PRIMROSE TERRACE SERIES – CRESSIDA MCLAUGHLIN

Check out the four adorable dog-themed book covers rotating niftily – this quartet of novellas make up the PRIMROSE TERRACE series, with stories revolving around a dog walker named Cat! WELLIES & WESTIES is available now, SUNSHINE & SPANIELS June 18th, RAINCOATS & RETRIEVERS on September 3rd and finally TINSEL & TERRIERS on November 5th 2015.

This really is the cutest concept for a book series, Cressida! How did it come about?

My editor Kate and I spent a while discussing ideas that would work well as a series, and the one we kept coming back to was a heroine who was a dog walker. It had such huge potential, both for having lots of adorable, mischievous dogs that are integral to the story but also the different characters you’d get to meet as part of the job.

How did you choose which 4 breeds to mention on the covers? (I imagine it was so much fun going through the options – Snowflakes & Schnauzers, Picnics & Pekinese, 50 Shades of Greyhounds etc!)

It was great fun and if we’d kept going we could have come up with enough themes for ten books! But I wanted the dogs in the title to feature in each part of the story, so it was a combination of what sounded good, and what fitted with the plot. I still like the idea of Pomegranates and Pomeranians, but that one didn’t quite make the cut!

Will there be more dog-themed stories to come?

I hope so! I love the idea of including plot-lines around dog grooming and agility classes, even a Primrose Terrace Dog Show. It would be a smaller scale, less polished version of Crufts where doggy cuteness, outrageous owners and mayhem could ensue!

I think so many people like the idea of running a dog-walking business and it’s quite the growing trend. How did you research the workings of Pooch Promenade?

I don’t (yet) have a dog of my own, but several of my good friends do so I borrowed them for walks and immersed myself in all things dog-related. Also, a couple of friends who work full time use a dog walker, so I was able to pick their brains about how it worked and any funny stories they had. Interestingly some English counties have a limit on the number of dogs that can be walked at any one time, and there’s always a risk with clearing up mess, which got me thinking about the opposition there is to dog walkers. It seems like the ideal business for any animal-lover, but it’s not all plain sailing, and Cat comes across some strong opposition to her new career.

You say you don’t have a dog ‘yet’ – is there one in your future?

Yes! My husband and I have always worked full-time, and we’ve not wanted to have a dog when we can’t spend much time with them but now our circumstances are changing a bit, we’re seriously considering it. (I recently met – and fell in love with – a Cockapoo.) In the meantime friends Kate and Tim have a wonderful Cairn Terrier called Pete. He’s seriously friendly, a little bit on the ditzy side and has a hilarious ongoing battle with a wooden hippo ornament, who he barks at and runs in circles round whenever they’re in the same room. We’re still not sure what the hippo has done to Pete, but he clearly feels strongly about it.

Did you grow up in a doggie family?

I actually grew up in a cat-loving family – and I love cats – but I was always jealous of friends who had dogs. You can’t take a cat for a walk or with you on holiday, and while cats can be affectionate if they’re in the mood, dogs are always loyal and loving – they never turn away with that haughty, feline pride. OK, so they’re undiscerning about what they chew, but that’s a small price to pay.

Have you ever taken a trip with a dog?

As a child I used to sit in the back of my family friends’ Volvo estate with their dogs Max and Timmy when we went anywhere, which was possibly not the safest thing, but definitely the most fun. I’ve never been on an actual road trip with a dog though, but after following Bodie on the road, I think that’s going to have to change!

Any tips for aspiring authors writing on dog-related topics?

I’d say as with any character, make sure that each dog you write about has its own distinct personality. A good animal in a book can be so endearing – I love Stan in Tony Parson’s THE MURDER BAG and Stumpy the horse in THE DAY WE DISAPPEARED by Lucy Robinson. If you write them well they’re memorable and an important part of the story, which is what I hope I’ve managed in PRIMROSE TERRACE.