Candlelight Vigil
Over the summer, I read a newspaper article about a dead
raccoon found on a sidewalk in Toronto who received its own candlelight vigil,
flowers, and memorial. Not to mention, a hashtag and free press! You can read
more about it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/11/dead-raccoon-memorial_n_7776856.html
When my children were young, we used to drive down to Ohio
to visit family. It was about a three hour drive. My children didn’t have
video’s to watch nor video games at that time. Poor kids, right?
So to keep
them occupied we played the regular car games like ABC signs or State license
plates. Sometimes, though we played… Name that Roadkill. Some were easy to
recognize while others were just a guess. While it was a strange game, it did
keep two kids occupied and me sane for many trips.
But when I heard about the Toronto Raccoon, I was a little
ticked. I had already decided on using the roadkill to make a statement. Most
people don’t even pay attention to roadkill as they drive on the roads, but
millions of animals’ lives are ended by cars. I thought that if we dressed them
up, maybe painted their toe-nails … it would make people take a second look and
slow down.
Fast forward to writing Claiming a Cowboy’s Heart. I knew
that I had to have my heroine do something this silly and c r azy. Here’s a sneak
peek at the scene where we meet the heroine, Michelle Alt and shows the poor
animal.
EXCERPT:
With her floral shoulder bag hanging from her arm,
Michelle Alt approached the dead raccoon. The smell overwhelmed her. Pinching
her nose, she took deep breaths through her mouth. The full moon illuminated
the intersection across from her school. People should learn to drive slower
on this street. This time a raccoon, someday a child.
She squatted and dumped the contents of her purse
on the asphalt. Removing the cheap dollar-store clothespin from her purse, she
dealt with the smell and closed off her nose. The spring had just enough
strength to press her nostrils together without hurting. With her hands free,
she selected a yellow pair of sunglasses from inside her bag and slipped them
on the raccoon’s face. A smile flitted across her lips.
“That’s a start.” Looking at the pile of junk
sitting at her side, she removed a couple of more items, setting a red plastic
cup with a paper umbrella next to the raccoon’s hand. Last, she inserted a
small bottle of sunscreen between his arm and body then cleaned up the remaining
materials, stuffing them into her bag.
It’s perfect. He looks
like he’s resting in the sun. Another day at the beach for Mr. Raccoon.
BUY LINK: (Preorder- Available on Nov. 30th )
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-Forever-Allison-Merritt-ebook/dp/B017JKFNWS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Claiming a Cowboy’s Heart
Melissa Keir
I play the silliest games when I drive. When I used to drive straight to South Carolina from Michigan, we were in the car for over 20 hours. It was crazy time!
ReplyDelete20 hour car ride? I'd be going nuts... Congratulations on this anthology! It looks great.
DeleteWas the same person driving, because that's too long to drive.
DeleteIt wasn't the same person. My husband and I switched off but I did most of it. We would sleep on the floor when we weren't driving. The trip was planned so that the kids would be asleep most of the time.
DeleteI remember the License plate game! We also played I Spy. Love this bundle!
ReplyDeleteI Spy is fun but you have to make the rule that what you see is in the car because if it's outside, you might miss it as you drive by.
DeletePoor little raccoon! Great story!
ReplyDeleteThank you D'Ann!!
DeleteLove road trips. This was a creative scene in your story.
ReplyDeleteThank you Stanalei! :)
DeleteYou're right--people don't notice roadkill. They don't realize that was once a living, breathing, feeling creature that lost its life.
ReplyDeleteI loved your excerpt--and I'm super excited to read this bundle--and your story.
They'll notice if it's a moose, hit by a log truck. If they don't, they'll be roadkill as welll.
DeleteIt's hard that they don't notice. I have the worst time when it's a pet.
DeleteHere's a true event. People in CT kept reporting mountain lions and the wildlife peep kept insisting they were see tabby cats. Finally, one got hit by a car, so the peeps had proof it was a mtn lion. They declared it belonged in Montana and had to be the only one. I couldn't make any sense out of their attitude until I researched further. Turns out if they don't recognize them, they cannot be protected. So the Northeast prefers to claim there are NO mountain lions so they kill the ones who have the audacity to exist.
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