Please welcome the extraordinary Pepe from the Barking Detective Mysteries by Waverly Curtis. Pepe is a Chihuahua. He talks, dances, and solves mysteries!
Pepe: ¡Hola! I notice you have not interviewed many dogs, so I am happy to represent my nation.
TQ: You've led quite an exciting life. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Pepe: I wrestled alligators in a swamp in Louisiana. I ran in the Iditarod. I fought the bulls in Mexico City. I worked closely with the DEA to bring down a drug cartel in Mexico. I was a deckhand on a fishing boat. And I lived and traveled around the world with the Beverly Hills starlet, Caprice Kennedy, who is known for her love of small cute dogs like moi.
TQ: How did you learn to speak English?
Pepe: For some reason, when humans see a small dog like a Chihuahua, they talk to us in high-pitched voices and repeat themselves, the same way they talk to small humans. So that makes it easy to learn their language. Besides English, I also know a bit of Spanish, French and German.
TQ: Geri Sullivan adopted you a while ago. Along with Geri you've become a private investigator. Do you think she could solve cases without you?
Pepe: No.
TQ: Who is a better dancer - you or Geri?
Pepe: Dogs have four feet so we can perform more complicated moves. Also, I must say, I have more natural rhythm than Geri.
Pepe: Our last case, described in the book called Chihuahua Confidential, when Geri and I had to learn a new dance routine every day while we were performing on the reality TV show, Dancing with Dogs, while simultaneously trying to figure out who murdered the mean judge, Nigel St. Nigel.
TQ: Why do you think you are such a great PI?
Pepe: Dogs have many natural advantages over human detectives. My sense of smell is at least 10,000 times better than Geri’s. Just by following a scent, I can tell what someone ate, how they feel, where they have been, and what they have touched. I can also hear four times more acutely than my human companion. In one way, I am unusual among dogs in that I am able to watch television which is where I have learned much about crime investigation. I am also easily overlooked, so people talk freely around me, not realizing I can understand every word they say.
TQ: Can you tell us what you are Geri are up to in your next adventure?
Pepe: We go undercover in a cult that worships dogs. Naturally they are quite impressed by me and my abilities. Unfortunately the woman we are supposed to find is killed and we get involved in trying to figure out what happened to her and clearing the names of the wolf-dogs who are blamed for her death.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery!
Pepe: It was my pleasure!
Barking Detective Mysteries
Chihuahua Confidential
Barking Detective Mysteries 2
Kensington, April 2, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 304 pages
“If I say so myself, I am muy foxy!”
When novice P.I. Geri Sullivan first heard her adopted Chihuahua talk, she thought she'd gone barking mad. But it turns out Pepe is a savvy sleuth-and if he has his way, he'll soon be a bone-a-fido celebrity, too, as Pepe and Geri are Hollywood-bound to star in the reality show Dancing with Dogs. So far, so bueno. Then Nigel St. Nigel, the judge everyone loves to hate, becomes the judge someone wanted dead. Pepe and Geri are hot on a killer's heels but between perfecting the paso doble and protecting Pepe's Pomeranian lady love, both have their paws full. If Pepe's new status as a Beverly Hills Chihuahua goes to his head, it may be the last waltz for Geri's crime-biting compadre.
Dial C for Chihuahua
Barking Detective Mysteries 1
Kensington, October 2, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 332 pages
He’s got a nose for crime—and a weakness for bacon.
Pepe may have soft white fur, big brown eyes, and mucho attitude - but he's no furry fashion fad. Pepe is different. Pepe can talk - even if his new owner, Geri Sullivan, seems to be the only person who can understand him. When Geri takes on her first assignment for a quirky investigator named Jimmy G and stumbles over a Seattle millionaire's corpse, Pepe proves to be worth his weight in liver treats. Suspicion falls on the not-so-grieving widow, Rebecca Tyler, who wants to finance a reality TV show, "Dancing With Dogs". Normally, Pepe wouldn't be caught muerte in a sparkly costume. However, for Mrs. Tyler's caliente Pomeranian, he might make an exception. But puppy love will have to wait. First Pepe has to sniff out the real killer and keep Geri safe. Lesser dogs might flinch. But Pepe isn't the kind to turn tail and run.
And coming in October:
The Big Chihuahua
Barking Detective Mysteries 3
Kensington, October 1, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 256 pages
“In matters of courage, there is no bigger dog than me!”
P.I. Geri Sullivan and her talking Chihuahua, Pepe, are always hungry to sink their teeth into a new case. So if helping a hapless husband win back his wayward wife means sneaking into a cult of dog-worshippers, porque no?
Inside the believers’ rural retreat, Pepe perks up his ears when the charismatic leader pegs him as the next incarnation of the spirit Dogawanda. But the discovery of a body, murdered between mantras, suggests there’s more chicanery than channeling going on in this suspicious sect. While wild wolves howl, a killer is own the prowl—and it’s up to Geri and her canine compadre to dig up the dirt.
About Waverly Curtis
(text from Kensington Books)
Waverly Fitzgerald is the author of three historical romances under the name Nancy Fitzgerald. She has taught writing classes at the UCLA Writers Program, the University of Washington Extension, and regional conferences. She currently teaches at Richard Hugo House, the literary arts center in Seattle. She lives in Seattle with her daughter, Shaw, and Shaw’s Chihuahua, Pepe.
Curt Colbert is the author of the Jake Rossiter and Miss Jenkins mysteries. A Seattle native, Curt is also a poet and an avid history buff. Curt and his wife, Stephanie, live in a Seattle suburb under the thrall of their cat, Esmeralda.
For clues, tips, and 411, visit the website: www.thepepenovels.com.
The Giveaway
What: One commenter will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Chihuahua Confidential (Barking Detective Mysteries 2) from The Qwillery.
How: Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on August 10, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change.*
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Mine would be a German Shepherd...I won't have to crouch and he might even be able to lift me! :-)
ReplyDeleteI would have to dance with my beagles or they would get jealous---and beagles have great rhythm, too.
ReplyDeletesuefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
It would be a rescue dog because that's how I get all my pets. I find them abandoned or I get them from shelters. Which ever one/type gives me the "eyes". You know the ones that say "Take me! I need you!"
ReplyDeleteacm05atjuno.com
A Collie or a Samoyed would be with me :).
ReplyDeletevsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com
I wish my daughter was here! She is reading Dial C and loving it. She is our doggy expert but I think she would want to be a papillon because they are so fancy!
ReplyDeletea poodle
ReplyDeleteFor me it would be a Terrier. Since I have one of my own I would teach it awesome dance moves. :3
ReplyDeleteneoterragoddess@gmail.com
It would have to be a border collie. They're very agile and smart!
ReplyDeleteA Golden Retriever, I'm sure it's retrieving skills will be put the the test as I slip up & over.
ReplyDeleteSiberian Husky! They are so handsome, alas I'm allergic to dog :(
ReplyDeleteWolf hybrid.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com