Category Archives: inspiration
A Very Scary Halloween (+ Cover Reveal!)
Halloween—the Halloween I remember from my childhood—is my favorite holiday. There’s something refreshing about the crispness in the air, the crunch of autumn leaves, the sweet scent of decaying leaves mingling with smoky air from fireplaces, suggesting that just inside awaits a warm sanctuary from the creepy chill of the outdoors.
Carving Jack-O-Lanterns and creating costumes always allowed my creative side to flourish. Since I can remember, my mother had been instilling in my creativity by example: she hand-made my Halloween costumes so that they’d always be special. I was in awe at her sewing skills—the fact that a pile of fabric could be turned into a perfectly-fitting outfit in a matter of weeks amazed me (and probably inspired me to—years later—sew my own wedding dress).
But as fun as the time of year is, there’s always a slight danger. One danger I experienced happened while trick-or-treating one year. A large group of us were circulating the neighborhood, an older, darkened development with no streetlights and lots of twisting roads. Things were going well—we had just braved the house of my third-grade math teacher (she looked like a real witch again this year!) and were headed next door when—
A white van screeched to a halt in front of the driveway. The door opened. “Get in!” a crazy voice called.
My mind raced with all those after-school-special videos we saw in school. This was a stranger. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t get into their cars. But a part of me—perhaps the writer was alive even then—felt too intrigued to leave the situation so soon. Behind me, the rest of the kids were running back toward the porch. Even a boy was screaming like a banshee. But I crept behind a tree—a safe enough distance: if someone wanted me, they’d have to come out of the van and chase me down. But there from behind my perch, I could watch the situation. I was hoping to view the perpetrator. Was he as ugly as he was in my mind? My subconscious worked to create all kinds of back-stories to his life, and I imagined he might look similar to Freddy Krueger, all gnarled and creepy.
Then I thought about a detective story I’d written a year earlier. The people in that story—a group of neighbors who decided to overcome police incompetence by catching a burglar on their own—would not have spent their time staring at the perp. No, they would be looking at the license plate, memorizing it to tell the cops later. I squinted and stared, but it was no use. It would still be four years before I realized I needed glasses, but I chalked it up to the darkness. I could not see the license plate.
By this time, the other kids had knocked on the door, and a surprised and concerned neighbor walked us down the street to the nearest of our homes. There, all our parents were called, along with the police. I was less shaken than I should have been—I was more intrigued by it all. To this day I don’t know whether the white van really meant to kidnap us, or whether it was just having some ill-conceived Halloween “fun.”
Nonetheless, it’s a memory that’s stayed with me, and it’s one I’ve incorporated into the newest book in the Corgi Capers series, The Sorceress of Stoney Brook. In the tale, Adam is getting ready for All-Star Baseball playoffs, but he can’t escape October’s chills. A pair of new neighbors moves in, and Adam is convinced they’re witches. But his parents love them, as does Courtney, so he’s got no one to talk to about his concern except his best friend and his corgis. Worse, Courtney has found some new friends of her own, and they constantly threaten Adam, boasting of a great prank they’re going to play on him come Halloween. Are the new neighbors really witches? Will Adam ever gain the upper hand over his mischievous sister Courtney? You’ll have to read it to find out!
Coming Soon from Dancing With Bear Children’s Line!
Corgi Capers Book 2: Coming Soon!
Crack the Case
Detective Adam Hollinger here. I’ve been busy getting back to school. Most kids don’t like going back to school–I must be the only kid who does. Anyway, I’ve been gone long hours–Autumn League is really picking up, and I have baseball practice almost every day after school now. Coach is using me to pitch more and more. Dad even says I might get a scholarship for pitching one day, but he has to remember that I’m only in fifth grade!
Anyhow, the corgis are still getting used to me being gone so long. Courtney comes home right after school, so I have to trust her to take care of Zeph and Sapphie. I’m not sure she’s doing such a good job, and here’s why:
Zeph’s been more scared than usual. I think it’s because Sapphie’s been crazier than normal. Sapphie’s an energetic little dog. She was the runt of the litter, and she makes up for her size with her energy. She needs lots of attention, and she just doesn’t get enough while I’m at school. Courtney really needs to play with her more, but she’s always obsessed with her cell phone and some new friends she has.
