Today we'd like to share a guest post from our friend and fellow dog-lover, Tracy Weber.
Take it away, Tracy!
I’m delighted to be here today with The Stiletto Gang, this fabulous group of authors. Most of you probably don’t know me. I am, after all, fairly new to the writing business. My first mystery, Murder Strikes a Pose was published this past January.
Long before my book arrived at your local bookstore, my mother
received a personal laser-printed copy of the manuscript. Of course she told me
she liked it. What self-respecting
mother wouldn’t? One of her comments caught me off guard, however.
“I’m not very far into the book yet. I just reached the part
where you found the body.”
“Mom,” I replied, a little concerned. “You do know this is fiction, right?”
Let me assure you, I have never found a body near my yoga
studio—or anywhere else for that matter. And although a part of me exists in
every character, my books aren't autobiographical. Still, people often tell me
that they see me in my yoga teacher sleuth, Kate Davidson. So, for the record,
here are some ways Kate and I are similar—and different.
Similarities
1
1. We both
own yoga studios in Seattle.
Kate and I both teach yoga in the
Viniyoga tradition, and we both prefer it to other, more strenuous, types of
yoga. Although we both own small neighborhood yoga studios, mine (Whole Life Yoga)
is dedicated to the Viniyoga lineage. Kate’s (Serenity Yoga) offers a mixture
of yoga classes and styles.
2. Kate
and I both have body image issues.
Kate and I are both short, and we
both have “normal” body types (whatever that means). But when we look in the
mirror, we see the “before” image in a Jenny Craig commercial. We’re working on
that.
3 3. Kate
and I both live with a horse-sized German shepherd.
Kate fosters Bella, the German shepherd
in the series; I own a German shepherd named Tasha. Both of our dogs have Exocrine
Pancreatic Insufficiency, will weigh over 100 pounds when full grown, and have,
shall we say, “quirky” personalities. But in spite of their issues, Kate and I
would be lost without them.
4 4. Neither
Kate nor I are perfect yogis, but we keep trying.
Occasionally a reader tells me that
Kate isn’t believable as a yoga teacher. She’s not thin enough, emotionally well-balanced
enough, or flexible enough. I’m not a typical yoga teacher, either. Kate can’t
do advanced yoga poses; neither can I. Kate wants to live according to yoga
philosophy but often fails. So do I. If Kate’s not a realistic yoga teacher, then
I’m not either. Hopefully my yoga students won’t figure that out any time soon.
Here’s Where We’re
Different:
1 1. I’m
not afraid of commitment.
Kate has what she terms “relationship
ADD,” meaning she can’t stick with a relationship for more than a date or two. I, on the other hand, seek commitment. Just
ask my husband. I pestered and goaded and hounded him for three years before he
finally gave in and asked me to marry him.
2 2. Kate
and I had different childhoods.
Kate was raised as the only child
of a single-parent Seattle cop. I grew up with both of my parents on a dairy farm
in Billings, Montana. Kate’s a city girl through and through. I’m a farm girl
who has taken root in the city.
3 3. My neuroses
are different than Kate’s.
I’m as neurotic is the next yoga
teacher, but I’m neutral to facial hair. Kate has a very real phobia called pogonophobia.
Being near a man with a beard makes her feel anxious, itchy, and subtly
nauseated, which really sucks for her since she has a crush on Michael, the
bearded owner of Pete’s Pets, the pet store near her studio.
4 4. I
adore dogs to a fault.
Kate likes animals, but she never
wanted one of her own. I, on the other hand, yearned and planned and plotted
for over ten years before my husband gave in and agreed to adopt our German shepherd.
And unlike Kate, I knew that cute little fur ball would be the love of my life
the moment I laid eyes on her.
To be honest, personality-wise, I’m think I’m closer to Rene,
Kate’s best friend: a plotter, a jokester, a prankster, a conniver. Unlike
Kate, I don’t throw coffee mugs at the heads of little old ladies, and it’s
pretty rare for me to yell at anyone.
I’m too busy plotting murder.
Thanks for visiting The Stiletto Gang, Tracy. What a great post! The only way Caro and Mel, the cousins in our Pampered Pets Mystery Series, are like us is their love of animals and their choice of coffee drinks. Other than that...uhm...not so much.
Tracy has offered to give away a copy of her book to one lucky reader who leaves a comment. So, please leave a comment below for a chance to win! We'll do a random drawing from all the contributors and announce the winner right here tomorrow. Good luck!
Thanks so much for having me here today! Please feel free to ask questions in the comments, and good luck!
ReplyDeletesounds like Tracy has a very interesting life-I would love to read her book!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Carol! If you read it, please let me know what you think! I love hearing from readers!
ReplyDeleteOh--and I DO have an interesting life. But not nearly as interesting as Kate!
ReplyDeleteI live in Woodinville so Seattle isn't that far from where I live. I absolutely LOVED your book and can hardly wait for the next one to come out.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked it, Susan! The next one comes out in January 2015. I'm working on #3. Are you subscribed to my newsletter? I send out an e-mail once a month with yoga tips, mystery recommendations and writing news....
ReplyDeleteA wonderful post thank you. Tasha is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! I think she's gorgeous, but I'm biased. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHI all! Do we have a winner?
ReplyDelete