RITA HSU SYERS
Rita Hsu Syers' first book, Mystery of the Crying Ghost, features her own Golden Retriever, Killian, as the hero of the story. She believes in always including animals in her books, and there are four in Mystery of the Crying Ghost: Killian, a Golden Retriever, Isis, a Himalayan cat, and 2 trained ferrets, Firefly and Shimmer. The response to the animals has been wonderful. Rita has trained dogs as a hobby for 20 years, participating in the rescue of many dogs and cats, and has been responsible for closing half a dozen puppy mills. She currently lives with four Boston Terriers as well as her Golden Retriever, and a very rambunctious English Bulldog. She volunteered at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center for years, nursing injured and orphaned Great Horned Owls and red-tailed Hawks, then releasing them back into the wild. She has also found dozens of homes for feral cats, rescuing them and spaying/ neutering them, currently sharing her home with not only her dogs but 6 rescued cats as well. The more the merrier is her motto. Her next book, a supernatural/light horror novel titled PUREHEART, is about a little dog with special powers.