ABOUT THE BOOK
Yoga instructor Kate Davidson is about to discover that when it comes to murder, there’s no place like om. When she agrees to teach doga — yoga for dogs — at a fundraiser for Dogma, a local animal rescue, Kate believes the only real damage will be to her reputation. But when an animal rights protest at the event leads to a suspicious fire and a drowning, a few downward-facing dogs will be the least of Kate’s problems . . .
The police arrest Dharma, a woman claiming to be Kate’s estranged mother, and charge her with murder. To prove Dharma’s innocence, Kate, her boyfriend Michael, and her German shepherd sidekick Bella dive deeply into the worlds of animal activism, organizational politics, and the dangerous obsessions that drive them.
And if solving a murder weren't complicated enough, Kate will also have to decide whether or not to reconcile with the estranged mother who abandoned her over thirty years ago. Not to mention having to contend with an almost-bankrupt animal rescue, a cantankerous crow, an unwanted pigeon houseguest, and a rabbit in a doga class. What could possibly go wrong?
INTERVIEW WITH TRACY WEBER
Tracy, how did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
I started writing a yoga blog in 2011, but the idea to write the Downward Dog Mystery series came to me a few months earlier on a rainy Seattle evening, while in the middle of a brutal workout at my favorite health club. I was pedaling away, reading a Susan Conant novel to distract myself from the evil exercise bike, when a quote in Black Ribbon about crazy dog people made me burst out loud laughing. I knew I’d found my author soul mate. Someone who truly got me.
I went home, looked her up online, and stumbled across a site about cozy mysteries. As I read about hundreds of other wonderful cozy mystery series, I began to wonder: What would happen if a yoga teacher with a crazy dog like mine got mixed up in murder? Kate Davidson and Bella popped into my head a few days later. The rest is history.
How long is your to-be-read list?
Massively long. Unbelievably long. And getting longer every day. I have two crammed bookcases with boxes of books stacked next to them, and I keep buying more! Amazon is quickly becoming the means to my bankruptcy. I used to read at least two books a week, but now most of my reading time is spent writing. I do work in a book every few weeks, but that’s nothing like what I used to read.
What books do you currently have published?
The first three books in my Downward Dog Mystery series, which are:
Murder Strikes a Pose
A Killer Retreat
Karma’s a Killer
I have a contract for a minimum of six books in the series, and the fourth one, tentatively titled A Fatal Twist is currently at my editor.
You have a day job . . . how do you find time to write?
I’m lucky. I own my own business, so I’m able to work any eighteen hours a day I want. Seriously, sometimes it feels that way. My writing ebbs and flows based on the other competing priorities of my life. Sometimes several weeks will go by without my having time to write a word. Other times I write nonstop. I’m most creative late at night, which drives my husband crazy.
The short answer is that there’s never enough time to write, so I write whenever I can.
How often do you tweet?
I’m a Twidiot. So although I have a thousand or so followers (which is tiny in Twitterville) I rarely send anything out. Hanging out at Twitter feels like sitting in front of a stream of billboards to me, probably because I don’t know how to use it. Lots of authors love Twitter.
How do you feel about Facebook?
I love Facebook. It’s allowed me to reconnect with long-lost friends, stay in touch with my family, and get to know my readers. And who couldn’t love all of those cute puppy pictures? I’m not so sure it’s a very good marketing venue, but it’s great for growing community, which is what I’m all about. If any of your readers want to friend me, I’d love it. Because I’m all about community, I use my personal feed more than my author page, but you can find me at either.
What five things would you never want to live without?
• My dog
• My hubby
• A computer with Internet access
• Champagne
• Good books
What's your relationship with your TV remote?
I hate remotes! If I can find them — a big if — I can never figure out which remote goes to which device. And since when does a TV remote need more buttons than an airplane control panel? I miss the days when we actually stood up to change channels.
I’m beginning to sound like my grandmother, aren’t I?
What’s one of your favorite quotes?
I mentioned the Susan Conant quote earlier, so I’ll share it here:
“Universal dilemma of the real dog person: You leave the dog home, you worry what will happen to him when you’re out. You take the dog with you, you worry that something will happen to him when he’s alone in the car . . . The solution, of course, is to keep the dog at your side twenty-four hours a day, every day, but then you worry that your constant presence is making the dog neurotically dependent, and besides, you can’t go anyplace that doesn’t allow dogs, so you can’t go to work or get your hair cut or go to the dentist. And then, of course, you feel guilty because, after all, doesn’t your wonderful dog deserve a better owner than this poverty-stricken, shaggy-headed slob with decayed teeth? Meanwhile, the dog doesn’t worry about anything. Why should he? That’s what he has you for, and for obvious reasons, he trusts you completely.” ― Susan Conant, Black Ribbon
I tell you, that woman gets me.
Besides Susan Conant, who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
Stephen King, Mary Daheim, Doctor Seuss, Edgar Allan Poe, and Santa Clause. I mean seriously. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
Yes it would. If you had to choose a cliche about life, what would it be?
“Don’t sweat the small stuff. And it’s all small stuff.”
Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Frosting!
Laptop or desktop? Laptop on a docking station that turns it into a desktop. ;-)
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Chevy Chase
Emailing or texting? Emailing. I’ve never sent a text. See, I do sound like my grandmother!
Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors — as long as it’s sunny.
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Unsweet.
Plane, train, or automobile? Plane. Life’s too short to be stuck in traffic.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A certified yoga therapist, Tracy is the owner of Whole Life Yoga, a Seattle yoga studio, as well as the creator and director of Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program. She loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any way possible.
Tracy and her husband Marc live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd, Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house.
Connect with Tracy:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
