The following text, entitled Introduction, is an edited form of the original opening chapter for Cozy Tales. I think it conveys the spirit of the book better than the preface. I posted. I look forward to reading what you think. As with the last example, I encourage you to either post on the forum where you saw this, email me, PM me, or contact me in any other way you deem acceptable.
Cozy Tales – Introduction
In the life of every dog lover, there is one special dog. For me, Cozy was that dog. Cozy was a 160 pound Newfoundland who, as a puppy, chose me to be her companion in life. My wife, Lauren has always said that Cozy and I shared a special bond. The logical part of me says that Cozy just saw me as her Alpha male. I’d like to believe that there was more to her affection than simple canine hierarchy though.
If I was the alpha male of the pack, then Lauren should certainly have been the alpha female. I think that in Cozy’s mind though, Lauren placed a distant second in the often fierce competition for the title of alpha female. Following the advice of those knowledgeable in the science of dog behavior, Lauren started spitting in Cozy’s food. It was only then that the battle for alpha female was won. Naturally, this could all be explained with science and logic. Alpha’s eat first, so Lauren drooling into Cozy’s food bowl made Cozy accept her as her superior. Sure it was hysterical to watch, but the results were dramatic. Simple logic had saved the day. Logic though is a harsh mistress who shows no regard for affairs of the heart.
My Cozy was the last one I said goodbye to when I left for work every day, and she was the first one to greet me when I got home. If I was late getting home, Cozy would be waiting outside for me, even in the rain, the snow, or if the sun had long since set. Clearly, Cozy loved me.
When bad days made me grumpy and everyone knew to stay away, Cozy would come and sit with me. She spoke to me with her eyes, regaling me with tales of her daily adventures. Cozy defended our house from zombies, dug for buried spaceships in our yard, and provided countless other seeds of inspiration for a writer with a penchant for B movies. Cozy was my escape from the stresses of real life, and only ever asked for ear scritches in return.
I have no idea how Cozy and I came to be so connected. I don’t know much about spirits, or people, or anything like that. I’m an engineer—a nerd with a logical mind. I like electronics and cameras and gadgets. I’m a computer guy, and I’m not so good with emotions. Still, I understood love when it came to my Cozy. When I looked at Cozy, love is what I saw in her eyes.
As Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once said, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History”. So it was with my Cozy; she was ill-behaved, and her misadventures made her life interesting. Cozy made me laugh, she made me cry and she made me a better person. She affected thousands of people and dogs in complicated ways thanks to the wonder of the Internet. My hope is that her story will at least make you laugh. As with most dog stories, there is a good chance that Cozy’s tale will make you cry, but Cozy’s life was primarily full of joy. It is my profound wish that you share in her joy.
My purpose in writing this book was simply to help Cozy tell her story. I believe that her tale is worth telling, and I think Cozy would have agreed, for she always did like to be the center of attention. Cozy was a loyal and noble soul, with a playful intelligence that often left me wondering who was training whom. As for the telling of this story, I feel that to a be a task for which I have been chosen. Cozy was a perfect companion for me, and I cherished our time together. The fact remains though, that for all her strengths and qualities, she couldn’t type worth a damn.
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Like this one much better, conveys the love, but much less morose. Much better balance.
Well done and makes me impatient for the rest of the story even though I know it will be a sad ending.
JADG
Very nice–I kept reading!
Gary, this is absolutely wonderful. It is genuine and touching. There is none of what seemed to be a sort of “reaching” I found in that original preface. Congratulations on capturing the essence of your book. It is worthy of both you and Cozy!
You’ve got it!.. I read every word and I want to read more.
Well done Gary, let me know when it’s on the market.
Perfect! Do you have an anticipated publish date/book actually in the store?
I need to get an agent interested in it before that happens.
Hi Gary,
I think this one is a bit more logical and structured – more engineer-like. The first one felt like it was more emotion-based. I like both, but if you combine the two, you’d have it.
Chris
Well I can’t wait to see it in hard/paper back 🙂
Liked both prefaces. Btw. the other stories had me in stitches!! Great writing.
Can’t wait for the book to come out!!
Was your Cozy book ever published?
I like this preface the best; the dog comes first in this one, and that’s where my interest in the book laid. I would really like to read Cozy’s story now!
Here you go: https://cozy-tales.com