Meet award-winning author, artist, and teacher, Carrie Stuart Parks. Carrie started her novel writing career fairly late (as in her fifties.) Before that she was (in order) a dog groomer and trainer, vet tech, teacher, artist, forensic artist, and law enforcement instructor. She became involved in forensic art when her father, noted criminalist, Ned Stuart, asked her to help him prepare trial charts for the North Idaho Regional Crime Lab. That led to a course in forensic art at the FBI Academy at Quantico, which let to her meeting her husband, Rick, which led to their team-teaching forensic art, which led to becoming the largest instructors of forensic art in the world...whew!
Her novels with Gwen Marcey are loosely based on her cases in forensic art. They are deeply researched and have garnered numerous awards and glowing reviews. The new set of stories are designed as stand-alone novels. Don't worry, Gwen will return.
And about the dogs in her books. Carrie's parents started Skeel Kennel Great Pyrenees in 1960. Carrie is an AKC judge and former president of the Great Pyrenees Club of America.
Meet one of her dogs--bad-dog-Rogie. He really isn't a bad dog. Well, mostly. He likes to get out of his kennel and go visiting. Neighbors. Not good. He also discovered, at eight months that he was a boy dog. And he could pee. On things. So he lost house visiting trips until he outgrows this stage. Then there was the matter of rubbing out his entire coat-except for the hair on his rear-just before the four shows I had him entered in.
Sigh.
I have a death-grip on him here because he's dying to launch himself at the photographer and give her a face-full of doggie kisses.
Oh, and his real name is Joker Mystery Ryder of Skeel. Call name of Rogie.
And, as of May 26th, 2015, you may call him CHAMPION Joker Mystery Ryder of Skeel.
On April 21, 2018, my dear Rogie lost his battle with cancer.