Happy Star Wars Day!
Today is May Fourth, as in “May the Fourth be with you,” as in, “Happy Star Wars Day!”
May the Fourth be with you!
Understandably, Star Wars Day is a special day for Leia and Yoda Corgi. When we first brought the corgis home, we thought about what to name them. As a writer and English teacher, I had already told myself that when I got a dog, I would name him after an author or a famous literary character. Chaucer was at the top of my list.
But when we saw our little corgi pup, his ears were so large (they were already sticking straight up when we got him) that he reminded us of Yoda from Star Wars. The name stuck immediately.
Yoda on his “gotcha day,” a tiny pup with huge ears.
Since we adopted a sister and brother, we decided we needed a female name for Yoda’s sister. I thought about Princess Leia’s famous hairdo, the one with two braids wrapped at the sides of her head. The puppy had also been acting like a princess from the moment we got her, so Princess Leia sounded perfect (though to prevent her from having a superiority complex, we just call her “Leia” for short).
Leia dressed up like Yoda for Halloween (Yoda was afraid of the Yoda costume and decided to go as himself!).
When I wrote Corgi Capers, I wanted to name the corgis in a similar fashion, after famous characters that my protagonist, Adam Hollinger, was fond of. Because of both my desire to avoid copyright issues and to “make it my own,” I decided to create a fictional famous outer-space comic book series that Adam could draw from to name his pups.
In Corgi Capers, the pups are named Zeph and Princess Sapphie (but just “Sapphie” for short—Sapphie doesn’t need a superiority complex, either). Zeph is loyal and intelligent just like his namesake. Logan Zephyr is a fearless space commander who leads his crew, the Stellar Squadron, around the universe in search of adventure. Though Zeph the puppy is often fearful, he tries hard to live up to the bravery of his namesake, displaying courage even when he’s trembling inside.
A sketch of Logan Zephyr, one of Adam’s favorite comic book characters in Corgi Capers.
During one of his adventures, explorer Logan Zephyr comes upon a strange planet covered in quicksand. Underneath the quicksand is the beautiful Sapphire Kingdom inhabited by a princess named Princess Sapphire. Instead of being forthcoming about the fact that she is lonely and trapped on her isolated planet, she uses deceit and flattery to lure the explorers to her, and she uses treachery to try to trap them. Though she is beautiful and kind, she has a dark side. Adam decided this would be a perfect name for Zeph’s rambunctious sister, who is sweet when she wants to be but likes to dominate any situation and prefers using tricks than brains simply because it’s more fun.
A sketch of Princess Sapphire, the princess Logan encounters during one of his adventures.
Each May the Fourth, I’m reminded of the corgis’ “gotcha day” and the fun we had in naming them and introducing them to their new home. Since then, each day has been a new adventure, and I’m glad the corgis are along for the ride.
Tomorrow, we have a special guest post about naming dogs from awesome author C. Hope Clark. Stay tuned!
Audio Book Now Available!
I’m pleased to announce that Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive is now available in audio format. You can download your copy from Audible.com. I’ve downloaded several books from Audible–it’s a great deal when you purchase a membership, and if you sign up for a free trial, you can get several books free and then very inexpensively. I transfer my audio books to my mp3 player and listen during long car rides, runs, or even when mowing the lawn (I place my earbuds inside my ear protection).
I’m also giving away discount codes for the audio book. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. The prize is one download code for Corgi Capers audio book. For every 100 entries, I will add a second download code (up to 5), so share with your friends. In the meantime, you can listen to a free preview of the book here.
Enter to win:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Corgis in the Springtime: A User’s Guide
Smells and the Herding Instinct
After such a long winter, your corgi may have temporarily forgotten how many delicious smells there are in a back yard, especially at O-DARK-THIRTY. Three months of bottled excitement will bubble to the surface, so be prepared for explosive energy.
On the first real day of spring, you must open your back door as early as possible, preferably when the sun hasn’t even risen yet. This will provide the most challenging conditions for you, the person owned by corgis.
You want us to come in and stop herding whatever animal we smell?? We don’t think so!
