K-9 Mystery Author Margaret Mizushima

Susan Marie on Pet Life Radio

Award- winning and internationally published author Margaret Mizushima premieres the ninth thrilling installment in her popular Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series "Gathering Mist" where sinister secrets hide deep within the fog of the mossy forests in the Pacific Northwest. 

Listen to Episode #169 Now:

Transcript:


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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.

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Announcer: Let's talk pets.

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Announcer: The views conveyed by the guests on this program do not necessarily represent the views of the host or owners of The Doggy Diva Show, and do not necessarily constitute endorsement of products.

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Announcer: Medical information shared by the guests on this program are those of the guests and are for informational purposes only.

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Announcer: They should not replace the medical advice of your veterinarian.

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Susan Marie: Hi, this is Susan Marie from The Doggy Diva Show.

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Susan Marie: This episode features best-selling author Margaret Mizushima, who premieres the latest release in her award-winning series, Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries.

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Susan Marie: That's what's on our show, so let's get started.

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Susan Marie: Come here, babies.

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Announcer: It's time for a treat, The Doggy Diva Show.

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Announcer: Here's national award-winning author and animal advocate, Susan Marie.

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Susan Marie: Hi, welcome to The Doggy Diva Show, the show for animal lovers.

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Susan Marie: I'm your host, Susan Marie, and as always, I'm joined by my K-9 co-hosts, The Doggy Divas themselves.

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Susan Marie: Thank you for joining us today as we bring you the experts in the pet and animal world right to you.

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Susan Marie: Welcome back, everyone, to the Doggy Diva Show.

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Susan Marie: Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries.

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Susan Marie: Margaret served as the president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected 2019 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

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Susan Marie: Margaret is also a member of the Sisters in Crime, Northern Colorado Writers, and Women Writing the West.

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Susan Marie: Her eight previous books in the award-winning Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series took place in the majestic Mountains of Colorado.

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Susan Marie: But the newest installment in this series takes place in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she now resides.

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Susan Marie: With us today to tell us about her latest and Gathering Mist is author Margaret Mizushima.

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Susan Marie: Welcome back to the show, Margaret.

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Margaret Mizushima: Thank you.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's so good to be back.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's so great to visit with you.

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Susan Marie: Same here.

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Susan Marie: It's such an honor to have you back with us and introduce your latest release in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series, Gathering Mist, with our listeners.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's wonderful to be able to do that.

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Margaret Mizushima: Gathering Mist is the ninth book, as I believe you said.

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Margaret Mizushima: It is set on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.

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Margaret Mizushima: This is where my husband and I moved after 40 some years in Northern Colorado and once I got here, oh, everything is so beautiful.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's so green.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's so wet compared to Colorado.

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Margaret Mizushima: The trees are so huge in the ancient growth forests.

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Margaret Mizushima: And I just decided I had to set a book here.

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Margaret Mizushima: So Maddie and Robo are called to the Olympic Peninsula to go on a search and rescue mission for a celebrity's missing child.

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Margaret Mizushima: And that is the premise of the book.

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Susan Marie: Well, and it was quite a book, I'll tell you that.

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Susan Marie: For some of our first time listeners, you have a very interesting and diverse background.

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Susan Marie: And also as I shared, you have a tremendous writing history.

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Susan Marie: Can you maybe share that with our listeners?

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Margaret Mizushima: Well, yes.

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Margaret Mizushima: Thank you.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's a, I was a speech pathologist for 24 years before I retired and started working part-time for my husband, who is a veterinarian.

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Margaret Mizushima: And I didn't really work in his clinic.

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Margaret Mizushima: I was doing more of the business management and bookkeeping side.

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Margaret Mizushima: But in the 42 years that we were married before he retired, I often covered after hours and acted as his assistant, whenever he had an emergency call.

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Margaret Mizushima: So because of that background and experience, that was really the first character that came to me when I decided I wanted to write a mystery.

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Margaret Mizushima: And that character is Dr.

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Margaret Mizushima: Cole Walker, who's a veterinarian in a rural clinic similar to what ours was.

