Does anyone get my title? Or is it just me trying my darnedest to be clever? Right, it’s me. “Writing” instead of riding because as a writer, we often need to collaborate to get anywhere.

Truth is, we mostly write on a deserted island* where we’re trying to pull together thoughts, story-lines, twisty plots, and characters out of our minds and onto the page.

But even the biggest loners need to jump out of their skin and collaborate once in a while to get the job done. Namely, we need help to be published and call some attention to our books. Coming right up: a list of awesome collaborators:

1. Beta Readers: Those necessary readers to whom we hand off our manuscript and ask for feedback. These generous book lovers are non-professionals who just want to help you stay on the right track. They’ve earned my deepest gratitude.

2. Editors: Unless you’ve got stellar, proven editor skills yourself, an editor is invaluable for pointing out:
– holes (so you don’t trip and fall over your plot)
– character flaws or traits that don’t work (to really help breathe life into your fictional world)
– excess (do you really need that police sergeant or that scene
where the dog chases the bicycle?)

3. Other authors: Personally, I enjoy partnering up in book events
with other authors, mostly, in my own genre. A pairing with the
right author(s) gives each panelist a chance to breathe,
think and stay on track. Who doesn’t love breathing, thinking
and staying on track?

4. Publishers: I’ve had two and both have been marvelous. They know
what to do to get the job done, leaving me to do what I need to
do: write and work my day job.

5. Book stores, librarians, conference organizers and any other
book angels out there who can help you market & promote your
book baby.

I owe my deepest thanks to all of the above who’ve helped me progress on my writing journey.

*unless you write with a partner, in which case you’re not so isolated.

It’s Fire Prevention month! Good timing with Jack O’Lanterns and Halloween right around the corner.

My picture book, The Cookie Eating Fire Dog, is chock-full of fire safety tips, one set for adults and one just for kids. But the question I’m asked most often is: Why Dalmatians? How did they end up with fire-fighters? Wait ’til you hear! I did a little research and learned all about this spotted four-legged wonder. Every fire house should have one.

Here’s why:

– In the days before fire trucks and engines, fire wagons were used that were pulled by horses. Guess who gets jittery and anxious when around a big fire? Besides you and me, that is. Horses. Fire-fighters were on the lookout for a way to keep the horse power calm. Guess who fit the bill? Dalmatians and horses get along splendidly! Plus, Dalmatians take their jobs seriously (when they’re not eating cookies). They’d race along the fire wagon, keeping the horses under control, and they’d chase away stray dogs that tried to run alongside or nip at the horses’ hooves. When the fire fighters jumped off the wagon and dashed to the fire, the Dalmatian would keep on keeping the horses happy, while standing guard to make sure no robbers showed up to steal valuable fire equipment.

– Now that we have fire engines, Dalmatians are still used in fire houses as watch dogs and because they’re expert at catching mice and rats. Yay!

– Guess who the first president was to have a Dalmatian? Benjamin Franklin was also a fan.

– Dalmatians can run for hours without getting tired. They like to swim, too, which made them the perfect WWII spy.

Our spotted friends were used to send secret messages across enemy lines. When the other side saw a funny looking, spotted dog running around, they’d laugh and pay no attention to what the Dalmatian was really doing.

Dalmatians are the only breed of dog with spots all over (including on their toenails, in their ears and mouths, too). They are stubborn, smart and athletic (when they’re not eating cookies, of course.) Is it any wonder why they made the perfect fire dog?

My heroine, Corrie Locke, is a newly minted lawyer who works in a movie studio. That was me, once. What else do we have in common?

– We’re both Southern California natives and Angelenos;
– We can’t resist a tasty dessert. Every one of my teeth is a sweet tooth;
– Both attended UCLA;

– Corrie works at a movie studio that happens to be in the same spot as the studio where I once worked;
– I lived in Hermosa Beach on the same street Corrie lives;
– We had interesting bosses at the studio;
– We’ve driven BMW relics;
– Our mothers are dope in the kitchen;
– I do have a few sleuthing skills up my sleeves (minor compared to my heroine, but she has an advantage, thanks to her dad);
– We have both investigated petnappings;
– We both may or may not have been involved in an impromptu low speed car chase. That’s all I’m saying.

Unlike Corrie:

– I’m not the daughter of a late great PI;
– I have no illegal weaponry, but I have one of the top five stun guns on the market. That must count for something;
– I was happily married during my entertainment attorney days;
– My legal assistant did not harbor a not so secret ambition to open a PI agency;
– No investigations of alien encounters or homicides for me, thank you very much;
– No dartboard in my living room;

As the series progresses, so do Corrie’s crime-cracking skills.

The action and situations Corrie experiences don’t even come close to my more humdrum encounters. There was a Hollywood movie legend that my studio division handled, but she wasn’t nearly as colorful as movie legend, Lacy Halloway, who appears in MURDER: DOUBLE OR NOTHING. But that’s where the idea came from.

Like Corrie, I watched a movie or two being filmed on the lot, but none where the fictional action scene turned real, thankfully, or I would’ve been scarred for life!