Away To Me

Patricia McConnell

Maddie McGowan Book 1

Kensington Pub

Few 2026

Away To Me by Patricia McConnell is her debut novel. It is not just a murder mystery but explores the deep connection between humans and their furry dog partners. There are scenes with PTSD, both human and canine, domestic violence, and families of dogs and humans. 

In the beginning, readers interestingly learn about why dogs react in a certain way. The animal behavior details were fascinating without ever dragging down the story. 

Although in the beginning of the book, Maddie’s good friend and mentor, George, is shot the mystery really begins after she rescues a German Shepherd, Cisco. While Maddie is trying to figure out if George’s shooting was an accident or on purpose, she is distracted by trying to help Cisco who is severely injured and aggressively acts out.  Maddie seems like the only one who he allows to get near him, falls in love with him, and takes him home as a foster. She also realizes that Cisco must have been some kind of drug detection or K9 dog. Under her care, Cisco is thriving, and Maddie is very happy to add him to her canine family. But happiness turns into trauma when Cisco is kidnapped and her house is ransacked. Maddie risks her life to find Cisco and discover the truth about George’s shooting. 

Maddie is a very relatable character.  Readers take a journey with her as she tries to rebuild her life after suffering abuse from her husband, who is now her ex. She trains sheepdogs and helps rehabilitate shelter dogs with behavioral issues. She loves her furry family that includes Jack, a border collie she got as a puppy, and the sheep guard dog Bo Beep. 

Readers get a two for one with this novel.  Not only do they get a story that explores the deep connection between dogs and their human partners they also get a riveting mystery.

Elise Cooper: Did your experiences help you to write this novel?

Patricia McConnell: Yes.  I really wanted to write a murder mystery although, I never committed one. LOL.  I have written non-fiction for years.  I decided to write what I know.  My main character, Maddie McGowan, is an animal behavioralist like me.  Many of her clients is some kind of mash up of clients I have seen but I did keep their personal information confidential. Like Maddie I do have border collies, a small flock of sheep, and live in Wisconsin. One of the dogs in the story, Bo Peep, the sheep guarding dog, the Great Pyrenees, was my first dog named Bo Peep.  LOL.  I could not resist naming the dog Bo Beep who protects sheep.

EC: Why did you put in about dog behaviors and skills?

PM: One of the great things about fiction is readers can learn about subjects they do not know about. Maddie’s world is of an animal behaviorist where she talks about clients and animals. It is a way to get to know Maddie. “Play bow” is when the dog’s butt is up in the air and in dog communication means ‘I want to play.’  “Take a bow” means to calm down and relax. 

EC: Was the title based on anything?

PM: The title, Away to Me, is a cue to a sheep dog to move counterclockwise around the sheep.  There is another meaning, a metaphor for Maddie. She has a closed off life, pushes people away. In the title, “Away” means stay away from me, but “To Me” means she wants a relationship that she has not let herself think about. 

EC: How did you get the idea for the mystery?

PM:  I competed in sheep dog trials. There is a famous trial where not too far away is a shooting range. Every Sunday there would be gunshots. I thought what if one of the shots hits someone.  I had that scene in my head for years and used it in this book as a kickoff point. 

EC: How would you describe Maddie?

PM: She is a dog trainer. She can be stubborn, impulsive, calm, confident, and guarded because she was abused by her ex-husband. She has nightmares.

EC: The role of the border collie, Jack?

PM: He is sensitive to loud noises, bold, and a workaholic. He picked Maddie as his owner instead of the opposite.  They trust each other.

EC: What about the role of Cisco, a German Shepherd rescue?

PM: He is a detection dog. He is affectionate.  He and Maddie have a common thread and are connected because of the trauma each went through. Dogs have relatively similar emotional brains as humans.  They can be traumatized too.  Many times, the aggression is defensive because the dog is frightened and scared. Cisco’s behavior is based on fear. Maddie as a behaviorist knows to read the faces of dogs well and can speculate what emotions drive that expression. 

EC: What about the trauma Maddie and Cisco experienced?

PM: There are a lot of trainers and behavioralists who have been traumatized. It makes it easier to relate.  I wrote a memoir titled The Education of Will, about my past which included some pretty horrible things happening.  Like Maddie, I got PTSD. I felt a kind of closeness to dogs who were fearful. Those with PTSD have horrible videos that reoccur in their brain. One of the ways it is diagnosed is to ask someone. Obviously, we cannot ask a dog, but I lean on the side that dogs can get PTSD, which is not the same of humans.

EC: What do you want to say about your non-fiction biography?

PM: The subtitles are healing a dog, facing my fears, reclaiming my life. It is a comparison of behavior and emotions in dogs and people. How are we different and how are we the same? This memoir is about trauma. As someone with PTSD I learned I could not power my way through it and needed to acknowledge what happened to me. A man fell five stories, landed in front of me, and died. I learned not to run away from it. The name Will is the puppy I had who seemed to also have PTSD. He was terrified of other dogs and then became aggressive toward them. I spent two years working with him and learned a lot about myself.  To heal him I had to heal myself. I drew from this to help create Maddie. To me, she is a living, breathing person. There are a lot of similarities between our lives and trauma in our background. 

EC: How did you come up with the dog quote?

PM: You are referring to, “I adore them, cherish them, need them, live and breathe them.” Maddie and I cannot imagine living without a dog. Our relationship with dogs is so different even though they descended from predators.  Yet we have this close relationship as family members and act as working partners. It is a biological miracle. It deserves more attention. They are like young children, very vulnerable.  That attachment we have to them is so profound.  

EC: Next book?

PM: It is titled Come Bye which means the dog must go clockwise around the sheep. All the same characters will be in it with another dog added into the mix. Cisco, Jack, Maddie, and Ryan will be back. The plot has Maddie rescuing a Labrador who is not doing well. The dog was found in an apartment where its two owners are murdered. It will be a few years before it comes out. 

THANK YOU!!

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