This is Luca, the mighty war dog, flopping awake after a snooze in the sedge. Well ... he thinks he's a mighty war dog. He's more along the lines of 25 pounds of stubborn dingbat. But this is what happens when a mighty war dog is trapped in a little terrier/dachshund body.

Luca likes to sit on my lap while I write, imposing his will on my muse. Or getting in the way of the keyboard, depending on your perspective. When not on my lap and pointing out plot holes, he hangs out under my desk waiting for a break in the action. A harsh taskmaster, is Luca ...

For those of you who read it, you're aware a war dog appears in VENDETTA (Baci, a brindle cane corso and fan favorite ... of my three fans, that is). Baci will of course continue romping through the Emilia-Romagna in END OF DAYS. And a few other canines will make hair-raising appearances, as well.

Dogs rarely appear as fleshed out scene-stealers in a lot of the period-specific genre stuff I read. Maybe I'm just not reading the right books as I'm sure I cannot be the only writer out there working on Medieval historical fiction who has a dog as a strong supporting character.

In any case, as they do now, dogs played a major role in the lives of everyday folks back in the 14th century. Guard dogs, sheep dogs, hunting dogs, lap dogs, working dogs, stray dogs, war dogs, from small rat terriers (like Luca who would never forgive me for describing him as a rat terrier) to massive, 150-pound Alaunts (spoiler alert: a pair of Alaunts appear in END OF DAYS).

Now enjoy this photo of Luca's arch-rival, Hannah, as she maintains focus on the peach tree in the back yard. The watchword is vigilance. The enemy never sleeps. Commandos of the United Squirrel Liberation Front are always on the prowl ...

The fruit must be protected ...