I came home from school today and found this:
It’s the metal covering to the air-conditioning duct in the kitchen floor. It was lifted clear out of its place. After I snapped the picture, I put it back. It weights a good two or three pounds–solid metal. And to lift it out of its place, it has to be raised three or four inches in the air. I don’t know how Sapphie moved it, but I know it was her. Zeph wouldn’t do a thing like that. Even if he wanted to, he’d be too scared. And besides, that silly-looking pink toy? It’s one of Sapphie’s favorites. There’s one more thing. Zeph’s snugly rocketship bed was wet when I came home. That’s right: someone had peed on it! And I doubt Zeph would pee on his own bed. Besides, Sapphie’s the one being difficult with the housebreaking.
So I was wondering if you could help me out. What do you think happened in the picture above? How did that heavy metal grate get moved? Why was Sapphie’s favorite toy left nearby, and who peed on Zeph’s bed (and why?)? I’ve put on my detective hat and started to think about it, but I could use your help. Let me know what you think. I’m just glad Sapphie and Zeph have grown big enough so they can’t fit in the vent shaft. Can you imagine? Sapphie crawling through the ventilation system of our house? How would we ever get her out?
Well, time to finish my homework so I can get to sleep. I was pitching all afternoon and need my rest. Be sure to check back soon. You’ll be able to read about my newest adventure in just a few short weeks. It’s called Corgi Capers: Spinelli the Sorceress. It’s a Halloween-themed tale.
While you’re waiting, take another look at the picture, and let me know if you can figure out what happened!
Letter from the Queen
…or at least her Lady-in-Waiting.
Some months ago, I sent the Queen of England a copy of Corgi Capers to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. I figured: the Queen loves corgis, and the book makes reference to certain elements of British history. The story takes place in Pennsylvania and includes references to the War of the Roses (with Lancaster and York Counties in PA being named after their counterparts in England). In fact, Adam’s baseball team is called the Reds, with the red rose inside of a baseball as their logo. I wasn’t sure about British etiquette, and I didn’t know whether she’d personally receive or respond to my gift, but a few of my friends and family members encouraged me to send it. This summer I received a letter from the Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting:
Whether or not the Queen actually read my message to her, I was touched by the message and thought it would be interesting to share.
If you haven’t read Corgi Capers yet, you can find it on Amazon.com (and can even borrow it for free if you’re an Amazon Prime member with a Kindle) or at www.dancingwithbearpublishing.com.
Bark for Life!
I set up a booth to sell and sign copies of Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive, donating a portion of sales to ACS.
Last weekend, I participated in The American Cancer Society’s Bark For Life event. It was organized by Brenda Mahone of Hanover, PA, and was the first event of its kind there—but it was a great success. We had a beautiful day at the West Manheim Township Recreational Park. This is a huge park, lush and green, with rolling hills and two large fenced in dog-play areas (one for small dogs and the other for large ones).
The walk commenced with a one-mile fun walk for dogs and their people, and the day ended with dog contests and a search-and-rescue demonstration. Bark For Life raised over $500 to help the fight against cancer. Being a dog person, I enjoyed a major theme of the event, which is honoring dogs as caregivers to humans, especially those affected by cancer. (See this article for details ) Most of us know someone who is or has been affected by cancer. Sometimes, all it takes to reverse a bad day is a happy look from a dog and a wagging tail.
The corgis dressed up for the event with “Bark for Life” shirts. Yoda even won “best dressed!”
Overall, the day helped to reinforce the positive side of human beings. With so much negativity in the world, and so many challenges (cancer being one of them), it’s good to know that people can come together and rally for a good cause. The day was filled with optimism and good cheer, with people glad to know they were helping to raise money for a good cause, with stories of cancer struggle and survival—and everyone already looking forward to next year’s event.
It goes once again to prove that dogs do help make the world a better place. So no matter how bad your day or life seems to be going, just think that it could be worse: we could live in a world without dogs.
To see more pictures of the event, check out the West Manheim Township Recreational Park’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WMTpark (photos courtesy of WMT Recreational Park).
Walking the corgis
Lyme Disease Awareness
This weekend we participated in the Loudoun Lyme 5K. The event was held to raise awareness and find solutions to the problems
of Lyme disease, and proceeds benefitted the National Capitol Lyme Disease Association. Luckily, neither we nor the corgis have Lyme disease—I am as paranoid as they come when checking for ticks after being outside. The corgis are trained to roll over for me when I say, “Time to do a tick-check.” You can find out more about the organization at www.loudounlyme.org.
