Today is a huge milestone for me.
Seven years ago I started this blog, and I had no idea what I was doing. But the first two posts take on whole new meaning for me today. The first blog post was titled “Captain!” It was only a few paragraphs about the family dog and the fact that he was the inspiration for a screenplay I was woking on.
The second was titled “Captain and the Greyhound.” It’s purpose was to announce the name of the screenplay (which has since changed to Captain and the Greyhounds!). It also consisted of only a few paragraphs.
Read more: Thoughts on Books and the Family DogIf fact, it should be no surprise that the dog in the blog photo is that same dog, Captain.
Since then, this blog grew into something completely different. I only wrote two other posts concerning the screenplay. As part of my research, I visited one of the few remaining greyhound racing tracks still in existence: Tucson Greyhound Park. The place was completely run down and close to closing. And the few people who were there were very suspicious of me, an outsider, assuming I was there for nefarious reasons. You can read about my trip to Tuscon in Part 1 and Part 2.
The rest of the posts on this blog have been a sharing of my thoughts on a very wide range of topics. I love writing here. It has served as a great outlet for my ideas and inspiration.
I did complete the screenplay. I shopped it around and een had some bites. But then Trump got elected and those bites ran scared, certain that the economy would collapse and World War III would break out. People were hesitant to fund unknowns, especially in entertainment.
Many years have passed. I still have Captain, who is now 15 years old, and I live in Chicago, having lost track of my Los Angeles contacts since then.
But I have now come full circle. Today, the book Captain and the Greyhounds, a children’s chapter book aimed at 6-11 year olds, has been published!
It’s about an adventurous terrier mutt who is busy planning his escape from the people who adopted him – until the greyhound next door goes missing, and he learns the importance of family.
If you have children, grandchildren, know children, know people with children, or you enjoy reading, you can order the book on Amazon! And let me know what you think. My goal is to turn this into a series of books.
Also, please don’t forget to leave a review!
Just released!
Captain and the Greyhounds by Vickie Oddino
Available on Amazon
I’m feeling the tension! And seeking relief.
I know writing. I have been doing it for a long time. I know how to get published in magazines, in newspapers, on websites. I’ve done that. And it was fairly easy to figure out. I know how to get a book published. I have written a couple and have a couple ideas for future books. Now, I have not actually published either book. But I spent a lot of time trying to get published and getting rejected. Of course, today, I would just self-publish. Unfortunately, at the time, self-publishing still carried a huge stigma. You know. It wasn’t “normal.” So I have no books selling on Amazon.
I can’t explain it. Soon after adopting Captain, I saw him as a character in an animated movie. And one day, I knew the title of the movie: Captain and the Greyhound. I had no idea what the story would be, but I liked how that sounded. The reason I picked a greyhound was because this dog liked to RUN. Boy, did he like to rn.
The Writing Life 