Interview with a Sidekick: Stephen Laird and "Munchkin"
Stephen Laird tells the story about his 250-pound Mastiff Munchkin and how they found each other one cold wet night and have been inseparable since.
Good Morning! I'm Stephen Laird, a good friend of main character Maggie McDonald. I'm writing today's blog post because Maggie's tied up. I'm hoping that's not with another murder.
Today's all about stories. Why I call my dog Munchkin, why Maggie's husband Max calls me the "Ninja Batman," and how Maggie nearly died from embarrassment after she called me her "Fairy Godmother."
I'm a big guy, and my English mastiff Munchkin outweighs me. Neither one of us is a critter typically referred to as Munchkin. I told Maggie the full story in her first adventure, Address to Die For, but suffice to say he didn't always weigh 250 pounds. We ran into and rescued one another near a back-alley dumpster on a cold, wet night and have been inseparable since. Maggie tells me the details of the story are sweet, and hearing it convinced her we'd be lifelong friends, but it's not an easy tale to recount, so I'll let you read it in the book.
As for the "Ninja Batman" quip that Max keeps making about me—he thinks he only says it when I can't overhear him. I'm neither, of course, but I have PTSD leftover from my time in Marine Corps Special Forces, and walking at night when the world is dim and quiet helps ease my anxiety. It also means that Munchkin and I are out and about when terrible stuff is apt to happen, so we're often first on the scene calling in the first responders. Max at first suspected me of being the bad guy causing all the trouble, but we're great friends now. I count the entire family as my friends. I can, will, and have protected them by putting my own life on the line. Maggie has done the same for me.
When Maggie and I first met, her family was in a pickle. They'd been locked out of their house during a murder investigation. I helped them with some of the comforts that mean so much when you're moving—Oreos, wine, and hot bagels. I can't solve all the world's problems, but hot bagels are easy to get hold of when you're awake in the wee hours. Later, when I helped her do the dishes, she referred to me as her "Fairy Godmother."
Everyone else in the room burst out laughing, and poor Maggie didn't have a clue. I guess the subject hadn't yet come up between us, but I'm very happily married to the Orchard View Police Chief, Jason Mueller, who also served in the Marine Corps. I wasn't offended by Maggie's remark, but I could tell she was mortified. It's a story we both laugh about in retrospect and have retold many times.
When I'm not backing up Maggie, I volunteer at the Veterans Administration Hospital in nearby Palo Alto, California, working in various programs that involve veterans (including K-9 vets) and service dogs.
Since most fans of Mary Feliz's books enjoy Munchkin more than they do me, here are two pictures of the goofy dude. The first was taken when he earned his name four years ago, the second is more recent. Adorable, right? People say the same about me, but I don't see it.
For more stories about me, Maggie, and all the characters, human and otherwise, in the Maggie McDonald Mysteries, explore the website here or read the series, available wherever books are sold and here: