In with the Old
When we first moved to Los Angeles, my kids made a game of asking new neighbors to guess the age of our dog, Gertrude, aka Trudy. The guest would check out Trudy’s droopy jowls, her soulful eyes, her “no-bones” vibe, and take a crack. Nine? Ten? Fifteen? The oldest estimate was a sprightly seventeen—a low moment for Trudy, who at the time of this writing is five years old. The kids then took great joy in listing all the ways Trudy is less like a dog than a cranky retiree. How she can’t be bothered with chasing balls, fetching sticks, or even responding to our attempts at calling her. Tricks? No, thanks—unless you count leg-licking or growling when you try to move her off the couch.
As early birds and an active crew, other family members see Trudy’s lethargy as counter to the family niche. But as my lowkey work partner, this dog has never been out of step with me. Let the others hike and camp and backpack. Trudy and I like to keep things mellow. Our mornings begin in a gentle fog, and our walks are short to avoid overheating. Trudy shadows me from the start of my writing morning—when she checks off nap one—into lunch, when she finds just enough speed to meander to the kitchen for possible handouts. If I work outside in the afternoon, she’ll pivot to sunbathe for nap two. She’s nimble like that. Trudy has snored her way through countless drafts and edits and proofs without complaint, and yet she’s never too busy for a well-deserved break, aka a snack.
In the evening, the rest of the family’s wind-down time is when Trudy and I can meet the moment. We own the low-energy space. No matter where we’ve dropped anchor, the others tend to drift in and gather around us. Only once did my younger child try to sell me on the idea that maybe we’re just fostering Trudy, who should get a second chance with a more languid family—which would also make room in our house for that bouncy chocolate lab. But writers, freelancers, and work-from-homers all know I’ve got a treasure in Trudy, my best non-reading beta reader, steadfast company, an ever-underfoot co-creator who freely offers the best of her sleepy skills in our WeWork dynamic of two.
Some news this month…
Big thanks to Rachel and Stephanie at Life's Accessories and Megan at A Bookish Podcast for letting me be a guest on their shows. And thank you Yitzi for my interview at Medium.
In other news than dog, I’ve got some exciting announcements … for the next newsletter. Meantime, here’s what I’ve been reading. Some books for research, others for book clubs, all for pleasure. I’m rereading Practical Magic for the first time since the year it came out, and it’s delivering all that same desire to jump inside and cast spells with those witchy sisters.
Finally, I had the delight of meeting @authorjelle this week—House of Marionne is described as Game of Thrones meets Succession—an apt comp, but it’s also a wild ride all its own. For all you romantasy fans, I highly recommend it.
That’s all for now. Until next month,