For those unfamiliar with the disease, here is a concise summary from www.loudounlyme.org:
“Lyme disease is a bacterial spirochete, named Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by ticks and may be accompanied by several co-infections. Lyme disease is growing at four times the rate of AIDS and is quickly becoming our nation’s most misdiagnosed and fastest-growing infectious disease. Estimates state that only one out of every ten cases of Lyme disease is reported and that many people are misdiagnosed. Over 38,000 cases reported by the CDC in 2009 are more likely estimated to represent over 380,000 cases. Lyme disease may be difficult to diagnose, because many of its symptoms mimic those of other disorders like multiple sclerosis, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the only distinctive hallmark unique to Lyme disease, the “bulls-eye” rash, is absent in almost half of the people who become infected. The inadequacies of today’s laboratory tests make proper diagnosis difficult, because they were meant for surveillance purposes rather than diagnosis. Misdiagnosis of the infection can lead to protracted disease that is difficult to treat.
Lyme disease can attack virtually any system in the body. Some of the first symptoms may include a rash and flu-like conditions including but not limited to fever, chills, headache, stiff neck, achiness and fatigue. Other symptoms can include pain in various joints and muscles, neurological problems, heart involvement, changes in vision or hearing, migraines, low-grade fever and other symptoms. Lyme disease, if left untreated, is far more difficult to treat because the infection can spread to other parts of the body.”
My husband and I attended the event to support awareness and treatment for Lyme disease by sponsoring a booth to promote Corgi Capers. We took both corgis to the book signing. This was the first time they were together in a public setting that included lots of dogs. The challenge with the corgis is that they play off of each other’s bad habits. Yoda is a barker. Any jingling of a dog tag, any echoing bark, any retracting leash sets him off. Leia feeds off that energy by biting on Yoda’s leash and tugging as hard as he can. They did relatively well, though, settling down quickly. By the end, they weren’t even barking at any of the dogs.
The event highlighted their personalities. Yoda, afraid of many irrational things, was fearless at the event. He spent most of the day sitting at the center of a gathering of children, letting them pet him, talk to him, and performing tricks when requested. The children even helped to keep him quiet when another dog was passing by—and Yoda was more cooperative listening to them than he was to me. Yoda has always had a sense of propriety, knowing how to act among different types of people, children being one such group.
Leia, on the other hand, was the typical diva. At first she ran jealously to whoever was petting Yoda, demanding attention. But when the runners gathered around our tent for the sponsored pre-race warm-up, Leia freaked out and insisted on sitting on my lap, burying her face under my arm to avoid the intimidating crowd. Yoda, on the other hand, sat with the children, never flinching a muscle.
It was a fun day, even with the cool temperatures and misty rain. I encourage you to check out www.loudounlyme.org and the Lyme resources there. The best way to combat the disease is to be educated about it: the faster it is caught, the easier it is to treat—usually with a simple dose of antibiotics. It’s when it’s not caught that it travels around and gets dangerous. So as the warm weather settles in, have fun outdoors—but check for ticks!
A Stranger in the Dark
Artwork by Marji Cooper
In Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive, Adam and Zeph go for a walk in their darkened neighborhood and encounter a stranger in the dark… Marji Cooper has illustrated this scene. Take a look! I love the way she worked the lighting. It really mirrors the atmosphere of the chapter… You can contact Marji via email here.
Happy Spring Break from Adam
Hi everyone, Adam Hollinger here! I’m finishing up my Spring Break, so I thought I’d take a minute to introduce myself—Courtney finally got off the computer, so I figured I’d better jump on while I have the chance. I wish my parents would get us each our own computer, but they always say we can share.
Courtney’s my older sister. She’s in seventh grade. I’m in fifth. Just because she’s older than me, she thinks she can boss me around. I know I should stand up for myself a little bit more, but I just don’t have the energy to keep up with Courtney and her mischief. I’m always either practicing for baseball, doing my homework, playing with Zeph, or reading my favorite comic books. I’d much rather spend my time doing those things than worrying about Courtney.
Courtney, on the other hand… she has so much time because she hardly ever does her homework. Here’s how she spends her time: texting her friends, going to the mall, texting her friends, babysitting, hanging out (listening to music and reading magazines), watching movies while chatting away on the computer… oh, and did I mention texting her friends? She’s addicted to text messaging almost as much as she’s addicted to looking at herself in the mirror. She always jokes to me that she got all the good looks in the family. But at least I seem to have inherited most of the brains. I’m pretty good in school, and I actually don’t mind doing homework. Of course, I’d much rather be playing baseball or reading comic books.
This past summer, the star pitcher on our team broke his arm, so Coach asked me to try out. It turns out I’m pretty good at pitching, so now I get rotated in during games. It’s fun and exciting, but there’s also a lot of pressure.
My dog Zeph is kind of like me. He tries to stay out of trouble, and he’s always interested in exploring new things. His sister, Sapphie, is a lot like Courtney… always getting into trouble. Zeph seems to be more scared of things. I guess that’s kind of like me, too. Take Easter, for example.
