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10 Things Whippets Taught Me

This post I dedicate to Lilly. I miss the dog. She drove me to insanity and back on an average day with her sheer enthusiasm for life!

Lilly is the tan Whippet and Rose is the brindle blurred out
Lilly is the tan Whippet and Rose is the brindle blurred out


Hubby fell in love with Whippets years ago and we found ourselves 2 bitches. They were really cute and cuddly. They slept on our bed and went through normal puppy training. They grew and got bigger. But they never grew out of their toddler shenanigans!


Since I’m your perpetual student, I started researching the bread to learn more about them. Things like health problems, trainability, temperament, etc. Nothing. Nada. Not a thing was available about these dogs. Today there’s quite a bit available about the breed. I sometimes wholeheartedly agree with the information. Occasionally, I call the writer out on the crap they peddle. With that said, I thought I’d share some of the things we learned on the job about this breed:

  1. Jack Russels are a walk in the park. In my eyes, Jack Russels are the epiphany of naughty dogs. Whippets invented naughty!
  2. Clothing lines are the mother of all challenges. And whippets accept it with glee. These dogs jump about 10 times their own height to reach morsels of toys.
  3. Toys entertain the people who buy them, not the whippets. Whippets destroy heavy-duty, double-rubberised toys as if they’re made of fabric and stuffing.
  4. Running drains unfit candidates. Walking or running is like oxygen for whippets and can never be skipped. Rain or shine, whippets love it. Skip that nightly walk and your washing line will become the touch down line.
  5. Cold belongs in snowy regions. They are the most cost intolerant breed I’ve ever met. They shiver and shake that grandma’s shaking teacup looks like gentle pulses.
  6. Cuddling is not just for teddy bears. If you lie still enough for just a few seconds, they will cuddle so cutely.
  7. Food bowls always have holes. They eat the way a teenager does.
  8. Great Danes are Einsteins compared to Whippets. They are 100% primal dogs with instinct as driving force and no brainpower necessary. Every training lesson is like their first.
  9. Bed space is always theirs. I don’t know if it’s their build or lack of insulation. These dogs almost need the comfort of a mattress and bed.
  10. Clothes are the menu. And underwear and towels are their favourite. I’ve never met any breed of dog that loves eating clothes more than the whippet.

At 11 years old, Rose is still going strong. She’s prone to growths and tumors, so she has an annual visit to the dentist. He removes them, only to have them regrow. According to the vet, they’re benign. She’s my sunshine, this dog, and I love her to bits.

Lilly in front and Rose to the right. Joseph, Jack Russel to the left and Joshua, Jack Russel at the back.


Her sister, Lilly, died 2 years ago at 9. Lilly ate everything and anything. Tragically, she ingested poison. A gang of a-holes went on a killing spree to kill dogs in the neighbourhood. The vet tried what he could but in the end, she died. The cruelty that humans rain down on animals is staggering at best.


Until next time everybody.
Cheers

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From Sweet Romances to Cozy Mysteries: What’s Next?

close up of wooden arrows

Happy Monday to you all!


I’ve just finished writing a series of sweet romances as part of The Unknown Series.

**A booktokker admonished that we are not allowed to refer to ‘clean’ romances, so let’s stick to ‘sweet’ then. ‘Clean’ apparently eludes to sex being dirty. I must admit, it never crossed my mind but I suppose we see the world as we are. ‘Sweet’ it is then.

Anyways, I finished this series and decided to move onto another genre I love watching and reading: cozy mysteries.
For those who are not familiar with the genre, cozies, as we like to call them, include mysteries, crime, and other stories. They are basically the ‘sweet’ version of the big brother genre. There’s nothing explicit in cozies, just mysteries and puzzles with loads of adventure along the way.


Some other hard-core characteristics of the genre are tested and stretched frequently.
Female sleuths usually dominate cozies. They’re always set in a cozy, small, and fairly close-knit community or society. This could be a small, quaint town. Some authors love to make the sleuth a pet. The pet solves the crimes with the help of their human, of course.


The sleuth will always have sidekicks. Those will be the comedic element or the voice of wisdom. They could be the muscle or even the romantic element. Even though romance is seldom part of the story. Of course, pets could also be the sidekicks in some way or form.


Cozies are usually mysteries. These mysteries could be crime mysteries. They could also be murder mysteries. Alternatively, they might be any other type of puzzle your sleuth needs to solve.


The cozies set in the 1920’s are hugely popular. Kerry Greenwood wrote one of my favorite series from this time era. The series features Miss Phryne Fisher as the sleuth. The fabulous Essie Davis did an excellent job at bringing Miss Fisher to television. Even though it’s not available in South Africa, I binged it for the short time YouTube missed it.


