Taught My Dogs To "Roll Over"

It's easier to teach my dogs to roll over than it is to ask people to buy my book. Honestly, it is.

Now that they've learned that trick, maybe I can teach them to pick up their toys and drop them in the toy basket. Wouldn't that be nice?

Meantime, if you'd like a good mystery, download The Killer Show, a Simone Biaz ventriloquist mystery, and after you read it, feel free to recommend it to others. Thanks.

Make it a great week.

Judy

 

7 Lessons Puppies Can Teach Writers

1. Puppies and writers need structure. Don't fall asleep at your writing desk.

2. Engage readers like puppies on a sniffing expedition. If my puppies get the scent of something interesting, they'll vacuum dirt.

3. Puppy training requires patience. It's easy for writers to get overwhelmed and discouraged. Don't frustrate your puppy.

4. Puppies don't hold grudges. When they're corrected they get over it, and wag their tails. May you and I be as charitable.

5. Puppies who bark constantly and jump on people are annoying. Know when to bark about your book. But don't knock people over.

6. Don't poop on your story. (two examples)

• Don't let the story wander around in long-winded scene setting
• Be sure you are actually writing a story, not a cluster of life sketches.

     7. Keep wagging your tales.

The Picture of Puppy Love.

Six-month old Max hugs his brother Cooper. (Mini Schnauzers) 

How can you not smile? It's honest. Unstaged. Sweet. Awww.

A Valentine Story

My husband, Ken and I were traveling home by car. It was a long uneventful trip. I was searching the internet from my phone. An idea spun around in my mind.

“Honey, would you like to travel? You know, other parts of Europe, Asia, places in South America… (we'd just come back from Europe two months earlier.)

“We've been doing that for years.”

“...Or get a puppy?”

“No puppy! If we get a dog, let's get one that's house broken, and past that puppy chewing, and yapping stage.”

I immediately called the animal shelter close to our home.

“Any small dogs?” I asked the woman who answered the phone.

“Yes, we have a Lhasa Apso.”

“We can be there in three hours to see it. Can you tell me anything about the dog?”

“Wait a minute. Hold on.”

“I think we can get this dog.” I told my husband. “Right now, I'm on hold.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.” The woman from the shelter was back. “Someone just decided to take it.”

Disappointment.

But then I remembered my niece's dog, Sasha. So cute and well-behaved. I checked with area breeders, and by the time we arrived home from our trip, we were proud owners of a mini schnauzer puppy, Max.

The next day, we drove to see the puppy and his canine parents. We weren't disappointed. However, there was one puppy left in the litter that didn't have a home. The breeder, picked him up and laid him in my lap.

“No. I'm sorry. We just can't have two.” It broke my heart.

Now we have adopted both Max Cooper into our family. Happy Valentine's!

Good Book(s)

Anybody else out there need a break from stress? Three things that work for me. Read a good book, take a trike ride, and play with mini schnauzers. Because stress can get messy. Like peanuts in a blender.

Hey, even pleasure can stress us out. How many of you ever needed a vacation from a vacation? Pleasant things in excess, can tie knots in our nervous system too. That's where good books come in.

I have a passion to write, and read good books. After writing a nonfiction, two short story fictions, and one of the stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Hope and Miracles, I took a deep breath, like a runner at the finish line. And decided not to stop. I'm writing not one, but two mystery novels at the same time. Life is busy. Yours is too, I'll bet.

   transports like a good book

 We love our trikes. I used to think trikes are for “old” people. Not anymore. There's a whole world out there to explore and riding trikes is a relaxing way to subdue stress. The smell of nature, especially in spring with flowers, and the soil shifting under new growth. It's like a scene from a good book, transporting us into a new world where anything is possible.

Better than a good book, is that we will become new parents to two mini schnauzers, February fifth. Two boys, Max and Cooper. Ken has already ordered the trike cart that will carry our little guys

Good Book(s)