#FlashbackFriday: A Christmas in July Dog Story
Today's #Flashback theme is Christmas in July, and it's a bit different, still dog-related, and flashes back 31 years ago! Lately, I've been going through footlocker-sized totes of my published clippings from newsletters to newspapers and magazines in an effort to downsize. Back in the day (not really that long ago), writers and artists created "portfolios," which were large cases typically with handles and clear pages inside where you would put samples of your published work and take it along on interviews to show perspective bosses your writing or artistic style. Today, everything is pretty much done digitally, with links posted on a website.
Who else remembers creating a portfolio? Join me in aging ourselves, LOL! No, seriously, having one was such an accomplishment, and that is something I will certainly hang on to.
So imagine my surprise when I flipped to the very first fiction story I wrote, a Christmas tale all about a dog (well, two).
I had to chuckle, because it's so me. I have always loved writing, always loved dogs, and always loved Christmas!
I remember clearly when I first began my writing career and was hired by a little local newspaper called the Ulster County Gazette. I remember being hired as a "stringer," a part-time writer covering events such as a fashion show, and I can I still remember the little office in an uptown house. I was nervous, but excited. Even more so when they asked me to write a holiday fiction story for their Christmas issue! Woo-hoo! Yes! YES! I was so thrilled to show my husband (I was just a 3-year newlywed at the time) and my mother (my biggest writing fan)!
Here I am some thirty-cough-forty-cough-fifty years later still doing what I love: writing stories about life and dogs that I hope will leave my readers with a smile.
I've enlarged the story clip below for your viewing pleasure! Maybe turn on some soft holiday music, call your pet to sit next to you, and enjoy my very first published fiction Christmas dog tale!
At the time, our beloved dog was a German Shepherd/(supposed) Chow mix (I think he had some Husky in him, too) we adopted as a puppy from our local SPCA and sneaked him into our new apartment until we moved into our first house. Oh, there's lots of memories there! But Sandy was a real sweetheart...and we were fortunate to have him for 13 years. Sandy was the inspiration for my story!
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