Thea Harrison is back to celebrate her latest Elder Races release, Oracle’s Moon (such a fabulous book!). Today she’s introducing us to the office help…
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No published writer writes in a vacuum. Every project is a community effort that can involve anyone from one’s family and friends who offer moral and emotional support, to local reference librarian when engaged in doing research, to beta readers and critique groups, agents and editors (one’s own editor, along with managing, copy and assistant editors), and the entire team at a publishing house, including publicists, graphic artists, sales, legal and IT teams, and the mail rooms.
I’ve mentioned, with deep gratitude, the different parts of my own writing community before in various places, in the acknowledgments of my books, on Twitter and Facebook, and in other places. Now I would like to introduce another, very important part of my writing community, my unpaid office help.
Meet Charlie the gold dog and Phoebe the Shit Zoo.
This is the view I see when I swivel my office chair around: Charlie and Phoebe, hard at work.
Why are these two such help? I had to ask myself. They aren’t particularly tidy….
… and they actually have very few language skills. Bark and Grr pretty much encompass it. And Phoebe is nicknamed the Shit Zoo for a reason; a family member who is a psychologist tells me that she’s “oppositional defiant.” Half the time when I call her, she runs in the other direction, and she so very much wants to be the alpha in the house. She’s also a rabble rouser, and will incite Charlie to riot sometimes at the most inopportune times.
But I’ve always said the Shit Zoo’s saving grace is that she is so loving.
And Charlie is no angel. Oh ho, he LOOKS angelic enough. I got him from a shelter when he was two years old, and he had not been looked after properly. He was too skinny, underfed, distrustful of humans, and only partially house trained.
However, he has several saving graces too: it actually took him a few years to really settle in and mature, but now he has, he is loving, loyal, protective, he adores learning new tricks, and let’s face it, he’s one of the few modern day males who can look absolutely smashing in a cravat.
These two little dogs have been on quite a journey with me. They were there for the beginning of the Elder Races as I wrote Dragon Bound. They traveled with me to California to live with family while my return to publishing was launched, and they have traveled with me again this year as we moved to Colorado. For a short time during both moves, they actually thought we lived in the car while we drove across country. They were very relieved to discover that we don’t.
They may not have many writing skills, but they are always present when I turn on my computer in the mornings and we settle in for a day of work. Always. So perhaps they know the most powerful language of all, involving love, loyalty and constancy.
Do you have pets that bring love and laughter into your lives? If so, what are they?
Thea Harrison is the pen name for author Teddy Harrison. Thea has traveled extensively, having lived in England and explored Europe for several years. Now she resides in northern California. She wrote her first book, a romance, when she was nineteen and had sixteen romances published under the name Amanda Carpenter.
She took a break from writing to collect a couple of graduate degrees and a grown child. She experienced waitressing as a teenager, has worked as an activist for a non-profit consumer rights organization, has been a receptionist, an office manager, a penniless graduate student, a director of development and research, and a single mom. Her graduate degrees are in Philanthropic Studies and Library Information Science, but her first love has always been writing fiction. She’s back with her paranormal Elder Races series. The release date for her first paranormal, Dragon Bound, is May 3, 2011.
Charlie and Phoebe Charlie and Phoebe
She adores animals and currently resides with several small pets that have very large personalities.
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So adorable! I have 3 black labs who think they’re lap dogs. We had to ban them from the furniture because there was no room for the humans when they were sprawled out.
Would you like a chance to win Oracle’s Moon? Leave a comment on this post answering Thea’s question from above and you’ll be entered to win one copy! Contest ends 3/11/12 @ 11:59pm. Please Note: You must include a valid email address with your comment to be eligible.
I am an animal lover as well, all animals. I take in feral cats and turn them to mush. Right now I have 9 and with spring around the corner and the feral population set to explode with kittens, I know that is going to grow. My life would not be as rich without my ‘kids’. They are always there to give me their love and only ask for love in return. When I sit to read, they are literally all over me. My shoulders, lap, chest….makes it difficult to see what I am reading, LOL! Wouldn’t trade for the world. I also feed the other cats in the neighborhood along with our resident ground hogs, deer, chipmunks, birds and basically anything else I see beyond my windows. 🙂
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Hi Holly, thanks so much for having me again on your blog today! Three labs who think they are lap dogs is a lot of dogs.
@Phyllis, how wonderful of you to take in strays. Our pets give us so much back in return, don’t they?
Good luck with the contest, everybody!
All the best,
Thea
Oh, are the dogs included in the giveaway? 🙂 They’re so cute. I don’t have a dog right now, but we’ve had miniature dachshunds in the past.
Ummm…so I can’t follow directions. Forgot my e-mail! brandypm@optonline.net
We no longer have pets and the hubs won’t let me get any. He’s making me move so maybe I’ll force the issue then :). But we do have a grandpuppy. His name is PeeWee and he is the cutest little monster Chihuahua. He chews the eyes off of every toy he gets. He’s real tough for 5 pounds ;).
vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com
Even on the worst days at work, I can come home and Jamie (Jack Russell Terrier)can bring a smile to my face everytime. She will keep jumping up in the air at the door-you only see the top of her head for a second. She gives us unconditional love. Talk about energy! Love your books, and thanks for the opportunity! Enjoy your day. bockthree@gmail.com
You have the cutest dogs! We had 2 cats, brother/sister that we got when we purchased our 1st house after getting married. They were 17 and had to be put down within months of each other. We are taking a break, but I think someday we might get a dog. Kids have been asking for a pet. Thanks for the giveway!
lfacchini(at)tampabay(dot)rr(dot)com
Adorable furry family members! I had a cat. He was my baby. He would follow me around like a dog and knew when I was almost home from work because we would sit by the door and wait for me at the same time every day. I miss him terribly. Love, love, love the Elder Races series. Will Graydon get his own story? Congrats on the new release.