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Margaret Mizushima: And then I decided, okay, I think we need for these books to be police procedurals rather than amateur sleuth books.

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Margaret Mizushima: The next character that came to me was Maddie Cobb.

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Margaret Mizushima: In this book, she has changed her name, but we can kind of talk about that a little bit later.

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Margaret Mizushima: But Maddie Cobb came to me, and I decided she needed to be a K-9 handler so that Cole could be brought in to the triad of crime-solving characters for this series.

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Margaret Mizushima: Maddie handles a German Shepherd named Robo, and he's a dual-purpose dog, cross-trained in patrol and narcotics detection.

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Margaret Mizushima: They all solve crimes together in their small mountain community of Timber Creek, Colorado.

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Margaret Mizushima: It is fictional, by the way, so you won't find it on any map.

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Susan Marie: That was so beautiful.

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Susan Marie: We'd like to.

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Susan Marie: I myself, and I'm sure many of the listeners, have followed Maddie and her K-9 partner, Robo through eight prior releases, and I believe the first one is Standing Dead?

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Margaret Mizushima: The first one is Killing Trail.

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Susan Marie: Killing Trail, that's it.

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Susan Marie: Yeah.

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Margaret Mizushima: Yes.

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Margaret Mizushima: The first one is Killing Trail, and the last one was Standing Dead.

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Margaret Mizushima: It was set in the Beetle Kill Forest.

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Susan Marie: That's right.

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Margaret Mizushima: Colorado.

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Margaret Mizushima: So now with Gathering Mist, I have these huge ancient trees covered with moss, and all of the dead fall is covered with moss.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's a rain forest, really on the western side of the Olympic Peninsula.

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Susan Marie: We'll get into that in a minute because as you did in Colorado, in your newest book, I mean, you could literally feel the lushness, and it was very different than Colorado with its beautiful mountains and the forest there.

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Susan Marie: But I just wanted to ask you, what was your inspiration for Maddie and also Robo?

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Susan Marie: Can you just tell us, because they have this tremendous bond of trust together, can you just share a little bit about their characters, like both professionally as they work professionally?

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Susan Marie: She's a deputy and he is a K-9, her K-9 partner, and also personally, because there's also a tremendous bond between Maddie and Robo.

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Margaret Mizushima: When I first decided to create Maddie, I decided to give her a lot of baggage.

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Margaret Mizushima: She had a pretty traumatic childhood, part of which she was raised in foster care, and she didn't trust anyone.

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Margaret Mizushima: And in fact, in Killing Trail, that's brought up on page one.

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Margaret Mizushima: She really didn't know what trust would feel like with her new partner.

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Margaret Mizushima: And of course, her new partner is a dog.

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Margaret Mizushima: I really have watched in my work as a speech therapist, as well as in our work in the veterinary clinic, the animal-human bond and its importance with people and especially in healing.

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Margaret Mizushima: There are some jurisdictions that are even bringing in animal advocates to work with the victims, so that they can help calm them, soothe them, things like that.

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Margaret Mizushima: So I decided that I really wanted Maddie to eventually create this bond with her new partner, which she has really by Book 2, their newly paired K-9 team in Killing Trail.

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Margaret Mizushima: And then in Book 2, Stalking Ground, they kind of come into their own.

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Margaret Mizushima: So yes, that was really my inspiration behind those two characters.

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Margaret Mizushima: However, I met a woman who was a retired K-9 handler as I was researching the series and getting ready to start the first book.

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Margaret Mizushima: And she had a K-9 partner named Robo, who was a huge German Shepherd that she had done a lot of training with.

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Margaret Mizushima: And he was really quite good at all of his skill set, remarkably so.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so I decided I kind of wanted to create a wonder dog, like the stories that this retired K-9 handler told me about her dog.

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Margaret Mizushima: Her dog happened to be named Robo.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so I asked her permission to use Robo's name for my character.

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Margaret Mizushima: And she said that would be great.

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Margaret Mizushima: So.

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Susan Marie: And what a character Robo is.

