Therese Walsh & Kismet

Who is in the photo at right?

That’s me, Therese Walsh, author and blogger, hanging with my favorite pooch, Kismet. Kiz is a 3-year-old female Jack Russell Terrier.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

No special occasion, but we decided to take our normal morning caffeination-of-the-human routine outside to enjoy a sunny fall morning. (Please ignore the incorrect date on my camera.)

What's brewing?

I’m not a coffee drinker unless desperate, so I had my regular cuppa caffeine: some Bewley’s double-strength Irish Breakfast Tea.

Any goodies to go with the coffee?

I wish. A lemon poppy seed muffin would’ve been most welcome.

Any treat for the dog on this occasion?

Kismet had her favorite treat: a Greenie.

How did Kismet come to be united with you?

My daughter participated in a musical competition several years back. She performed very well, so she, my son and I stopped for lunch on the way home to celebrate, then visited a nearby pet store. I saw a cute JR and suggested we take her out to visit. I remember the kids looking at me as if I’d lost my mind, which maybe I had; we weren’t planning to buy a dog. We played with this adorable white pup with brown spots until our time was up, and then Kiz looked at me with eyes that said, “You know I’m for you, right?” So we took her home and have never once regretted the decision. It was kind of funny calling my husband, who was at a gig that day with his band, to say we’d bought a dog. He thought we were kidding at first but fell in mad love with her, too, once he arrived home that night.

How did the dog get her name?

It was that look she gave me, and the sense that it was kismet our family found her and she found us.

Tennis ball, Frisbee, stick, …?

Kismet loves tennis balls and anything that squeaks. She likes to be chased around the coffee table before bed, carrying one of her favorite toys, just to wear out her owners. Funniest, though, is when she’s chased sans toy; you can pretty much hear her saying, “WTH, peep?”

What’s something that only Kismet’s closest friends know about her?

Three things. She’s incredibly lazy in the morning. She’s as finicky as a cat. And she’s a diehard Yankees fan.

Is Kismet like any famous TV dogs?

Eddie on Frasier—and not just because they’re both JRs.

So she’s smart?

Very. I think she can comprehend more words than the average toddler.

Want to share a favorite dog story?

One day while walking in a nearby state park, Kismet sniffed out half of a small skull. My father-in-law, a former bio professor, said it was the skull of a raccoon. A few weeks later, Kismet was on a trail at the same park but several hundred feet from the first, and sniffed out a jawbone. The two halves fit perfectly together; we’re sure it was from the same animal.

You mentioned a state park – is that her favorite doggy haunt?

One of them. The state park has loads of trails, and she’d happily spend the entire day there running her humans into the ground. Another fave hangout is a community park, which is always crawling with other dogs and squirrels.

Is she afraid of the squirrels or vice versa?

They have her picture up on all of the trees as a visual reminder to beware of Kismet. As soon as a squirrel realizes its being stalked, it heads for a nearby tree. Kiz anticipates the move and heads for the tree instead of the squirrel. She has yet to catch one, but I know it’s on her Top Ten List of Things to Do Before My Next Trip to the Vet.

Not a fan of the vet?

She hates the table at the vet’s office. Hates. And as smart as Kismet is, she hasn’t yet learned that my shirt is not a secret portal to freedom. That said, she adores the vet’s assistants and smiles broadly, wagging her entire body, when she sees them.

She smiles?

She does indeed [see photo at left]. Though you may look at this photo and see a ferocious beast, Kiz is actually thrilled. Some of her favorite people have just arrived at her front door—Grandma and Grandpa Walsh.

Therese Walsh is a cofounder of the blog WriterUnboxed.com.

The Last Will of Moira Leahy, her first novel, was published last month by Shaye Areheart Books.

The Page 69 Test: The Last Will of Moira Leahy.

Read an excerpt from The Last Will of Moira Leahy, and learn more about the book and author at Therese Walsh's website, blog, and Facebook page. Follow her on Twitter.

Walsh lives in upstate New York, with her husband, two children, a cat, and Kismet.

--Marshal Zeringue

Alison Goodman & Xander

Who is in the photo at right?

That’s me, Alison Goodman, author of novels including "Eon: Dragoneye Reborn." The slightly fluffier one is Xander Matthias Goodman aka the Furry Lord Of Darkness.

I am a pure-bred Australian (as far as that goes), and Xander is a cross between a Jack Russell Terrier and a lower level demon. We are both 40 something (although, alas, my age really is in human years).

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

As Xander is a menace to polite society, this occasion was specifically for the Coffee with a Canine photo shoot. As you can see from photo 1 [above right], it all started well. It then rapidly deteriorated into photo 2 [below left].

What's brewing?

Trouble.