When you open the door, the corgis will dash out, heading straight for a scent trail. The trail will meander around your back yard, and you’ll never be sure whether the corgis will end up halfway up a tree or halfway into the next zipcode. In these instances, a good, sturdy fence is highly recommended. An invisible fence may do the trick, but the herding instinct is sometimes powerful enough to overcome that temporarily.
You can try to call them back inside, bribing them with their favorite treats or toys, but good luck with that. Most likely, they will stay outside until the sun comes up. Even then, when you call them, they’ll give you that stubborn corgi look: I can’t come inside now. There is herding to be done!
What exactly they are herding, you won’t have a clue. But they’re herding, alright.
Leia’s on the trail!
My best success has been a green laser. Leia and Yoda Corgi love to “herd” the green laser. It’s both fast and elusive, giving them the corgi challenge that they crave. And the best part about herding a green laser is that it can be done at all times of day—and they have the craziest tendency to lead the corgis right into the house!
Mud and Worms
Springtime. April showers and May—mud. Corgis have no qualms about tramping through mud, digging in mud, eating mud… Their low clearance makes their underbellies magnets for mud, dirt, leaves, mulch, and whatever other elements of nature the corgis encounter during their springtime adventures.
And worms. Don’t forget about the worms. Leia sure doesn’t.
A choice worm for Leia Corgi (yes, that’s 9 inches)
Not only do the corgis love the occasional worm-snack (yuk!); what’s even better is when the worms get all dried right there on the driveway. For Leia and Yoda Corgi, dried worms are choice rolling fodder. That’s right—there’s nothing better to roll in than a dried worm. Leia and Yoda will even have competitions for who gets to roll in the worms for the longest.
On the one hand, it does keep them busy so you can do things like gardening.
On the other, it’ll most likely end up in a dreaded b-b-b-bath. Baths occur at least weekly during the springtime here in the corgi household. And speaking of gardening, certain corgis (achoo–Leia!) like to eat manure and garden soil if you aren’t watching carefully enough.
Leia recovering from a b-b-b-bath
Proper Grooming
Speaking of grooming, springtime may lead to large furballs flying around the house like tumbleweed in the Wild West. That’s right, it’s corgi shedding season. Yes, I realize that EVERY DAY is corgi shedding season, but springtime is the absolute worst. The corgis will shed part of their soft white undercoats, the stuff that keeps them very warm during the winter. If you value your clothing, couches, and carpets, you must be proactive here. Grooming multiple times per week is a must.
Leia begrudgingly allowing her human to groom her.
Leia “escaping” with loose fur still stuck all over her. Enough of this grooming, already, I’ve got herding to do!
The first grooming is going to be intense and should be done outdoors during a windy day (the wind will help blow the hair away). And, hey—think of it as community service for the birds. When you’re done, you’ll be providing luxury bedding for all the birds in the adjacent zip codes.
A windy day is a MUST to help blow the fur away!
My tool of choice is a Furminator brush. The corgis were frightened of it at first, but now they actually enjoy it.
Yoda enjoying the Furminator…
…and staying for a little nap!
All the chasing and herding and grooming and washing is likely to tire out those corgis. The good news for you is that they’ll willingly take a cat nap while you catch up on all that non-corgi work you have to do!
Snoozing after exhausting springtime capers with his sister
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your springtime pups!
Corgi-lympics
It’s that time of year again. The temperature is perfect; the snow is deep. That’s right—it’s time for the Corgi-lympics. This year’s stars, of course: Leia and Yoda!
Opening Ceremonies
The first part of the Corgi-lympics is the opening ceremonies. The most important part of these is to get a good spot on the couch. Leia and Yoda scored a comfy seat with lots of blankets to rest up before the games begin:
After the opening ceremonies, it’s important that each corgi understands the rules of the Corgi-lympics. Here are Leia and Yoda listening carefully to an official:
Synchronized Corgiing
The first competition in the Corgi-lympics is Synchronized Corgiing. Points are awarded for cuteness, level of difficulty, and amount of sync.
