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...

I just finished my last edits on Year of the Dog yesterday! Here’s a snippet from the book: *** Mari’s phone vibrated again. Before she answered, she cautioned Lana, “Taffy’s pulling too much. Don’t let him lead you—you’re the alpha dog. What is it, Brandy?” “Brandy?” asked a chuckling male voice. “I’ve been called lots of things, but never Brandy.” “Oops! Sorry, Uncle Herbie. I was just talking to my manager and thought she was calling me again.” In the background, Auntie Viola started whooping with laughter. “She called you Brandy?” “Anyway …” Uncle raised his voice to drown out his wife’s hooting. “I got a good opportunity for you, Mari.” “Opportunity? What do you mean?” Maybe a new client? She had room in her Thursday night class, or she could squeeze in another private session in her week. “D’you remember telling us about how lots of your Japanese clients were wishing you could kennel their dogs when they went back to Japan on trips?” “My dog resort idea? Yea...

Hi everyone! I have some fun writing news to share. I just finished inputting edits from my editor for my Christian romantic comedy suspense novel,  Year of the Dog . However — in true writer fashion — we caught one little loose thread that needs tying up. So, I’ll be adding a short scene to fully wrap up the story. After that, the book will be fully edited , proofread , and ready! What’s next? I’ll be diving into my Christian Regency romantic suspense novel,  Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor . I had already written a few chapters before finishing Volume 7, but since I made a few tweaks during the editing process, I’ll be revising those chapters to make sure everything flows smoothly. I also have a bit more research to finish before I can fully immerse myself in Volume 8. Thank you so much for following along on this journey! And if you’d like to get behind-the-scenes updates, early chapters, and bonus content, I post regularly on Patreon: 👉 Visit my Patreon here

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 ...

In chapter 27 of Year of the Dog , Mari takes the dogs running at Moluke’ia Beach Park. My grandma and my parents would often take us here to swim when we were kids. It has a lot of rocks near the shore, but the sand is soft and fine, and the rocks are fun to snorkel around. The last time I went to Hawaii, I took some photos of the beach, so you can see what it looks like. Running on the beach is actually super tough, so Ashwin isn’t a weakling or anything like that—Mari is just a beast! Year of the Dog is releasing in the anthology, Danger in the Shadows . Get it for 70% off at the special preorder price of $2.99!

In chapter 23 in Year of the Dog , I mentioned Auntie Nell’s acerola cherry jam. I promise I didn’t make that up—except my grandma made it, not my Auntie Nell. Grandma had an acerola tree in her front yard and would gather cherries every summer. It’s suuuuuuuuuper sour, so we didn’t often eat it fresh, but Grandma added truckloads of sugar to make it into jam, which we loved. Come to think of it, we probably tasted more sugar than cherry, but we were kids, what else is new? I only just learned that acerola cherries have 32 times the amount of vitamin C as orange juice, and tons of antioxidants! I wonder if that’s why Grandma lived so long! Now I’m missing that jam. Isn’t it awful how we take so much for granted as kids? Have you ever had acerola cherry jam?

In chapter 22 of Year of the Dog , I mentioned the Wahiawa Botanical Garden annual calendar and the brownea flower that was the flower of the month. Wahiawa Botanical Garden is a really beautiful place where my grandfather used to work. He got lots of unusual plants that he grew in his backyard, including this really beautiful brownea flower, which is still blooming today in my parents’ yard. I don’t think they actually have an annual calendar (which is in the chapter), but I would like to think the brownea flower would be included. This 27-acre garden and forested ravine dates back to the 1930s when this land was used by sugar planters as an experimental arboretum. The last time I went, I also took pictures, which includes a really beautiful eucalyptus tree. I’m afraid I’m not a great photographer or I would have framed them better. Sorry! I love the Botanical Gardens because they’re just so beautiful! If you’re ever in Hawaii, consider going to the Wahiawa...

In Year of the Dog , Mari discovers a moldy tote bag in chapter 18. She describes it a bit more in chapter 21. I actually bought fabric specifically to make the bag, although I haven’t yet hired anyone to make it yet. Here it is! The fabric is Golden Garden - Teal from Alexander Henry Fabrics Indochine collection. Isn’t it pretty? I saw it on Etsy and simply fell in love. I specifically wanted wooden zipper pulls for the bag, so I bought these hibiscus earrings made out of koa wood (from Etsy), and I’ll attach them to the zippers once I have the bag made for me.   The hibiscus will be significant for the story, as will the koa wood. When I get the bag made, I’ll be sure to post pictures!  

