By Lisa Scottoline
My friends, these are plot-twisty times.
Of course I’m talking about my new puppy Eve.
Before I get started, let me thank you for your patience in reading my classic columns while I’ve been finishing my next book. I can’t do two things at once, so I had to take a break in the homestretch of the draft, but now it’s done, so I’m back writing fresh columns.
And you know how fresh I can be.
Also let me say thank you so much for your support of my book The Unraveling of Julia, which came out this summer. Many of you have been reading me for years, even decades, and I’m grateful for you every day.
Okay, back to new puppy Eve.
You may remember that I got Eve a few months ago, for lots of reasons, but mainly because I wanted a dog to take walks with me every day.
My two other dogs, Boone and Kit, are thirteen years old, and they don’t share my enthusiasm for the walk.
In truth, I don’t share my enthusiasm for the walk.
I make myself do it because it’s the laziest form of exercise.
I say that with love.
I have friends who run, hike, ski, and bicycle. I make excuses not to do those things.
Even I can’t find an excuse not to walk.
But we all love a plot twist, and Eve doesn’t like to walk.
As in, Eve will not walk.
If I go towards her with the harness, she runs away.
If I jingle a leash, she scoots under the bed.
If I actually succeed in putting a harness on her, she plants her front end down and her back end up and refuses to move.
I didn’t know why.
Dogs love to walk, right?
And who wouldn’t want to walk with me?
I’m a gas.
Actually I have gas.
Maybe that’s it?
Anyway I wondered if she had something wrong with her, so I took her to the vet, who examined her legs, and at my insistence, even did an x-ray.
Her legs are fine. She just doesn’t want to walk.
By the way, she doesn’t want to go to the car, either.
I jingle keys like the people in commercials, where the dogs jump up and bolt out the door to the car.
Eve bolts to the couch.
I even took her to obedience school.
She was a champ there, like the teacher’s pet.
Literally.
But now Evil is back to her old ways.
Finally I did what any mom would do.
I bribed her.
I carry her outside, then give her treats as we walk along.
You can imagine how comfortable this is, me bending over every ten steps and cheering “good girl” all the way.
Still, I’m into it. I love her and I love walking, so I’m going to make it work.
We parents can’t predict what our children will do, for good or for ill.
I say that because this summer also produced a different plot twist for me, a wonderful one in that my daughter Francesca’s second novel Full Bloom was published. It’s an amazing novel, and thank you to all of you who supported her book with the same enthusiasm you have shown mine over the years.
And because of you, in a wonderful plot twist, Francesca made the USA TODAY Bestseller List, right next to me! In the same week, my novel was the 79th and hers was the 80th bestselling book of all sold in the country.
Wait, what?
Wow!
We were side-by-side on the list, as in life!
What are the odds?
It’s a harmonic convergence, family-wise.
By the way, I didn’t know Francesca would grow up to be a writer.
I wanted her to be a veterinarian.
For obvious reasons.
But I’m so happy and proud of her, and this summer taught me a great lesson:
You really do not know where life will lead you, or your family.
Sometimes there’s trouble, other times there’s joy.
I celebrate those joyful moments.
With enormous gratitude.
And now, Eve and I are going for a walk.
Good girl!
Copyright © 2025 Lisa Scottoline