Sandra Parshall is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Rachel Goddard Mysteries. Although her series features a young female veterinarian and animals abound in the stories, the books aren't cozies. They've been called thrillers, suspense novels, and dark mysteries, and the author considers them a blend of all three subgenres. The latest, UNDER THE DOG STAR (Sept. 2011), is a fast-paced tale praised by Kirkus for "spine-chilling tension from cover to cover," but it's also a story about the meaning of family, the power of compassion, and the duty we have to the animals who share our lives. Sandra and her journalist husband share their lives with two unbelievably spoiled cats, Emma and Gabriel, who have acquired their own fan base on Facebook and never let Mom forget it for a second.