It began with an idea for a character in one of the books I’m working on—her pajamas.  She’s supposed to have a pair of PJs with bulldogs on them.  My character secretly collects all things with bulldogs.  (Not unlike the way that I collect bull terriers.)  She owns a bulldog.  Yes, this book has a bulldog and not a bull terrier.  It’s not from the Doggoned series and one of these days, I’ll reveal more about this book, but not yet.

     Anyway, back to the research…I went surfing for a pair of bulldog PJs.  What I found I wasn’t happy with so I kept hunting through sites that sold PJs.  I hadn’t intended to buy anything.  Truly dear readers, I did not intend to buy anything.  I was looking for my character’s PJs.  I wanted to be able to describe them in detail.

     Then I hit the PajamaGram site.  I told you I collect bull terrier stuff, right?  Over the years, a friend has presented me with New Yorker magazine covers that have that white dog, the one that sorta kinda looks like a BT, on it.  (I need to get those framed one of these days.)  Well there they were, New Yorker dog PJs.  I squealed with delight.  DH got curious and came to see what I had me so tickled.

     I pointed to the screen where I’d enlarged the fabric pattern.  By this time, I was wiping drool off my chin. 

     He laughed when he saw the dog he knows so well from our collection. 

     “I have to have them,” I said.

     “Yes, you do.”

     I looked at the price and started to waffle.  “I do need some new Jammies.  The PW conference is coming up…my old ones are looking ratty.  But—“

     “Buy them.  They’re cute.”

     The cheapskate in me reared its ugly head.  “They cost way more than I’d normally pay for any.” 

     “Oh, for heaven’s sake, just order them.”

     “They can be your Valentine’s gift to me.”

     DH rolled his eyes.  “Don’t worry about it.  Buy them.”