Coop The Great
by
Coop is an aging, cynical, down-and-out dachshund who faces the ultimate test when his new owner, Mike, and Mike’s grandchildren, Zach and Emma, run into trouble. Mike rescued him, but does Coop have what it takes to do the same?
Drawing strength from the stories about great dogs that Mike shares with him, Coop charts a dangerous journey to save his new family.
Drawing strength from the stories about great dogs that Mike shares with him, Coop charts a dangerous journey to save his new family.
Coop the Great by Larry Verstraete
Publication Date: November 15, 2018
Publisher: Yellow Dog
160 pages
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“You awake, Coop?”
He reached for the book on the night table. “Maybe we
should read something.” Mike held the book up for me to see. “The book is
called Everything Dogs. Now let’s see…”
He flipped through the pages. “Ah, here’s something
that might interest you. It’s from a chapter called Special Dogs.”
He lowered the book and glanced at me. “You’re
special, aren’t you, Coop?”
People
have called me ‘special’ before. Not that I have humans all figured out, but
usually ‘special’ meant that I was less than normal. A misfit of some kind. But
the way Mike said ‘special,’ I wondered if he meant something else.
“Let’s begin.”
Mike adjusted his reading glasses, leaned into the light to see better, and
started. “On September 11, 2001…
Guest Post – Coop the Great/Verstraete
Road to Publication
In my case, the road to publication was a twisted and thorny one. I had a flimsy plot in mind. I had an interesting character, a dog with a unique view of life. Somehow, I had to bring them together. Easier said than done.
I started writing the story in 3rd person. I managed a few chapters then stalled completely. It wasn’t a comfortable fit. It felt too impersonal, and Coop just seemed to flounder on the pages. He had no voice or style, so I switched to first person and that clicked.
I rewrote the beginning chapters and managed a few more, then I stalled again. The voice was right. Coop had character and personality, and I felt that I knew him. I also knew how the story would end so I had a target to shoot for. But, I had little idea of the middle ground, and that meant I really didn’t know how to carry Coop to the end.
I stopped writing and spent a few weeks pounding out a detailed outline that not only described each scene, but also what the reader might learn and feel. Once I had that, I inched along. Much of what I wrote was imperfect, but I knew it didn’t matter – not for a draft anyways. I found myself saying ‘this is crap’ a lot, but I plowed head anyway.
With the draft finished, I revised and revised again. I must have fine-tuned the story 20 times. With each reading, I understood Coop, Mike and the other characters a little more. I deleted passages that didn’t move the story along and added scenes to bridge the gaps in others.
Writing a book is one thing. Finding a home for it is another. With the story finished, I researched publishers, looking for ones that published similar kinds of books. I made a list of ten, developed a synopsis, elevator pitch and cover letter, then sent it off. Lucky me, I found a perfect fit in Great Plains Publications new Yellow Dog imprint.
Larry Verstraete (B.Sc, M.Ed.) is a Winnipeg writer and educator. A teacher for 30 years, his experience ranges from teaching university courses to teaching at the senior and middle years levels in public school. An author of books for youngsters, Larry has also written for writer’s manuals, science textbooks, and educational journals, and has conducted sessions in science and writing for youngsters and adults around the country. His writing career began as an off-shoot of his teaching one, and here is his story.....
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