This next interviewee’s name may look familiar to you since I’ve interviewed Christine Verstraete before. Last time it was about her miniature doll hobby and the dogs she often includes in her displays.
This time around I asked if she’d be interested in talking about Petey, the dachshund who stars in her new book, Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery. She again graciously agreed, and added something fun just in time for Halloween: details on her spooky blog tour and how you can enter to win a set of Halloween minis or a copy of her e-book, “The Witch Tree.”
Courtney Mroch: For those who may not be familiar with your book, can you tell a little bit about it?
Christine Verstraete: Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery is a middle grade mystery (10 to adult) featuring friends Sam and Lita’s search for a missing miniature replica of Van Gogh’s famous painting, Starry Night. The girls, with the “help” of a mischievous Dachshund named Petey, try to find the painting while dealing with a dog-hating gardener, suspicious, snoopy housekeeper, a spooky family legend, and more. You can read more at my website.
CM: I know Petey the Dachshund is one of the stars of your book, but that you don’t have a dachshund yourself. Can you explain how you decided to feature that breed as your canine hero and if you based him on a real dachshund?
CV: Once you see ’em, you fall for them. I was writing about a Dachshund race at the local greyhound track some years ago. It was the first time I’d seen that and I got a big kick out of it. They’re amusing little dogs. Never knew they ran that fast.
CM: Is it possible to elaborate on how Petey “helps” without giving away anything key in your plot?
CV: Petey is one of those dogs who is a ball of energy, always on the go and always putting his nose where it doesn’t belong. His nosiness gets him in trouble, but it also offers up some clues for Sam and Lita to pursue.
CM: What’s Petey’s next adventure? Got any planned?
CV: I introduce Petey in a set of short mysteries I’ve written. He also gets in trouble -again- in another story. I am thinking of adding Petey to some stories for younger readers.
CM: Over at your blog you’re doing something fun: a spooky blog tour. Are you going to be featuring any dog ghost stories?
CV: I love Halloween! Figured it’s the perfect way to talk about Searching For A Starry Night, and my short horror ebook, “The Witch Tree.”
Here’s how to play:
- Go to each stop on the blog tour. Each stop ends with a Scavenger Hunt Clue. The clue refers to a page on my site. Only a few specific pages are involved.
- Look for the mini pumpkin on the page corresponding to each question. (An example of a pumpkin is below.) Again, find the pages at my website.
- Email me the list of all 6 places you found the pumpkins, and their corresponding numbers – plus your full mailing address (US Only) – to chrisATcverstraete.com (replace AT with @).
Contest ends Nov. 8, 2008. All 6 answers and numbers must be included. Two winners to be chosen; one will receive a spooky miniatures set by mail and the other will receive a Witch Tree ebook by email.
A Scavenger Hunt Clue
If you want to play along, here’s one of the clues where you can find a pumpkin on Christine’s site.
Scavenger Hunt Clue 4:
A table full of mini delights – eyeballs and brains,
Delectable delights! Yum, enjoy, yes, be insane.
Related Articles
The Serpents Trail – Sue Henry
Dachhund to the Rescue (Right in My Backyard!)