Lisa Alber & Luna

[editor's note: R.I.P. Luna, who passed away since Lisa Alber submitted this guest post.]

Who is in the photo at right?

My name is Lisa Alber, and I’m a debut novelist. My novel is called Kilmoon, and it’s the first in the County Clare Mystery series. Ever distractible, you may find me staring out windows, fooling around online, drinking red wine with my friends—or, of course, hanging out with Her Highness Luna, an 11-year-old King Charles Spaniel/Pekingese mix. Or maybe a Japanese Chin. I vote for the former though.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

Kilmoon launched on March 18th. Woohoo! Luna’s been with me through most of its creation. Kilmoon is a mystery set in Ireland. In it, Californian Merrit Chase travels to County Clare to meet her long-lost father, the famous Matchmaker of Lisfenora. Her simple, if fraught, quest turns complicated when she’s pulled into a murder investigation and she discovers that her father's dark past is at the heart of the chaos. Murder, vengeance, betrayal, and family secrets—not the family reunion she was hoping for!

I’m celebrating my novel, but I’m also here to honor wee Luna, who has oral melanoma and won’t be with me much longer. I’ll miss her terribly. I’m grateful I’ve had the chance to steward her through the latter half of her life.

What's brewing?

Being from Portland, OR, I've got myself a double soy latte made from locally roasted Stumptown Coffee beans. Yum!

Any treats for you or Luna on this occasion?

Lately, I’ve been letting Luna drink a little soy milk too. She gets whatever she wants! Tonight I’ll be hand-feeding her tiny pieces of steak.

How did Luna get her name? Any nicknames?

Luna is a rescue dog, and she came to me with one eye. I love symbology, so I researched what the left eye means. In Egyptian mythology, the left eye is the Eye of Horus, which was often used to symbolize healing and protection, and was associated with the moon. Also, in western traditions, the left eye is considered a lunar trait. So, Luna, which is Spanish for moon.

Oh, I call her all kinds of things. On Facebook, she’s known as “Luna the One-Eyed Wonder Dog.” I call her “Luna Tuna” and “Mistress Moon” and “Loony Tunes” and “Sweet Pea” just to name a few endearments.

How were you and Luna united?

I used to write in a coffeehouse called “Kodi’s” with a shop dog named Kodi. I grew so attached to him that I'd take him for walks. Long story short, the shop closed, I missed Kodi, and one day I found myself browsing petfinder.com. Just looking. A month later I was still “just looking” when I saw a photo of Queenie, as her foster mom called her. I fell in love. Luna had been a stray and had had a nasty run-in with a raccoon. She’s lucky to be alive in so many ways. OFOSA, the Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals, had rescued her from Animal Control. Poor thing had a infected eye and was going to be put down.

Are there any Luna-inspired dogs in your new novel?

Kilmoon doesn’t feature any dogs. However, my second novel in the series, tentatively titled Grey Man, does! In appearance about as opposite as you can get from Luna, a huge Dogue de Bordeaux named Bijou (French for “jewel”). She’s gotta a sweet Luna-like temperament though. In the novel, Bijou is instrumental in helping a traumatized, mute woman.

Does Luna do more to help or hinder your writing?
There’s a reason the foster mom called her “Queenie”—because she sits around doing nothing but be waited on! She’s a companion dog through and through. In fact, I call her “the Buddha of dogs” because she’s so chill and so patient. So, she’s a great comfort as she lies around watching me with her big brown eye.

Who is Luna's best pet-pal?

That would be Trio, my Siamese mix. Luna hides it well, but I know she likes Trio. And Trio looooves Luna. He makes no bones about it, rubbing up against her. His behavior changed when Luna fell ill. He sleeps close by, kneads to self-soothe, and has quit doing his running leaps over her.

Where is Luna's favorite outdoor destination?

I’d say her favorite outdoor destination is any sunny, quiet spot where she can sunbathe. (She’s like a cat that way.)

Squeaky toy, ball, stick...?

None of the above. She likes a nice pillow to climb on for naps or to bury treats under. I once saw her start to chase another dog’s squeaky toy. For about second. That said, she does have her feisty moments when she slaps her paws against the ground or dashes back and forth or butts her head into the bed covers.

Cat, postman, squirrel...?

A squirrel could tap Luna on the nose, and she'd just blink and turn her head away. So, none of the above for this one too.

What is Luna's best quality?

Her sweet, Buddha-like temperament. She’s got an old soul.

If Luna could change one thing about Oregonians, what would it be?

She’d like to see a little less outdoorsy dishevelment and a little more refinement beside a roaring fire. Yes, Your Highness.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life in which Luna could speak, which actor should do her voice?

Something British and high-class and wise ... hmm ... Dame Judy Dench, I think.

If Luna could answer only one question in English, what would you ask her?

How are you going to let me know when it’s your perfect time to go?

Visit Lisa Alber's website, blog, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Tara Chevrestt & Lola, Pudgy, and Jazzy

Who is in the photo at right?