This is the new cover for Year of the Dog! While I loved the old cover, since I’m rewriting Year of the Dog  with more suspense, I thought I should make a cover that’s more suspense-y, but still looks a bit fun and tropical (hence the pink title and purple palm trees). My graphic designer is slammed with work right now, so I decided to make the cover myself. What do you think? I’ll have my graphic designer tweak the cover later (when she’s got more time) but it shouldn’t change too much since I used the cover for Sushi and Suspicions  that she made for me as a general template to make this cover. I’m also making a logo for the new series which will go in the top right corner of the cover, but I want to wait until my graphic designer can look at it first.

After the craziness of the Kickstarter, I hope to put Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 7: Spinster  up on Amazon probably in the first week of March. I am currently working on a Christian contemporary romantic suspense, Year of the Dog , because it’s due for the multi-author anthology I’m in that releases in May, Danger in the Shadows.  I’ll probably post the chapters (including the annotated chapters) on my Patreon, but I won’t be able to give a free .epub copy to my paid subscribers since it’ll release in the anthology in May 2025. The chapters will be taken down in May, so be sure to read it while it’s still up on my Patreon. I’ve been posting my Christian contemporary romantic suspense, Protection for Hire , but there’s a chance I might pause it in order to post Year of the Dog , because I am realizing I’m not very good at juggling two contemporary projects at the same time. If I do pause it, I’ll start up again after Bento and Betrayal  is done, probably sometime in the...

I joined two Christian suspense multi-author anthologies that will release next year in May and October! The May anthology is Danger in the Shadows , and the October anthology is Don’t Blink . I have taken down Year of the Dog from my blog and will instead finish editing/rewriting it for the May anthology, Danger in the Shadows . I decided to do this because I was only working on Year of the Dog sporadically, and I wanted to set a deadline for myself to finish it sooner. To complicate matters, I’ve been unhappy with my decision to leave Sushi and Suspicions as a stand-alone rather than putting it in a series. And I’ve also been unhappy with putting The Lone Rice Ball as a 5th book in the Sushi series when it’s more romantic suspense than the other books in the series. Now that I’ll be writing Year of the Dog for the anthology, and because I haven’t yet released Sushi and Suspicions and The Lone Rice Ball as individual ebooks, I decided to switch things around. I’m rem...

My Humorous Christian Romantic Suspense serial novel, Year of the Dog , is a (second) prequel novel to my Warubozu Spa Chronicles series set in Hawaii. Here’s a little bit of what I just edited for posting next month: Ashwin opened his front door and faced déjà vu-on-drugs. Instead of Auntie Nell on the doorstep with four suitcases, it was his brother, Dusty, with two battered green ones. “Hey bro!” Dusty reached out with wide arms. Ashwin stepped back. Dusty stank of something fishy. “I just saw you last week. What are you doing here?” “A guy can’t visit his older brother?” “With two suitcases on his tail?” Without looking behind him, Dusty waved a careless hand at the overstuffed bags. “Oh, that. I just need you to store ’em for me for a while.” *** Poor Ashwin. He just keeps getting more roommates …

This month, I have decided to focus more on my Christian Contemporary Romantic Suspense novel, Year of the Dog , so I’ve been spending more time working on it. It’s actually an old manuscript that I submitted to Zondervan but it was never bought, and I’m rewriting/revising it as a (second) prequel novel to my Warubozu Spa Chronicles series set in Hawaii. Here’s a little bit of what I just rewrote/edited. This morning, her mom was about to tackle the attic when Marisol put her foot down. “Mom, I have to go to work. I can’t spend the whole day helping you clean the house.” “You have plenty of time. What can you possibly do all day now that you quit your job?” “Oh, I dunno. Renovate my new facility?” “You’re only going to have dogs there. How much renovation do you really need?” “It would be nice if the roof didn’t leak and the windows opened and shut. Oh, and I kind of need a floor.”  I guess Marisol’s relationship with her mother isn’t getting better anytime soon …

Happy Chinese New Year! This year is the Year of the Rabbit. The Chinese zodiac is split into 12 animals, and their years are 12 years apart. My mom was born in the Year of the Rabbit, so you could calculate her age if you wanted to. :) My humorous Christian romantic suspense serial novel, Year of the Dog , is a reference to the Chinese zodiac because the heroine is a dog trainer. It’s a prequel to my Warubozu Spa Chronicles series, which is set in my birth state of Hawaii. Here’s the book description: Year of the Dog serial novel by Camy Tang Marisol Mutou, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year. While renovating her new dog kenneling and training facility, she needs to move in with her disapproving family, who have always made her feel inadequate—according to them, a job requiring her to be covered in dog hair and slobber is an embarrassment to the family. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irat...

