Fifty Shades of Greyhound (The Pampered Pets Mystery Series) (22 page)

Ingredients

1 banana

1 cup oat flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup dried parsley

3 tablespoons peanut butter

1 egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300° F

Mash the banana, add the other ingredients. Set the mixture aside for a little while, five minutes or so. Then roll the dough into balls. The size should be adjusted for the size of your dog. Press the balls into flat “cookies” and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

You can store the treats in the refrigerator or freeze them to be used later. You’ll need to unthaw a bit before sharing in order to protect your dog’s teeth.

These also make great gifts, and they’re gluten-free for pooches who are on a gluten-restricted diet. Also, the parsley is great for your dog’s breath. Enjoy!

First we’d like to thank those who shared their Greyhound experiences, especially Jennifer Stich and John Martin. Your stories enriched
Fifty Shades of Greyhound
, and your willingness to answer our many questions and share stories about Ollie & Elvis made us love the breed even more. We very much appreciate your time, and we know your rescues are glad to have found you.

To the Greyhound rescue groups such as GreySave Greyhound Adoption, Nebraska Italian Greyhound Rescue, Heartland Greyhound Adoption, and many others out there doing such important work, we say thank you on behalf of those you save.

We continue to be amazed by the fabulous team at Bell Bridge Books. Your editorial support, your marketing savvy, and your belief in us as writers, is awesome. And your willingness to listen to one more crazy idea makes you beyond awesome. Thank you.

Christine Witthohm, our agent, at Book Cents Literary Agency, in short, you rock.

We also owe an enormous debt of appreciation to our families who give us not only the time to write but also the confidence to keep going; and who put up with dinner conversations that include plotting new ways to kill people.

Christine, Cindy, Tami, your love and support mean the world, and your constructive critique makes us better writers.

And last, but by no means least, a huge thank-you to our readers. Your love of Caro and Mel and their stories are why we write. We love to hear from you. Please sign up for our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads, and keep those emails coming!

Mary Lee and Anita, aka Sparkle Abbey

SparkleAbbey.com

Sparkle Abbey
is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets—Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and, depending on the time of day, with either an iced tea or a margarita.

Mary Lee

Mary Lee Salsbury Woods is the “Sparkle” half of Sparkle Abbey. She is past-president of Sisters in Crime—Iowa and a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death, the RWA Mystery Suspense Chapter, Sisters in Crime, and the SinC internet group Guppies.

Prior to publishing the Pampered Pets Mystery Series with Bell Bridge Books, Mary Lee won first place in the Daphne du Maurier contest, sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA, and was a finalist in Murder in the Grove’s mystery contest, as well as Killer Nashville’s Claymore Dagger contest.

Mary Lee is an avid reader and supporter of public libraries. She lives in Central Iowa with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat namesake of Sparkle Abbey. In her day job, she is the non-techie in the IT Department. Any spare time she spends reading and enjoying her sons and daughter-in-laws, and four grandchildren.

Anita

Anita Carter is the “Abbey” half of Sparkle Abbey. She is a member of Sisters in Crime—Iowa, and a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death, the RWA Mystery Suspense chapter, and Sisters in Crime.

She grew up reading Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and the Margo Mystery series by Jerry B. Jenkins (years before his popular
Left Behind
Series.) Her family is grateful all the years of “fending for yourself” dinners of spaghetti and frozen pizza have finally paid off, even though they haven’t exactly stopped.

In Anita’s day job, she works for a staffing company. She also lives in Central Iowa with her husband and four children, son-in-law, grandchild, and two rescue dogs, Chewy and Sophie.