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Susan Marie: I love Robo, love Maddie too.

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Susan Marie: And throughout the series, Maddie works, as we said, she works closely with Cole, who's the veterinarian in their town.

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Susan Marie: But a relationship, it was a professional relationship and it's kind of evolved and as it's grown, how does that affect or how does that, I guess, play a key element in the storyline?

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Margaret Mizushima: The books actually take place in Timber Creek time over a period of about one and a half to two years.

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Margaret Mizushima: Whereas, of course, since we're publishing about one book a year, in real time, it seems like it's taken forever for me to bring these two characters together.

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Margaret Mizushima: But in Killing Trail Book No.

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Margaret Mizushima: 1, Cole is newly divorced and he is on a learning curve that is very steep, trying to learn how to be a single parent to his two daughters.

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Margaret Mizushima: Maddie, in Book 1, has always wanted a family and in fact, she has stayed in Timber Creek hoping that her mother, who abandoned her when she was six years old, would return to the community and find her.

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Margaret Mizushima: So these two happened to really have some chemistry between them.

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Margaret Mizushima: That kind of starts up around Book 2, but they both have lots of things they're working through.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so I have just gradually brought the two of them together.

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Margaret Mizushima: And I hope that readers who have followed the series will be thrilled by the last chapter in Gathering Mist, when a very special event takes place in these two characters' lives.

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Susan Marie: I did love that.

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Susan Marie: And having been a fan and reading through all of your books, and kind of like I feel like I know them, it was great.

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Susan Marie: So readers, when you read the book, you're going to be very, very happy.

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Susan Marie: But I wanted to ask you, because we talked about Maddie and her name.

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Susan Marie: So could you just explained, because she was Maddie Cobb, and now she's Maddie Ray.

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Margaret Mizushima: That's right.

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Margaret Mizushima: She recently changed her name, actually.

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Margaret Mizushima: I think at the end of Striking Range, which was the seventh book in the series, she gets her new name tag.

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Margaret Mizushima: She finds out that she has had a lot happened to her in her childhood that were repressed memories.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so as this has come out, she finally does meet some biological family who tell her about her own bio-family.

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Margaret Mizushima: And she's able to at that point, she decides to go back and change her name to her real name that she was given at birth.

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Margaret Mizushima: So that was kind of interesting how that came about because it certainly was not planned to come about in Book 1.

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Margaret Mizushima: It evolved through the years as I wrote each book, and I started filling in her backstory.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so I'm so glad we didn't call this the Maddie Cobb Mysteries.

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Margaret Mizushima: Instead, they're called the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so it was okay for me to go ahead and change her name because people who have read the series would understand exactly why she wouldn't want to continue to have the name Cobb because there are some pretty bad people that have that last name, and they are not blood relatives.

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Margaret Mizushima: So she changes her name, and then of course, there's gonna be another name change in the road.

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Margaret Mizushima: So I'm pretty happy about that.

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Susan Marie: Happy about it.

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Susan Marie: As we talked about earlier, the first eight books were set in Timber Creek, and you describe, and I think every time we've spoken, I always say that you bring the reader into the amazing interior of Colorado with its beauty.

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Susan Marie: Sometimes in some of the books, it was like a different, but I mean, you, atmospherically, you bring us right in.

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Susan Marie: So those all took place in Colorado and then Gathering Mist takes place in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and Washington Olympic Peninsula.

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Susan Marie: Can you tell us, again, you drew us into the scenic description because being in Gathering Mist, you really felt the mist.

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Susan Marie: Can you tell us the reason for you having Maddie and Robo travel there for this, what turned out to be a very, very important search and rescue mission for the both of them?

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Margaret Mizushima: It's so funny, but the first inspiration for doing that was a cover design for Standing Dead.

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Margaret Mizushima: Standing Dead, like I mentioned, was set in the beetle-killed forest where the trees are dead, but they're left standing.

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Margaret Mizushima: We ended up with a cover design that was sent to us for approval of mossy green trees that have quite a bit of fallen timber that is also mossy.

