DOG-EARED with Lisa Davis & the Health Power podcast.

DOG-EARED with Lisa Davis EP#17: BOOK: "PLAYING DEAD: A Novel." AUTHOR: Peggy Rothschild

April 20, 2023 Naturally Savvy
DOG-EARED with Lisa Davis & the Health Power podcast.
DOG-EARED with Lisa Davis EP#17: BOOK: "PLAYING DEAD: A Novel." AUTHOR: Peggy Rothschild
Show Notes Transcript

Lisa is joined by Peggy Rothchilds, to talk about her book PLAYING DEAD: A Novel.  It's a cozy mystery full of wonderful dogs who are integral to the story.

Always a mystery-lover, Peggy embraced the tales of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys before graduating to the adult section of the library. An English major in high school, she switched to art -- her other passion -- in college. At present, Peggy lives in the beach community of Ventura with her husband and their cats. In my spare time, she focuses on transforming her yard into a drought-tolerant paradise.

Here is the book description:

Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can’t help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. When a trainer’s body is found on-site, Molly knows it’s her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can’t say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman’s dog, either—not with those puppy dog eyes.

Relationships at the training facility are not as clean as the prize-winning agility runs, making it difficult for Molly to get a leash on potential suspects. And her personal life is just as messy—her boyfriend is hiding something, her agoraphobic neighbor needs help, and her number of four-legged friends keep growing as she agrees to dogsit a wriggly local French bulldog.
 
When Molly’s friend is arrested for the murder, she’s not sure who to believe anymore. Is the case as simple as the local cops make it seem, or is something more devious afoot?



SUMMARY KEYWORDS 
dog , molly , book , cat , harlow , rats , people , cozy , peggy , agility , met , thought , celeste , read , frenchie , write , moved , research , pets , boxer 
SPEAKERS


Lisa 
0:00
What does your dog do and normally I asked the guest However, today we have an incredible guest who seems to know a heck of a lot about dogs without ever having one and this is mind blowing. So we're gonna skip that does your dog do, and we're gonna jump right in, we have got the wonderful piggy Ross child author of playing dead. She's also the author of a deadly bone to pick, I work with many publicists like over 100 for health power. I've been doing it for 10 years. And before that, I had an NPR show and I've been doing this for a long time. So I sent out an email saying I'm now looking for authors who have written books about dogs. And I heard from Peggy's publicist. And they said, Well, it's a novel. It's not a memoir. And it's not a nonfiction book, which is what I'm used to. And at first I thought, oh, and then I thought, Oh, this is really cool. This is giving me a whole nother thing to shoot for after losing their home during a California wildfire. Peggy Rothschild and her husband moved to the beach community of loso hosts along the central coast. When she's not at her desk or out walking, you can usually find her in the garden. Peggy is a member of Sisters in Crime national and Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles, Peggy so excited to have you on dogeared.

Peggy 
1:11
Thank you, Lisa. I'm thrilled to be here.

Lisa 
1:13
I had so much fun. I didn't even know I like murder mysteries. I was like, I don't know a novel. What? Wait, where's the memoir? You know, so but I have to say, it was phenomenal. And I only just found out everybody right before the interview, pick it up and how many dogs? And I was like, what? Because my gosh, you must have done a lot of research. So first of all, what made you even want to write a novel that's so dog inclusive? When you have a cat? Not that you can't love both? I'm not doing that. I'm not pitting them against. I'm just curious.

Peggy 
1:45
Well, you know, it was actually my agent was having trouble selling the traditional, more traditional mystery written and she suggested I write a cozy and the whole thing our house had burned down all that I don't think she knew that at that time. And I was just not sure I can write a cozy,

Lisa
2:02
what is it cozy for people? I don't even know what that is.

Peggy 
2:05
There's not a lot of violence. There's not a lot of sex, the language is pretty tame. And yeah, there's always a dead body. But usually the murder happens off the page kind of thing. So, but I wasn't sure I was in a cozy place. And I actually found it a wonderful experience. It was a great escape. But what gave me the idea was I started reading some cozies because I didn't I was saying okay, what is this? And I have a very dear friend who I've had since I was seven years old. known each other decades, and she invited me to meet her at an agility meet cuz she lives down in LA and at that point, I think we were in Ventura. So I drove we met in camera Rio, and I watched her and her Boston Terrier competing and I'm meeting these people and it's a wonderful community great view. I'm just saying, Oh, I could kill one of these people this would work.

