Local Author Inspired by Pet Corgis

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. That holds true for local resident Val Muller, whose two Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Leia and Yoda, became the inspiration for her first published novel, "Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive."

“When I would walk around the neighborhood the kids would ask me, ‘What do your dogs do when you’re at work?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know’,” Muller said. “So they’d make up these adventures that the dogs would go on and I figured if kids found that interesting they’d find a book interesting too.”

In the middle-grade mystery novel, a series of neighborhood burglaries has left police stumped. It’s up to fifth-grader Adam Hollinger and his new corgi puppy to help solve the crime.

The story takes place in a fictional town in Lancaster County, Pa., a location that is special to Muller from family vacations and her undergraduate years at Franklin & Marshall College.

So far, Muller said her book has been well received by her young readers. The book was published in January 2012.

“It is awesome. When I got the email I couldn’t believe it. I kept re-reading it because you’re used to rejection after rejection,” Muller said, in regards to querying her first manuscript. “It’s only been a couple months but I’ve gotten a pretty good response. I did an elementary school visit over my spring break and that was really awesome. Kids just love dogs.”

Muller said she’s always had an interest in writing. When she was in first grade she wrote her first mystery book on a series of stapled notebook paper.

“I just loved making up stories,” Muller said. “You can go anywhere, you can do anything with whatever’s inside your head and I just love that. There’s no limit.”

By day, Muller is an English teacher at Loudoun County High School, where she’s been employed for the last five years. In her spare time she can be found working on her upcoming sequel, which is currently going through final editing stages.

To learn more visit www.valmuller.com.