happen next!
I just finished Paper, Scissors, Death, my first Kiki book. What are the next few titles, so Incan read them chronologically? Thank you for your help.
Ginger Weber
I hope this is okay with Dru Ann–Here goes:
0. Love, Die, Neighbor (The Prequel) – http://bit.ly/LoveDieN
1. Paper, Scissors, Death — http://bit.ly/PSDKL1
2. Cut, Crop & Die — http://bit.ly/CutCropD
3. Ink, Red, Dead — http://bit.ly/IRDead3
4. Photo, Snap, Shot — http://bit.ly/PSSKL4
5. Make, Take, Murder — http://bit.ly/MTMKikiL5
6. Ready, Scrap, Shoot — http://bit.ly/RSSBook6
7. Picture, Perfect, Corpse — http://bit.ly/PPCorpse7
8. Group, Photo, Grave — http://bit.ly/GPGrave8
9. Killer, Paper, Cut — http://bit.ly/KillPC9
10. Handmade, Holiday, Homicide — http://bit.ly/KikiHHH10
11. Shotgun, Wedding, Bells — http://bit.ly/SWBKiki11
12. Glue, Baby, Gone — http://bit.ly/GBG12
13. Fatal, Family, Album — http://bit.ly/KLFFA13
I had a chow mix that would steal pacifiers when he was a puppy. And yes, it made an adorable picture.
Did he steal them from babies? Oh, my gosh. That must have been a panic.
A cute story, loved it. Have loved all your books.
Thank you so much! I hope you’ll enjoy reading the short stories as I republish them.
I was delighted to find a new friend in Kiki Lowenstein, when I read book #1,”Paper, Scissors, Death”. I hadn’t really thought much about scrapbooking, but I certainly see the appeal now! I enjoyed this little vignette in the life of Kiki. Thank you–I look forward to hearing more form her. susan ribes
Susan, welcome to the Kiki tribe. We’re a friendly bunch.
Just started reading your books. Love them all so far
Julie, I’m so thrilled you found my books. I hope you’ll join my mailing list at http://www.JoannaSlan.com so you’ll know when a new book comes out.
love the books…thanks for the chance
My pleasure, Susie.
Love the story and any thing that you write
Aw, gee, that’s so nice to hear. I love what I do!
Fun story! Love all of Kiki’s adventures! Thanks Joanna for all you do!
Jonnie, it’s my great joy to do this. Kiki is like an imaginary playmate for me.
Very cute. Love all your stories. Thanks. Keep writing
Ellen, I will. It’s an addiction for me. I love to write. Even when I think I’ll take a day off, like today (Thanksgiving), I wind up working on a new book. It’s my idea of fun.
I’ve enjoyed all the Kiki stories. Thank you and keep them coming!
Beth, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading all of them!
I like your work! I’m looking forward to reading more!!!
Wilna, I hope you’ll check out my Kiki and my Cara Mia books. I write about spunky women who get by with a little help from their female friends.
Oh Joanna, I love the Kiki books! The short story was so much fun to read! I was baby sitting my daughters pup who made herself at home and found my sneaker and made a feast out of it! Love the pup. Love the story! Thank you for this chance to win! Your fan,
Merry
Merry, I love your story. A sneaker for lunch. Hmmm. Sounds like a lot of fiber in one sitting, tee-hee.
Cute story and I love the penguin on the cover!
Isn’t he adorable? I love all my new covers, but this one was a real thrill. I asked my cover artist, Dar, to put something real on each cover. I love animals, so she’s done a wizard job as far as I’m concerned. I have a goldfish, a donkey, two cats, a Great Dane, and now this penguin. I’m busy thinking of what animal Kiki can adopt next!
Cute story and very accurate! With three fur babies, stuffed toys don’t have a long life in our house either! Loved Fatal Family Album and the Brawny resolution!
What a cute little story! I have to remind myself that Kiki is a fictional character and not a real person! She seems so real to me, and I would love to be friends! I’m almost done with FFA, and think it might be your best ever! Love, m2 (from Michigan!)
Thank you, Mary. I really sweated over FFA. I wanted to be honest, fair, and thoughtful. I hope I succeeded.
Good short story.
Thank you, Crystal.
Absolutely loved it!
Thanks, Renee. I enjoyed writing it. Dru Ann brings out the best in me.
So happy to see a new book! Thank you and congratulations again!
Yes, there was rather a bit of a lag time, but I’m glad that I took the time to rework the “old” books.
I love this series and can’t wait until the next one comes along.
Okay, Polly, the pressure is on. What will I write next for Kiki? I have a few ideas…
I really love getting emails from you telling me you have a new story. Kiki stories are such a delight as murder is not always involved though is is possible Bailey was an attempted murderer, or was he just hungry, perhaps hungry for love?
I think Bailey was just being playful. Dogs don’t understand property rights, do they? And as for murder, I’m so glad to hear that you like the fact that murder isn’t always involved. There are certainly other crimes, aren’t there?
Loved this story, and want more!!!!!!
Yes, ma’am. I’m taking that as an order!
Love your books
Thank you so much!
