Chet The Dog

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Beginnings

On Sunday we do beginnings, taking a look at the start of a Peter Abrahams novel, including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker™. There used to be a time when you could live a reasonable American life without paying too much attention to the world of politics. Politics comes up in two Chet and Bernie novels – I hope in a more entertaining way than … well, let’s leave it at that. The more recent of the two is Tender Is the Bite. And away we go!

“I think we’re being followed,” Bernie said.

That had to be one of Bernie’s jokes. Have I mentioned that he can be quite the jokester? Probably not, since we’re just getting started, but who else except Bernie would even think of saying that? We were creeping along at walking speed on the East Canyon Freeway at rush hour, stuck in an endless river of traffic – of course we were being followed, followed by too many cars to count! Not only too many for me to count – I don’t go past two – but also for Bernie. And Bernie’s always the smartest human in the room, one of the reasons the Little Detective Agency is so successful, leaving out the finances part. It’s called that on account of Bernie’s last name being Little. I’m Chet, pure and simple, not the smartest human in the room, in fact, not human. I bring other things to the table.

No Post Today

Readers!

Blueberry muffins came up yesterday. And then this came in! (thanks Sheila Green) We have some extremely entertaining readers out there! Also there were some questions about my mom’s tips for writing dialogue. I’ll see if I can organize a post on the subject. But not today!

Mother’s Day Addendum

I should have mentioned my own mother in the Mother’s Day post. She taught me most of what I know about writing by the time I was 12 or so. She died before I became a writer – one of those things. I’m working on something now that I think she would have liked. Thanks, Mom, especially for the tips on dialogue. Also the blueberry muffins on Sunday mornings when we (the kids) were little (and picked the blueberries).