Lola is the black Pekingese. She'll be 8 years old in October. She's my number one sidekick. Pudgy is the pug. She just turned 7. Jazzy is the Japanese Chin and she is 6. I am Tara Chevrestt. I'm a former aviation mechanic, a dog mom, and a writer and editor.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

Lola doesn't like coffee, actually. But I do. She often sits on my lap while I drink it (morning and evening). She'll give it a sniff, but balks at a sip. She does like my wine, however.

What's brewing?

I just brewed a pot of Toasted Coconut made by KONA Coffee Co. I added some chocolate caramel creamer and I've got dessert.

Any treats for you or your dogs on this occasion?

A Milk Bone biscuit.

How did your dogs get their names? Any aliases?

Oh yes. They go by so many names, it's a tad embarrassing for me to admit. First, Lola got her name from the Copacabana song. Her name was Lola...she was a dancer. She walks with a sashay and the name is so fitting. Pudgy was named for Betty Boop's dog. I love Betty Boop. When I got Jazzy, I was reading a book in which the heroine was named Jazzy and she opened a bar called Jazzy's Joint and I thought that was super cute, plus I always like the name Jasmine so I shortened it down.

For some reason, I've never been able to call Lola just Lola. It's Baby Lola. My husband tells me that as long as I keep calling her baby, she'll act like one. I also love to use Spanish words and names every chance I get so Lola is also Senorita Lolita (I even used it in a book!), Pudgy is Pugita Mamacita, and Jazzy is Chiquita Bonita. I know. I'm weird.

Do your dogs contribute to your writing?

Yes! I wrote a book all for them as a matter of fact: Dog Tails: Three Humorous Short Stories for Dog Lovers. They each have their own "tail." Lola's is Thank Dog it's Friday and it's about her and her mommy switching bodies for a day. Well, I wrote that and then the other two kept giving me mournful looks so I had to write stories for them as well and Dog Tails came to be.

I also bounce story ideas and plot lines off Pudgy. She does this head cocking thing and really seems interested and though she doesn't respond, talking out loud helps me work things out.

How were you and your dogs united?

I'm ashamed to say I bought them. At the time, I did not know the things I know now regarding breeders and puppy mills, but I wouldn't go back and do it any differently cause I love them so. I wanted a dog very badly and I researched toy breeds cause I lived in an apartment at the time and found an ad in the paper for little Peke puppies. It was love at first sight. She was a little black ball of fuzz. She took two steps, peed with fright, took two steps. I melted.

Pudgy was also the result of an ad in the paper. I wanted a companion for Lola. They did not get along at first and I think they still don't. But Pudgy came from a house full of pugs! Pugs everywhere! And I picked her up and she tried to hoola hoop right out of my arms! She's the stubborn one.

Jazzy was an online thing (Yes, I know now. Sorry.) Again, love at first sight. I still have her the photo I fell in love with that made me hand over an entire paycheck to fly her from Kansas into my arms. I'd always wanted a Japanese Chin, however, ever since I saw one in a pet store and played with it, but had to leave it behind.

Who are your dogs' best pet-pals?

Each other. Jazzy used to have a friend named Onyx, a Rottweiler triple her size, but she moved to Wyoming.

Do your dogs have any non-canine pet-pals?

Nope. But they sure do love when their Grandma Janet comes to visit. The girls love to play with their daddy too. Me, I'm more for hugs and kisses. When daddy comes home, they bring out the toys.

Squirrel, cat, postman...?

They chase away my birds from the feeder!

If Hollywood made a movie about your life in which your dogs could speak, which actors should do their voices?

I'm deaf and watch movies with closed captioning so I had to enlist my mother for this question. She said Jennifer Lopez would be Lola because she has a nice voice and is Spanish. (Lola's origins are Chinese, but her attitude is def. Latina. She takes after her mom.) Pudgy's voice would be Angelina Jolie because Pudgy thinks she's sexy. And Jazzy would be Phyllis Diller because according to my mother, when Jazzy does make a noise, it doesn't sound good and I guess Ms. Diller had a very horrific laugh.

What is each dog's best quality?

Pudgy is my hearing dog. And I didn't even train her to be one. She just seems to know that her mommy is deaf. When the doorbell rings, she alerts me. When I use an oven timer and I tell her, "Let me know when this goes off," she does. I would be lost without her.

Lola is the one that I hold when I'm down, when life kicks my a**. She senses my moods and offers comfort or humor when I need it.

Jazzy is my silent shadow. She never makes a sound but follows me room-to-room as though protecting me. And sometimes, when I wake up, she's sleeping almost on top of my head. I like to think she's being a dream catcher for me.

If your dogs could change one thing about you, what would it be?

Pudgy would want more food. Screw her diet, she says. I'm very firm about them not overeating. She hates that.

If your dogs could answer only one question in English, what would you ask them?

I've always said...if they could talk...I would ask, "What do you think of me?"

Visit Tara Chevrestt's website, blog, and Facebook page.

--Marshal Zeringue