It was fewer than 400 words. Barely a page. But I’ve begun my first cozy mystery. I honestly have no idea where it’s going yet. At this point, I’m just introducing characters, getting to know the setting. Regardless, it’s a start and I’m excited to see where the story takes me.

I’m also excited to announce I’ve figured out the name of Jamie and Pip’s cat. Her name is–drum roll, please–Tater Salad! She’s called Tater for short, or sometimes Tate or just Kitty Boo. She’s a tortoise shell who loves to visit Jamie and Pip while they’re on the toilet. Or eating a bowl of cereal. No matter how many scratching posts Pip buys her, her favorite place to sharpen her claws is on the living room furniture. Her favorite place to sprawl out is on the kitchen island so she can leave a maximum number of hairs as close as possible to food as it is being cooked. Her favorite time for Jamie to pet her is anywhere between 1am and 4am, during which time she sits and stares at him until he wakes up. If that doesn’t work, she gently pats him on the hand, claws on full razor blade. If he hides his hand, she goes for his forehead. Only when he buries his face in the blankets does she give up and lie down beside him just long enough for him to fall back to sleep, at which time she jumps off the bed, somehow managing to concentrate all her body mass on her front paws, causing the impact to rattle pictures on the wall and make her people wonder if they just heard a sonic boom. But she’s adorable and playful and clearly loves her humans, so they can’t stay mad at her.

Sadly, I have less news to share on the dog name front. Frankly, I had a name in mind, but I didn’t write it down, so it’s been lost in the dark, choppy seas that are my brain. He’s basically a fictionalized version of Sarah’s and my dog, Benedict Cumberpup, who is a little tank of a dog who has the body shape and face and ears of a Corgi and the haircut and markings of a Rottweiler. His favorite activity is deviling his kitty sister and his favorite food is rabbit poop, though he’ll literally eat anything that’s not nailed down. His favorite place to sleep is on his mommy’s lap under a blanket.

That’s all I have to share for now, mainly because that’s all I know. I don’t even have a working title yet. As soon as I figure one out, I’ll share. In the meantime, I’ll continue working on the rough draft. Can’t wait to share an excerpt when I find one worth sharing.