We are interviewing Dakota, the heroic collie, from the Emily Dahill, CID mysteries by Lindsay Downs. Dakota is a collie and Emily's right hand helper in mystery solving.
1. Are you upset your name is not in the title?
Upset doesn’t begin to describe how I feel. Furious would be a better word. I’m just as smart as Emily, actually in some instances smarter. I can hear when someone is approaching silently and my nose can out smell that little thing between her eyes and mouth. I’m also brave, trustworthy, loyal (as long as there’s a steak for me at the end of the day). Even though Dakota, the wonder collie, isn’t in the title-hold it, that is a little long and might cover my magnificent picture on the cover. Thinking about it that way, yeah she can have her name in the series title.
2. Do you have any annoying habits your author did not share with us in your book?
I’m not the one with the annoying habits. Emily is with her insistence on drinking that horrible black stuff when she gets up in the morning. Makes me want to gag even thinking about it.
3. Do you have siblings? Are you close to them?
I’ve got 2 brothers, Nibs and Patches along with three sisters: Roxy, Zoey and Maddie. Right now I’m closer to Patches and Roxy as they live in the the US. Patches lives on the here Army base with his partner Mary Todd, while Roxy and Jenna Janson, her partner, live in DC.
The other; Nibs lives in England while Zoey and Maddie are overseas in locales that I can’t disclose as they are with Special Ops Army units
4. Any hobbies we might be interested in knowing about?
Does chasing squirrels count as a hobby?
5. Are you happy with the profession your author chose for you or would you rather be working at something totally different and why?
Are you kidding me? Being part of one of the best investigative teams in the Army is something that can’t be beat. I wouldn’t trade jobs for all the sirloin steaks in the world, now if you offered me bone-in porterhouse steaks it might be a different matter. Seriously, though I’ve got the best partner and job going.
6. Are you planning to make an appearance in a sequel? If not are you unhappy about that?
I’ve been in all the books and from what Lindsay tells me I’ll be in the rest. I should point out that in the 2011 Christmas story, A Dog Gone Christmas, I wasn’t the main collie. That position went to my mom, Kebi.
7. Now for a personal question. Is there enough sex in the book for you? Would you have liked more?
You might be surprised but there’s no sex in the books, which works for me. I blush easily. You might, when Emily and her boyfriend get together, see kissing but I’m usually there to make sure it doesn’t go any farther. If they try, as they have to do the nasty, I step in. This is one of the lessons mom instilled in all us kids. If we don’t like the other person we make sure it never happens and that has saved, at least with Emily on more than one occasion, heartbreak.
8. Are you happy with the setting? Did you want a bigger house or car?
I live in the greatest house going. It’s the right size for me and Emily. There’s even a spare bedroom when her dad or Jarrod sleeps over. The backyard is fenced in, not so much to keep me in but some of the forest creatures, squirrels excluded, out. Just about nothing will keep those pesky animals from burying their acorns on top of my hidden bone stash.
Oh, and living nearby is a real cool wolf mom and her cubs. We hang together a lot especially during hunting season to keep people for shooting our animal friends.
Oh, I almost forget, Emily has the neatest 1969 Chevy pickup but my favorite is her rebuilt, all original parts WWII Harley-Davidson motorcycle. I’ve even got my own little side thingie I sit in and the coolest goggles to protect my eyes.
9. How many re-writes did you have to live through?
If I’m lucky I usually only have to deal with 3-4 rewrites per story but it’s my editors that have the hardest time understanding me. I mean, really who hasn’t heard of Collie POV. It’s just like the others, except I don’t talk and you get to see all the cool things I can do.
10. Did you get enough time in the story or do you feel shortchanged?
Let me ask you this Jean, can the hero ever get enough time? The amount isn’t exactly equal but one of these days I know Lindsay will give me more time than Emily. It’s just a matter of waiting and having, as I love to say, the patience of a Saint Bernard.
11. Who was your favorite supporting character?
Emily, oh wait, she’s the heroine so I guess she can’t be a supporting character even though on many occasions I do support her in an investigation. I really don’t have a favorite one. I mean the team members are all great people and wouldn’t want to even try to single one out.
12. Were you happy with your wardrobe?
What wardrobe? I have fur. Do you mean the dog collars I wear? Well my favorite is the round leather one since it doesn’t bind on my mane. If I do say so, I cut a dashing figure in the CID vest Emily had specially made for me.
13. Did you fight much with your author or did you two see eye-to-eye?
The only way we see eye-to-eye is when either I get up on my hind legs with my front paws on Lindsay’s shoulders or when Lindsay comes down to my level. But, no we don’t fight much. If we do I win. Teeth beat brains any day.
Emily Dahill, CID Part 1
Final Mission-After being seriously wounded in a copter crash in Iraq Sgt. Emily Dahill meets her new partner as she embarks on her new Army career as a CID agent. Who could this new partner be?
A Body in the Snow- Emily and her partner, Dakota, cross bullets with their most determined foe. Who will survive?
Right Place, Wrong Day-On leave to hang with friends Emily gets the surprise of her life.
Dog on Fishing-When it comes to knowing how to fish, and catch the big ones, never underestimate your partner. He might surprise you.
A Dog Gone Christmas
When a call for paws goes out, five friends bring their collies without question to a friend’s house. They learn the collies are needed to help seven children with the grief of losing a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan. Now, with seven friends, four collie yearlings and their mother, they set out to help the children
Not far away a mother hopefully leads her seven puppies to safety from a man intent on selling them for illicit purposes.
By a miracle of fate the two mother collies find each other right before the man sells the puppies.
That Christmas morning will be one the children will remember all their lives and they are united with the puppies.
A Body in the Attic
Special Agent Emily Dahill, Dakota along with her team of technicians are sent to Master Sergeant Annabelle Carlyle’s Victorian style house for what they think is a simple break-in. What they find however, turns out to be even more ominous and far reaching.
A secret passageway leads to a mysterious gunshot. When the prime suspect is cleared they still have no clue who the shooter is, or why. Could the shooter be the same individual who took a shot at Dakota?
Add into the mix the FBI and their unexpected involvement in the case.
Soon they learn the break-in had been a cover-up for a more nefarious crime. One that involves Emily’s nemesis, the brown-haired man, and millions of dollars being sent to terrorists.
Will they solve the case before the money disappears forever and more bodies turn up? Not even the inestimable Dakota is sure.
Buy links for Emily Dahill, CID Part 1-
To request an autograph on your kindle (my author page)
Buy links for A Dog Gone Christmas
To request an autograph on your kindle (my author page)
When I get the buy links for A Body in the Attic I’ll send them to you
7 comments:
Thank you for having me visit with you today Jean. And say hi to Homer for me. Tell him we have got to get together someday and set NYC on it ear.
That was a lot of fun! Very creative and entertaining. Thanks for a great way to start my day.
I love conversations with canines. They are so much more interesting than most humans.
I just wish that Dakota could WRITE more ... you know with that new software that translates barks to text.
Chasing squirrels... LOL!!
Jeff, if you think I'm going to let Dakota get near a computer again after this little incident, think again.
He is definitely banned and I've started to make sure it's locked
Chasing squirrels, Dakota ????? I hope not! But apart from that you did well answering the questions. Can't wait to read your next book! :-) And say hello to Lindsay from me, will ya.
Hey down under girl, those things are pests and ruin perfectly good steak bones with their nuts.
My new one is out now at www.astraeapress.com but should be on Amazon and B&N Friday.
Yeah, if I have to I'll say hi, not that I want to since the comuter is locked most of the time now
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