Oh, you mean the drinks…

Mine is a skim milk latte. Ron, my husband and the photographer, goes for a long Macchiato (that’s Melbourne speak for a normal Macchiato with extra hot water). Both made with Monte coffee, a medium roast with a delicious chocolatey aftertaste, from the very tolerant Laurent French Patisserie in Brighton, Melbourne, Australia.

Any goodies to go with the coffee?

Plain brioche for me (and it seems, Xander). Pain au Chocolat for Ron.

Any treat for Xander on this occasion?

I did take along some of his beloved Schmacko’s (a bit like dried jerky), but he obviously felt like brioche instead.

How did Xander come to be united with you?

As a guess, I’d say I did something heinous in a previous life and Xander is my punishment. Either that, or seven years ago I turned up at an animal shelter in answer to a “this dog needs a home” advertorial in the paper and left with a small and suspiciously quiet Jack Russell. A few hours later the drugs wore off and his true personality emerged. The Universe is still laughing its arse off.

How did Xander get his name?

He is named after the character in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." His middle name is my father’s middle name (although I’m not sure I’ve ever told my Dad about that honour). However, he is also called Xanderpup, The Furry Lord of Darkness, Goatboy, Piglet, Bongface, Fatboy Slim or Bad Dog, according to whichever of his various personalities is currently tormenting us.

What’s a typical walk for Xander?

Xander gets at least a 30-40 minute walk every day, otherwise his desire for world domination gets completely out of hand. A basic walk involves reading the weemail on every tree and adding his own message, stalking cats, barking at other dogs (especially Golden Retrievers who annoy him with their blonde good looks and cheery personalities), and eating anything he comes across that looks vaguely like food.

A great walk will involve a run-in with a mailman, a few feints at a hissing, clawing cat, and twirling around on the end of the leash whilst barking madly at a motorbike being gunned at an intersection. If he can also find a paper bag with a half-eaten dim-sim, or a discarded hamburger, then life is very fine, indeed.

Which would Xander rather catch: a squirrel, a cat, a car, his tail, or the mailman?

First, a cat – Xander reserves a special kind of hate for them as they only have one expression and stupidly long tails. Plus they all wag their tails at him then don’t want to make friends. Talk about mixed signals.

Secondly, the mailman – our mailman has deliberately not oiled his squeaky brakes in order to drive all the dogs in the street berserk. Xander is one of the more enthusiastic berserkers.

Thirdly, a squirrel. Actually, we don’t have squirrels in Australia, so Xander has suggested we change that to possum. Again, one expression and stupidly long tails.

Xander does not chase cars (waste of time as they don’t hiss or claw). Nor does he chase his tail as there is not much of it left. It was a casualty of docking (now illegal) before he came to our house and he’d rather not talk about it...

What is the most embarrassing thing Xander has ever done?

There are way too many to choose from. The most recent was at a Mother’s Day afternoon tea that I organised for my Mum and other family members. Xander worked his way around the circle of relatives, systematically trying to shag each person’s shin.

If Xander was a human, what would he be like?

Xander would be wearing a black leather jacket, smoking roll-ups, and contemplating his next smash and grab. His catch-phrase would be “Who you lookin’ at?” [see photo 3, right].

Alison Goodman’s latest book is "Eon: Dragoneye Reborn" (aka "The Two Pearls of Wisdom"), which has sold into 13 countries and recently won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It is also a James Tiptree Jr. Honour Book and a CBCA Notable Book. "The Times" wrote, “This intelligent, vividly written tale grips from the first page,” and SFX called it “addictive reading…the climax is gloriously tantalising.”

Goodman is currently working on the concluding sequel.

Visit Alison Goodman’s website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Krista Davis & Han, Buttercup, and Queenie

Who is in the photo at right?

Left to right, we have Han trying to convince me that he deserves a treat. We're not sure what he is, but we know he's big. He may have some Black and Tan Coonhound, Springer Spaniel (I know, that's hard to see), and/or Bernese Mountain Dog in him. I'm next--Krista Davis. I write the Domestic Diva Mystery series. My most recent release is "The Diva Takes the Cake." The little white dog is Buttercup, a Jack Russell mix. The red one who's being deceptively well behaved is Queenie, a Golden Retriever, who isn't golden and won't retrieve.

What is their most intimate involvement with coffee?

They've all had little tastes of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

I don't need much of an occasion for coffee with the canines. They've convinced me that they require a cheese snack every afternoon, which gives me an excuse to indulge, too.

What's brewing?

I'm a hot tea with sugar and milk kind of person. My recent favorite is Newman's Own Organic Black Tea. But it's hot outside today, so iced tea with a hint of raspberry and no sugar hits the spot.

Any goodies to go with the coffee ice cream and iced tea?

