On Sundays we do beginnings – taking a look at the start of a Peter Abrahams novel in including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker™. I’ve written some kidlit mysteries – and am thinking of doing more, so how about we open WOOF, first in the BOWSER AND BIRDIE series for middle-graders (also available to adults with fake ID).

Two humans stood outside my cage, a white-haired woman and a gum-chewing kid. Gum-chewing is one of the best sounds out there, and the smell’s not bad either. I liked the kid from the get-go.

They gazed in at me. I gazed out at them. The white-haired woman had blue eyes, washed out and watery. The kid’s eyes were a bright, clear blue, like the sky on a cloudless day. I hadn’t seen the sky in way too long.

“How about this one, Grammy?” the kid said.