I had a lot of funny, sometimes weird stories about the animals in my life. If you're a pet lover, you know there are times when weird things happen and because you would literally do anything for your pet, you get into unusual circumstances. I remember once having a big fight with my ex-husband because he wanted to use my puppy as alligator bait. George never liked my dog, so I was very surprised when he said he wanted to take the dog with us camping in the Ocala National Forest. Surprised and pleased. Maybe he had finally learned to love the wild pup.
As I was getting ready, gathering all our stuff for the wilderness camping, I remember feeling so happy that he had changed his mind about our dog. The place we camped was wild, in the middle of a swamp, with alligator infested lakes and roaming bobcats and panthers. The site was spooky but spectacular, and we always sent with a crowd of George's devoted young followers, who made me feel safe. And of course, I loved sleeping with my puppy next to me.
Later, though, as we were preparing to leave for the park, I heard George say to a friend, "Yeah, I told her she could bring the dog - I mean, let's face it. This could work out great. The dog will go after the alligators, and they'll get that damn dog before they get to us." They both laughed.
I probably don't need to tell those of you who are pet lovers how outraged I was. I didn't go on that trip to the Ocala National Forest. And a few weeks later, when my dog disappeared, I didn't even bother to ask George to help me find him. Did I mention that this was my EX husband?
Anyway, I had a lot of little animal stories, many of which had been published. I had a bunch of stories about kids, etc. So, I put them all together into a little chapbook and had it published at our local copy center. And last night, for the first time that I ever showed it anywhere, I sold one. Not bad for a group of snarky stories that I can't figure out what to do with. I sit here with my two latest pups, my third set of lab and huskie combo, and enjoy a breakfast that book helped me buy. Whatever works, right?
P.S. The beautiful cover picture on the chapbook is a painting by my husband Ken, who has been offering me his paintings to use on my latest books. I love the way this came out :)