The Mystery Man and Then Some

I now have the dog, Slobbers, the kids, and their families. Next I needed the mystery man. Originally he would have been Big Foot but now he's just big.

Originally there was a brew master in the neighborhood.  Now he's the owner of the local pub.

Now I need an actual mystery.  Originally our neighborhood gardens were inundated with snails.  I kept it the same in the story upon the advice of my advisors who felt kids would love the icky, slimy, smelly creatures.  I couldn't disagree with that so snails it was. 

Okay, my characters were set, now get it written.  The first draft was written in the third person.  Then I was told middle grade stories were usually written in the first person and don't go into too much detail because the kids aren't interested.

Would a writing class have taught me all this?  Who knows. I never even expected to be writing a kids book! 

Just how do I do this first person bit?  Who should it be? Why, the dog, of course, I was told.  My first crack at it was terrible. Try again. I figured since I had four Saint Bernards and two mutts over the years, certainly I could get inside a dog's head. 

Once I settled down to it I found it easier than I had expected and actually quite a bit of fun.  I was falling in love with all my characters.

I felt quite good once done to my satisfaction.  I had friends who were fantastic supporters who kept me going. Then the big question arose.  Where do I go with it now?  The first thing I discovered was writing the story was the easy part! 

Coming up will be illustrating, then the agony of publishing.  Stick around!

Have the Dog, Define the Characters

                                                                                                                                                                                       The old adage to write about what you know went right out the window when I was told the kids needed to be different ethnicities. Talk about 'politically correct'! 

 Okay, I can do that. I'll just create the kids to be exactly like the kids I knew when I was growing up only have them look different.  They won't care.  They're about the same age, best friends and neighbors.  That'll do.

So I created the families. The Whites.  Dad George, mom Sarah and their kids Bud and Sis. George is a stockbroker.  The only one in the small village of Serenity.

 Sarah is a stay at home mom but helps out at the local library or art gallery when they find themselves shorthanded. She has her hands full with Bud and Sis. Especially Bud since he's the mischievous leader of the Gang of Four.

Sis is smarter than she acts.  She finds it easier to deal with Bud that way. Their best friends and neighbors are Lin Huang and Deon Brown. More about them in the next post as this saga continues.  I hope you'll come along for the ride!

Shedding Light on the Beginnings of Slobbers Story

 As you can see in a few previous posts, I had a few false starts upon discovering my old blog was still functional.  I guess I had the same experience with Slobbers story. But perseverance willed out. Three books have been published.

There is some truth  to the saying people come and go from your life for a reason.  I guess that's why I've been fortunate enough to meet some bona fide writers in my time.  I've become good friends with a few of them

What do friends do?  They talk.  Especially female friends. Naturally, in discussing books, I finally let it be know that I had this "spoof" locked away and was immediately told to get it written out.  Would they read it? Absolutely.

I had no clue where to begin so I just hen pecked away on the old computer, wrote a half manuscript and half outline. This was all the way back in 2018. The first friend I showed it to gave me some invaluable advice and, contrary to my nature, I actually took it. Advice like what people were and were not reading those days, whether it should be first person or third, that my characters must be diverse, etc. She also told me no one was reading spoofs of monster movies.  I wasn't sure I believed that but I decided to trust her.

What's the saying? Trust but verify?  So I showed it to another friend who promptly told me it would make a great kids story.

A kids story?  I felt lost again.  I even contacted a much younger friend who, too, was a Saint Bernard enthusiast and asked him if he'd like to collaborate.  I felt he could put the kid into the kids far better than I could.  We got started, but as happens, life intervened and that association was not to be.

I took a deep breath and told myself it was a good story and if I was going to have to stumble through it on my own, so be it. I sat back down at my computer and began again...

New Beginnings for an Old Lady

 I have a birthday coming up in a few weeks at which time I will begin a new decade and most likely my last.  Who knows. 

That being said, I've decided to revive this blog and invite you into the wild and wonderful life I've had since taking up writing couple of years ago at the ripe old age of 78.

