About the Book

Book: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Author: Janice Thompson

Genre:Christian Fiction / Mystery / Romance

Release date: January 1, 2023

Inquisitive, detail-oriented, Veterinarian Kristin Keller prides herself on winning over any dog. But has this self-proclaimed dog whisperer finally met her match in a Sheltie named Remington who has just won the Texas state agility course competition? The champion pooch is acting out of sorts—almost as if he is not the same dog. Has he, by chance, been switched out with another dog just before the next big competition? Kristin and the other Lone Star employees will do anything to help the Atkinson family figure out this mystery surrounding their beloved Remington.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Janice Thompson, who lives in the Houston area, writes romantic comedies, cozy mysteries, nonfiction devotionals, and musical comedies for the stage. She is the mother of four daughters and nine feisty grandchildren. When she’s not writing books or taking care of foster dogs you’ll find her in the kitchen, baking up specialty cakes and cookies.

More from Janice

Barking up the Tree is book three in the Gone to the Dog series. Kathleen Y’Barbo and I are writing six books, in total, and we’re very excited about this series. I happen to be in the dog rescue business. I’ve worked with multiple Houston-based dog rescues over the past five years and have been blessed to care for over fifty dogs in nearly every shape, size, and breed. I am always interested in dog-themed stories.

As a Texan I wanted to place this series in my neck of the woods. Kathleen and I settled on Brenham, Texas, a town not far from where we both live. It’s the home of Blue Bell ice cream (yum!) a favorite here in the Lone Star state. We created a large fictional cast of characters and placed them in a town we know and love.

Along with writing books I’m also a baker and run a baking blog (www.outoftheboxbaking.com). With that in mind I would love to share a recipe from the book. Enjoy!

Nanny’s Coconut Pecan Cake (aka Italian Cream Cake)

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

1 white cake mix
1 yellow cake mix
6 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick butter
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened coconut (flakes)
2 tsp vanilla
1 small box instant vanilla pudding (powder)

FOR THE FILLING/TOPPING:

Toasted coconut
Toasted chopped pecans

FOR THE FROSTING:

1 cup (two sticks) salted butter (softened)
1 block cream cheese (softened)
1 rectangle Crisco (can omit if you prefer traditional cream cheese frosting)
1 bag (7-8 cups) powdered sugar
Clear vanilla extract

Instructions

MAKING THE CAKE:

Combine all ingredients except nuts and coconut. Mix well.
Work in the nuts and coconut.
Grease and flour three 9” pans.
Divide batter between the three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (approximately) until cake springs back to the touch.

MAKING THE ICING:

Bring ingredients to room temperature.
Mix butter and cream cheese until soft and creamy.
Add Crisco and continue to beat until incorporated. (You can leave out the Crisco if you prefer traditional cream cheese frosting.)
Add extract and then lower the speed of your mixer to add powdered sugar (more or less to desired consistency).

FILLING AND ICING THE CAKE

Level all three cakes.
Put one cake on your cake board and add a layer of cream cheese frosting.
Pipe a ring around the edge of the cake and add some toasted pecans and coconut.
Continue to stack and fill.
Turn the top cake upside down, so that it’s bottom up.
Ice the cake with a crumb coat and chill.
Once chilled, ice liberally with frosting.
Add chopped (toasted) pecans and coconut to the sides and top then pipe trim or rosettes to add further décor.

MY REVIEW

Welcome back to the series where dogs are the stars and laughter abounds in this adventure filled with fun, faith and of course dogs and more dogs. I love getting to know Kristin better in this story and how compassionate she is. She has this knack for winning over even the most difficult dog until a strange mix up happens. Our Star dog is Remington who has just won the Texas state agility course. What an exciting time as Remington is now up for the nationals.

Something strange is going on with Remington as he is not himself at all. His health has declined and he is not friendly at all. When blood work comes back, it is discovered that Remington is not Remington. Someone switched dogs and the mystery begins. Why would someone take someone’s dog and leave them with a sick dog? Oh my the questions are plenty in this dog napping adventure. With a flair of I Love Lucy show, the sick dog is now named Fred Mertz. The team starts the work to help this poor dog. The question still looming is “Where is Remington.”

I love how the author gives us several suspects as the staff is on the case. Could it be someone from the competition that was jealous? Maybe it is the lady who is a hoarder or puppy mill as I think of them. Or could it be the woman who owns a mobile grooming company that didn’t like her unfavorable review from Remington’s owner?

I loved being back with friends and seeing how Mari and Parker’s relationship was slowly blossoming. Mari’s rescue group is in full swing and continues to find dogs who need love and care. Will we hear weddings bells from these two soon? I can’t wait to follow their journey and perhaps witness a special occasion in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.