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Margaret Mizushima: It was like, oh, no, no, no, this one doesn't fit, but it's lovely.

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Margaret Mizushima: I loved the picture.

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Margaret Mizushima: I loved the cover that was designed, and I saved it, and I kind of used it as my inspiration, and I thought, so I love being here in this, these forests with the great huge tall trees and the Douglas fir that just smell amazing at night.

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Margaret Mizushima: So I thought, well, maybe Maddie should just come out, and I don't think readers want her to move here, but hopefully they'll enjoy the new setting and the comparisons to Washington State and Colorado.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's so funny, because as people drive down the highway, it's very hard to see the mountains in this state because the trees are so thick, so you really can't see the mountains for the trees.

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Margaret Mizushima: But as a mystery writer, you know, I look out on those forests and I think, oh, my, you could hide bodies out there.

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Margaret Mizushima: Nobody'd ever find them.

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Susan Marie: No, and walking through there with them, I was like, I felt, I was exhausted.

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Margaret Mizushima: If you don't have a path, it's really, I don't know of anybody who roughs it through the forest.

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Margaret Mizushima: I'm sure there are people who do that, but I'm kind of in an older friendship group, and so none of the new friends I've made do that kind of hiking.

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Margaret Mizushima: But it's amazing how thick it is.

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Susan Marie: Well, and of course, this book was a thriller as they all are.

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Susan Marie: This was particularly very fast pace, and I'm sure the reader, as I did, wouldn't be able to put it down.

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Susan Marie: But can you tell us the importance of what Maddie and Robo's, her knowledge and his tracking skills, how important it was for this specific mission?

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Susan Marie: And also Cole ultimately joins them because there's like some kind of sinister, other stuff, sinister stuff going on that's affecting the dogs, the K-9 partners of some of the other people that are there, working with Maddie and Robo where they become mysteriously ill.

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Susan Marie: I don't want to give away any secrets, but how did that all come together?

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Susan Marie: And can you tell us just a little bit about this situation?

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Susan Marie: I found that intriguing because it came in on top of everything else, and then it turns out to be kind of like a big part of it.

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Margaret Mizushima: Right, right.

00:18:19.014 --> 00:18:20.254
Margaret Mizushima: Funny how that happens.

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Susan Marie: I know, caught me by surprise.

00:18:21.774 --> 00:18:23.294
Susan Marie: I always think, oh, I know.

00:18:23.294 --> 00:18:26.394
Susan Marie: My Nancy Drew skills come out and I go, oh, I know, I know.

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Margaret Mizushima: And then the reason that Maddie and Cole are, I mean, I'm sorry, Maddie and Robo are actually brought to the Olympic Peninsula is because Robo has a special skill of air-sensing people when he's searching for people.

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Margaret Mizushima: I had some training in search and rescue, handling of dogs, oh, probably, oh gosh, I'm gonna say almost 40 years ago.

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Margaret Mizushima: And it was amazing to watch the way that different dogs track and air-send.

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Margaret Mizushima: And one of our dogs was very good at tracking on the ground.

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Margaret Mizushima: She could follow the trail.

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Margaret Mizushima: But we had another dog who did both.

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Margaret Mizushima: And she could just lift up her head, find the person, go directly to it, or to the person, rather than going with her nose on the ground, following in the footsteps of the person.

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Margaret Mizushima: So they're two very different skills.

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Margaret Mizushima: Some dogs can air-send, some dogs can't.

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Margaret Mizushima: It's like the dogs who are bird hunting, they are out there air-sending.

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Margaret Mizushima: So they're tasting all of the different odors that come on the air, rather than trying to track these birds on the ground.

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Margaret Mizushima: So that's what it's similar to.

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Margaret Mizushima: So Maddie gets called out by Sergeant Jim Madsen, who has a regional search and rescue program where he can go into communities that need air-sending dogs and that need human remains detection dogs.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so Maddie goes out with Sergeant Madsen, as well as another handler, and they each have a dog.

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Margaret Mizushima: So there are three dogs that go from Colorado to Washington State.