I used to be terrified of Easter… when I was little, of course. I’d wake up every few hours and search my room. I was terrified of the Easter Bunny. I kept imagining this giant, human-sized Easter Bunny with big red eyes creeping around in my room while I slept. You probably think that’s silly, right? But in the imagination of a small kid, it was scary stuff. My imagination sometimes runs wild. It’s probably from reading all the comic books. I like to read creepy stuff sometimes. My two favorite comic book series are Logan Zephyr and the Stellar Squadron (about exploring outer space) and Riley Couth the Super Sleuth (a detective series).
I even used my detective skills to help out the police this past summer. I don’t want to brag too much—it might make my ears turn red—but you can read all about it if you want.
Speaking of comics, I think I’ll spend the last few hours of my Spring Break reading them! Hope you had a great Easter and a wonderful Spring Break!
Until next time!
Adam
New Trailer for Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive!
Check out my new book trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5Vli8v_rNA&feature=youtu.be
Those of you in the Northern Virginia area, be sure to stop by Leesburg’s First Friday on April 6th. I’ll be doing a book signing from 7 – 9 p.m. in front of the Very Virginia store!
What’s So Good About “Being Good”?
I know it’s Adam’s turn to introduce himself today, but I don’t care. I have something to say, and I’m going to say it now, now, now!
Last night, when our People put us in our crates, they latched mine nice and tightly, but they didn’t latch Zeph’s all the way. When he turned around on his blanket, the door popped open. You know what I would do if my door popped open? I would spend all night running around the kitchen in big circles. I would try to knock over that delicious smelly thing that people call Trash, and I’d eat as much of it as I could. Then I’d roll in it until I smelled delightful. After that, I’d dance in my water dish the way I love, tracking dirty pawprints all over the kitchen floor. That would be a fun night!
That’s what I would do if my door weren’t properly latched.
But you know what Zeph did?
Nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing!
He just sat there in his crate, turned around twice, and curled up.
“Zeph!” I shouted.
“Shhh! Our People said it’s time to sleep.”
“I don’t give a darn what our People said,” I told him. “Your crate door is open.”
“So?”
“So that means you can escape. Run around the kitchen. Do whatever you want.”
Zeph just looked at me like I had three eyes. I don’t think a naughty thought has ever even crossed his mind. “Zeph, Zeph, Zeph!” I tried again. “Push open your door. Run around wild. It’ll be fun.”
But he just ignored me and went to sleep. In the morning, when our People came down, they saw that Zeph’s door was open, and they saw that he was still sitting inside.
“What a good boy, Zeph!” Adam said.
Zeph sat up and wagged his tail, but he STILL DIDN’T GET OUT OF HIS CRATE. In my opinion, there’s a line between “good” and “stupid.” And Zeph crossed that line. Anyway, Adam kept telling Zeph how good he was. By this time, I’d had enough, so I was clawing at my crate to get out.
“Out, out, out!” I barked.
But Adam turned to me and said, “Sapphie, Shhh!” The nerve of him!
Then he went to the cookie jar and got one cookie. Just one. I thought surely it would be for me as an apology for not leaving my crate unlatched, too. But then—Adam did the unthinkable. He walked over the Zeph’s crate—Zeph was still sitting in the crate—and gave Zeph the cookie.
“Good boy,” Adam said again. “You could have escaped and made a mess, but you didn’t.”
A cookie, for barking out loud! Zeph misses the opportunity of a lifetime, and he’s rewarded with a cookie! The injustice of it!
Well, I just thought I’d post that little incident so that the world could see how unfair things get here at the Hollinger household. Can you imagine, being rewarded for staying in a crate! Because of the injustice of it, I thought it would be nice if all of my online readers took pity on my situation and sent me a cookie. If each of you just sent me one, I’d have more cookies than I can count. You can just send them to the Hollinger household, care of “Sapphie Corgi.” I’ll make sure they get to the right place.
Anyway, I hear Zeph playing with his favorite squeaky toy. And you know what that means—it’s time for me to take it from him.
Happy Barking! And send me those cookies!
Until next time,
Sapphie
How the Corgis Found Their Person
In the novel Corgi Capers: Deceit on Dorset Drive, the Hollinger family finds their new pets after a series of seemingly-random occurrences. But as wise Grandpa Pickwick tells them, a coincidence is often more than it seems. My own life serves as inspiration for that bit of wisdom, as the day my husband and I found our two corgis, many things happened serendipitously. And in my mind, that’s just another word for Fate.
