Happy Thursday!
I am excited to share the next story of Write A Holiday Short Story Contest with you! It is written by author Rosemary McCracken. Rosemary's book Safe Harbor is a great book!
Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Rosemary!
Maxie
By Rosemary McCracken
-----------
Thank you, Rosemary, for sharing your story with us! It is highly appreciated!
Reviews
of SAFE HARBOR:
"McCracken’s first novel offers a coherent structure, an exact feel for the Toronto locales, and, in Pat, a hugely attractive sleuth figure." — The Toronto Star
"With Safe Harbor, Rosemary McCracken proves why she's already won international acclaim. This is an absorbing page-turner you won't want to miss." —Rick Mofina, bestselling author of The Burning Edge
"Rosemary McCracken has a deft touch for writing believable relationships, especially among families. These particular characters will soon feel like people you know and don't want out of your life. Add to this an exciting plot and you'll be ready for a great read." —Maureen Jennings, author of the Detective William Murdoch mysteries
Thanks, Rosemary!
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I am excited to share the next story of Write A Holiday Short Story Contest with you! It is written by author Rosemary McCracken. Rosemary's book Safe Harbor is a great book!
Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Rosemary!
Maxie
By Rosemary McCracken
Pat
Tierney from SAFE HARBOR tells us how Maxie, the Tierneys’ Golden Labrador Retriever, joined the
family.
*
A
chorus of barking greeted me as I entered a room filled with cages. A dozen
pairs of hopeful eyes stared at me.
The
Toronto Humane Society’s animal shelter was the last place I expected to find
myself a few days before Christmas. December had been a hectic month, a
constant round of meetings with my clients and strategic talks with the top
brass at Norris Cassidy, the investment firm where I work. Before I knew it,
Christmas was just days away and I still hadn’t bought gifts for my daughters.
Tracy,
my eldest, was easy. She’s a young lawyer in her articling year at a Bay Street
law office. I planned to give her the handsome leather briefcase I’d seen at
Grey Owl, the swanky leather-goods shop in downtown Toronto. And I lucked
out—the sleek oxblood model I’d admired was the last one in stock when I got to
the store.
Laura,
her younger sister, was another matter. At seventeen, Laura is particular about
her clothing and accessories. But I don’t dare assume whether her tastes on any
given week run to punk chic or preppy co-ed. What to do? I didn’t want to put a
gift certificate under the Christmas tree. I don’t even know what shops Laura
currently likes.
As
I left the Grey Owl, I spotted a small black terrier tied to a parking metre.
He looked up at me, his eyes pleading. “Woof!” he said, clearly anxious for his
master to finish shopping.
I
thought of Max, Laura’s beloved Golden Labrador. He’d been killed by a speeding
car in front of our house the previous summer. Laura had cried for days.
“Woof!”
the dog repeated.
That’s it! A pet for
Laura.
“Woof
to you, too,” I said. “And a Merry Christmas.”
I
hailed a passing taxi. “The Toronto Humane Society,” I told the driver. “On
River Street.”
At
the shelter, I scanned the cages, trying to avoid eye contact with the
occupants. “I can’t take all of you home,” I murmured.
In
the last cage, a Golden Lab sat up and gave an enthusiastic bark. I sucked in
my breath and approached her. She could have been Max’s younger sister!
“Isn’t
she a beauty?” a twenty-something attendant said behind me. “Came in yesterday.
Three years old and in perfect health.”
I
let out my breath. “I’ll take her.”
I
called a taxi, and Maxie and I waited for it outside the building. I was
scanning the street when figure in a black hoodie—with a woman’s purse clutched
football-style under his right arm—knocked me over as he dashed past.
My
grip on Maxie’s leash loosened and she bolted after him.
“Help!
Thief!” a voice called out
As
I stood up, I saw an elderly woman a few doors away struggle to her feet using
a cane.
I
hurried over to help her. “Are you all right?”
She
nodded. “But we need to get him. There’s five hundred dollars in my purse.”
Up
the street, we heard the thief yell, “Get off me, you mutt!”
Maxie! She’d
knocked the man down, and he was trying to swat her away with the stolen purse.
She had her front paws on his shoulders, pinning him to the sidewalk. She was
licking his face.
The
woman and I laughed. The purse snatcher didn’t realize that Maxie just wanted
to play.
Good dog, bad dog,
I thought as I pulled out my cellphone to call the police. Good dog for stopping a thief, bad dog for running off.
Like
Laura, Maxie was going to be a handful.
*
Pat kept Maxie in a
kennel until Christmas Eve when she presented her, with a big, red bow around
her neck, to Laura. It was the start of a grand Christmas for the Tierney
family: skating in the park, a turkey dinner shared with good friends on
Christmas Day and getting to know Maxie.
But
as the new year approached, the season turned not-so-merry. On the thirtieth of
December, a stranger visited Pat’s office and told her something that shattered
her world. Read all about it in SAFE HARBOR— available as an ebook and a paperback on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca.
Author
Bio:
Rosemary McCracken is a Canadian
journalist who lives in Toronto. She has worked on newspapers across Canada as
a reporter, arts reviewer, editorial writer and editor. She is now a freelance
journalist who specializes in personal finance and the financial services
industry. Safe Harbor, published
earlier this year, is her first published novel. It was shortlisted for
Britain's Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger Award in 2010.

"McCracken’s first novel offers a coherent structure, an exact feel for the Toronto locales, and, in Pat, a hugely attractive sleuth figure." — The Toronto Star
"With Safe Harbor, Rosemary McCracken proves why she's already won international acclaim. This is an absorbing page-turner you won't want to miss." —Rick Mofina, bestselling author of The Burning Edge
"Rosemary McCracken has a deft touch for writing believable relationships, especially among families. These particular characters will soon feel like people you know and don't want out of your life. Add to this an exciting plot and you'll be ready for a great read." —Maureen Jennings, author of the Detective William Murdoch mysteries
Watch SAFE HARBOR’s trailer here.
There is a giveaway connected to the Write A Holiday Short Story Contest. We
will randomly choose 1 comment amongst all the comments posted under the
published stories and this winner will receive amazon GC of
20$!
Happy commenting and happy reading!
What a warm holiday story. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christine! The Tierneys are very close to my heart.
DeleteWhat a lovely, heart-warming story. We have 2 dogs that we got from the Humane society, too. They add so much to our family, and we love them, dearly.
ReplyDeleteMaxie is my dream dog, the dog I wish I had. Unfortunately,I'm terribly allergic to dogs and cats. Can't live with them. So I write about them.
DeleteW.C. Fields was right. Dogs and kids always steal the show. Maxie is a definite scene-stealer.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alison!
DeleteThat was a sweet story.
ReplyDeletemce1011 AT aol DOT com
Thank you, Maureen!
DeleteA wonderful story about Maxie.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary!
DeleteWhat a great blog post! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays!
Julie K
kornhsl@yahoo.com
Thank YOU for your comment, Julie!
ReplyDeletegreat post *_* your blog is very good and interesting. im glad if you visit my blog, too <3 keep in touch!
ReplyDeletexx
beauthi.blogspot.com