Lisa 
3:06
And he did

Peggy 
3:09
a great milieu to kinda because that's kind of part of a cozy to is either a very small town, or is it a closed community? And I just, and I do love dogs every when I met my husband, he had a golden retriever, whose name was Molly, I didn't even realize I named my main chapter. I did bring a golden retriever in and but we've just lived in situations where either we couldn't have a dog, our first place we lived and when we moved to LA, we weren't allowed to have pets. We could have a sneaky cat, but it was really hard to hide a dog.

Lisa 
3:49
And it definitely is.

Peggy 
3:51
Yeah, we were living somewhere where we could have a dog we had a diabetic cat. And it's like, you know, and that's just kind of been that we've always had seen your cat. So it's just never been the right moment. But I've always been dog adjacent is how I describe.

Lisa 
4:03
The first question I asked every guest is when did your love of dogs begin?

Peggy 
4:07
You know, I initially had terror of dogs because where we live there was this ex police dog who chased me home from school. But then it's very different. Her parents had a dachshund named Oscar. And that was the first dog I fell in love with. I mean, he was so little How could you be afraid of him? And that was that was the first dog and then my friend she inherited her grandparents German Shepherd Collie mix. Greta This is Oh a beautiful dog and the sweetest dog and that was like the the first larger dog that I became friends but then that was kind of after that it was just sort of They're wonderful. They're just they're there love on four paws you

Lisa 
4:51
know? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, they're the best. All right, so I'm gonna give a synopsis and I this is a different kind of interview for me. You know, I I don't want to give too much away. So you steer me if you're like, that's too much. Okay, so there's Molly Kay. She's the main character and she brings her dog. She has a noodle who is a saint bird doodle, which I'm assuming is that St. Bernard poodle,

Peggy 
5:15
right. A lot of people think I mean, it's St. Bernard doodle, which is actually the Bernese Mountain Dog poodle. Poodle. Yeah. So it's a big dog.

Lisa 
5:24
Yes. And then Harlow, who's a golden you bring him to the playtime Academy and Harlow is going to take an agility class, and noodle is going to try a barn hunt, which we're gonna get into because I had never even heard of that. Now, noodles nose leads him to a dead body and it turns out to be the super mean snarky bitchy woman, Celeste who nobody likes. And Molly kind of be friends this other woman named Felicity because she gives her some tips on cutting some of the time off and the agility course which in turn pisses off Celeste, and then all of a sudden Celestra is dead. On top of that Molly has terone Two dogs and she takes a dead woman's dog. Then she takes care of another dog. Then she helps train another dog and she's got issues with her boyfriend. She's got a gore phobic neighbor. It's really, really good. So how was that? My first time,

Peggy 
6:18
it was an excellent capsulation of her situation.

Lisa 
6:22
Wondering you picked a drooly dog. So do you have an affinity for Julie dogs? Or did you just find a saint bernedoodle particularly interesting?

Peggy 
6:32
Well, I actually the draw was part of it. I don't particularly love Julie dogs, but I wanted when she adopted by habit not just be that he's huge, but that he is a bit of a mess. But he's sweet. So I didn't want him just to be the Wonder Dog. I wanted it to be lunch that came with him.

Lisa 
6:53
Yeah, that's actually a really good point. Because, you know, Harlow is not only like let's play on words, a golden dog, but she's a golden. Now, so you were at this play time a cat or you were at a an agility course. And you thought this is a really good setting. And you're right, because I was able to learn as a dog lover. I know about agility. But I learned a lot more and then I didn't know what a barn hunt and I was kind of shocked. I'm like they chase rats. What did the poor rats out of that? What had how do they stop them from catching them? It seems like these dogs have to be pretty well trained if they're going to participate. But for people are like Lisa, what are you talking about what is a barn hunt.

