The Real Diesel
January-2017 (by by Jana Rieger)

Dogs. We love them. They get into our hearts, even when they've gotten into something they shouldn't have - like our purse (and chewed our new sunglasses). There's nothing quite like the feeling of our fur-friends curling up beside us when we're reading, or when they lay on our feet while we contemplate life, or when they slap their paw on our laptop when we've been working a little too long. 

In A Course in Deception, Diesel is Mackenzie's loveable bushy-eyebrowed, stubby-tailed dog. Diesel is the only character in the book that was based on a real being - my dog, Max. He has been with me every step of the way in the writing of this book. Literally. He was never far from my side. In fact, in the picture of him here, he was perched on the couch with me, watching me write. Waiting. Like Max, Diesel is an unfailing support for Mackenzie. The only time he really leaves her alone is when she and her husband, Steven, decide to get it on in the backyard. Other than that, he's there when she's happy, when she's panicked, and when she must face realities in life that she never expected would come her way. 

Our dogs are our faithful and loyal companions. For Mackenzie, whose list of 'those to be trusted' begins to quickly dwindle, Diesel remains true. 

In the words of the famous 20th century opera singer, Maria Callas, "Only my dogs will not betray me".

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