Coffee with a canine: Joanna Slan & Rafferty and Victoria

Today's featured trio at Coffee with a Canine: Joanna Slan & Rafferty and Victoria.

[photo using ToonCamera app]

From the Q & A, the author on the dogs in her new novel, Death of a Schoolgirl:

[A]ctually there are two canine protagonists in Death of a Schoolgirl. Edward Rochester, Jane’s husband, owns a Newfoundland named Pilot. He appears in the first chapter of my book. I also added a new canine character, Rags, who is named for a pup owned by Molly Weston of Meritorious Mysteries. Rags provides insight into his owner, Lucy Brayton, because how we treat our pets says so much about who we are as human beings. I couldn’t imagine a world without dogs, and I don’t want to write a world without them!...[read on]

About Death of a Schoolgirl, from the publisher:

In her classic tale, Charlotte Brontë introduced readers to the strong-willed and intelligent Jane Eyre. Picking up where Brontë left off, Jane’s life has settled into a comfortable pattern: She and her beloved Edward Rochester are married and have an infant son. But Jane soon finds herself in the midst of new challenges and threats to those she loves...

Jane can’t help but fret when a letter arrives from Adèle Varens—Rochester’s ward, currently at boarding school—warning that the girl’s life is in jeopardy. Although it means leaving her young son and invalid husband, and despite never having been to a city of any size, Jane feels strongly compelled to go to London to ensure Adèle’s safety.

But almost from the beginning, Jane’s travels don’t go as planned—she is knocked about and robbed, and no one believes that the plain, unassuming Jane could indeed be the wife of a gentleman; even the school superintendent takes her for an errant new teacher. But most shocking to Jane is the discovery that Adèle’s schoolmate has recently passed away under very suspicious circumstances, yet no one appears overly concerned. Taking advantage of the situation, Jane decides to pose as the missing instructor—and soon uncovers several unsavory secrets, which may very well make her the killer’s next target...

Learn more about the author and her work at Joanna Slan's website and blog.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Joanna Slan & Rafferty and Victoria.

--Marshal Zeringue