The Path to Publication

No news on the query front. It’s going to take some time! As of this writing, I’ve sent very few queries out—a fraction of what’s needed. More will go out this week, and as we get closer to the holidays, I’ll break until the New Year.

Don't forget to send your guess in! For the person who guesses the closest to the number of queries it takes for me to get a positive response, I'll write you a haiku. Send your guess to the “from” email address sending you this newsletter. That competition will end when an agent asks to talk, whether they represent me or not.

Puppy News

As promised, here are the first puppy photos of our new family member, little Opal. She’s a Smooth Collie—that's a Collie like Lassie, only with short hair. In fact, Opal comes from a litter mixed with Rough (long-hair) and Smooth puppies. My wife and I are so happy! We have a loving, smart dog in our lives again. Opal, who hails from Farmington, New Mexico, will be 16 weeks old on December 6.

We decided to seek out a Collie, preferably an older dog needing a home, but agreed we’d consider a puppy, too. (I'd grown up with collies as a kid and always longed for another.) We looked at Collie rescues and various venues before finally contacting the Collie Club of America for help in finding a responsible breeder. We wanted, however selfishly, that our "one more dog" be as physically and emotionally sound as possible. The CCA district director for the Southwest put us in touch with an active Club member in New Mexico (yay!) who was expecting a litter at any moment.

We bonded with this woman who shared photos of her seven puppies with us. Over the weeks, we fell in love with one little dog in particular whose personality came through loud and clear in her photos.

Shakespeare said—
though she be but little, she is fierce
(I said) pink, her color

We didn't tell our new friend our love for Opal because we understood she would pick out a puppy for us. She narrowed it down to one of two female smooth puppies, and we knew we’d welcome either one. When she chose Opal as our new puppy, we were ecstatic! (The pups all had classic car-related names—Lotus, Mercedes, Maverick, Opel, Capri, and so on). Belinda and Phil did a great job socializing and acclimating the pups to their surroundings.

We decided to keep our pup’s name because, well, okay, she’s a jewel. Opal suits her. Little Opal, the runt of the pack, was/is bossy, funny, smart, and sweet. She’s a thinker and, in quiet moments, sits back and observes us all.

This week, Opal experienced her first snow. We had a light dusting, enough to cover the backyard. She spent some time sniffing and examining this new substance before deciding snow was edible and good for slipping and sliding mayhem.

Opal has settled in with us quite easily, perhaps excited to be the sole dog of the house. We look forward to watching her continue to learn, impressing us with her intelligence, and to spending the rest of her years together. Even though we are exhausted from training, teething, and occasional puppy tantrums, we love her with all our hearts.

New Mexico Brief — Descansos

I wrote a flash fiction story, "Descanso," published by the Welter Journal. You can read it online here.

Creating memorials where people have lost their lives occurs around the world. Not headstones, but markers—usually, but not always—placed at the side of a road. These markers may be made of stones or crosses. Some are quite elaborately designed.

In New Mexico, we call these markers descansos, a Spanish word meaning "rest." But no short translation captures its significance. A descanso marks a place where a person was broken—a place where a human life was taken.

In 2007, the NM State Legislature passed a law making it a crime to remove or desecrate a descanso. Some states have banned roadside memorials outright. Others have restrictions. Some states ignore the memorials. In New Mexico, remembrances of the dead along roadsides have been around since the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. According to Santa Fe historian, Ana Pacheco, during the 1600s the Spanish marked places where their people died during the long journey along the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, from Mexico City into Northern New Mexico.

It's not uncommon to see a descanso decorated for any and all holidays. These decorations are usually provided by the families of the deceased. Sadly, there's more than one descanso within walking distance of my neighborhood, and several on route to the grocery store. The following photos are a few of them.

Another type of roadside memorial is the white-painted bicycle, known as a ghost bike. These are left for cyclists who've died—a practice which began in the 2000s.

Coming across a descanso prompts many questions about the person who died—were they drunk or high or hit by someone who was? were they exhausted from a long shift at work after two or more other jobs? were they alone? a pedestrian? I always hope folks spotting a descanso will slow down, drink or drug less—or not at all—and remember life is precious.

Resources:

• Descansos, 2023, Symbols of Love, Loss, and Tragedy

• Ghost Bikes, Wikipedia

• 2023 article from Silver City Daily Press, Memory and Warning, NM’s tradition of descansos has deep roots in religion, family

It’s possible to know the dark times we are living through, yet be grateful to awaken every day, and embrace the joy and love in our lives. Wishing you a peaceful, drama-free holiday season.

Stay caring and curious, friends. See you anon.—JD

• Most recent fountain pen post about a broken Platinum pen is on my blog.

• Currently drinking: 2014 Da Hong Pao Rock Oolong

• Currently reading: Small Rain by Garth Greenwood