Andi had just arrived home from a Creative Writing Club meeting when she saw an envelope with the return address of Pet Lovers Press lying in the entrance hall under the mail slot. This time her name was spelled correctly.
As before, she didn’t immediately open the envelope, but it wasn’t because she wanted to prolong the excitement. She wasn’t excited at all. She felt sure it contained an invitation to enter the Young Author Cat Lovers Contest.
She picked up the envelope and carried it into the kitchen, where she laid it on the counter while she made two tuna sandwiches, one for herself and one for her dogs. She cut the second sandwich in two and placed one of the halves in Bebe’s bowl. Then she carried the other half into the backyard to give to Gabby.
As she’d hoped, Red Rover wasn’t there. Bruce, who had not been delayed by an after-school activity, must have taken Red running. That was a relief, because since Gabby and Red were now practically roommates, Andi was finding it difficult to give Gabby the same treats she gave Bebe while withholding those treats from Red. Bruce was very strict about Red’s diet and wouldn’t allow him to eat people food.
Life in a multidog family was not always easy.
While Gabby wolfed down his sandwich and Andi ate hers, she finally got around to opening her letter.
When she saw the first paragraph, she couldn’t believe what she was reading.
Dear Ms. Andrea Walker,
The first-place winner in our Young Author Dog Lovers Contest has been disqualified.
This means that your delightful novel, Bobby Strikes Back, has been promoted from second place and become our grand-prize winner. If, in the intervening months, you have not sold your story elsewhere, we would very much like to publish it.
Please let us know if Bobby Strikes Back is still available.
Sincerely,
Jo Ann Bayse, Senior Editor
Pet Lovers Press
Andi read the letter once and then read it a second time.
She bolted across the yard, out through the gate, into the alley, and down the sidewalk to Aunt Alice’s house. She didn’t even pause to ring the doorbell. She just threw open the door and rushed right in.
“Aunt Alice!” she cried. “My book is going to be published!”
Aunt Alice was seated in her favorite chair, sipping tea and reading a romance novel.
“Wipe your feet, dear,” she said. “I just had the carpets cleaned. I wondered how long it would take for Jerry to be disqualified.”
“How did you do it?” Andi asked her. “What did you tell them? You knew I promised not to tell anyone about Sarah!”
“I used alternative methods,” Aunt Alice said. “I kept searching the Internet and finally found a Web site called Ugly Bird Books. They actually had a copy of Tuffy Bean and the One-Ring Circus. Only one copy, but that was all we needed. And they only charged me three dollars.”
“Ugly Bird Books?” Andi repeated.
“A wonderful Web site,” Aunt Alice said. “They gave an honest description of the book. Poor condition hardcover. Some torn and stained pages. A missing jacket. Some very old, very hard peanut butter smeared in the margins. But it was the same dear book I remembered from my childhood. I ordered it online and had them ship it directly to Pet Lovers Press. I hoped the editor would be able to put two and two together. Apparently she did.”
“I’m going to be a published author!” Andi said softly. The idea was so overwhelming she could hardly take it in. “Bobby Strikes Back is going to be in bookstores! It’s going to be in libraries! Teachers will put it on reading lists for their students!”
“And you’ll probably be asked to give interviews,” Aunt Alice said. “It’s nice that you’ll have an experienced consultant to advise you.”
“You can’t mean Jerry!” Andi exclaimed incredulously.
“Certainly not,” said Aunt Alice. “I was referring to Gabby. With all the embarrassment this sham must be causing the Gordons, Jerry will probably be grounded for at least two days.
“On the subject of Gabby, I received a wedding announcement from Maynard Merlin. He enclosed a photo of himself and his lovely bride, Medusa. Mr. Merlin had a bandage on his hand. Gabby’s replacement may not be as docile as Gabby.”
“Did you run a background check on Medusa?” Andi asked her.
“Well, yes,” Aunt Alice confessed, looking slightly embarrassed. “That wasn’t exactly ethical, but I couldn’t restrain myself. Medusa has had six husbands and owns a pit bull. We don’t need to worry about her.”