The sky turned blood red this summer with smoke from fires blocking the light. The wildfires have been raging, voracious and terrifying. Yet I've never seen so many butterflies and in such variety as I have these last few months. I watch out my window into the garden as I write. The tiger swallowtails have been frequent visitors for years, but we have Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Skippers, and I saw a rare glorious indigo Pipeline Swallowtail for the first time in my life.

I'm happy to announce that I've finished writing Coyote Run Book 2, the second in my series about Maddie Whitney, a neuroatypical dog rehabilitator. Maddie's survived a fire and that danger is always on her mind as she rescues dogs, helps train their owners, and hunts down the identity of a vicious dog fighting ring.

I don't have a title yet, but I'm thinking of Dog Days of Summer, because the story is set during the dog days, named for the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, when the season is at its hottest, when mad dogs roam the streets, when dry lightning storms strike, and trouble brews.

More news on this book soon!

Stay safe.