Rhinoceros

I sold a short story!  It's in a newly published anthology: Cooked to Death, volume III, Hell for the Holidays.  My story is titled, “Death Rejoices.”  The book, signed by each author,  is currently available from Once Upon A Crime Mystery Bookstore in Minneapolis, and is published by small press Obscura Productions.  I was approached to write an entry for the book so long ago that I had just about forgotten writing it, so going to the bookstore for a signing this past Saturday was a special pleasure.  Here’s the cover: 

Entirely without meaning to, I have broken my sister’s dog’s heart.  It happened when we visited my sister in Terre Haute, Indiana, last week.  Hannah, a beautiful dandy dinmont, was standoffish, of course, when we arrived at her house, but I tried hard to win her over and on the last two days of our visit with her, succeeded.  The dog would bring me one of her stuffed toys and growl softly at me until I picked it up and threw it, or played tug of war with her.  It was fun to make friends and she seemed pleased to have won my heart.  But then we had to pack to go home.  I was putting things into my suitcase when Hannah came into the bedroom to sit down in front of me and look up with enormous brown eyes.  There was gentle rebuke and sorrow on her face.  Dolores said, “She knows what a suitcase means.”  Awwww, and I’m not likely to go back for a long time.  Now I’m sorry I made friends with her!

A good friend in Canada surprised me with a little framed piece of original blackwork (a kind of needlework) of a rhinoceros.  She designed the piece – she’s very talented as well as kind and thoughtful.  It’s sitting on my desk right now, trying hard to stir my muse back to life.  I think it might be working.  Maybe it's been working for a while and I just wasn't aware.