Peggy 
7:34
But it doesn't actually have to take place in a barn. But the rats are actually in like tubes. Or they're safe. So they're never in any danger. And the thing was, this was only something I could watch on video because a lot of the research I was doing was during COVID. And you couldn't go unless you were a participant. So my friend took video. And then another friend who was seriously, I've got to say the rats looked like they're having a good time. Because I was a little like I should I write about this sounds kind of, but it's like it sounded like everybody was having fun. Yeah. And and the course is very the number of rats on them vary according to the level of competition. So I just had Molly doing a starter level. So there was just one rat on the course. But it's good and it's timed. And it's it's a new thing.

Lisa 
8:29
That's funny because I read it but somehow I still pictured the rats running free. And then running into the tubes even though now that I realized you made it very clear. They were in the TOS whole time. I think my imagination went wild. I'm like, This is crazy. I have a terrier, he's gonna catch that mouse in a second or the rat is gone.

Peggy 
8:46
Yes. They do keep the rat stage.

Lisa 
8:50
Now, Molly is not only an ex Pei, so she gets very interested in figuring it out. And she doesn't think her new friend Felicity, you know has committed the murder of Celeste. And everybody hates Celeste. That was so good because I'm thinking Well, geez, and everybody would have motive cuz she's just awful. I wanted to murder. No, I didn't. But I don't like people like that. She was very nasty. And you have another nasty character in the book, this woman who owns this beautiful Frenchie sky, and she's keeping the dog out of spite from her ex boyfriend. And it's terrible. And you keep seeing this man lurking on the street. You're like what's going on? And I just don't like I'll give away it turns out to be the ex right that's and who who actually loves a dog. And there was some great training stuff in the book as well. So you clearly did your research. For example, when Mali is dealing with the Frenchies difficult donor who is furious about sky chewing up for Christian Luba tones, you know on one sky to be instantly trained at chewing Molly says quote chewing is not exactly a thing you can teach a dog not to do it's like teaching her to stay or sit. First thing you need. You need to keep her closets closed and all clothes and shoes out of her reach. And I thought that was so great because I've had that issue sometimes with my daughter, she'll leave something around and my dogs are pretty good. If they'll just, you know, chew on stuff gently, and it'll just get gross, you know, but I can't it's, we can't train them out of that. So talk to us a little bit about the research you had to do. For life things.

Peggy 
10:14
I did a lot of research, but also to it was really excellent. I had this friend who I could like, kind of go, I could double check with me, she was my last reader before I turned in to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. But yeah, and it's, it's, and you have to be a whole different kind of personality than than I am. If I actually had my own dog, it would be the worst trained dog in the world. ability to say no, rather go more to the curious thing is hard. So yeah, I did do a lot of research. And I researched, especially with the particular breeds I was dealing with what they were good at what they would struggle with, what their your natural inclination would be. So it was kind of learning which dog would have an issue with what I introduced so many. So I have a lot of notes. But when you're in the drafting process, you know, a lot of times I'm focused on the mystery, and I'd have all these margin as like, Where's the dog?

Lisa 
11:13
What to do? 

Peggy 
11:15
So yeah, so he was kind of you had to sort of layer it in, do the research, but you don't want it to feel like research you. You want it to be what the dog does, or doesn't do. And so yeah, it was tricky. But it was fascinating. I mean, dogs are just amazing. I mean, I did a lot of research about the their noses, their smelling ability, which is just so impressive. You know what they can pick up? I mean, I don't have it in front of me. But I think like something like St. Bernard's could are believed to be able to smell a human. If the winds right up to two miles away. I mean, oh my gosh, yeah. Yeah. So it's just like, so I did do a lot of research, but I also didn't want to do that thing where I'm just barfing research onto the page, right? Yeah. weave in and be part of the story.

Lisa 
12:00
Oh, it was no, I mean, it was really smooth. It's a great I read it in like a day and a half. It's a really great read. And that was I had I was interrupted but stuff. Otherwise I would have just sat and read it in one city and it was so good. So we've got a St. Bird doodle. We've got a golden we've got a Frenchie. We've got a boxer wasn't royal a boxer also. Yeah, they were both broil and Buster, both bucks. Both boxers. Now are these types of dogs. You mentioned some other dogs growing up, but it wasn't these so you talked about why you chose the St. bernedoodle. But talk to us about the boxers and the goldenen. In the Frenchie. What drew you towards those breeds?

