Castle

This is Castle. He'll be 2 in May. It's fair to say he saved my writing.

My imagination, which had been supercharged my whole life, faded over the last year. I thought it was stress (teenager with senioritis). I couldn't even look at the computer, unless it was news or Pintrest. I was just going to look at dogs, make a connection with a breeder and maybe get a puppy in the fall. It's an awkward time, as we're selling our house and plan to live in an RV until our new house is built. Besides, we already have a terrier mix, Buck. Don't be greedy, right?

Castle was available. He was the pick of the litter, a show dog...until he lost two front teeth to a bone. His owners loved him, but they're professional breeders and they have a responsibility to their business. They let us adopt him.

Two days later, not only am I sleeping better than I have in a long while, I'm writing. It's a Convergence book, from scratch, and involves ice giants. I thought I was broken, thought about finding a day job. Turns out, I was mourning my Aussie Jack, who we'd lost last year.

Castle isn't Jack, but he filled the Aussie shaped hole in my heart. He's the grace I didn't know I needed, a shy, goofy bundle of love that refuses to let me mope. He's also crazy pretty, with a gait like poetry in motion. I'm so grateful he's mine.❤