Leia and Yoda received a perfect score for synchronized snow-sitting.
They received an 8.72 for synchronized path hiking…
…and a 9.21 for synchronized corgi-butting.
Snow Angels
This competition awards points for style, level of complexity, and speed. Leia ran into a bit of trouble during this competition when she made a snow corgi instead of a snow angel, but she earned lots of points for speed:
Leia earned the most points for speed in the snow angel competition, but she lost points by making a snow corgi instead of a snow angel.
Snow Tiptoeing
This is the most complicated of the events at the Corgi-lympics. This event can only be held when the course is maintained under optimal conditions. Snow Tiptoeing can only be held when the snow is at least one foot deep with a thin layer of crusty ice on the top. This event is optimal for corgis under 30 pounds, so as you can imagine, Yoda had a harder time than Leia in this event. The goal is for the corgi to prance gracefully atop the crusty layer of snow without falling in. If the corgi falls in, he or she should pull himself up as quickly as possible and continue the rest of the program.
Leia taking a quick break after a near-fall in her second program for the corgi tiptoeing event.
Leia demonstrates mastery of corgi tiptoeing during her final program, earning her a gold medal.
An aerial view as Yoda hoists himself out of a bad fall during corgi tiptoeing. After several more attempts, Yoda withdrew from the event, citing the thinness of the icy top layer.
Even Leia fell during the first day of corgi snow tiptoeing. Icy conditions were not ideal.
Corgi Bed-Rolls
This event requires corgis to remove the remaining snow from a recently-exhumed dog bed. Points are awarded solely for speed.
Upon discovering the uncovered bed, the corgis fight for the right to compete first in this competition.
Yoda’s technique involved removing snow with his face.
Leia is more methodical, using her paws as well as her face to remove the snow.
Leia, the victor of the bed-rolling competition.
Human Following
Human Following is a new event at the Corgi-lympics. The goal of this event is to follow one’s human as closely as possible, almost—but not quite—getting kicked by the human’s boots as they trek through the deep snow. Points are deducted for getting too close to a boot, getting knocked by a boot, or crying as a result of getting knocked by a boot.
Yoda leads the way but is quickly disqualified for running underneath his person’s boot. Leia wins by default.
Cross Country Corgiing
The goal of this event is simple: cover as much snowy ground as quickly as possible. Yoda has the clear advantage here, as his legs are much taller, and he is bigger and stronger. Leia struggled to keep up, eventually appealing to a coach for help removing herself from the course.
Leia takes the lead briefly before being passed by Yoda.
Yoda finding a moment of peace before starting his gold-winning cross country corgi race.
Green Dot Hunting
Green dot hunting can only happen at night. The goal, of course, is to catch the green dot. Neither Yoda nor Leia were able to actually catch the green dot, though not for lack of effort. There was no winner in this year’s competition.
Here, Yoda *almost* catches the green dot before it disappears into a snow drift.
Derping
The goal of derping is to look frazzled and, well, derpish, for the camera. Here are Leia and Yoda, earning gold in a first-ever corgi double-derp:
Corgi Mountain Climbing
For Corgi Mountain Climbing, corgis must climb snow mounds of at least three feet. Leia performed moderately this year, but she won by default. Yoda was too afraid to attempt this event.
Corgi Snow Surfing
Winners of Corgi Snow Surfing will combine speed, cuteness, stamina, and snow displacement. While Yoda earned top scores for speed, Leia excelled in all other categories.
We hope you enjoyed this year’s Corgi-lympics. This year’s winner, of course, is Leia Corgi. She won more events than her brother, though most were by default (Yoda withdrawing from competition out of fear of various elements of each event). Until next year, stay strong and corgi on!
Leia, winner of this year’s Corgi-lympics, eats some celebratory snow.
Give Our Hearts to Denby Auction
I’m writing today about a special corgi and a special cause.
This is Denby Dog. In 2005, the corgi lost the ability to eat, drink, or blink. Today, he faces another challenge: degenerative myelopathy, a progressive and incurable disease of the spinal cord. Despite all of his challenges, Denby Dog and his special person are still going strong–Corgi Strong!, as his Facebook page asserts.
