About Kizzie

Retired minister finds new life in writing children’s books

© April 2016 Pacific Northwest Conference News (Adapted with permission)

Children’s books brought unexpected joy into Kizzie Jones’ life. When she needed consistent self-care, they have given her a meaningful outlet and made a smooth transition from ministry to retirement.
She served 18 years as director of spiritual care at Horizon House Retirement Home, retiring in January 2015 after a medical diagnosis meant she needed to retire early.

As author of three Tall Tales books, she found an outlet for whimsy and make-believe, creating stories that model and honor kindness, compassion, collaboration and diversity.

“I hope each time the books are read seeds are planted to further the cause for a gentleness of spirit for all humanity and nature,” said Kizzie, who lives in Edmonds. “Picture it: a world of friends delighting in the whimsy of life, bringing out the best in one another. I can think of no greater legacy.”

As reported in the June 2013 Conference News, while she and girlfriend Edythe Stromme, were spending a week vacation on the Oregon Coast, they stopped in an eatery with “Tall Tale” placemats. They agreed they each would write a tall tale.

“Within a couple of days Edythe, a fiction writer, had her tale polished and ready to be shared. The day before we were to leave, she asked how my tall tale was coming along,” Kizzie said. “I hadn’t written a word. I’d been a non-fiction writer for years, but had no clue how to make up a story.”

Having agreed to the task, Kizzie recalled the magical days there.

“For three days a pod of whales had been close by our lodge window. I could look out from my writing table and watch them spout and glide under the water with their massive backs,” Kizzie said. “During two of the lowest tides of the year, I had the time to observe normally hidden sea creatures. Interpretive signs at the ocean’s edge indicated sights on land, sea and air at different tides.

“The crowning glory was that each day I saw dachshunds with friendly owners who allowed me to get my doxie fix!” she said.

With her friend’s urging and collaboration with illustrator Scott Ward, How Dachshunds Came to Be: A Tall Tale About a Short Long Dog was born.

How Dachshunds Came to Be won first-place awards in the Tall Tales category of Readers’ Favorite, the National Indie Excellence Book Award for Cover and Graphic Design and New York’s Beach Book Festival. She also won first place for nonfiction writing from the Write on the Sound writers’ conference.

March 2016, the second book, a coloring book, A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican: How a Friendship Came to Be was published.

That March, she read from her books and joined naturalists at tide pools during Cape Perpetua’s Winter Discovery Series.

Author Outreach

Kizzie’s writing and publishing expanded to include:

Reading to children in schools

Participating with Reading Across America events in honor of Dr. Suess

Reading for Global Points of Light

Donating books for dachshund rescue/Humane Society/Edmonds Off-leash Park

Reading for Whale Watching Week at Cape Perpetua Visitor Center in Oregon

Appearing on Pet Talk Radio/Literacy Program, Sala de Lectura in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Presenting to writing groups on book marketing and indie publishing

Kizzie, with Jane Dossick, reading at Edmonds Bookshop.
Kizzie, as Dr. Seuss, on Read Across America Day.
Kizzie, with Avril van der Merwe (l) and Liz Wong (r) at the Special Children’s Book Week Event at Edmonds Library.
Kizzie reading at Edmonds Library for Children’s Book Week May 3, 2018.

Growing up with Dagwood

My love affair with dachshunds began early in life. Mom, Dad, Omi (Dad’s mom), and I were living in Munich, Germany, in the early 1950’s when they decided it was time to get a dachshund puppy. Dagwood was a standard long haired red dachshund. Over the years I heard the humorous stories about how Dagwood and I grew up together.

Dagwood’s name, for instance, really had me stumped. No matter how often we practiced or how easy my folks tried to make it, I had my own version of my new dog’s name. The lesson unfolded like this:

“Say Dag-”
“Dag-”
“Say -wood”
“-wood”
“Say Dagwood”
“Doggywood”

Dagwood and I potty trained at the same time. If Dagwood had an accident he would stick his nose in the puddle and run outside; if I had an accident I swatted my backside and ran to sit on the potty chair.

Dagwood and I shared everything. He especially liked how I shared my sandwiches. One bite for me and one bite for him.

Kizzie Elizabeth, Omi, and Dagwood.
Kizzie Elizabeth and Dagwood ready for a ride in the family car!
Kizzie Elizabeth with Dagwood in our Sunday best!
Kizzie Elizabeth and Dagwood going for a walk. Who is walking whom?!

After leaving Germany our family moved to Monterey, California. Omi enjoyed her daily walks on the beach with Dagwood. She liked giving him the off-leash freedom to run along the shore. More often than not he came back after rolling in dead fish or some other rotting matter. The clean up would be relegated to Dad when he came home from work. The hardest “clean up” challenge occurred after Dagwood rolled himself up in wet cement!

I have fond memories of playing hour after hour with Dagwood. We have 8mm films of me dancing, running, kissing, and hugging Dagwood in pure childhood delight. Dagwood heard every one of my Sunday School stories and kindergarten lessons.

As was the life of an army daughter, I moved often and in the middle of the second grade we transferred back to Germany (Kitzigen and Stuttgart). This time our family would be living in military quarters. Dagwood would not be able to go with us.

I do not know how we found Dagwood’s new family. I only remember the father coming to get him and Dad saying, “Don’t know if he will live many more years or drop off tomorrow…” Then Dagwood jumped into his new family’s car and was gone. I recall Mom telling people how Dagwood hated to ride in the car but seemed to understand this was his new life. He jumped in and never looked back.

I have no personal memory of what happened after Dagwood drove away. Did I run to Omi crying? Did I hide in my room? I do not remember how I coped with my grief, but I do know that from the moment he left my life an empty spot remained.

I also realize the gift my parents gave me by bringing Dagwood into my life for those few formative years. This began a lifelong affinity for these endearing creatures with unique physical characteristics and personalities.

I learned that to take a dachshund into my heart meant one day letting it go. I came to understand the old adage, “It is better to have loved (a dachshund) and lost, than never to have loved at all.”

I look forward to sharing stories about the dachshunds that have enriched my life. I welcome hearing about your special dachshund memories, as well.

Best~
Kizzie

Detour to Where Podcast

Years later, in September 2020, as I prepared to launch the 2nd edition of my first Tall Tale, How Dachshunds Came to Be: A Tall Tale About a Short Long Dog I was invited to Seattle jazz singer, LaVon Hardison’s podcast, Detour to Where. The recording above is the audio story of how I took a detour from chaplaincy to authorship and started creating my Tall Tales series of children’s picture books.