A Missed Publication
And why I’m glad about it
Last year I was invited to contribute a story to an anthology of crime fiction based on Aesop’s Fables. I chose “The Fox Who Lost His Tail,” in which a fox loses his tail in a trap and then tries to persuade the other animals they should get rid of theirs as well. The moral: don’t listen to someone who wants to drag you down to his own level.
My story, which I called “Dog Help Us,” was too long—over 8,000 words. With a lot of scissoring, I cut it to just below the 5,000 word limit, and it was accepted.
Then the publisher who’d agreed to the anthology went out of business, and the editor wasn’t able to sell the completed volume to anyone else.
Nothing goes to waste, right? I decided to give away the story as an incentive for readers to purchase the special edition of Dog of Secrets, which will also include a few other goodies.
When I reread it months later, I realized I’d accidentally cut away part of the mystery itself. The clues were there—but the investigation wasn’t. So instead of a quick proofread, I ended up restoring scenes, rewriting the ending, and giving the story a new title.
“Dog Help Us” is felt too generic; I decided “The Fear of Dog” would be better for this story. It still fits my naming convention, but it also reflects the story itself, which explores the fear some people have that books can do more harm than good.
In Dog of Secrets, Steve mentors a young man whose parents have died—but has to be careful not to let him stray down the hacking path. It’s a story about deadly dealings in the oil industry, but with the same focus on found family and community you love in this series.
Before Dog of Secrets opens for preorder at the major retailers on July 20 (for delivery on August 3), I’m offering a special edition through Curios from July 13–19.
This edition includes:
The complete novel, Dog of Secrets
Exclusive bonus short story, “The Fear of Dog”
A Guide to Stewart’s Crossing, introducing the people and places that make the town feel like home
A map of Stewart’s Crossing
A book club discussion guide
YouTube and Spotify Playlists
If you’ve ever wanted to wander Main Street, visit the Chocolate Ear Café, or get a closer look at the world behind the Golden Retriever Mysteries, this special edition is for you. After this week, this edition—and the bonus materials—won’t be available again in this form.
The Curios edition will only be available until July 19, when the book pre-order window opens at Amazon and other retailers. Regular orders will start in early August.
Purchasing through Curios allows me to create this special edition with those extra files, which I can’t do at Amazon or other retailers.
If this experiment is successful, I’d love to create more special editions like this—with exclusive stories, behind-the-scenes material, maps, and perhaps even hardcover collector’s editions.
Next week, I’ll provide the pre-order link for Amazon. I need to get the print edition formatting done before I can do that.
With love and gratitude,
Neil