Hi! My name is Trixie Handley. During my brief stay at the Greenville County Animal Shelter, they called me Chica, and I was called something else before that, but I really can’t remember that far back anymore. Actually, I prefer to forget the people who dumped me at the shelter. Don’t like to dwell on unpleasantness.

Anyway, I jumped at the chance to do this guest blog. You know, my predecessor, Lucky, has been immortalized in three of my adopted Mom’s Holly and Ivy cozy mysteries. I haven’t read them, but I heard her talking to someone about how Lucky saved the day in Full Bloom, book 3 of the series.

Not that I’m jealous or anything, but c’mon! Look at my face. Don’t you think I’d make a great character in a book? I even think I’d make a great actor if the book was ever made into a movie. I mean, people are always telling Mom how beautiful I am. I kinda think she’s a little jealous of me.

Lately, I see Mom tapping on a little machine every morning, so she must be working on a new book. At least, that’s what I think she’s doing. What else could make her say “I can’t play with you now”? So I was thinking this is the perfect opportunity to introduce me as a new character in the series. I hear her telling people what a character I am all the time.

There’s only one complication. I heard Mom talking to somebody about how you can’t kill off a dog in a book series, and I’m not sure if I want to be in the same story with “wonder dog” Lucky. Sorry, I know it’s not nice to speak ill of the dead, even though I do think not being able to kill a dog off in a story is probably the greatest of all writing rules.

So I have an even better idea. I was thinking maybe Mom could start a new series with me as the lead. I mean, what else has she got to do? I heard her talking about a book she read where the dog told the whole story. I think the title is Dog on It. I could do that. We could call it something like Trixie and Me or Trixie Saves the Day.

Seriously. Look at my face. Why that face on a book cover would sell loads of books, don’t ya think? Imagine the biscuits and chew toys we could buy. I’d own Petco. I’m just sayin…

Well, enough about what I think. What do you think? Maybe you could convince Mom?