tis just a scratch

Posted by admin | February 3, 2022

A few weeks ago, during one of those days when I was sick with COVID, I needed a nap. I took a late lunch from work since I ended up working through my lunch hour. I just laid on the couch, which in itself made me feel better. I did some reading to help me relax as well.

At the point where I was good and relaxed and ready for sleep, I put my phone down. Zailey was laying on her bed not far from me. Across the living room, Milo was laying on a chair. I’m not sure what the trigger was, but Milo barked and that was my only warning. He jumped from his chair, bound across the living room in a flash, and then leapt up on me on his way to look out the window. Not necessarily a bad thing, except he dug his claws into my damn face! The scratch hurt!

One of the reviews I got early on was that the person didn’t like the introductions to my short stories in my collection. Some people liked them. It just wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I thought it was neat to see inside my mind. I’ve seen other authors do this (Larry Niven and Arthur C. Clarke come to mind), so this wasn’t without precedent.

Anyway, the review scathed. If you look at the intros of Shorts, they are much longer than what I have done since. I still did them because I want to. I just toned them down. Nobody has complained since then.

Scratches hurt. Sometimes you learn a lesson from them, though. Either that or you spank the damn dog and hope he doesn’t inflict one again!