I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
I finished Year of the Dog a couple of weeks ago and got it back from my editor and beta readers. It looks clean and will be released on May 13, 2025. (If you’re thinking of grabbing it, the preorder is still 70% off for a little while longer.) In the meantime, here’s a short snippet: *** “Are you all right?” Mari asked. “I’m fine, now.” Lana gulped. “The Rottweiler was only curious. I could tell he wasn’t going to attack, but I also didn’t want to take any chances.” Lana took a deep breath. “Tell me this,” she said in a more normal voice. “How can you face a 75-pound Rottweiler without blinking an eye, but you’re too afraid to face your own sister?” The words fell between them slow and measured, like huge water drops. Mari glanced back at the Rottweiler, then pictured her sister. Her stomach clenched again just at the mental image. “You’re absolutely right.” Then she sighed. “But it’s not like I can erase years of bickering, misunderstanding, and criticism in a single mome...