Merry day-after-Christmas! I got a very special gift this year: a new friend.

We had a Golden Retriever for many years, and I've missed her terribly since she passed away. Somehow I kept waiting for just the right time to get another pet--and then I saw an animal rescue organization called Angels Among Us on Facebook. If you're in the Atlanta area, check them out. They do great work, saving unwanted pets from kill shelters and housing them in foster homes until the pets can find their "forever families."

We were drawn to a photo of a sad-looking little black-and-white girl named Yoshi and read that she'd be available for viewing through Angels Among Us the next weekend. We drove to Alpharetta, GA to meet her and fell in love. Now we've re-named her Dixie, and because I'm a nickname fanatic, she has quickly also become known as Dixie Dog, Moondoggie, and Miss Dix.

But today I've decided to give her just one more nickname. She is already showing signs of being the perfect office assistant for a working writer (that is, she sleeps on my feet while I'm at the computer and keeps my toes warm).



So, gentle readers, I'm delighted to introduce you to my new assistant: Miss Paws!

Miss Paws is of mixed heritage, but we believe she is part Border Collie and part Corgi (the kind with tails). She's 25 pounds of sweetness, approximately 10 months to a year old, and full of energy. She's still doing some puppy-biting, but one of our Christmas gifts is a doggie training course that starts in January, so we hope to address that bitey-business soon.

Watch this blog for updates from her when I'm otherwise engaged or simply slipping off for a nap or other such important activity. She has promised to write a post from time to time, and if anyone out there would like to know more about the writing process, be sure to drop her a line here (that is, write a comment). Miss Paws will endeavor to answer your questions about writing, getting published, etc.

Trust me on this. Miss Paws will answer; she's a pretty fast typist. ;-)