I didn’t get the wedding I wanted.

Sure, I married the man I love. We’ve been together for nearly twenty-six years, but for most of that time, it wasn’t legal for us to marry. Once we could, there was nothing pushing us—until I was ready to register for my state pension.

I wanted my husband to be able to inherit my pension after my death. To do that, though, we had to be lawfully wedded. But Covid was still a danger, so we didn’t make extravagant plans. No synagogue wedding, no rabbi, no big celebration. Instead, we went to the courthouse with two friends who would take pictures, then out to a nice lunch.

But as a fiction writer, I can make those dreams come true—for my characters. In my latest golden retriever mystery, Blessing of the Dogs, I wrote the wedding I wanted. Steve Levitan and Lili Weinstock have been together ever since she was introduced in the second book, and I’d already brought in many of the elements that would come together for their wedding—the synagogue, the rabbi, the friends who would stand up with them.

Our own golden retrievers, Brody and Griffin, stayed home when my husband and I went to the courthouse. But they were happy to see us when we returned—not knowing that something significant had changed in our household.

And of course, Steve’s golden retriever, Rochester, who’s really the star of the series. I knew he had to be part of the ceremony.

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Though Steve and Lili had a traditional wedding cake, my favorite dessert to make is chocolate chip cheesecake.  I got the recipe from our cleaning lady, Helen Wielninski, who first made it for me when I was a teenager. I’ve tweaked it since then, but in her honor I still call it Helen’s Cheesecake.

 


Helen’s Cheesecake
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
5 eight-ounce cream cheese packages
8 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 ounces chocolate mini-chips

Leave the cheese out to soften. Combine crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of a 9” springform pan.
Cream the cheese with a wooden spoon, and then, using an electric beater, add in the eggs, one at a time. Then mix in the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until there are no more lumps, then add in the chocolate mini-chips. Regular chocolate chips are too heavy for the batter and will sink to the bottom—though you can always add some if you like, to enhance the chocolate flavor of the crust.
Pour into the springform pan. If you prefer your cheesecakes without a crack down the center, you can place the pan in a tray of water. I don’t mind the crack, because it lets me see into the creamy heart of the cake, with those little chocolate bits of deliciousness smiling back at me.
Bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 250 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes. Then turn the oven off and let the cake cool in the oven for one hour.

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Excerpt from Blessing of the Dogs

 

I leaned down and tied the gold ribbon with the ring boxes around Rochester’s neck and told him to be a good boy. Then I stood up and handed his leash to my friend Joey, who’d walk him down the aisle.

I took a deep breath and walked out into the sanctuary. My heart filled as I saw everyone in the pews waiting to celebrate with us.

I made it to the bema without tripping. Then I turned and watched Joey begin down the aisle with his hand loosely on Rochester’s leash. Suddenly the dog lurched forward and the leash slipped from Joey’s hand.

Rochester began to bound toward me, the boxes in their mesh bag bouncing around his neck. Joey stood there for a moment as the dog stopped halfway down to sniff Lili’s aunt —as Lili had worried he would.

But then he remembered what he was doing and rushed up to me, as the audience laughed and cheered. I leaned down and hugged him, knowing I would be getting golden hair on my suit, and unhooked the mesh bag.

As if he’d choreographed it that way, Joey continued down the aisle. I handed Rochester’s leash to him and said, “Try and hold onto him this time.”

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Blurb

Steve Levitan and Lili Weinstock are on their way to the altar—but dognapping and murder get in the way.

The theft of the vice-mayor’s dog unveils a widespread pattern of canine thefts. Could those poor pooches be on their way to a testing lab or a puppy mill? And how does that case play into the death of a Billy Joel tribute act? Could the caterer they’ve hired be responsible?

It will take all of Steve’s hacking skills and Rochester’s talent for nosing out clues to close these cases before Steve and Lili can walk down the aisle... or will a killer ruin their happy ending?

*Blessing of the Dogs* blends humor, heart, and an intriguing puzzle only Steve, Rochester and readers can solve. It's the perfect new installment for fans of this charming series.

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If you’d like to see all the complications—including murder-- you can read Blessing of the Dogs.

https://amzn.to/483zThQ

https://books2read.com/u/47RQlE

Or if you prefer, you can start at the beginning of the series, In Dog We Trust, when Steve meets Rochester and discovers his crime-solving abilities. 3,008 readers give it an average of four and a half stars.

https://amzn.to/3Tve6KG

https://books2read.com/indogwetrust

 

 

 

About Author Neil Plakcy

Neil Plakcy is the author of more than fifty full-length novels and many stories and story collections. He has been a university administrator, construction manager, computer game producer, web developer, and college professor. He has sorted cards for phone book delivery, acted in children's theater, and traveled to many (but not all) of the places he writes about.  A former professor of English at Broward College, he retired in 2022 and now writes full-time.

Neil Plakcy lives in Hollywood, Florida with his husband and their two rambunctious golden retrievers.

www.mahubooks.com

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