You can learn all about Denby Dog in this interview on Babble.com.
As part of this cause, a corgi community on Facebook, led by Iron Corgi Maggie Thatcher, has come together with some great (and mostly dog-related) items up for auction. The money raised in the auction will go right to Denby Dog and his Person to help with vet bills.
As part of this auction, I’ve donated something special: the chance to name one more character in the upcoming Corgi Capers 3: Curtain Calls and Fire Halls. Any and all money raised for this item will go directly to Denby, and I will send the winner an autographed copy of the book. You can find this item in the auction by using the link in the next paragraph.
If you’d like to participate in the auction, check out Iron Corgi Maggie Thatcher’s Facebook page (here), and then go check out her photo album (here) that contains all the goodies up for auction. Bidding is open for the week.
Corgi Capers Book 3 in the works!
There are many downsides to having so much snow and such cold weather this winter. The definite upside, however, is that the extra snow days have given me lots of time to work on the next book in the Corgi Capers series. The book is well underway, and I hope to have it to the publisher this spring.
Book 3: Curtain Calls and Fire Halls, which takes place during November of Adam’s fifth-grade year and Courtney’s seventh-grade year, follows Sapphie as she gets into even more trouble than ever, and Adam as he volunteers for the local fire company. As part of her punishment for her behavior in Book 2, Courtney must take Sapphie to dog-training classes and volunteer at the nursing home. Luckily, the neighbors look out for Courtney, inviting her and Sapphie to participate in the middle school’s fall play—a play that calls for a special canine actor—or actress! Is Sapphie doing well enough with her training classes, or is the coveted role in the school play just a bit over her head?
Leia the Corgi, inspiration for mischievous Corgi Capers star Sapphie.
Meanwhile, Adam is waiting for baseball to begin in the spring. In the meantime, he’s making new friends at the fire hall. But mystery seems to follow Adam, and before long he’s got a new crime to solve—and new friends and acquaintances as suspects! And Zeph, as always, is trying to stay away from scary things and keep everyone together… with Courtney biting off more than she can chew, Adam always away at the fire house, and Sapphie disappearing every chance she can get, Zeph just wants to make sure everyone ends up safe and sound…and away from anything scary.
A Corgi Wonderland
Leia and Yoda Corgi have been enamored with the recent cold snap and the snow it’s brought. Except for times of extremely cold wind chill that send Leia inside, I have had to beg the corgis to come in from the cold. You hear people warning each other about the importance of bringing their pets inside during such temperatures, but I have a different warning:
Snow makes the corgis as frisky as ever. They love chasing each other, rolling in the snow (I think they’re trying to make “corgi angels”), and of course, eating it. One of their favorite things to do is have a corgi showdown (or “snow-down”). They stand at opposite ends of the yard and stare each other down. They creep forward one millimeter at a time until a loud noise–a bird, a car horn, or perhaps an “accidental” cough from me–sends them chasing each other at full speed:
When the snow is deep enough, they love running through the yard and creating “corgi paths” that they run through over and over again. Here is a shot of them making one such path:
Corgis gone wild in shoulder-deep snow!
Forging a corgi path in the snow.
Yoda is consistent in his love for the snow, but once in a while, Leia gets that little spark in her eye and becomes especially snow-happy:
Not sure how much more snow we’ll get this winter, but if it ever starts to get you down, just think like a corgi, and all will be well. Stay warm!
In Search of Winter by Sapphie Corgi
My person has been complaining lately about a thing called “winter.” It sounded like it might be good to eat, so I searched all over for it—the kitchen, the pantry, and even the compost heap outside, which was covered up in snow. But I couldn’t find winter anywhere. I got so mad, mad, mad that I ran around the house until I found my brother. Then I bit his ears. Biting Zeph’s ears always calms me down.
Zeph was no fun, as usual, and told me to stop. Like that was going to happen! But then I remembered that Zeph knows just about every word in the world, so I told him I’d stop biting his ears if he told me what “winter” was. He answered right away.
