Hi all!  I’m totally swamped trying to get my sixth Downward Dog Mystery, Murder Likes it Hot finished.  The bad news is, due to my collarbone injury it’s almost a month overdue.  The good news is, I’m almost done!  I just finished the 8th draft.  One more proof read and I’ll turn it in to my editor at Midnight Ink.  If I’m lucky, I’ll finish by the time I leave for the East coast for Malice Domestic on Thursday.  If not, well, I’ll have lots to do on the flight!

Since I didn’t have time to write a blog article this week, I decided to share an excerpt. Please remember, this is a work-in-progress, so it hasn’t been edited.  The final may end up different. This scene introduces Lonnie. His brother, Ed shows up soon.

CHAPTER 5

Something small, brown, and furry with a hairless tail scurried past my right ankle.

“Aack! it’s a mouse!” I shrieked.

Gabriel’s demeanor changed in a heartbeat. From easygoing to frustrated, with a dollop of fear thrown in for good measure. “It’s not a mouse, it’s a rat! Catch him!”

He had to be joking. I was frozen. Stuck between irreconcilable impulses to run for the street and leap on the desk. I had no time to chase after scaly tailed vermin.

Don’t get me wrong, I love animals. All animals.

Except rats.

Gabriel pushed past me, and I stumbled into the hallway.

“God dammit, Lonnie!” He yelled. “Get back here.” He chased the nine-inch-long rodent toward the kitchen.

The young men at the pool table doubled up with laughter. Gabriel paused long enough to chastise them. “Don’t just stand there. Check on Ed!” A brunette tween leaped from the couch and ran into Gabriel’s office.

Ed? Did that mean there was a second one?

My eyes whipped back and forth across the carpet. My feet danced. I hopped from left foot to right foot and back again, terrified that a second rodent was about to crawl up my pant leg.

The way I saw it, I had two choices: stay here and hope that Rat Boy’s twin didn’t chomp on my ankle or run after Gabriel to the kitchen, where hopefully one of the vermin would soon be corralled.

I chose option two.

To learn more about “the boys,” stay tuned for additional excerpts!

Tracy Weber