Okay, I’ve never met Steve Hockensmith in person, nor his dog, but my experience is that he’s a pretty stand-up guy.  When I was complaining that I couldn’t get an advanced copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After, not only did he send me one, he autographed it.  When I joined twitter (begrudgingly) he became my one and only follower (so far).  When I put together a team of super-thieves for one last heist…wait, that wasn’t him… in fact, just ignore what I wrote.  No one knows who stole the Pink Panther that last time, least of all me. 

 Besides the generosity (and a deft hand with laser alarm systems), he’s a great author, especially if you’re a fan of mysteries with a touch–a heavy touch–of humour.

So, when he decided to try his hand at viral (well, lets call it medical) marketing, I said to myself, “oh yeah, I’m on-board.”

*note to Southern readers–“oh yeah” = “Hellz Ya!” 

It also helps that he’s showcasing a new short story collection.  Last time it was, Naughty: Nine tales of Christmas Crime, available as a Kindle ebook, and well worth the $2.99.  Actually, at that price, it’s a steal!  (see what I did there?)  From poisoned Fruitcake (really, is there any other kind?)and those who re-gift them to Santa’s abduction by the Soviets back in ’63, you’ll find yourself amused, entertained, and generally satisfied.

This time, it’s My Dog Needs Surgery: The Book.  As he himself put it:

Worst.  Title.  Ever. 

 Then again, it does have a certain efficiency.  His dog literally needs surgery:

“Yes, the above-mentioned “someone in need” is my dog. Her name is Amy, she’s three years old and she has luxating patella. That’s bad knees to you and me. How bad are they? Well, they occasionally pop out and go for a jaunt around Amy’s hind legs, and that’s not good. As you might have guessed from the title of the book, there’s only one way to fix this little problem — surgery. Expensive surgery.”

What better way to pay for expensive surgery than quick cash?  Steve went back through the archives and hauled out a collection of seven of his previously released short stories, plus some (seven) essays he calls, “humorous”  (no, the air quotes aren’t sarcastic–if he says they’re funny, they’re funny) and packaged them up for the low, low price of 99 cents.

Hey, is there even a “cents” sign on a keyboard?  I’ve never had to use it.

Anyhoo–win, win situation.  If you get your copy, you get a pretty decent deal, and his dog gets that much closer to paying her HMO  (actually, I have no idea how that works).  I just downloaded mine–what are you going to do?

While we’re at it, if you really want to help, just take a look through his catalog of work, whether it’s the Holmes on the Range series or his zombie stuff.  I imagine any royalties will help.  You can look for updates on Amy and Steve here.