He said winter was the cold and snow and white skies and swirling sleet. I growled a little.
“Give me one,” I said.
“One what?” Zeph asked.
“One winter. No, make that two winters. Give me two winters. Mine and yours. I want to take them into my bed and eat them.” I always took treats into my bed and ate them. I usually steal Zeph’s treats, too. What’s his is mine, after all. Then I remembered Zeph was taking too long giving me his winter, so I snarled a little and said, “Give me your winter. Now, now, now!”
“I can’t give you winter, Sapphie,” my brother said. “It isn’t something that can—”
But I’d heard enough. “Where are you hiding winter?” I growled.
“I’m not hiding it, Sapphie, I—” But as he spoke, he glanced outside. He’s not a very good liar, and I knew he’d hidden winter in the yard. I’d have to go out and look for it, I decided as I bit his ear again. Only… finding winter might have to wait a while. Digging is hard to do when there’s so much snow on the ground!
Name That Cat Winners Announced!
Happy New Year’s Everyone! Hope 2013 brought you love and happiness, and hoping 2014 does the same. I’m starting the new year off with some good new.
After tallying the entries in the “Name that Cat” contest, the two highest scores were chosen, and the winners are…
Laura F. and Wendy W.!
The name for Adam’s friend in Corgi Capers 3 will be Gavin, and the name of the cat will be Shadow!
And now, the correct answers to the contest questions:
- Mr. Hollinger, Adam’s father, is an architect. He used to work for a firm, but he has recently started his own architectural business in the detached garage (now an office) of his family’s home. Thus, while Mr. Hollinger is often “home,” he’s also often “at work.”
- Mrs. Hollinger’s ongoing obsession is correcting grammar. She is a proofreader by trade, and she gets easily distracted correcting grammar in conversations, advertisements, and displays–much to Adam’s annoyance!
- Sapphie’s favorite thing in the world is–well, everything! She claims that toys are her favorite thing in the world, as is eating, as is sleeping, as is chewing her brother’s ears, as is… well, you get the idea.
- Courtney’s biggest obsession is… her cell phone. The worst punishment she could receive is being grounded from her cell phone, and as you can imagine, the phone itself causes much havoc in her adventures.
- When Adam needs to think about solving a mystery, he wears the fedora his father gave him. Though he’ll discuss the situation with Patrick when he’s able, or seek help on the computer, there’s nothing as helpful as wearing his hat and imagining he is Riley Couth, the super sleuth, his favorite comic book detective.
- Zeph is not afraid of ice cubes. Though he fears most other things in life, he enjoys crunching on ice cubes while sitting on his favorite comforter in the kitchen.
- In Corgi Capers 1, Sapphie narrowly avoids trouble after being stuck under a pile of newspapers. Mr. Hollinger has a hoarding habit when it comes to newspapers. He refuses to get rid of them until he has read them all, and when a mischievous Sapphie sneaks into his office, well… nothing smells quite as exciting as newsprint!
- Adam dislikes cell phones. He sees the trouble Courtney gets into with cell phones. Alarmingly, his parents discuss the possibility of getting Adam his own phone soon.
- Sapphie and Zeph got their names from Adam’s favorite comic book series, Logan Zephyr and the Stellar Squadron. In one episode, they encounter a royal alien named Princess Sapphie, who is spoiled and energetic, just like little Sapphie the Corgi.
Thanks again to everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winners. Both Laura and Wendy will be receiving a copy of Corgi Capers 3 upon release!
Christmas Letters from the Corgis
It’s that time of year. The corgis have written their annual Christmas letters and thought they’d share:
Leia’s Christmas letter:
I know the world can’t wait to read about my experiences this year, so I’ll try not to be brief. After all, my name is Princess Leia. I know what “Princess” means. It means I can do what I want, when I want. And there isn’t a thing you can do about it. So sit down a while and prepare to be wowed by my tale (and my tail–it’s so cute and tiny!)
The year started out with some really fun stuff. There were boxes everywhere. Everywhere I turned, there was a box to sit in! Soon, though, stuff started getting packed away, and that was no fun, fun, fun!