August 27, 2024 Update on Year of the Dog While I originally was posting this as a free serial read on my blog, I wasn’t able to keep working on it while also working on my Christian Regency romantic suspense series, Lady Wynwood’s Spies. To be honest, this story has languished for over two years now, and I decided to simply finish writing it. Rather than continuing it as a monthly serial novel (which is really too slow to release chapters of a book), I’ll be releasing Year of the Dog in May 2025 as a completed novel in a Christian Suspense anthology. Once I have the preorder information, I’ll post it here.

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.12.2009 I admit, I eat copious amounts of chocolate when I’m writing. It helps me to write better. And lately (to Captain Caffeine’s dismay) I’ve become a bit snobbish about my chocolate. My favorite is Vosges Haut Chocolate, which is massively expensive but really really good. I like them because their chocolate is not only high quality, it’s not too sweet and the flavors are very exotic. For the last book, I ordered truffles from Vosges: Les Fleurs du Chocolat Truffle Collection and a Green Tea Truffle Collection (no longer on the website). Here’s the Les Fleurs collection: From the insert: Out of the bloom Les Fleurs du chocolate Botanics in a chocolate hue Enveloped in the scent of roses, orchids, marigolds and nasturtiums, these blooms are even sweeter than they look. Flowers have long been praised for their medicinal properties—so we decided to pair them with spices, herbs and liqueurs to explore the body-beautiful attributes of Mother Nature’s col...

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.29.2009 Let me tell you the story of Pepper. Pepper is a Labrador mix who belongs to a certain editor who shall remain nameless. Pepper was an adorable puppy and remains a darn cute dog. He is black, with short legs and a barrel of a body. He also loves the cat he lives with. Snickers is a German Shepherd/Labrador/Pit Bull/name any dog you can think of mix who is a butthead. She went through SIX ROUNDS OF DOG TRAINING because she is such a butthead. Even our trainer said she was a butthead and that we got a difficult dog for our first pet. Lovely. While lots of other dogs responded well to their owners, ours did not listen. The trainer had to be—ahem—a bit forceful with her to get her to stop misbehaving. It’s kind of like having the problem child in a classroom full of brilliant overachievers. For my May 2010 book, my editor asked me to write about a dog. Naturally, being a dog owner, I jumped at the chance. Except I am the owner of one of the biggest b...

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.24.2009 I tend to have a “theme song” for the main protagonist in each of my stories. It just helps me when I’m writing to keep to the character’s theme. I also like listening to entire albums as “soundtracks” for each book as I write. For instance, for Only Uni , I listened to two albums— Brave and This Mystery by Nichole Nordeman. Trish’s “theme song” was “Fool For You” from This Mystery . Right now, I’m working on my next book for Zondervan, which is a contemporary romance that will release in May 2010. I’ve tentatively titled it The Year of the Dog , but I don’t know if it’ll keep that title or not. I’ve been searching for a good theme song for the hero and heroine in that book, Charles and Tessa. And I happened upon an album I’ve had a while but haven’t listened to that much, Rush of Fools . I’m excited because many of the songs on the album touch on emotional themes explored by the main characters. Not all the songs, but several of them—enough tha...

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

Captain's Log, Supplemental My agent called me today with the great news! Zondervan has contracted me for another three books! Right now, they’re all stand alone books—not a series. The first book is slated to release May 2010 and is tentatively titled The Year of the Dog (they’ll probably change it). It’s a women’s contemporary novel. Here’s the back cover blurb from my proposal: Tessa Ota, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year. While moving ahead with renovation plans for her new dog kenneling and training facility, Tessa needs to move in with her disapproving mother and her antagonist sister. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irate engineer whose car she rammed a few weeks earlier. Charles Bretton has enough problems. His mama has just shown up on his doorstep all the way from Louisiana, and his brother has to move in with him after being kicked out of his apartment—with a dog in tow. And guess who...