For Christmas 2008, my husband had wrapped up a little piece of paper stating that I had his blessing to get a dog. I am not one to cry, but I teared up a little at the gift. It had been a battle years in the making, with me constantly asking for a dog and never being told “yes.” Each Christmas prior to 2008, all I asked for was permission to get a dog, and each year that request had been denied. In 2008, I had given up, so the gift came as a surprise.
On Saturday, February 7, 2009, the movie Coraline had just been released. Normally, my husband and I don’t see movies in the theatres right away—we wait a few weeks to avoid the crowds. But I wanted to see the movie so badly that I just couldn’t wait. We went to an early show all the way in Tysons Corner—cheap matinee pricing, comfy seats, and a huge mall to boot. Still, there were plenty of closer theatres we could have chosen. Additionally, we went to a relatively early morning show even though there was a later one we could have attended.
The deal, as usual, was that I would drive to the theatre, and my husband would drive home. We left the mall in no particular hurry. Neither of us had eaten yet, and we planned on stopping for lunch on the way home. But contrary to normal, my husband convinced me to drive home. When he drives back from the movies, I usually put the passenger seat all the way back and stretch out until we get home. If my husband had been driving, I would have been happily stretched out in the passenger seat, and fate would have passed me by.
But that’s not what happened. Instead, I was driving.
“Wasn’t it cute how there were so many dogs in the movie?” I asked.
In the film, there is a scene where an entire theatre is filled with dogs.
My husband groaned. He is not, nor has he ever been, a dog lover.
“Don’t worry,” I reminded him. “Even though you told me I could get a dog, I promised I wouldn’t actively search for one. I know you don’t want one, so unless one slaps me in the face, I’m not going to look.”
Little did I know these were my famous last words.
I resumed my mindless driving. As usual, Route 7 was littered with a barrage of signs, each advertising something or other. Trying to keep my eyes on the road, I ignored them. But there was something up the road that was so out-of-place that it jarred me from my driving. A woman with signs under her arm was hammering something into a telephone pole. It was only the strangeness of it that made me look at the sign.
And that’s when my heart skipped a few beats. CORGI PUPPIES FOR SALE, the sign read.
“Did you see that?” I asked my husband.
The look on his face told me he had.
“You’d better turn around,” he mumbled. “
Really?” I squeaked in disbelief.
“I told you you could get a dog, didn’t I?”
I turned around and hurried up the driveway.
“That was fast,” a woman said as I jumped out of the car. “My daughter didn’t even finish putting up all the signs yet.”
I realized how perfect my timing had been. Literally, if we had left the mall ten seconds earlier, the sign would not have been up yet. If I had sped through one yellow light, or driven just slightly faster, the sign wouldn’t have been up yet. Come to think of it, if I had been much slower, the woman would have been finished hammering in her sign, and I probably would have ignored it along with all the other signs littering the road. It was literally perfect timing.
“Remember,” my husband said, “purebred corgis are expensive. We’re just looking. We’ll only buy one if the price is right and you like their personalities.”
I nodded, swallowing over a lump in my throat that told me they’d be priced beyond our range. Luckily I was wrong. The woman selling the dogs had two adult corgis at home, and her female had become pregnant unexpectedly. She was trying to sell the puppies before the new liter arrived.
There were four dogs left in the liter. I had wanted a female, but the only one in the liter was wild. She wouldn’t stay still for me and only quieted when my husband held or pet her. So instead, we asked about their personalities and selected the most mellow puppy, a male.
But on the way to the car, my husband stopped. “Do you think we should get two?” he asked.
“What?” I thought I must have misheard.
“I mean, they can keep each other company while we’re at work,” he muttered. I couldn’t believe my ears. And of course I didn’t object.
Our choice for the second puppy was a no-brainer: the only female of the liter practically jumped into the arms of her favorite person, my husband.
When we found them, the puppies were old enough that their personalities were well-established from the start. Yoda, the Fraidy Cat, cried as soon as we pulled into our garage. He yelped and ran under the car, hiding despite our coaxing. Meanwhile, his curious and rambunctious sister Leia had already circled the car twice, exploring all the smells in her new garage. And it’s been an adventure ever since.
There is much in life that is beyond our control. There are some things we just have to accept, and there are battles we fight never really knowing whether we’ll win in the end. But amidst all the struggles of life, it’s nice to know that there are events out there that coincide perfectly. Like a trip to the movies. Events that make it seem like a benevolent power is pushing us toward our destinies. After all, as Grandpa Pickwick likes to say, I’ve been around long enough to know that a coincidence is often more than it seems.
Corgi Capers 