"Not a Suitable Suitor" by Suzanne Cottrell
– “Can we keep one?”
Mitzi barked, poked her nose through the fence, and sniffed her wooers.
Suzanne Cottrell, a member of the Taste Life Twice Writers and NC Writers’ Network, lives with her husband in rural Granville County, NC. An outdoor enthusiast and retired teacher, she enjoys reading, writing, knitting, hiking, Pilates, and belly dancing. Her prose has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including the Personal Story Publishing Project, Inwood Indiana Press, Quillkeepers Press, and Parks and Points. She’s the author of three poetry chapbooks: Gifts of the Seasons, Autumn and Winter; Gifts of the Seasons, Spring and Summer; and Scarred Resilience; and Nature Calls Outside My Window, A Collection of Poems and Stories. www.suzanneswords.com
Author Talks
Suzanne Cottrell
After the Personal Story Publishing Project theme, “Foiled,” was announced, I brainstormed personal experiences, often from my childhood, in which something went awry. Then I selected the experience for which I could recall the most details and for which I believed would be the most engaging for readers. I chose this story about Mitzi and her puppies, because who doesn’t love a dog story besides a cat lover?
Although I remembered a lot about my dad’s favorite bird dog, a purebred English Pointer, and his desire for a litter of her puppies, I contacted my siblings and my mom to fill in a few gaps. Unfortunately, I couldn’t ask my dad, who died on February 5, 2024. My siblings, Mom, and I enjoyed reminiscing about childhood backyard adventures and Mitzi’s unusual litter. My mom chuckled as she reminded me of her father, my grandpa Jennings, teasing my dad with his remark about tying flags on the short-legged puppies’ tails, so my dad could see them in the grain fields when he went quail and pheasant hunting.
Fortunately, my dad had our Super 8 home movies from the 1950s and 1960s transferred to DVDs. I watched several segments, especially the one where my siblings and I played with Mitzi’s puppies and one puppy snatched my brother, Rob’s, baseball cap and sprinted across the backyard. I wanted to capture the humorous scene in my story.
Once I’d written everything, I began revising by first eliminating non-essential information, so my story would meet the required 750-800-word count. Next, I considered my opening sentence, the paragraph transitions, and my word choices. During this revision, I asked myself questions like would this pique the readers’ curiosity or interest, how is the pacing, and could the verbs be more specific?
When I was satisfied with my draft, I sent it to the Taste Life Twice Writers’ group for constructive feedback. I find it challenging to distance myself from my writing, so their calling attention to items I’d missed or hadn’t considered was invaluable. Then I made my final revisions, submitted the story, and kept my fingers crossed for acceptance. I was delighted with the acceptance of “Not a Suitable Suitor,” but more so for having a written record of another family memory that others could enjoy.—Suzanne Cottrell