Peggy 
12:37
Well, I chose the boxer in particular because they actually aren't. It's not that people don't do agility with them. It's just like, you're gonna see them with Australian shepherds a lot more often at agility. Yeah, they're so good at it. And I just wanted to have a dog that would stand out. So Molly would notice. It's like, oh, there's two boxers in this club. That's unusual. Yeah. Different. And the Frenchie. I mean, I'm sorry, how can you not love Oh my god, they're so cute. That was part of the logic to have this woman be so cold toward a dog. It's like well, what's like one of the really popular right now dogs but also just so adorable. How could you not love it. And that was kind of why the friendship and also I love the size disparity, this nice little sausage of a dog and these huge dogs are the same size.

Lisa 
13:28
It was so fun. And you know, one of the things that we all know who loved dogs are so good at is helping people with so many different issues. And I loved the agoraphobic neighbor story. And I grew up with somebody with the gore phobia. And she brought Buster over who belong to Celeste to the woman who was murdered. And right away Buster and JD connected. And she said Why don't you keep Buster and it was so beautiful to see that relationship and and talk to us about why you decided to include that in the book. And I'm so glad you did.

Peggy 
14:00
We know a lot of times when like you can't do something for yourself, whether it's from fear or anxiety, you can do it for someone else that you love. So dogs need to go out and walk they love doing so for it just seemed like the perfect way to get JD outside. He's not doing it for himself. But he knows the dog needs to go out so he'll do it for the dog. And then the dog will keep him calm and I just thought it would be a wonderful partnership. They're in a different a different kind of partnership than what Molly has with the golden when they're doing agility it's more they need I mean not Molly needs her dogs and they need her but this was a different more basic sort of this this dogs gonna keep me safe and I'm gonna give the dog what it wants and I felt that was important to sort of get it down to a less of a skill set like with Molly But a more basic sort of what that having the sort of loyal companion can give you this this courage give you more self confidence and I I really wanted to touch on that.

Lisa 
15:01
Yeah, I'm glad that you did. Now, Molly had a complicated, traumatic past, he had come from the East Coast, something had happened, which I want people to read. But she had a lot going on in her own life and relocated to this place and was looking for, I would say, pretty much it is drama free. And his existence. I mean, she walked out of her house, and it seemed like in two minutes, she was at the ocean, which was wonderful. She had two loving dogs. And then this murder happened. And it was just like this chaos, you know, not the quiet life she had. She had expected.

Peggy 
15:35
Yeah, and that was kind of addressed a little in the first book with like, yeah, she chose this town because she was hoping, quiet, no drama. And boy, did she choose incorrectly.

Lisa 
15:45
I have to read the first book. Oh, my goodness. Yes. I can't wait to read the first book. I see why it's called a cozy it's really good. And kind of on the edge and kind of guessing Wait, did this person I think they did. And then there's that like, guy that kind of up to something. Rat trainer guy like, Wrangler? Yes. Yeah, Wrangler, trainer, something going on with him. And then you know, just and then there was something going on with Molly's boyfriend. He had been a recent boyfriend. That was super interesting as well. The other thing I thought was so interesting is that she is helping to train the dog of an eight year old prodigy. She's a math and chess whiz, and also helping her with her social interactions and social skills. And I love when the little girl finds a friend. Yeah, you know, because I have a neurodivergent child and it can be really challenging in that area. And so I thought that was really beautiful. What made you include that storyline? And you didn't say she was neurodivergent. But I picked up some vibes along with the gifted but maybe she's just gifted you can tell us

Peggy 
16:51
in my world, she's just gifted I'm not sure about her new friend Lincoln because I really love that little bit where I can hear over the phone Eva telling him yes to say hello. Lincoln was

Lisa 
17:01
definitely from what my experience was on the spectrum. Without a doubt, or at least he came across that way. But that was beautiful when you can find someone that you really mesh with like that. That was lovely.