Then our people told us they had to sell the house and we were too messy, messy, messy! They made us stay with our friend Buster the Boxer. Boy, did I get to practice being bossy. Not only did I get to boss around my brother, but I also got to boss around an eighty-pound boxer. He has a laundry basket full of toys, and get this: he thinks they belong to him—ha! Just like he thinks his food dish belongs to him.
Nope. Buster’s food dish, Yoda’s food dish, and my food dish all belong to me. And I ate from all of them, too! When my person finally came back to get me, I was a little rotund ball of happiness.
Who cares if Yoda lost weight because I wouldn’t let him eat? All that matters is me, me, me! Right?
Well anyway, then we moved to this new place. The yard is much bigger, and there are animals everywhere. The great thing I learned is that I have spring allergies that make my eyes water. I get to take this thing called medicine, which my person gives me as a ball of cheese. There’s nothing better, I tell you!
The first thing I did at the new place is light out after a deer. I ran past one, two, three people’s yards… all the way to the tree line. It was only then that I realized my person was screaming at me. I turned around and ran back. I thought I was going to be yelled at, so I immediately plopped down onto the ground and rolled over on my back. That melts my person’s heart, and she never yells at me. Then I followed her around all day and snuggled whenever possible just to make sure there was no yelling.
What was my stupid brother doing all this time? Did he take the opportunity to chase the deer with me? Of course not. He just howled at our person and sat at her feet like a stinky little fraidy dog. Hmph! He makes me look like the bad dog!
Anyway, besides animals to chase (because we got these stupid collars that scare me if I run too far. Haha! I ran down the battery on that thing real fast!), there are stinky piles to roll in. I basically have to get a bath every weekend. I’m proud of it, what can I say? I also found several dead things, mostly bugs, but one of them was bigger than a bug. My person is looking at me now, saying it’s not decent to write details about dead things I found (and played with), seeing as this is a Christmas letter.
Speaking of Christmas, my person bought us a bag of rawhide bones for Christmas. We smelled her gift, of course, and demanded that she give us the bones right away. She was all like “okay, just one each,” but we took care of that. Why, just this morning, she gave us the last of the bones from that bag. And it isn’t even Christmas yet! I’ll bet you two peanut butter cookies she goes out and buys us another bag before long. She says they’re from Target—she finally found “made in U.S.A. bones there.” Whatever that means. As long as she buys more, I’m happy.
The last thing that happened was the snow. At first I loved, loved, loved it! But then a thing called ice came and made a crusty layer that I was just heavy enough to fall through—but slowly, not quickly like my bigger brother. I was afraid, so I ended up doing my business on the patio. My person didn’t like that, but she has to remember that I’m in charge, not her. BOL!
Well, my brother is sitting here at the keyboard, so I guess I’d better let him write his Christmas letter. He’s a boring fraidy dog, though, so it’s probably going to be a stupid letter. You should just read mine again.
Merry Christmas to you, and don’t forget to send me Christmas treats!
Love,
Leia Corgi
Yoda’s Christmas letter:
I thought I’d start off this letter by warning you of all the scary things I’ve encountered this year: Leia, boxes, water, anything crinkly, bubble wrap, moving trucks, Buster, Leia, food dishes that are made of plastic, stuffed dog toys, foil, hats, costumes, stink bugs, ceramic ducks, dead animals my sister found, food dishes that are made of metal, books, bottles, baking pans, Howl-o-ween costumes, pizza boxes, Christmas trees, printers, and Leia.
Here are things that are not scary from this year: dried leaves (they are good to eat), rawhide bones, dog food, treats, blankets, leashes, and cuddling.
A lot of stuff happened this year, but right now, I’m sitting on my person’s lap, I’m in a warm house, I’ve had breakfast, and I’m being scratched behind the ears. My sister is on the floor not bullying me for once, and all is right with the world. I wish everyone was so lucky as me, to have a warm person with a lap to sit on and to be scratched behind the ears, and to feel how content the world is at times like these.
So all I can say is best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Love,
Yoda Corgi
Corgi Capers 