|
|
|
When The Muse Speaks ...
| I have always loved to write. Won UIL
District and placed third in UIL Region in an extemporaneous
writing contest called Ready Writing. Always dreamed of writing
a great novel that would live far beyond my own puny life, but
it really seems entirely too much work. But working always
seemed to get in the way of writing just about anything. Then, a
few years ago, a friend started a local dog magazine called
Texas Dogs. She asked me tons of questions and I edited a number
of pieces for her first few issues. Then, she asked me to become
a regular columnist. My column was titled “From the End of the
Leash” and hit a broad range of subjects from rescue to raising
a show dog to being a good dog show citizen. My first year
writing for the magazine brought me the Columnist of the Year
award, which I still proudly display in my home.
One night, as I was driving home from a dog show in West Texas, I began formulating a short story in my mind. Two real prompts had started the ball rolling. First, was the classic fantasy/horror film “Wolfen” and the scene in it where the wolfen threatens a Borzoi and the Borzoi runs away. Second, was the Wesley Snipes cult classic vampire film “Blade”. These two films, way too much caffeine, and a tired mind looking for something to do outlined the story on that long drive home. I arrived at home way too excited to go to bed, so I sat down at my computer and started to write. At three in the morning I had finished “The Hunter”. “Synchronicity” has a similar background. Of course, it is fictional, even if the lead character bears the name Valimir. First inkling of it began forming when a renowned handler in this area had a horrible accident and a number of top winning dogs in her van escaped into a very rural area. Then, a local show Borzoi was lost and a bloodhound from both working and show lines played a huge role in her return. Last, the muse again struck on a long drive home from a dog show, this time from Houston. The drive from Houston to Dallas winds through several national forests that are very wild and remote. A great setting for a lost dog story. Again, the story was mostly written in my head before I finished that long drive, with the real Valimir happily snoring away in the back of the van. A small literary magazine in upstate New York published both “The Hunter” and “Synchronicity”. No real biggie, but it is always fun to say that you are published. “Synchronicity” was also published by the breed magazine of the American Bloodhound Club. I had sent a copy of the story to the lady that owned the dog that inspired the character of Tracker and she was so enamored of the story that she recommended it to their National magazine. Seems not too many authors write stories that make bloodhounds out to be heroes. Again, no biggie, but it was a great honor to see my work published by someone who was not even part of my primary audience. I will include a number of other articles and short stories here as I see fit. A number of them are quite ribald and should be re-written in order to be on this website. Not all are dog related, but it is hoped that the reader will find all of them entertaining, amusing, or educational. Please enjoy! |