Always. There's the cheese, of course. But Sophie (my protagonist) isn't the only one who bakes. I've been into cupcakes this summer. But now that blueberries and raspberries are ripe, I'm shifting into fruit tart mode.

Any treat for the dogs on this occasion?

Cheese, of course!

I also keep a cookie jar in the kitchen, and they know where it is. For some strange reason, they think they must have a dog cookie every time they enter the house, and they cluster at the counter where the cookie jar sits, just to be sure I don't forget.

Where do you usually take Queenie, Han, and Buttercup out for fresh air?

We live in the country, so they can romp around off-leash. They like to hang out with me when I'm writing, but we go for a couple of walks every day on a path through the woods.

Would they rather chase a squirrel, a cat, a car, their tails, the mailman, ...?

Buttercup thinks it's her job to chase squirrels. Queenie, true to her bird dog roots, barks at the huge vultures that fly by from their home on a nearby cliff. And last year, she surprised me by catching a groundhog that had been tormenting the dogs. Han was very proud of himself when he caught a raccoon, but he didn't know what to do with it once he had it. Fortunately, it scampered off when he released it.

Tennis ball, Frisbee, stick, ...?

I've always had dogs and have thrown many, many balls and sticks. This is the first time I have ever had dogs who aren't interested in fetching. Queenie and Han do like a good game of tug of war, though. And Han swims like a fish.

What do the dogs of a domestic diva eat?

One of my dogs is allergic to grains. That means no corn, soy, wheat, or rice. It's hard to find dog food without any of those ingredients. So the vet took us off commercial dog food, and my dogs eat pretty much what we eat. Or what we should eat. Lots of potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, meats, and veggies. They love watermelon! Queenie is notorious for pulling raspberries and blueberries off bushes to eat them. And if I don't watch like a hawk, Han and Queenie help themselves to cucumbers and tomatoes in the garden.

How did the dogs come to be united with you?

We intended to adopt a Golden Retriever. Queenie was selected because of her strawberry blonde fur and outgoing personality.

I'm sorry to say that someone abandoned Buttercup, Han and seven of his siblings. They were so small that Buttercup towered over them. I couldn't take those sweet puppies to the shelter, so they stayed in my laundry room until we found homes for them. Four of them went to New Hampshire, so if you live there and have a dog who looks like Han, it might be one of his siblings. Poor Buttercup was scared to death. She watched me so carefully, with a worried face. The first night, she went from one puppy to the next, like she was counting them and checking to be sure everyone was okay. But since she was an adult, I let her out to play with Queenie the next morning. I'll never forget how happy Buttercup was to discover Queenie's big dog bed and giant chew bone. Queenie adopted Buttercup immediately and never once growled at her over toys or bones. They still eat out of the same bowl if one finishes a meal sooner. BFF!

How did the dogs get their names?

Queenie's mother was named Lady Ruby so we felt a royal name was in order. I wasn't crazy about the name Queenie, but she's been so gracious toward the other dogs and is such a lovely leader of the pack, that now I think it's the perfect name for her. Naming Buttercup was hard. She was an adult when we found her, so she clearly had a name before. Even though she was sweet with the puppies, she was all rascally Jack Russell. When one of my friends suggested "Buttercup" we knew it was just right. Han had a sister who looked amazingly like him, hence Hansel and Gretel.

"The Diva Takes the Cake," Krista Davis's second Domestic Diva Mystery, is now available in bookstores everywhere.

Reviewer David Marshall James says "Davis has devised a delightful romp, with engaging characters and a nicely crafted setting in which to place them."

Watch the video for "The Diva Takes the Cake."

Learn more about Krista and her canines (and feline) at her website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Julia Buckley & Simon

Who is in the photo at right?

That's me, Julia Buckley, a mystery writer and English teacher, and Simon. Simon is half Jack Russell, half Beagle. He is officially my son’s dog, because we got him as a birthday present when my son turned seven, but Simon decided long ago that he loved me best. We might conclude that this is because I feed him, walk him, and talk to him. My sons do that too—sometimes.

Do you have Coffee with Simon?

I must admit I don’t drink coffee and never have, although I love the smell of coffee brewing. That admission lost me a job at Starbucks when I was young. But my husband is a coffee addict and Simon knows that the minute he smells those Colombian grounds percolating in the morning, food and water will be available—and maybe the occasional extra scrambled eggs.

How did Simon come to be united with you?

My son had longed for a dog ever since he could talk (which was early). He would always trap me into “I love dogs” conversations. When he was about four, he asked me what a “feline” was. I said, “That’s another name for a cat—a sort of scientific name. The name for a dog is ‘canine.’” And without a pause he said, “Awww. I wish I had a canine.”

