Starting Somewhere

True enough I like to talk, anyone that knows me will tell you that.  What most don't realize is that I listen.  Often more than they realize because they don't. 

So when blogging started it was not something that called to me. I really didn't want to share. No really.  You'd think I'd be first up at bat, wanting to tell the world everything. But I came to the whole social network and blogging thing slowly, and still reluctantly.  The thing that got me here is that I realized I could talk about the furr kids ad nauseam and no one could stop me.

Hah- now that could be fun. At least for me.  And face it, you can go off and read someone else's blog, and I won't know it.  That is ok. Better than realizing people have tuned you out and are already talking about some other subject, which happens.

But since this is the primo event start up blogola, (Well I did try another one but it was so not happening for me) I guess I should say that I have a new book out! A short book- maybe a big short story, or a small little book. It is a children's story, mostly juvenile but adults seem to like it.

It started out back in 2001, I wrote it after 9/11.  At that time I was living in Mount Vernon, just outside New York City.  This was a way of letting out my own emotions, a story with the dogs and such.  At that time I had Ritz,a magnificent and really tall German Shepherd with these huge ears and Cheyenne who was younger and still quite goofy.  They'd already been featured in other stories that I wrote mainly for myself and friends, so they showed up in this one too.

Flash forward about a year and half ago. I'd been sick with both sarcoidosis (which really showed itself for the first time soon after going to the City after the attacks btw) and a knee problem.  A friend, Evelyn,  from work said, why don't you reprise that story for the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  Slowly I did.  After knee replacement I went to the local wonderful SCBWI conference last April and got it critiqued. Learned a lot, sent it off,  learned more and while it had a lot of compliments, it didn't get picked up. Wrong time, not news. But it seemed to me that this was a good time, with the 9/11 memorial being commemorated this next September.  This is a gentle story,talking about what happened through the eyes of Cheyenne mostly, a pup, who is frightened and scared, but also brave in her own way.

So with the help of friends like Leigh, Jessica who critiqued, and the wonderful Cherri Galbiatti who helped me get it on Amazon Kindle (Cherri is a wonderful writer and also a German Shepherd Mom) and of course with the help of that handsome geek hubby of mine Monty, the book is now on Kindle for 99 cents.  You see, it was always about having the story out there for people to read, to be told to children.  It is the story of my heart, and these two dogs, who were my loves.

Of course now in our home we have Phantom and Gemma Lou, both rescue GSDs, and also the cats Gypsy Rose Lee and Florence of Arabia. I'll post their photos as I talk about them here. And believe me I will talk about them.

If you want to check out the story please go to Amazon and download the Kindle book, you won't be disappointed.  We are hoping to do a podcast also soon, to have some fun and with the hopes that it will make it even more special. And please, never forget.

The dogs are outside with Monty, it has gotten a bit warmer here in Houston this evening.  The cats though are inside with me.  Gypsy is in her new 'condominium' which is actually one of my pj cubes and Flo is on Monty's pillow snoring.  Yes Flo, you snore.  I've got some new stories I'm writing, including a young adult paranormal that is very Italian!

Let me know how you like The Case of the Sad Flag.  And keep coming around to chat. I'd love to get some new friends here, and have some fun.  Until then,

howls!