00:20:19.854 --> 00:20:25.434
Margaret Mizushima: This child is thought to have wandered off from a movie set.

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Margaret Mizushima: And so their first mission is to search the area all around this movie set to see if this child has fallen, if he, you know, has hurt himself.

00:20:37.194 --> 00:20:46.294
Margaret Mizushima: And even because one of the dogs is a human remains detection dog, even to see if he has died out there and they can find him.

00:20:46.294 --> 00:20:49.434
Margaret Mizushima: So they're searching around that area.

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Margaret Mizushima: And then, like you said, they end up with one of the dogs becoming very ill.

00:20:54.934 --> 00:20:59.814
Margaret Mizushima: And Cole, when he hears about it, he suspects that it's poison.

00:20:59.814 --> 00:21:07.534
Margaret Mizushima: The dog had a seizure and they're working the dog up for a seizure disorder, but he suspects it's poison.

00:21:07.534 --> 00:21:14.694
Margaret Mizushima: And he ends up coming out because he's worried about Robo and Maddie and the dangers they might be facing.

00:21:14.694 --> 00:21:32.454
Margaret Mizushima: Now, that particular poison that I use in this book was something I learned about a couple of different writers' workshops that were specifically on poisons for mystery writers or people who write prime fiction.

00:21:32.454 --> 00:21:39.234
Margaret Mizushima: But also, my husband has had a little bit of experience with that particular poison too.

00:21:39.234 --> 00:21:50.754
Margaret Mizushima: So it was great because I could pull in some knowledge that Cole had about it so that it actually helped in the investigation.

00:21:50.754 --> 00:22:00.674
Margaret Mizushima: I'm always trying to find things that Cole can figure out, things that Robo can figure out, and things that Maddie can figure out to solve these crimes.

00:22:00.674 --> 00:22:03.394
Margaret Mizushima: And so that's kind of how that came about.

00:22:03.394 --> 00:22:06.154
Susan Marie: Well, it all played out beautifully.

00:22:06.154 --> 00:22:12.674
Susan Marie: And, you know, Gathering Mist, it's a thriller, it's full of mystery, suspense.

00:22:12.674 --> 00:22:14.474
Susan Marie: You never know what's going to come up next.

00:22:14.474 --> 00:22:17.774
Susan Marie: You can't really put the book down because you want to know what's coming up next.

00:22:18.114 --> 00:22:26.554
Susan Marie: You meshed it all together so that when it blended, it was, you know, when you come to the end of it, it's very, very good.

00:22:26.554 --> 00:22:35.074
Susan Marie: But there's another part of the ending, which I think it was a very happy ending that I know, it brought a smile to my face and did my heart good.

00:22:35.074 --> 00:22:39.254
Susan Marie: And I think that it's going to, I know it will bring a smile to the readers also out there.

00:22:39.254 --> 00:22:44.074
Susan Marie: I don't want to give away any secrets, but it's a very nice, very nice ending.

00:22:44.314 --> 00:22:48.194
Susan Marie: So, yeah, it like wrapped it up with a bow.

00:22:48.194 --> 00:22:49.174
Susan Marie: It was perfect.

00:22:49.174 --> 00:22:51.174
Susan Marie: But let's take a quick break.

00:22:51.174 --> 00:22:53.434
Susan Marie: We will be back in just a moment.

00:22:54.534 --> 00:22:56.754
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00:23:42.234 --> 00:23:43.734
Susan Marie: Hello, everyone.

00:23:43.734 --> 00:23:50.294
Susan Marie: Susan Marie here to tell you about the award-winning three-book series, The Doggy Diva Diaries.

00:23:50.294 --> 00:24:02.074
Susan Marie: It is a trilogy of heartwarming and inspirational stories about Miss Olive, a lonely little rescue pup hoping to find her forever family and friends and a life filled with love.

00:24:02.074 --> 00:24:10.354
Susan Marie: In this series, Miss Olive learns that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's the kindness and love you have on the inside that counts.