For years I had harbored a story in my head that  formed when we were living in a time during which high school athletes were into performance enhancers,  our gardens were infested with snails, neighborhood kids were always up to mischief, a brewery brewmaster was a neighbor and we had a Saint Bernard.

How does all that, one day years and years later, become a series of children's adventure /mysteries with the Saint Bernard, Slobbers, doing the telling?  If you're curious, stick around, for I will be telling the tale. Dogwalk Musings still fits, in a sense, though those walks are long gone.  They are missed.  The dogs, however, are still with me in my head and my books.  I'd like to share the journey with you.

Land That I Love - What Happened To It?

Okay.  I'm old.  I'm also tired and angry.  And frustrated because I don't know what to do about it.

I cannot escape the news. Unless I plug my ears and wear blinders so I can't read.  But then what would I do while drinking my morning coffee if not read the paper?

I know all the problems just as you do.  The question is what can we do about them?  The "misbehavers" are getting all the press so if there is a voice of reason out there it's getting drowned out.  Our President is no help. He has his foot in his mouth more often than not.

How such a man was able to create the cabinet he has is beyond me.  It is one of the strogest in years.  Not perfect but strong. I'd like to think they are quietly doing their job even though they are understaffed because of another Presidential misguided notion about the size of gevernment.  Too big?  Yes. But these people do need qualified staff to work with and they're not getting it.

Those misguided notions are a large part of why things are continuing to run amok. No one is all knowing and especially this President.  As a result those who would disrupt, no matter how flawed their reasoning, feel free to do so at will.

I don't understand the hate.  Is it the fault of our universities as some say?  In part.  But before young people ever reach university age, what are they being taught and who is doing the teaching?  Are teachers at fault?  Are parents at fault? It would seem everyone owns a piece of the pie.

As we of a certain age know it has gotten out of control.  How does it get fixed?  Candlelight vigils don't fix things.  Violent demonstrations don't fix things.  We seniors writing about it doesn't.  Who listens to us?

Maybe it's time we seniors quit stewing and get politically active as a block and vet candidates who will do something other than preen for the cameras.  We have a few but no where near enough. Power in numbers and organization.  That's what all the squeaky wheels have.

I don't know.  Anyone game?  Anyone have any ideas?  Can we elders fix it? We at least know our history and respect it.

What's Missing? Senior Citizens!

I thought the months preceding the election were a gut wrenching roller coaster but it was nothing compared to this transition period.

Yes, I've been watching the celebrity circus coming and goings from Trump Tower.  I find it just as gut wrenching.

Why? Because of the mix of characters.  Cabinet potentials and/or wannabes, clergy, celebrities and body guards and who knows who else all seeking an audience with The Donald soon to be Mr. President.

While I have a strong distaste for the blathering and, in many cases, stupidity of the losers, I have an equal amount of angst watching the transition process.  For entirely different reasons. While I applaud many of Trumps picks, I figure his advisers have had a huge say in them, I raise an eyebrow over many others that seem to make little sense or at the least are only marginally qualified.  As much I as I like Ben Carson, his pick for HUD is an example.  Nikki Haley for UN Ambassador is another.

Why the transition team is giving audience to Kanye West is a question.  It seems there might be a more appropriate time.  But since Trump seems to be finding time for just about everyone, why is one big segment of the population missing?  One of us.  The ordinary citizen.  Or the elderly.

Since I am one of the elderly, let me address that.  I'm willing to wager Mr. Trump has no idea of what my issues may be nor do most of his selections.  He may have talked with farmers and miners and small business  owners along the way though not a fair representation by any stretch of the imagination but I have seen no representation of the elderly. That irritates me no end. I don't mean someone to speak for me either.  Let me, or one of my peers speak.  We're perfectly capable of articulating our concerns without some youngster supposing them for us.

He should really have one or more of us as advisers.  Every other segment of the populations seems to be represented.

So. Many of us will probably not see Mr. Trump through his complete term but that doesn't mean we should be back benched or ignored.  What about it, Mr. President-elect?  How about some senior citizen advice and consul. And you, at 70, don't count because you have far fewer concerns about your age and aging than the majority of us.

I wonder, should I have to tweet this to be heard?