So I scoured the papers looking at dogs for many months before Ian’s seventh birthday, and found that dogs, especially purebreds, are expensive! Then I found a little kennel about an hour and a half from us that had reduced the price on Beagle/Russell puppies because they were six months old. So I guess you could say I chose Simon because he was on sale. I am ever thrifty.

How did Simon get his name?

We named him in the car on the way home. We said that Ian could choose, because it was his birthday, and then we started listing suggestions, starting with men’s names, because the dog was male. We got to the name Simon, and Ian said, “That’s it. His name is Simon.”

If only I were that decisive.

Where do you usually take Simon out for fresh air?

We have a big and wonderful back yard that is Simon’s domain. We can let him out there to bask in the sun, chase the dog next door (they run along the fence, as you can see in the picture at left), or snap at gnats. He hates them with doggie passion.

We also take him for walks around the neighborhood or (rarely) to a park.

Is Simon's bark worse than his bite?

Yes. He barks and howls, like Snoopy. But he is a total faker, as we see whenever visitors come over. Those who take the time to pet him find that he falls in love easily.

He only bit anyone once, and it was because I read something on the internet, one of those “how come” sort of philosophical lists people send around, that said “How come dogs love sticking their heads out the windows, but they hate it when people blow in their faces?”

I read this to my sons to make them laugh, but of COURSE my boys decided to immediately go and blow in the dog’s face. My little one was only about three years old, and I think Simon couldn’t decide what he was exactly, and when Graham squatted and blew in Simon’s face, Simon snapped. It was very instinctive, and only one of his teeth caught Graham on the lower lip, but WOW—you wouldn’t believe the blood. And then Graham touched his mouth, and cried and screamed and walked around the house touching the walls, and it was like the set of Macbeth.

Graham recovered quickly and didn’t need any treatment other than some Neosporin, but poor Simon looked like he felt guilty all day.

Tennis ball, Frisbee, stick, ...?

Simon loves tennis balls, and he’ll even bring one back to you. The problem is getting him to give it up.

Would Simon rather chase a squirrel, a cat, a car, his tail, the mailman, ...?

Squirrels, yes, and birds and rabbits. And other dogs. We live on the alley, and so every dog walker in tarnation comes past our house, and Simon has a busy time of it, running through the shrubbery and pursuing those passing canines.

Which TV dog is Simon most similar to?

He has standard Beagle coloring and features, so he looks a lot like Shiloh; but the Russell in him makes him slimmer than the average Beagle, and his snout is narrower, and sometimes he reminds me of Wishbone, from PBS.

What's the most embarrassing thing Simon ever did?

Simon does a lot of things that can be termed disgusting, because what he loves to smell the most are the things we like to smell the least. So the most embarrassing things I can’t even print here. But I’ll give you a vague idea: one Thanksgiving we had a big extended family gathering at my parents’ house. Five children and all of their spouses and children. My parents are very traditional, very Norman Rockwell, and at one point they asked us all to join in a big family prayer. We were all there in silence, thanking God, and Simon inserted himself into our midst, began rolling around on his back (which always itches) and moaning loudly while he did so. A bit distracting.

Then, at dinner, my husband shot me a look that said, “Emergency!” I looked over to see Simon trotting down the stairs toward the table with something he’d dug out of the upstairs bathroom garbage. We’ll leave it at that. I managed to get it from him before people noticed and were horrified.

What's the weirdest experience you've ever had with Simon?

Simon is officially "married," because a nearby town recently sponsored a dog wedding. I kid you not. A friend of mine at the high school wanted to make a documentary about it, so he asked if Simon would "marry" his miniature Pinscher, whose name was Bina. We said okay. When we got there we found that Simon was one of the few dogs not in a costume. Some people were taking this wedding VERY seriously and spending a lot on tuxes, dresses, "just married" mobiles. It was rather surreal.

When the pets got married, they had to walk down this white carpet together and then receive their certificate. It seemed every dog was so polite and well-trained, except for mine, who bucked and strained on his leash and walked backward down the carpet while he scanned the crowd for me. You can see in the photo that he looks absolutely horrified, while his bride looks downright disgusted with him. Some beagles just aren't meant for marriage, and he and Bina haven't talked since.

Has Simon worked his way into any of your writing?

He has. In my latest novel (currently with my agent and awaiting its fate), the protagonist lives alone with a Beagle, and Simon was utterly the inspiration for all of that little fellow’s behaviors. If the book sells, I’ll have to give Simon a small take. Or at least a hamburger or something.

“The Dark Backward” was Julia Buckley’s first mystery and is available at your local bookseller. Her novel “Madeline Mann” was called “A bright debut” by Kirkus, and Library Journal has dubbed her “a writer to watch.” She posts at three online blogs: Mysterious Musings, Poe’s Deadly Daughters, and The Inkspot.

--Marshal Zeringue