Why so many names for one runt of the litter French Bulldog? Let’s just say, I’m the exception that proves the rule about how you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. At least, that’s what the humans in my life believe. In reality, I’m fully responsible for my transformation. Let me explain.

Author Lois Winston wrote me into existence in Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in her long-running, bestselling, and award-winning Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series. I don’t remember anything about my life before I found myself tethered to Anastasia’s communist mother-in-law.

Lucille Pollack is a cantankerous know-it-all who has never had a kind word for the daughter-in-law who opened her home to us after a fire left us homeless. I’ll admit, over the years, I’d assumed many of Lucille’s characteristics. In my defense, I lacked a better role model. I growled and snarled at everyone in Anastasia’s household, especially her mother’s snooty Persian cat and Anastasia’s African Grey parrot, a showoff with the annoying habit of quoting Shakespeare.

Lucille had named me after The Communist Manifesto. Feel free to offer an eye roll. Everyone does. Other family members called me “Mephisto” or “Devil Dog,” I suppose because it fit my personality. It also really annoyed Lucille, who also believes Anastasia deliberately named her sons after Russian czars out of spite, even though the boys were named for Anastasia’s grandfathers, Alexander Periwinkle and Nicholas Sudberry.

Things changed the day Anastasia hefted me into her arms to protect my paws from blistering asphalt during a July scorcher. That was in Revenge of the Crafty Corpse, the third book in the series. Her caring act opened my eyes. I repaid her kindness less than a week later when I saved her life.

I began to see the humans Lucille detested in a new light and I gradually distanced myself from her, forming a bond with Anastasia’s younger son Nick. Lucille responded by eventually abdicating all responsibility for my care. Had I known it would be so easy to sever the tie that bound us together, I would have done so sooner.

It was Nick who decided I needed a new name and settled on Leonard. Why Leonard? According to Nick, who the family has dubbed the Dog Whisperer, I bore an uncanny resemblance to Winston Churchill. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen a picture of the guy. However, if that’s the case, you might wonder why he didn’t rename me Winston or Churchill. Nick claimed those names were overused, especially for English and French bulldogs. Leonard was one of Churchill’s middle names. When the Dog Whisperer asked for my input, I gave Leonard a two-paws-up. It certainly beats Manifesto, Mephisto, or Devil Dog!

Embroidered Lies and Alibis is the fifteenth and latest Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, and of course, you’ll find me within the pages. But you won’t find Lucille making an appearance in this book. No plot spoilers from me, though. You’ll have to read the book to find out why.

EMBROIDERED LIES AND ALIBIS
Series Name: An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 15
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: February 2026
Format: Digital, Print
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A Stitch in Time Could Save a Life…

When Anastasia’s mother Flora is offered a free spa vacation from Jeremy Dugan, a man connected to her distant past, Anastasia and husband Zack suspect ulterior motives. After all, too-good-to-be-true often spells trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when the FBI swoops in to apprehend Dugan. However, Dugan isn’t who he claimed to be, and his arrest raises more questions than answers.

The Feds link Dugan to a string of cons targeting elderly single women across the country, but his seemingly airtight alibi leaves investigators stumped. Then, shortly after his release on bail, he’s kidnapped. A certain segment of New Jersey’s population is known for delivering deadly messages, and the FBI believes Dugan received one of them.

Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in the newly created public garden across the street from Anastasia and Zack’s home. With two baffling crimes, no clear suspects, scant evidence, and every possible motive unraveling, both the FBI and local law enforcement are once again picking Anastasia’s brain. This time, though, her involvement is far from reluctant. Will she stitch together enough clues before she or someone she loves becomes the killer’s next victim?

Craft project included.

About the author
Lois Winston, a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, began her award-winning writing career in 2006 with Talk Gertie to Me, a humorous novel about a small-town girl in Manhattan and the mother bent on bringing her home. That was followed by the romantic suspense Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. Lois wrote her first mystery thanks to a conversation between her agent and an editor looking for a crafting-themed cozy series. Thus, was born the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series now includes fifteen novels and three novellas. Learn more at www.loiswinston.com where you can sign up for her newsletter to receive a free Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery and find links to her other social media.