I would lie if I did not admit that Murder She Wrote was and still is a firm favourite. Jessica Fletcher, played by the late Dame Angela Lansbury, did an excellent job at sleuthing. I loved the innocent curiosity she portrayed in her sleuthing. Not to mention her wit that miraculously solved an unsolvable murder. I must acknowledge that Jessica Fletcher’s role as a novelist greatly appealed to me.


The latest cozy mystery that I’m loving too much is Only Murders In the Building, currently on Netflix. Even though Mabel Mora is the actual sleuth, her two much older male sidekicks are just amazing. Steve Martin and Martin Short are just amazing in their roles as goldy oldies!


There’s so much more, but these are my favourites.


Murder She Wrote is definitely the one motivation for loving this genre so thoroughly. It’s also the greatest inspiration for the new series I’m planning at the moment.


I told you I have one planned.

  • Do I have a female sleuth? Yes. She’s young and super curious.
  • Do I have a specific era for my series? Yes. I love the late 1940s and 1950s. It was very exciting, where the world came back to life after the horrors of WWII. So many advancements in trade and enterprise, inventions and economics. What’s not to love about this era?
  • Do I have a specific setting for this series? Yes. Kensington, Johannesburg, was the most affluent neighborhood. It was the heydays of Johannesburg after the war. The bioscope, tram system, multi-story shopping experiences, sports, and culture all boomed in this time. I chose this neighborhood because it had everything a modern small society needed. However, it also had all sorts of conflicts and intrigue. These could create the perfect opportunities for murder and mayhem! And I’m curious about the history of Joburg.
  • Will there be a pet or an animal sleuth? No unfortunately not. I don’t want to put any animal in a place where they can be harmed.
  • Will my characters have sidekicks? At the moment, yes. She will have two. And I would like for every book to have a temporary additional sidekick to take part in every book.

It will become available on Patreon as a serial while I write the book. I will let you know when I get there.

Do you have a question for me about this new series?

I’ll get to the other details in the future such as the timeline and where it will be available.

That’s it for today. Please let me know in the comments if you have questions.

Cheers until next time!

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Book I Read_ The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

“Description on Bookdepository”

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a shy twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness when she meets Ernest Hemingway and is captivated by his energy, intensity and burning ambition to write. After a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for France. But glamorous Jazz Age Paris, full of artists and writers, fuelled by alcohol and gossip, is no place for family life and fidelity. Ernest and Hadley’s marriage begins to founder, and the birth of a beloved son serves only to drive them further apart. Then, at last, Ernest’s ferocious literary endeavours begin to bring him recognition – not least from a woman intent on making him her own …

What says I


This is a book that I honestly don’t have an opinion about. It stays a memorable book about a very famous writer’s first wife, that had a hell of a time dealing with the man she really loved. This book deserves all the acclaim it receives, every positive review and every award lavished onto it. But for me, I have no words…it is more than just a great historical fiction.
Let’s start with what I liked about the book. I associated so much with Hadley, the protagonist and first wife to Mr Hemingway. She’s a strong woman, independent and out of place in a world that looked and felt a certain way. The writer sketched her so beautifully from where she moved to the big city, meeting her future husband, finding herself intrigued by the people so different from herself. It felt like me that latched onto, in reality, an impossible dream and then having to deal with the consequences. Sometimes life feels like a dream to me. When I read and felt and relived this story, I felt Hadley go from young and strong to uncertain and conflicted. It was sad to me how deep her pain ran. And I think I should stop now before I spoil it for a future reader.
As a romance, it is not your stereotypical romance but I do believe a more realistic retelling of a love story. As historical fiction, brilliant. I felt and experienced America and Europe in the 20’s.

What says others


NPR Books interviewed her http://www.npr.org/2015/08/01/427113402/aviator-beryl-markham-soars-again-in-paris-wife-authors-new-book after the release of her book Circling the Sun.

New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/books/review/book-review-the-paris-wife-by-paula-mclain.html and The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/26/the-paris-wife-paula-mclain-review shared some beautiful reviews.

This has been a very popular book in bookclubs such as Reading Group Guides http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/the-paris-wife/guide, LitLovers http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/8093-paris-wife-mclain and Oprah http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/the-paris-wife-by-paula-mclain-reading-guide.

Where to connect with the author


Visit Paula McLain on her website http://paulamclain.com/. I got stuck on her essays http://paulamclain.com/essays/. You can find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/paulamclainauthor/ and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/paula_mclain/ as well.

Where to buy this book


Unfortunately Takealot https://www.takealot.com/the-paris-wife/PLID35611373 is out of stock
Bookdepository https://www.bookdepository.com/Paris-Wife-Paula-McLain/9781844086689 with a completely different cover from my copy
Kobo’s https://www.kobo.com/za/en/ebook/the-paris-wife-deluxe-edition deluxe edition has a completely different cover from mine or Bookdepository. This is an ebook but I must admit, this edition sounds like sure indulgence!!

And that is it from me for now

Until next time sweet peeps!