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net
I certainly hope Graydon gets his own story! I love Graydon, and both he and I are up for the task. 🙂
Opps; I forgot the email:
penfield716(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
We currently have a rescue dog who came to us as a 6 year old. She is a Staff Bull Terrier and is aptly named Maddy!
Ahh, so cute!! I used to have cats, but after they passed away and I left for college, the family hasn’t adopted any new ones. I fondly remember a Dalmatian puppy from my childhood, though–he was my best friend and was happy to terrorize my cousin upon command!
julieguan AT gmail DOT com
My family is owned by Moose, our 215 pound English Mastiff. We also have 3 cats who each have their own quirks but Moose steals the show! He thinks he’s the size of a chihuahua, and occasionally sounds like one when he barks much to my husband’s dismay! He’s very well behaved, will lay on his belly if little kids come up to him and quietly protects us all the time!
I won an ARC already but LOVE to talk about our Moose!
I am down from 11 cats to one—all died of old age or cancer.
Mama Kitty(I didn’t name her) is my resident couch holder downer. Sey lays on the back and watches the birds—sometimes she makes a poster of herself when the birds get close to the window.
I have 2 Siamese Cats….Jade is my Torti Point and Jasmine is my Lilac Point. For some reason, we have ALWAYS owned and adored Siamese cats. Growing up we had a Blue Point, and when we were first married we had a SEAL point.
Now that my daughter has a place of her own…she owns a Seal Point Siamese and a Chocolate Point Siamese..needless to say…we keep the cat food industry busy…lol
Those pics are so cute.
I don’t have any pets.But my sister leaves her dog here when they go out.Or else she tears the house apart.She doesn’t like being alone.She she comes here and gets spoiled with her favorite doggie treats.
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
Oh my goodness you babies are so cute! I have a Chihuahua named Chico Chocolate Thunder and a Toy Fox Terrier named Jennie Cricket, but we just call them Chico and Cricket. They are both 4 years old and we refer to them as our other kids. Chico is my little snuggle bunny and because he is only 3 pounds he will sometimes sit on my shoulder while I walk around the house and do things. Other times I have him cradled in my shirt and I carry him around like a little joey with his momma. Cricket is in love with everyone. She is our little lickaholic and is very popular with our kids as well as the rest of the neighborhood. We also have a fat tailed gecko named Bruce. We got him from a friend of mine at work so we’re not sure how old he is. But he is really fun to watch when he gets hungry. His tail shakes right before he pounces on his food. naughtybooksnitch at gmail dot com
Oh I love my baby Roxie, a yorkie. One of my students looked at my phone the other day and said, ” Hey, Mrs. Bagby, all your pictures are of your dog.” Sh……I already have the ebook, but I want a paperback too!
I don’t have any pets at the moment. I was owned by three cats up until about a year ago, when I lost the last one. I’m taking a break for now, but at some point I will adopt a couple more cats and commence being a slave to them once again. My three cats brought so much companionship, love, and entertainment to me and I do miss them.
Barbed1951 at aol dot com
Currently I’m just the subpar substitute scritcher for the neighbor’s cat. He’ll meow and try to look cute in order to entice me to scratch him but we both know that I’m not as good as the last neighbor who would scratch him every day (the man died and this cat has been grumpy ever since). I don’t have any pets (except for a pair of shrimp) mostly because of my allergies.
your puppies are cute, & I’m sure they provide tons of support while you’re writing & plenty of fun when breaks are needed. I had a wonderful puppy gurl for 10 yrs that “crossed the rainbow bridge” just over a year ago. still miss those tag wags, kisses & cuddles that greeted me morning afternoon & night. give your pups a kiss & treat from me 🙂
gamistress66 (at) aol (dot) com
i love to have pets. but due to me and my dad’s allergic to fur, i can’t keep a pet 🙁
I had a Great Dane named Igor, but he passed away. I can’t bring myself to get another pet just yet.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
My English hound, Angel, loves to curl up in my reading chair. She is the center of attention in our family of four: My husband and two teenage boys treat her like a princess.
Oh pets, how they complete people’s lives…
I have three purr babies.
Dot, Dash, and our newest, Asterisk (Aster, or Goose for short).
They make me so incredibly happy!!
natasha AT likeminds.ca
I have three male cats, one 6 and 2 four years olds. They all get on pretty good. They like to “help” me when I’m at the computer by walking over the keyboard and laying down on it.
acm05atjuno.com
OMG your doggies are adorable! I want!
I LOVE dogs! 😀
Because of my house (parent’s) seems don’t fit to have a dog, so I still collecting money to make a good home for a dog.
I really want to have a collie! It’s my long dream.
My best friend have got her happiness because of her Golden Retriever.
Really adorable of yours! 😀
lady_milano3 at yahoo dot com
I love animals but sadly can’t have any, my son is very allergic 🙁
Your dogs are very cute! ♥
bluesun1218@yahoo.com
I don’t have pets– my yard and house is waaaaaay to small for them!– but my neighborhood is filled with super sweet dogs. Very protective of everyone on our road, too! Some serious watch dogs 🙂
justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com