Peggy 
17:15
Yeah. Well, I wanted this little because we actually meet Eva in the first book because and Molly doesn't know anyone at Ava comes to her because it's a long kind of backstory, but she knows she trains Molly trains dogs. So she says you know my father says this dog has to you know, we have to get rid of it. Can you train my dog and, and then the more they talk it she Molly realizes Ava is friendless is she this little girl to be different than other little girls from that like she's just so damn smart. She doesn't know how to talk to kids or age he or she and and that Molly just sort of takes her on as not just as a friend but as a project. She's going to train Ava and the dog, although Ava's not going to realize she's being trained. The problem was, it wasn't so much in this book. But the first book was like, this little kids way smarter than I am. Researching What do children who are off the charts, right? What would they be studying? What would they know? And kind of thing? Yeah,

Lisa 
18:18
I love that. That's why there was so many dimensions to the book. Like there was never a dull moment, even all the details about coming home and giving the dogs water and giving them all kisses and taking them out and having them sit in the yard and the sunshine and their special places they sleep and it's the way we are people who truly you know, love and take good care of their dogs.

Peggy 
18:37
What and maybe that's a thing that maybe I I made sure to have in there because I sometimes in some of the books that I was reading, I mean, it's like the people never seem to actually work at their jobs. And it's like, either she doesn't have a job or she works. He's one of the two. Or they had an animal that magically seemed to take care of itself. It's like no, no, no. No, it's like people who get bunnies and Easter and then think they're going to take care of themselves. It's like no, this is part of your family you're looking after him they're your responsibility. This is part of the life with with an animal It just is.

Lisa 
19:12
It is and I thought that was good that you made that very clear. One of the other things that I thought was so important and this is just sort of touched on in the book is eating disorders because Celeste ran a gym and pushed her girls extraordinarily hard was extraordinarily cruel. And push them into eating disorders I'm not you know, I'm there's no pussyfooting around this right? I guess I can make it because that's a cat reference. That's okay. I have someone in my life with anorexia and it's a horrible, horrible thing. So I was glad to read about that.

Peggy 
19:48
I don't really see touched on. I mean, maybe like in more serious women's fiction, but to have it be brought up in a mystery. I think it's I mean, it's sadly so common and I mean, not maybe not to the severity of the person in this story, but that yeah, it just like it is part of this life and I don't think we should ignore it that it exists and that there are people who are bad for other people in that respect.

DR. JUDY MORGAN SPOT 
20:14
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Lisa 
21:39
I would love to hear what is one or two things about each dog that you absolutely love we can start with a noodle the st bernedoodle

Peggy 
21:49
I just watched I love his name I love his his friendly yeah he's he's the gentle giant. I mean you will and st Bernard's this is true they will defend their owner viciously if they have to if their field their owner is and is threatened did he's just as gentle giant he doesn't use his size against people. Yeah, unless he feels like Molly's threatened he's there. He's playful. I just I had someone asked me once what character do you most identify with in the book and I said noodle. messy but ours. He's a good dog for Molly is just a little more rigid and organized. You know I like her I could spend time with her but she's not me.

Lisa 
22:44
Right. And what about Harlow?

Peggy 
22:48
Well Harlow I mean you can't not love a gold and the fact I mean the one thing when my husband read an early draft he says you've got Harlow smiling too much you gotta cut out with a golden it's just what they're always smiling. Yes. trim those back. But yeah, I love about Harlow is a sudden she's just so smart again, it sees a good hearted dog and she wants to you know, she loves doing the agility. She's not doing it for Molly. She's doing it for herself. She really loves it and she's found something she enjoys. But I think also she's getting to a point in her agility career where she's getting a little older and she's probably going to want to back off.

Lisa 
23:30
Oh, yeah. Oh, Sofia. Now let's talk about Skye that cute little Frenchie them in

Peggy 
23:37
corgis? You know I when we see anyone with either dog that they think we're going to dog math, because we're just so cute.

Lisa 
23:49
He was so sweet. And what about buster? The boxer? What do you like about him?

