Critters and Such

I have a feeling you all may be a little tired of me promoting yet another book here at the blog. It's really odd that I have three releases this month. But it's also cool! How often does something like that happen? As a writer I just have to smile and enjoy the month. And try to devote equal promotion time to each of my babies.

So have any of you noticed the book cover for CRITTERS OF MOSSY CREEK and wondered, "What the heck is Hauf doing writing for something like that? I thought she did scary critters that suck your blood?"

I know, I wondered the same thing, too. But when offered the chance to write a short story for the Critters anthology, I jumped. I'm not all about the dark and brooding, you know. I like to do fun stuff too.

The Mossy Creek series of books is an amazing adventure into a little town in Georgia that's populated with an eclectic cast of characters. As a new writer to the series, I read through all six previous books, and was asked to pick one character to write a story about. It was fun getting to know the townfolk of Mossy Creek, and I ultimately decided to go with a lesser-written-about character who is a college girl on spring break. And of course all the stories are about pets, so cats it was. (I used my daughter's cat as the star of the story. At the time I was writing this, that darn cat was a young, un-neutered male who liked to jump out at people and cling to their legs—with SHARP claws. His name is Butters, but I changed it in the story to protect the not-so-innocent. Yes, that's him to the left, looking appropriately smug because he thinks he's the star of the book, or something.)

So I don't want to gab too much about the story, because I want Deb to step in and tell a little more about how Mossy Creek came about and her story in the anthology as well. But if you're looking for a fun, touching, heart-warming read, I highly recommend any and all the books in the Mossy Creek series!

Hello! Deb here! How did Mossy Creek come to be? I think we were young and stupid and had no idea how hard it would be to coordinate a "collective novel" series. The devil is in the details, not the broad strokes! A core of writers works on the series. Character arcs and storylines continue from book to book. And occasionally we reach out to another "voice" we think might be fun for the readers.

Who are some of the New York Times bestselling and award winning authors who've taken a turn in Mossy Creek? Patti Callahan Henry, Karen White, Sharon Sala/Dinah McCall, Sabrina Jeffries, and Deborah Smith and... See? We love bringing people into our world. In CRITTERS OF MOSSY CREEK, we're debuting a couple of first timers and some old hands in publishing. Carolyn McSparren (SuperRomance) has a couple of stories and one of them is the prequel to her new Mossy Creek mystery series-- CART BEFORE THE CORPSE (10/09).

Oh, and before I close, I guess I should confess that there is not a pet in my story. My character has a parakeet, who was so graciously given to my character by Anne Bishop-- without my permission. (back in SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK) I was sobbing my eyes out at the end of her story and pretty much had no choice but to accept Tweedle. My character had also been involved in a story about a foundling dog. So, I pulled a diva and decided no pet focus in my story. No pets. No animals in the plot. Unless you count a cougar. My police chief and the mayor (a sexy older woman) are getting ever closer to sealing the deal. Followers of the Amos & Ida relationship should be pleased with this installment. And hopefully you'll laugh out loud too.

And since we've been on a bit of a pet streak here at Riding, let's talk dream pets. If you could have any kind of pet in the world, say a fancy breed that had been rescued from a shelter or some kind of colorful bird or lizard, what would it be?

Michele