Great little story. I love your books. Almost felt like I was there looking for bunny.
Deb, I do my best to make you (the reader) feel like it’s happening to you. That’s the joy of reading, isn’t it? To explore new feelings/experiences without leaving home or shaving your legs!
Keep Writing!! I’ll keep reading!!
Terry, it’s a deal. Pinkie-swear on it.
As an older lady (yes, much older) I would love to know how you managed to peek into so much of my life as I grew up with my children and husband, when you were only a child yourself! It shows that so much life tends to repeat itself in such a good, loving way. Please keep writing, so I can keep reading and sharing. I so enjoy your style of writing.
Robyn, I’m a lot older than you think. I try to write from my life. No, I haven’t committed murder (LOL), but I try to put myself into my characters’ lives, and to use similar circumstances to make my work “sing.” Thank you so much for noticing.
I LOVE your Kiki books!
April, it’s a mutual admiration society then!
This is such a cute story! I am in the middle of reading book 1 on my commute and have almost missed my metro stop a couple of times. I get so lost in the story I forget where I am!
Oh, Sandy! I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. I remember missing an exit once because I was listening to a book on tape. That’s the pleasure a good read gives us, that ready escape.
I loved the story! I also read the new book and enjoyed it so much – you are so talented. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Jan, you are such a dear. I thank you for being a part of my writing life for so much of this journey.
What a great little story I have seen that happen once I love your books and can’t wait for more Kiki and the gang keep writing
Kat, I’m going to sit down in January and plan out my year. I’m sure Kiki will demand that I give her a new adventure.
Sounds like an excellent beginning to a cozy mystery set in a scrapbook and craft store. This setting is great for cozy mysteries. I’ve never read one of your books, but this one sounds like I’d really enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving.
Jayne, it’s such a natural progression for scrapbookers that we move into other papercrafts, isn’t it? Also, I suspect that most of us are serial crafters. We go from one craft to another easily.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the animals, children and store where everyone interacted. I look forward to reading more of your writing.
Have a very blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!
Becky, I hope you’ll give my books a try. I bet you’d like them!
Love love love this. So cute. 🐕 +🐇 = 😀😀
Love, love, love the emoticons. So fun!
So cute! I still wish Kiki’s store really was in St. Louis! I, too, love to read the stories on my kindle. So easy to keep it in my purse, and nice to know I have a great story waiting for me!
Kim, I own a Paperwhite, and thank goodness, it is lightweight because I’ve fallen asleep reading it–and if it was heavy, I’d have a broken nose for sure. Yeah, I kind of wish Kiki had a real store. The closest I know is Scrapbook Factory, owned by my good friend Ann Farnen.
Can’t wait for the time to sit down with #13! I know I’ll finish in no time and be then clamoring for the next one!!
Debi, my sister had her daughter read one of my books to her as she drove to her job. I do hope you’ll find time for #13, and that you’ll consider reviewing it. I was fascinated by the subject matter that I researched to write the book.
Cute. The joys of toys, toddlers and … well, always the joys of pets.
Sheila, isn’t that the truth? Life is full of joyful moments. Some days we’re too busy to stop and notice them.
What a neat setting for a cozy mystery series! This was my introduction to Kiki and Time in a Bottle. I’m looking forward to reading more (and yes, I had an inkling the chomping dog was the thieving culprit when it was mentioned in passing…).
MaryG, you must be a pet owner. Every pet owner has probably lost something or another to a pet, eh? My son’s cat rearranged my dollhouse furnishings on her last visit. LOL
The Thanksgiving pies almost didn’t get baked thanks to your good books. I just kept saying “Oh heck just one more chapter…” At 2am I finally finished the pies. Thanksgiving will happen. I AM taking the kindle with me loaded with 2 more since the football in the livingroom will overtake most good conversation for a few hours. Thanks for your work.
Kandy, I wish I could have had a slice of those pies! I bet they were delicious. My apologies to your family for the near-miss of your waiting to bake them. And yeah, I’ve brought my Kindle to read during sports events. Drives my family nuts.
Being an absolutely nutcase about dogs, I found this short story a complete delight! I loved it! Thank you so much for sharing your stories with us!
Teresa, I’m with you. I’ve rarely met a dog I don’t like. Honest, I can’t even think of one. Even if the dog bit me, and that did happen once with a friend’s neurotic Shitzu (sp?), I still appreciated how much that dog loved his mistress. He nipped me as I walked behind the woman. I guess it was his way of saying, “She’s mine.”
I’m a complete nutcase about them, too. I love all animals, in fact, but I’m allergic to cats so I put them in my books.
What an adorable story, I can’t wait for more!
Jackie, I hope you’ll check out the books. The short stories will be republished one a month next year.
How fun! I am new to Kiki and her Krew and I love her! More, please!
Jeanine, I’m going to steal that: Kiki and her Krew. So very, very cute. Welcome to our tribe.
Cute story Joanna!
Love all your books!!
Bless you, girlfriend. People like you keep me slogging along!
Love all things Kiki
Lee Alice, I’m thinking about making Kiki tee shirts and mugs available, so we can proudly proclaim our Kiki-Kinky-ness. What do you think?
