My Dizzying Summer Whirlwind Story

June 5, 2021

For nearly 36 years, residents and visitors in Edmonds have eagerly looked forward to seeing the newest creative and stylish Window Displays at the downtown Sound Styles dress shop. Sadly, that was only one of the many pleasures put on hold by those who were not able to venture out during this COVID-19 time of great care and/or personal decline in mobility.

Feeling these losses, I was intentional about taking photos and sharing the newest displays from window dresser Shelly Simmons. The Easter Display was eagerly anticipated and did not disappoint!

Two views of Sound Styles Easter Window Display

When sharing the Easter Window Display photos with one of my friends, who knew how much I love my three dachshunds, walking them, and fashion, she remarked, “It would be so cool if Shelly could create a ‘Dog-Walking Fashion’ Window Display!”

The next time I went in to browse through the newest trends at Sound Styles, Shelly was working, and I shared the exchange with her. She was sold! I was invited to be the featured Literary Artist at Art Walk for June 17th and Art View for the month of June 2021! And yes! Shelly would create a special Window Display to celebrate Dog-Walking Fashion!

I am making quite a celebration for this exciting project. My Tall Tales illustrator, artist Scott Ward, created a giclée of the two-page spread, “Dogs on Parade,” from the featured book, A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes: How MORE Dogs Came to Be. It will be on view in the display and there will be a drawing for it on July 11th.

“Dogs on Parade” Giclée by Scott Ward

Starting June 17th, a poster with the QR code and my website URL will be available on the window for people to enter the drawing.

Poster with QR code for entering artwork draw

Scott and I will be outside the Sound Styles Display Window on Sunday, July 11th at 1 pm to draw from the submissions and announce the winner! The winner can pick up the artwork at Sound Styles in person Monday–-Saturday 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. or I will mail it within the USA.

The Tall Tale book featured in the Window Display will be available for purchase at our two local indie bookshops:Edmonds BookshopandThe Neverending Bookshop.

Starting Art Walk Day, Thursday, June 17th, they will each have 16 English copies and three Spanish copies of A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes in English and Spanish signed by me and with Scott Ward’s unique personal dachshund doodle!

English edition of A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes

Spanish edition of A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes

English and Spanish editions of A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes

Dachshunds Woody and Hazel with Kizzie Jones’ first Tall Tales book

But wait! There’s more!For their virtual story time, “Tails and Tales,” the Audrey Pack Memorial Library in Spring City, Tennessee, invited a dachshund owner and creator of the Facebook page, “Adventures of Woody and Hazel,” Kimberly Metcalf in Longview, Texas, to read my first book, How Dachshunds Came to Be. The story time will air on Wednesday, June 16th at 11 a.m. PDT. A replay will be available on my social media and website.

There is yet another event in July! The Neverending Bookshop has invited Scott Ward and me for a joint reading-and-art Zoom on Saturday, July 10th,at 2 p.m.! A replay will be available on TNEBS Facebook page.

I’ll soon give you more backstory for these last two “live” gems!

Please join me in this dizzying whirlwind of events over the next several weeks!