Bella, The Book Tour Dog
Our current critter is a miniature dachshund named Bella.  We believe her to be about ten, but we don’t know that for sure.  She came into our lives four years ago when we found her abandoned on a busy, rainy street in Bellevue, Washington.  She was desperately chasing after the car that had dumped her.  I got out and ran in traffic, too, chasing her for the better part of a mile before I was able to lay hands on her.  She was cold, wet, terrified, and starving.
We believe she had been given up by her original owner and left in the care of a man who didn’t like her.  As a consequence, when the next book tour came along, we were unable to leave her with our customary dog sitter who happens to be a man.  That’s how Bella morphed into Bella, the Book Tour Dog.  Going on national tours is too hard on her, but she’s happy to go to local events in Washington, Oregon, and Arizona.
She’s a dachshund which means she’s stubborn.  She doesn’t necessarily come when she’s called.  (Not right now, thank you very much.)  She’s picky about what she eats.  When we go off and leave her at home, she’s prone to leave us with deliberates, not accidents!  And even though she was obviously raised in an apartment and was entirely familiar with elevators, last summer she found her dachshund heritage and took out  four moles in our back yard.
You’ll be able to read a fictionalized version of Bella’s story in an upcoming novella from Simon and Schuster, A Last Goodbye, due out in e-book form in November.
J.A. Jance
J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, as well as four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family. Born in South Dakota, and brought up in Brisbee, Arizona, Jance and her husband live in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona. REMAINS OF INNOCENCE, the 17th book in the Joanna Brady series, is out now.