Peggy 
23:56
Um, you know, yeah, it's, it seems like such a weird thing to say because they're all fictional. Right? Like, I don't know Buster as well.

Lisa 
24:07
That's awesome. I love your honesty.

Peggy 
24:10
I mean, it's like yeah, he's he's a he's a great dog and, and he ends up loving JD and they have a great relationship. But yeah, I get to know him better and book through. So I feel like I'm I'm cheating but yeah, I what I discovered in Book Three, was it? He's a food thief.

Lisa 
24:28
Yeah. And you know, it was so heartbreaking. Celeste husband was such an ass. I mean, he did not want the tour dog. I don't want the dog and oh, he was such a jerk. And Molly, what a wonderful woman who already has her hands full to take on this, you know, murdered woman's dog and that was beautiful. She's

Peggy 
24:48
like, I'm not gonna let this poor dog go hungry or go without water. I don't care if the cops get mad. They're getting some water. You know,

Lisa 
24:55
that was great when you're not supposed to touch the car and evidence and she's done. Trying to figure out how to get the food in the window for the dog.

Peggy 
25:05
Because she's like, definitely more taken care of business than than I am. But I, I wanted to show the other No, she also has a good heart. And obviously she wouldn't have so many animals if she didn't.

Lisa 
25:16
Yeah, that's so true. And you know, I mean, I think about that about I'd love to have more but my husband's like to is it and he loves dogs, but it's a lot. It's a lot of work.

Peggy 
25:25
It is. Yeah, we at at a certain we used to have four cats. And that was when I mentioned at the house, our house burning down. Yeah, that's point time we had four cats, we they all got it, we got them all up. But thank goodness to all blacks to black and white cats. And of course the power went out, it's a wildfire is approaching, you can see the fire on the other side of the canyon heading our way and trying to find all black cats by flashlight. The black and whites were tough enough. And I was down to one cat who thought this was a game. And we're racing around the dining room table until this voice came out of me that I had never heard before or since but it's like this giant. No, she just grows. And I clutched her and threw in the sense that I just don't think I could cross that line to that many cats again, because just the fear, can we get them out and we're living someplace? This is very wildfire safe now. But even so that's a part of my mindset is to never for animals. And I could get out in five minutes if I have to, you know kind of thing

Lisa 
26:32
I can't even imagine. I mean, I mean talk about trauma.

Peggy 
26:37
Yeah, it really did impact the way we live the way we look at life. And there's a lot of things I don't even probably know that it's affecting but, but I know the keeping, we actually get to adopt it. We had one cat pass away. A few months later, we adopted a kitten. And so we're at three and it's like I'm saying no, we can't get more because when I know we can get them out you know

Lisa 
27:01
kind of thing for me my big thought other than of course my my husband and my daughter my dogs is photos. I'm obsessed with photos, especially because my mom died when I was in my 20s and my photos and letters from her and things like were you able to get any of that my

Peggy 
27:17
father died when I was nine I have no photo him anymore. My sister died when she was in early four dishes. My older sister and I photographs of her either I had some of my mom, because she lived to be a ripe ie something so yeah. But yeah, that was just like, but I do I realized, as that was one of the worst things. Well, I mean, really, but then I was I can still see this because I used to in my office, I had always photos of my dad, my sister and my mom. And I had them all up and it's like I can see the photos. I may have been to remember certain moments with my dad but I can see the photo still in my mind's eye. So I've come to terms with that. But ya know, that was traumatic losing. And that's not one of the things you realize right away. It kind of hit you. But we had no time. I mean, it was like grab a few clothes put an overnight bag hopefully the best that will be back and get the cats that and grab the earthquake money because, yeah, make money. Gosh, I had a go bag of jewelry, most of which had been my mom's but unfortunately an important piece was not in there. They've been I've been wearing it and left it somewhere in the in the bedroom, you know, so I did get some things like I have this locket that was my grandmother's, you know, right? Yeah. That's nice. But a lot of the stuff Yeah, it was like, you know, you just, you just don't know you can't be especially to you. I guess what we're thinking Oh, yeah. Oh, we had like a barrel of earthquake supplies. But you don't take that when you go. Your 
your brain get out. And I guess it never occurred to me that we would have to evacuate in the middle of the night. I mean, it was like, at night. 1011 It was Yeah, I mean, it's like there's no lights that just was like, oh, yeah, just like something. Wow. Yeah.