00:24:10.354 --> 00:24:15.654
Susan Marie: Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers.

00:24:15.654 --> 00:24:19.614
Susan Marie: And please visit us at the doggydiva.com for more information.

00:24:19.614 --> 00:24:21.034
Susan Marie: Thank you, everyone.

00:24:22.794 --> 00:24:25.174
Susan Marie: Welcome back, everyone, to the Doggy Diva Show.

00:24:25.174 --> 00:24:31.474
Susan Marie: With us today to tell us about her latest, in Gathering Mist, is author Margaret Mizushima.

00:24:31.474 --> 00:24:38.574
Susan Marie: But can you share with us, Margaret, if there's another installment that we can look forward to in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series?

00:24:38.574 --> 00:24:38.934
Susan Marie: Yes.

00:24:38.934 --> 00:24:43.114
Susan Marie: And like any hints on what we could expect to read about?

00:24:43.154 --> 00:24:46.554
Margaret Mizushima: Yes, there are going to be at least two more books.

00:24:46.554 --> 00:24:48.574
Margaret Mizushima: I have two more books under contract.

00:24:48.574 --> 00:24:50.214
Margaret Mizushima: Oh, thank you.

00:24:50.214 --> 00:24:52.454
Margaret Mizushima: It's a great celebration.

00:24:52.454 --> 00:24:53.714
Margaret Mizushima: Yes.

00:24:53.714 --> 00:24:57.234
Margaret Mizushima: Book 10 is set back in Colorado.

00:24:57.234 --> 00:24:58.914
Margaret Mizushima: The theme of that book is money.

00:24:59.474 --> 00:25:07.834
Margaret Mizushima: And there's all kinds of subplots that involve money or greed or murder.

00:25:07.834 --> 00:25:11.034
Margaret Mizushima: So hopefully people will like that.

00:25:11.514 --> 00:25:15.494
Margaret Mizushima: It's really the first time I've based a book on money.

00:25:15.494 --> 00:25:22.754
Margaret Mizushima: And I really enjoyed researching it because there's some banking hanky-panky that's taking place too.

00:25:22.754 --> 00:25:26.474
Margaret Mizushima: I have a couple of friends that work in the banking industry.

00:25:26.474 --> 00:25:27.414
Susan Marie: Oh, that should be interesting.

00:25:27.454 --> 00:25:32.134
Susan Marie: And you also, you're really good at having plots, subplots.

00:25:32.134 --> 00:25:38.294
Susan Marie: Everything kind of ties in, but you almost don't know it's tying in until it's all tied in.

00:25:38.294 --> 00:25:45.074
Susan Marie: In this book, it was the poison, and there were a couple of other things that once you get to the end, you go, ah, ah.

00:25:45.094 --> 00:25:49.714
Susan Marie: And it ties everything in, and it's all very satisfying.

00:25:49.714 --> 00:25:52.114
Susan Marie: It's a very satisfying mystery read.

00:25:52.114 --> 00:25:59.934
Susan Marie: So I can't wait to read Book 10 because this sounds like it's really interesting with a bunch of little subplots, everything coming together there.

00:25:59.934 --> 00:26:01.274
Margaret Mizushima: Well, thank you.

00:26:01.274 --> 00:26:07.234
Margaret Mizushima: It won't come out until fall of 2025, but I'd love to share a copy with you.

00:26:07.234 --> 00:26:08.454
Susan Marie: Oh, I would love it.

00:26:08.454 --> 00:26:14.454
Susan Marie: You know me, we, when Olive was alive, her and I had sit in our big reading chair and read your books.

00:26:14.454 --> 00:26:16.314
Susan Marie: We loved them, and I love them.

00:26:16.314 --> 00:26:18.834
Susan Marie: I read them myself, but I love them.

00:26:18.834 --> 00:26:22.194
Susan Marie: I just, I'm a total mystery buff.

00:26:22.194 --> 00:26:25.254
Susan Marie: I love all mysteries and all genres.

00:26:25.454 --> 00:26:34.414
Susan Marie: And I just, these, with your books, that's a guarantee that I could get through really quickly and feel really satisfied when I finish the book.

