Authorpreneur Dashboard – Sparkle Abbey
Desparate Housedogs
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn’t expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin dead, his dogs impounded; and that as the last person to see Kevin alive (well, except for the killer) she is suddenly a person of interest, at least according to Homicide Detective Judd Malone. Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets - Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.) Visit the authors at www.SparkleAbbey.com
Book Bubbles from Desparate Housedogs
Writing as a team.
SPARKLE: One fun thing I learned (and used in Desperate Housedogs) was that Gypsy Rose Lee was an avid dog-breeder of Chinese Crested dogs. In fact most active kennels can trace their ancestry of their Chinese Cresteds to her line. That was something I didn’t know. Oh and also the fact there’s a pet airline totally devoted to pet travel. The pet always travels in the cabin, never in cargo. Don’t believe me? www.petairways.com ABBEY: The great thing about working as a team is you always have someone to brainstorm with or run your ideas past.
Kitty Kitty Bang Bang
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Caro Lamont—pet therapist—and her cousin Melinda Langston—owner of The Bow Wow Boutique—pamper the kitties and pooches of Laguna Beach’s elites. Unfortunately, their human clients keep turning up dead. Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The Pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets – Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day, with either an iced tea or a margarita. Visit them at www.sparkleabbey.com.
Book Bubbles from Kitty Kitty Bang Bang
Our name.
Because we co-write the Pampered Pets mystery series, our publisher asked us to use a pen name. After considering several combinations of our names, none of which really worked; we came up with the idea of using our pets' names. Sparkle is Mary Lee's cat and Abbey is Anita's dog. We have other pets so our pen name could have potentially been Chewbacca Matisse.
Get Fluffy
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
“A mystery worth barking about.” – Linda O. Johnson, author of THE MORE THE TERRIER, Berkley Prime Crime Disgraced Texas beauty queen, Melinda (Mel) Langston, owns Laguna Beach’s Bow Wow Boutique. Mona Michaels, Mel’s most despised client, owns a star dog, Fluffy, who's worth millions. When Mona is found whacked in the head with Fluffy’s Daytime Emmy, everyone wants Fluffy. And someone won't stop at murder to get the pooch. Secrets. Blackmail. Mel tackles the case like a dog with a bone. But can she dig up the truth before the killer buries her? I stumbled through the doorway into a mini-palace fit for a movie star. Fluffy’s palace. A white sheepskin rug in front of her personal fireplace, a king-sized sleigh bed and a dressing screen (why a dog needed a dressing screen was beyond me). Fresh, filtered water dripped into her Wedgewood doggie bowl. The room looked like it had been ransacked. Mona was sprawled on the floor as if posing for a men’s magazine. It was almost picture-perfect, except for the blood matting her five-hundred-dollar haircut and the gold statue stuck in her head. I hesitantly moved closer. Fluffy nuzzled Mona’s cheek. When she didn’t move, Fluffy pawed her shoulder, still whining. “I don’t think she’s getting up, girl,” I said softly. Mona was deader than a stuffed poodle.
Book Bubbles from Get Fluffy
Why I started writing.
SPARKLE: I started writing because I loved reading so much. Like many authors it seems like I’ve always written in one form or another, but it was really my love of mysteries that started me thinking I’d like to try my hand at writing one. ABBEY: I love reading and storytelling. Even in my everyday life, when I’m recounting what happened throughout the day, it’s a story. In the 5th grade there was a class assignment to create a book, which had to include a story and a book cover. I still have that book. It’s bad, but I love it. After that I must have been bitten by the writing bug. I wrote poems, songs, and novels. But it wasn’t until 1998 that I started writing toward the goal of publication
