They say good news comes in waves. They’re not wrong. “It’s A Stray Dog’s Life” being published in February was a highlight I never thought I’d see. I didn’t believe anything could come close. I was wrong. The reception for my first book has been astonishing. There’ve been some lovely reviews and that special moment of doing a video call with school kids in Dallas to talk about the book was amazing. The kids were great.
There’s now a cherry on top of the cherry on top of the cake. “It’s A Stray Dog’s Life” has been nominated for not one, not two, not three, but four awards in the Feed My Reads Awards 2022. I think my last award was for swimming 25 metres! The categories the book is nominated for are:
Best Book Cover Design
Best Children’s Book
Best Comedy Book
Best Debut Author
This is where you come in. A public vote decides the awards. So, please, click the link below and vote for myself and the stray dogs. You can also vote for your favourites in other categories.
You can still buy “It’s A Stray Dog’s Life”. Just click the link. It’s that time of year mother’s start thinking about Christmas presents after all. Don’t worry Dads, I’ll remind you on Christmas Eve!
It's A Stray Dog's Life 2
Hold your horses for a moment. They’re back! The second book in the series launches on ebook on 11 November, exclusively on Amazon. The paperback will be with you in a couple of weeks.
To celebrate, I’ve put together a couple of videos. The first is a promo video of the book, the second a chance to see the real dogs the book is based on. Clearly, my newfound love of creating videos has nothing to do with me finding some free software and playing with it!
The first video is available on the home page of the website. The second is below.
A Strange Experience
I've had an experience in the past few days that, had I written it as fiction, you'd never have believed.
For research reasons I'm currently spending a little time in the courthouse. I'm not looking at individual cases, but more the interactions with the system people have. The one thing that's become clear is people find it a highly charged and emotional experience. I suppose that's a good thing as it shows respect for the law is still strong.
This particular experience was odd. It also proves there can be a lack of respect, even from those with extensive experience. I'm also someone who grew up wanting to be a barrister, so you'll understand why I didn't know whether to laugh or scream.
I was politely watching a hearing take place. I have no idea what it was about, as it's a Turkish court and I don't speak Turkish. The hearing had started, but only one side was there. The table for the lawyer and his client on one side of the courtroom was empty. I assumed there must be valid reasons for this as the Judge carried on regardless.
Some new information must have come to light, as the lawyer who was present was explaining a new document to the Judge. It was having the desired affect as the Judge was nodding agreement. At this point the strangest thing happened. The missing lawyer from the other side walked in. Fifteen minutes late, but he barged through the doors into the Court. I say barged, but his stomach came through several moments before the rest of him. He's not a slim man. You'd think his first words would be an apology and an excuse. They were. He said, and mimed, "Sorry, I was asleep." Of all the excuses, it's the one no sane person would have used.
Needless to say, the Judge wasn't impressed. The damage this lawyer had done to both himself, and his client, by showing such a lack of respect is disgraceful. I know we've all seen comedy courtroom films where this happens. It's why it's comedy. It's not meant to really happen. It did though. It was another of those examples of life being stranger than fiction.
Please don't forget to vote for us in the Feed My Reads Awards 2022.
I’ll see you in a couple of weeks to let you know about the launch of “It’s A Stray Dog’s Life 2”. After that, I’ll also be giving you an insight into the software I use to create a book. It’s well worth the wait.
TTFN
MaxS and The Strays