I had planned to write the end-of-year blog post about what happened to me last year. Some of it might have been true; some of it might have been fantasy. Each time I sat to write, I found that, while my year had been good, it hadn’t been all that memorable. I mean, I didn’t get my book published. Why? Because I kept editing it and finding errors all over the place.

I looked around for something cheerful. My book club books weren’t cheerful. The books I said I’d review weren’t, either. But, I found something that really captured my brain and emotions. I’m a HUGE Mutts Comics addict. I love Mooch with his little pink sock. So does Mocha, who has a catnip little pink sock. I like Earl the dog, who is Mooch’s best friend. And I like Guard Dog, a tough dog that lived at the end of a chain.

Patrick McDonnell, the artist who draws Mutts, advocates for the humane treatment of dogs and cats. When he introduced Guard Dog, I knew he would one day free him. He just had to. Over the years, Guard Dog longed to be free like the moon overhead. He’d look at it and dream of being off his chain. His owner  was neglectful, “forgetting” to bring him in at night or cover him in the winter. Guard Dog suffered but never complained.

Gradually, Mooch and Earl made friends with this soft-hearted, tough-looking dog. They’d visit often. A little girl named Doozy, too, became friends. She’d bring Guard Dog food, blankets in the winter, love all year round. At the end of last year, Doozy went to visit family after promising Guard Dog she’d be back soon. While she was gone, Guard Dog’s owner moved away and left him abandoned and tied up in the yard. Earl and Mooch realized they hadn’t been to Guard Dog’s house for a few days. They found him tied up, lonely, and sick. Earl ran home to fetch his human for help. At the same time, Doozy returned, found the house empty, and wailed her sorrow. Guard Dog wailed back.

Doozy and Earl’s human freed Guard Dog, took him to the shelter for care, and waited until Doozy could adopt him.

Why do I write about this? Like tens of thousands of Mutts’ fans, I couldn’t wait to get to my email and read the day’s installments. We cried together, laughed together, and exaulted when Earl’s human took the collar off and freed the dog. This Mutts community sent fan letters to Guard Dog and Doozy, hundreds of them, all relieved at the happy ending.

Knowing that some stories do have happy endings was just what I needed. I ended the year reinvigorated to finish my novel and get it published in 2024. So, I’m writing every day. I’m editing like mad. I’m working with my two critique groups to polish the final manuscript. Like Guard Dog’s story, I want mine to have a happy(ish) ending. The first book in a two-book series, Grandpa’s Keys has to have an ending readers like. I hope my readers will embrace DEA Agent Sa-li Ma, his five-year-old daughter Maggie Rose, and agents from three agencies to fight the drug trade. Stay tuned for more news about Ma and Maggie Rose.