Lisa 
29:08
How long ago was this?

Peggy 
29:11
It was December of 2017. So it's been five years.

Lisa 
29:16
That's it? Do you look at possessions differently? Except I think the sentimental things, but you kind of go you know what, I can live more simply? Or is it the opposite where you're like, Okay, I want my things I want new things.

Peggy 
29:28
From the standpoint of the insurance. It's like, you know, if you wanted them to pay you, you had to replace the item that was lost, or they would repay you at like what its current value was like so if you had a sofa that was five years old, well, that's only you know, kind of so you had to go replace this so we had to replace a lot of things that we probably wouldn't have replaced but when it got down to like clothes and stuff and and books and possessions, it's like okay, to give it little snart we moved into this house just a little over two years. We're sick of like two years in a month. And we have neighbors who went over to their house they moved in six months after us. You walk into their house people live there. All the built in Shelves are filled with stuff there's furniture everywhere you walk into our house and it's like the other sofa there's there's there's a few votes here. It's not it's really not clutter. It's not full. It's we really do. We are still using camp chairs at our dining room table. We got them for like we were at a rental we needed something to sit outside we got them and we got a table that we love that we've just never was like, Oh, these are good. I had oh my goodness, I had signed first editions of all this Sue Grafton books up through. I think I stopped at p except for I didn't have and c but I had had all the other ones. I actually went to a women's conference in Santa Barbara. I don't know how to convince my boss that it was important to my job that I go to work for the city of Redondo at the time. I went up there. grafter was one of the speakers. I brought a whole satchel full of voices with Sir Sue Grafton first edition. I think I scared her a little I was so excited to meet her. And she very nicely signed him. It wasn't a book of

Lisa
31:29
oh my gosh, that is so funny. Before I let you go today, I would like to know a little bit about when did you realize that you had a knack for writing?

Peggy 
31:37
You know, I I always wrote the first thing I remember writing I probably wrote things before that was I rewrote the end of Stuart Liddell. And the only reason I wrote it because my mother kept it for years. She was so probably cool. Yeah, I didn't like the way it ended. I wanted Stuart to end and have Margiela there with him. And I didn't like that they were separated. So I rewrote the end. And then in high school, I was an English major. But when I went to college, I had always been like to draw on paint, I switched to art. And I kind of, you know, kind of, I wrote papers and it became more about not really fun. And then after college, every job I had, I ended up writing, I ended up doing a newsletter for a real estate company, a newsletter for their parent company. When I went into civil service, I did a newsletter there, I just kind of I was always writing but it wasn't, it was just always fact base. It wasn't fiction. And then I went to work. Okay, my going to UCLA Extension class on writing a newsletter, because I knew ours was. It just didn't look right to me. And as I needed to learn with the design, what was wrong with ours, and we got a great look a newsletter out of it. But well, one of the days for the class, the instructor said, why don't you just write an essay today, let's just do something not fact, based. Just have fun and write an essay on anything you want. And I had so much fun doing that. That was when I realized, I do love writing, I'd forgotten how much I loved writing I'd set it aside, it was just part of a job. And I Yeah, and my husband for years had been telling me I should write a mystery, because I'd always be like, you know, halfway through, oh, I know how this is going to end or we go. And I guess I would make some sound when I'd figured it out. And, and so I thought, well, yeah, maybe I should write a mystery. So I took a class, I started one and I was kind of, you know, didn't know what I was doing. And I again, went back to UCLA Extension, they had a class on writing the mystery. And that other if I hadn't taken that class, and if the instructor hadn't been after the class ended, hooked me up with a wonderful writing group, I would probably still be rewriting the first six chapters of the first thing I ever wrote. I mean, I just kept polishing them and didn't move forward. And I met this incredible writing group. They had all been here in your class the previous year. And yeah, went and met them and they accepted me into their group and I There's still three of us from that original group are still in that same group. We don't meet in person because we're all so far away geographically, but we were actually zooming tomorrow so

Lisa 
34:23
Oh, nice. You're really good. I read a lot and granted I read memoirs and nonfiction but this novel is fantastic. Now I'm gonna get a deadly bone to pick I'm gonna read it I'm gonna have you back on. Will I be introduced to other dogs or does she have she also have noodle and Harlow in that in that book?