Great cover! Love the books…almost finished Make, Take, Murder! Kiki is always trying to balance her life and family…like most of us in real life!
Susan, and we’ll never succeed entirely, but we’ll keep on trying, won’t we? Yup. That’s the way it goes. So glad you identify with her.
Hey ocongrats to the lovely couple!
I vebeen married 32 years today, I was a cougar when it was cool,
HAPPY thanksgiving
Need tocorrect my email
Shirley, always nice to see you or hear from you. You were a cougar? Get out of town, girl. You cradle-robber, you.
This short was so cute and soooooo close to home. All our children are grown but our house looks like we have lots of “kids” with stuffed toys, or as we call them, “stuffies” all over the floor. We are constantly picking them up and putting them back in the basket. Our three dogs are our kids now and we love them so much.
Thanks for the short story and keep all the books coming. They are my favorite.
Oh, Cathy, thank you so much for saying they are your favorite. As for the toys, yes, ma’am. It looks like a Toys R Us exploded in my home. Stuffed toys everywhere. I have to remember to look under all the chairs and the sofa because they are always one or two hiding.
I decided to read all of these again before reading the last one. Just finished Killing. Can’t wait to get to Family! Just love these stories.
I hope you’ll enjoy Fatal, Family, Album. I keep getting better at what I do, and I certainly hope it shows.
What a cute little story!
Thank you, dear pal!
I found this funny, and reminded me of when my kids were little. It’s also a good pick-me-up story, and we could all use one of those.
Yes, the holidays can be bittersweet, can’t they? So much emotion, so many memories, and often it’s like having a scab picked off. Here’s a virtual hug ().
I love the new short story! I wondered what Bailey had between her paws. Yes, I am a long time dog mommy. 😀
Yikes! How do I change my name?
You did it, sweetie. My best to your crew–Tim, Celia, and Della.
Nice! Enjoyed reading about Kiki and Marissa’s bunny (bad dog, lol). My Lab probably wouldn’t have bothered her bunny, but he sure would’ve snatched a cookie from her tiny fingers.
Dogs will be dogs. I’d love to read more.
I once came out of an ice cream shop to see my Great Dane hovering over a small child with an ice cream cone. The dog was too polite and well trained to snatch it, but her drool dripped on the ice cream!
I generally don’t do any recreational reading during NaNoWriMo, but I had to make an exception for Kiki, especially since I’m writing a cozy mystery (my first). It was a nice diversion! I’ll be devouring more of Kiki and Time in a Bottle on December 1.
Mary, let me know if I can be of assistance or answer any questions. Believe in yourself, trust that you CAN do this, and keep working at it. All best–j
I loved the intro-blog for Fatal Family Album and can’t wait to read the book. My papillon also loves her stuffed toy, so I can really identify! Keep the stories coming. I love them!
Alice, thank you for reading the intro to FFA. I’m so thrilled! Yes, I stretched when I wrote that book. Thanks for noticing. And I bet your papillon is barely bigger than my dog’s toys!
I loved this short story…it made me start off the day with a smile …and that was much needed as I am surrounded by building/decorating renovations. In fact, Kiki, you will have made the builders happy as well, as Mrs Grumpy will be less prickly today!
Dear Mrs. Grumpy, remind yourself this will be over soon, and you’ll love it. We used to give workers beer on Fridays. That was the key to getting our jobs done on time–and we learned great ideas about what they would do differently. Give it a try!
Love all your books and short stories.
Aw, that’s so nice to hear. Thank you!
I enjoyed the story! I’m new to your books and can’t wait to read more!
Welcome, Lisa. So glad to have you as part of our Kiki tribe!
Cute story. I recently adopted two senior cats. One of them likes to carry a stuffed toy around in her mouth.😹
Lisa, I think I read somewhere that it’s a hold-over from carrying around kittens. Is that possible?
Cute story! I love your books and can’t wait for new ones! Keep writing!
Cathy, will do. I’m going to start outlining a couple of books as soon as I finish replying to all your kind comments.
I love the short story. As a mother of two I’m sure this happens at least once in every parent’s life, and it’s like a National Emergency. Would love to learn more about Kiki et al.I have your 1st 2 books in the series but haven’t had a chance to read them yet. Life seems to be stripping me of my me time which is usually spent reading. Thanks for sharing this short story with us. Happy reading and writing
Connie, I remember when my son lost his blue bunny. It was an international crisis. We were in France, and my limited French vocabulary was not much help. When the bunny showed up, my son gave the housekeeper who found it an envelope. Inside was two dollars, and a thank you note saying, “I would give you all the money in the world for finding my blue bunny, but this is all I have. Thank you!”
Cool! I’d love to get one of the books of yours that I’m missing. I enjoyed the story too. Thank you! 😀
Carol, I hope the list is helpful. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on your Kiki fix!
Thanks for the short story! Glad you continue to come up with storylines for Kiki. I’ve enjoyed reading your books (Cara stories too!) for years😊
Dear Lori, you are right. It has been years now, hasn’t it? My how time flies! Thanks for taking this journey with me.
Does look like a fun read. Thanks for the heads up