00:26:34.414 --> 00:26:51.554
Susan Marie: So for all of you readers out there or listeners that are looking for a really good book, this Gathering Mist or any of Margaret's in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series is very, very satisfying to the mystery buff, to the Nancy Drews out there, all of us.

00:26:51.554 --> 00:27:02.594
Susan Marie: So Margaret, where can the listeners go to learn more about you, more about your latest release, Gathering Mist, and the remainder of the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series?

00:27:02.594 --> 00:27:06.094
Margaret Mizushima: I have a website and it's margaretmizushima.com.

00:27:08.394 --> 00:27:10.194
Margaret Mizushima: That's margaretmizushima.com.

00:27:18.974 --> 00:27:29.394
Margaret Mizushima: And you can find out all about the books there and Gathering Mist is really, it can be found at any bookseller, either an online bookseller.

00:27:29.394 --> 00:27:39.734
Margaret Mizushima: If you have a favorite indie bookseller or Barnes and Noble that you like to go to, if it's not on the shelf, you can always ask for it.

00:27:39.734 --> 00:27:42.834
Margaret Mizushima: So the books are available for pre-order now.

00:27:42.834 --> 00:27:57.014
Margaret Mizushima: Then I'm also on Facebook, Margaret Mizushima author, and I'm on X as at Marg Mizu and Instagram, Marg Mizu.

00:27:57.014 --> 00:27:59.814
Margaret Mizushima: So hopefully, you guys can join me there.

00:27:59.854 --> 00:28:04.054
Margaret Mizushima: I'm always talking about the books and what's happening in my life.

00:28:04.054 --> 00:28:04.574
Susan Marie: We love it.

00:28:04.574 --> 00:28:06.794
Susan Marie: I love it since you moved up to Washington.

00:28:06.794 --> 00:28:09.814
Susan Marie: I also have to tell you, I don't think I commented.

00:28:09.814 --> 00:28:12.654
Susan Marie: The cover of this book is so beautiful.

00:28:12.654 --> 00:28:13.754
Susan Marie: I mean, so amazing.

00:28:13.894 --> 00:28:15.094
Susan Marie: It's very inviting.

00:28:15.094 --> 00:28:23.954
Susan Marie: It's kind of like walking into a, you could tell you walking into some sort of mystery, just the way this mist is on here and it's very lush looking.

00:28:24.274 --> 00:28:28.694
Susan Marie: The greenery, it's really interesting with Maddie and Robo out there.

00:28:28.694 --> 00:28:30.694
Susan Marie: So it's a beautiful cover.

00:28:30.694 --> 00:28:32.614
Susan Marie: I just wanted to let you know that.

00:28:32.614 --> 00:28:33.114
Margaret Mizushima: Thank you.

00:28:33.114 --> 00:28:34.654
Margaret Mizushima: I love this cover.

00:28:34.654 --> 00:28:37.554
Margaret Mizushima: I was so glad that it fit this book.

00:28:37.554 --> 00:28:40.154
Margaret Mizushima: Of course, I kind of wrote it to fit this book.

00:28:42.394 --> 00:28:43.314
Margaret Mizushima: You did a good job.

00:28:43.314 --> 00:28:46.034
Susan Marie: It worked out very well for you.

00:28:46.034 --> 00:28:58.234
Susan Marie: Margaret, I want to thank you so much for being our guest and coming back and sharing another one of your installments and of course, it's the recent release, Gathering Mist with our listeners.

00:28:58.234 --> 00:28:59.374
Susan Marie: As I told you, Ms.

00:28:59.374 --> 00:29:04.134
Susan Marie: Olive and I love all of your books in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series.

00:29:04.934 --> 00:29:12.154
Susan Marie: If she were with us, I am sure as she always did, she would give you an all pause up on this latest release.

00:29:12.514 --> 00:29:17.734
Susan Marie: I just want to let you know that we are going to be featuring Gathering Mist as one of Ms.