Peggy 
34:41
She meets noodle in that book she has. So yeah, when she Yeah, her life changes drastically from when she moves to PeerPoint to WinBook to she was a one dog person.

Lisa 
34:57
I'm sure the audience is wondering because I am Do you think you'll have Forget a dog because Peggy read in a book I'm like, How does this woman not have a dog about

Peggy 
35:04
it all the time my husband and I everything is now as a child, we should get a dog you know, we were like really worried about one of our we have she's called the senior cat. She's considered Yeah, Africa. We just took her to the vets and all her tests came back so who knows because we were kind of worried I was sick cat and bring a new family but we have been skirting around it talking about I mean, we're we moved to California because we met in Massachusetts. Our original plan was to get five dogs we had names for them and every

Lisa 
35:35
oh my gosh, what were the names? Do you remember any of them? I don't remember.

Peggy 
35:39
I think one the we're gonna get Dalmatian his name would be so raw. You know, we just had a lot of different names. And but when we moved to LA, we were living in this duplex and we weren't allowed to have pets. And this tuxedo cat just kind of came up and introduced himself and then he'd be there waiting free every day when I came home. Yeah, and then one day he wasn't there and we're gone. And we've named him at this point. Here Where's MP Calvin? So we're walking the street Yellin for and we find him he's under a shrub. We can't We can't move his hind legs. Or we take him to the emergency vets. And it turns out he had a urinary tract pocket and from eating all the cheap food that he's been he's been panhandling throughout the whole neighborhood. And we don't know who all he gets fed by so at this point, we brought him home after spending so much money because he ripped out his catheter in the head to do it we brought upon my husband looks at it says MP Can you say housecat?

Lisa 
36:48
Well, Peggy I hope you get a dog someday because I'm sure cats are wonderful. I just feel like there's something so special about dogs and again you just put it so well in the book I'm app I was absolutely shocked when I found out just before the interview everyone that you know I asked about Does your dog do to like oh, I don't have a dog. I'm like, well, a past dog. No, no dogs. So here we are. What do you hope people take away from the book? Well,

Peggy 
37:14
first I hope they enjoy the mystery. I hope they have fun. It is fun. The whole thing it's an escape you know the latest stuff there's a lot going on. That's nice if you can just sit back and escape and I hope they come away feeling like they gotten to know a little something about dogs and that they had a good time. I really that's I just really want to offer people a nice escape from daily life. You know, because it like can be challenging at times. But that

Lisa 
37:41
is for sure. Well, the book is fantastic playing dead a novel piggy Rothschild. So I'm going to have you back for a deadly bone to pick and in the meantime, tell us all the places we can find you and your fantastic books.

Peggy 
37:52
It's available through Penguin Random House's website on Amazon. If your local independent bookstore doesn't have it, I know it's in Barnes and Noble. But if your local independent store doesn't have I'm sure you can order it. It's available as an ebook audiobook. hardback, for playing for playing dead. The deadly bone to pick is now also available in paperback. So it's great wide variety. Yes. And if you can't find any of that, yeah, I'm I should have links on my website. Not sure that I do, but I should. And that's pretty rough child of your doc talk.

Lisa
38:27
So Oh, good. And you can get your social media from there.

Peggy 
38:31
Yes, yeah. Cuz I'm on Twitter and Instagram, not on Twitter so much these days. Yeah, I've been cutting back my social media a lot, but that those are the only two that I'm on is Twitter and Instagram.

Lisa 
38:42
Well, I just want to thank you so much, Peggy. I love the book, and I can't wait to read the next one. And everybody keep coming back to dog eared and while you're here check out health power. They're on the same platform and if you want to see me and my good boys, you can follow me on social media tick tock, Twitter and Instagram at Lisa Davis mph everyone keep coming back rate review and subscribe.