Saber spills the beans on author Kim Murphy

I'm Saber, a four-year-old Belgian sheepdog, and I was born on July 4. My birthday is a national holiday. People celebrate the day with fireworks every year. I like the attention, but I'm really not too crazy about the firecrackers, which sometimes scare me. My dad gets my birthday off from work, which is nice, but my mom always has to go to a book signing. That can be a bit of a drag, but I don't mind too much as long as I have my Kong filled with treats.

My registered name is Belroyale's Gettysburg Saber. Mom tells me that a famous battle was fought long ago on the day near my birth. I'm not sure what a battle is, but it sounds scary. Mom also tells me that I was named after Saber, also a Belgian sheepdog, in her book Whispers from the Grave. She says the dog in the book resembles my predecessor, Magic, more than me, but by the time she wrote the sequel, Whispers Through Time, I had arrived and the dog in the book started to take on my characteristics.

My mom was very sad when Magic died, but I came along a few months later and cheered her up. She says that I make her laugh. When I joined the household, I had an older sister by the name of Isabella. She was a Lab/mastiff mix. I liked teasing her. Even though she was so much older than me, she was fairly patient of my puppy antics. But sometimes, she told me off with a big WOOF.

Now that I'm grown, I like playing Frisbee, taking long walks, my Kong, playing Frisbee, and pulling my squirrel toys out of their nest. Oh, and I have a little sister. She's also a Belgian sheepdog. Her name is Phoebe, and like little sisters everywhere, she can sometimes be a pain to live with. Right now she's pouting because I'm writing the blog, and she's not.

Anyway, the Saber in the book lives on a plantation. A plantation is a big house with lots of land where a dog can run, chase squirrels, and do a lot of sniffing. It's a Civil War ghost story. The Civil War is when that famous battle near my birthday took place. My namesake lives in present time, and here is the blurb:

The Virginia Plantation Poplar Ridge is sprawling, secluded, and foreboding. Chris Olson is immediately swept into its somber history and an inexplicable, electrifying passion for Geoff Cameron, her best friend's brother. Dreams of a Confederate soldier who strongly resembles Geoff and a haunting one-eyed scout cloud her mind further.

Through the eyes of the long-dead Margaret, Chris witnesses mysterious events shrouded in the conflict of the Civil War, until little by little, she uncovers Margaret's dark and terrible secret—and Geoff's connection to the enchanting woman from the past.

Whispers from the Grave has won two awards and is now available on Kindle. Besides the sequel, Whispers Through Time, Mom has written four other books. She loves writing historical stuff and is constantly researching. Now and then, her research takes time away from my Frisbee games. Her Civil War trilogy has some horses, but no dogs. Her current release The Dreaming: Walks Through Mist has a greyhound in it, and the main character goes by my little sister's name. Of course, that's gone to Phoebe's head, and she thinks she's famous now. You can contact me through my mom and read more about her books at www.KimMurphy.Net, or you can see lots of pictures of me and follow my adventures on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/kim.murphy1.