00:29:17.754 --> 00:29:24.294
Susan Marie: Olive's favorite things in the upcoming issue of Suncoast Pet Magazine, so that even more people can learn about it.

00:29:24.294 --> 00:29:31.594
Susan Marie: I mean, it's a great book, as I said, beautiful cover and it's a thriller that there's all sorts of twists and turns.

00:29:31.594 --> 00:29:39.014
Susan Marie: Those of you that are out there that are looking for something very exciting, quick read, meaningful read, this is it.

00:29:39.014 --> 00:29:40.754
Susan Marie: Margaret, I want to thank you again.

00:29:40.754 --> 00:29:47.554
Susan Marie: And before we go, could you just share your website and your social media contact information again?

00:29:47.554 --> 00:29:48.174
Margaret Mizushima: Oh, yes.

00:29:48.174 --> 00:29:51.034
Margaret Mizushima: And thank you for having me as a guest today.

00:29:51.034 --> 00:29:56.854
Margaret Mizushima: So my website is margaretmizushima.com, margaretmizushima.com.

00:30:02.994 --> 00:30:13.814
Margaret Mizushima: And I'm on Facebook, author Margaret Mizushima, X as at Marg Mizu and Instagram, Marg Mizu.

00:30:13.814 --> 00:30:18.494
Susan Marie: Well, I'm looking forward to the next conversation we have, which is going to be with your next book.

00:30:18.494 --> 00:30:21.434
Susan Marie: And it sounds like it's going to be another killer.

00:30:21.434 --> 00:30:22.474
Susan Marie: It's going to be great.

00:30:22.474 --> 00:30:23.694
Susan Marie: So I'm looking forward to it.

00:30:23.694 --> 00:30:25.754
Susan Marie: And I thank you so very much.

00:30:25.754 --> 00:30:30.734
Susan Marie: Again, the name of the book is Gathering Mist, Timber Creek K-9 Mystery.

00:30:31.054 --> 00:30:34.954
Susan Marie: And I want to thank our guest, author, Margaret Mizushima.

00:30:34.954 --> 00:30:36.914
Susan Marie: Thank you so, so, so much, Margaret.

00:30:36.914 --> 00:30:38.034
Susan Marie: This has been great.

00:30:38.034 --> 00:30:39.054
Margaret Mizushima: Thank you.

00:30:39.074 --> 00:30:40.194
Margaret Mizushima: I appreciate it.

00:30:40.194 --> 00:30:40.574
Susan Marie: Thank you.

00:30:40.574 --> 00:30:42.574
Susan Marie: We'll be back in just a moment.

00:30:45.494 --> 00:30:51.374
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00:30:51.374 --> 00:30:56.594
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00:30:56.594 --> 00:30:59.614
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00:30:59.854 --> 00:31:05.014
Announcer: Let's Talk Pets, live and on demand, only from Pet Life Radio.

00:31:09.094 --> 00:31:11.534
Susan Marie: We would like to thank our guests this week.

00:31:11.534 --> 00:31:18.254
Susan Marie: And also, as our doggy divas always say, please love your pets because they love you unconditionally.

00:31:18.254 --> 00:31:25.294
Susan Marie: And please remember to adopt, foster, spay, neuter, and microchip.

00:31:25.294 --> 00:31:28.154
Susan Marie: And as always, please have a great Diva Week, everyone.

00:31:30.534 --> 00:31:34.234
Announcer: Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Doggy Diva Show.

00:31:34.234 --> 00:31:43.134
Announcer: To find out more about Susan Marie and the Doggy Divas, visit them at their website, thedoggydiva.com, and on Facebook at the Doggy Diva Show.

00:31:43.134 --> 00:31:45.014
Announcer: Tell your fellow pet parents about it.

00:31:45.014 --> 00:31:48.454
Announcer: We look forward to having you join us again for the next episode.

00:31:48.454 --> 00:31:49.514
Announcer: See you soon.

00:31:49.514 --> 00:31:55.554
Announcer: Let's Talk Pets, every week on demand, only on petliferadio.com.