A Pet Project
April 30, 2026 by Dianna Sinovic in category Quill and Moss by Dianna Sinovic, Writing tagged as cabin, Road Trip, short fiction
Sixty miles into the drive, Jill had second thoughts about the wisdom of bringing her animals with her. The cat, sequestered in her carrying case on the front seat, kept up a steady mewling. Except when the beagle in the back seat got too near, which set off a yowl. That prompted a barking response, joined by the woof of the English setter in the rear compartment.
Jill turned up the volume on her playlist, trying to drown out the cacophony, but then worried she wouldn’t hear the mysterious clunking sounds that had started from the back end of the car about fifteen miles ago.
It wasn’t that she was foolhardy. She’d considered asking a friend to accompany her on the trip, either to drive or help manage the menagerie, but no one was available—or they were conveniently busy when she offered the ride.
“I’ll pay for your train ticket back home,” she said, but got no takers.
Now her destination in upstate New York, a rental cottage on a lake, seemed far, far away. Just under three hundred miles left and way too many pit stops to go.
Kenneling was not an option for the month she planned to be away writing—or trying to write. And when she located the rental (pets allowed for a small upcharge), bringing the critters was an easy decision.
“Petey, pipe down,” she said to the beagle. He snuffled the cat’s case, poking his head between the front seats to get at Tux, and then baying. “You, too, Chips.” She glanced in the rearview mirror to check on the setter, who couldn’t access the back seat (and cause even more chaos) because of the cargo net. “The next rest stop is in sixteen miles. Hang in there.”
The minutes and hours slipped past, and Jill felt pulled between the poles of her endpoints, home and rental. Then Petey stuck his nose in her ear and licked it.
“Gah!” she sputtered.
At a rest stop, she pulled up near its tiny dog park and gave Petey and Chips the run of it. As she was corralling them back into the SUV, Chips pulled the leash from her hand and eagerly headed toward a family of four making their way to the rest stop building.
“Chips,” Jill called, quickly shutting the side door to keep Petey in place. “Come here, boy!” She hurried after the setter. He could charm a rock into giving him a pat.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, short of breath, when she reached the family and grabbed the leash.
The two young children huddled behind the parents, peeking at the dog, who pranced near them. In the distance, Petey’s bark told Jill he was equally interested in the situation.
“No harm done,” said the woman, although she was frowning. “But you really should keep better hold of that dog.” The parents turned their backs on Jill and pushed the children ahead of them.
Jill narrowed her eyes. As if I wasn’t doing my best.
Back in the SUV, she gassed up and continued north, the sun already past high noon. Three more pit stops—but no more leash mishaps—and she finally exited the interstate, turning onto the winding roads leading to the rental.
Her mood darkened as the GPS route inched forward. Why had she thought this would work? Between walking the dogs and refereeing the guaranteed skirmishes between the canids and the cat, she would have little time to concentrate, let alone be creative.
The long, unpaved driveway to the rental led through thick stands of oak, maple and birch, until a final turn revealed the lake. The sudden quiet when she switched off the engine stopped the dogs from whining, and even Tux fell silent.
No other houses interrupted the scenery. She heard only the scolding of chickadees and the lap of water against the lakeshore. Out of the car, she breathed in the scent of pine and spruce.
Immersed in the serenity of the setting, Jill saw the dogs curled up beside her on the floor of the cabin, while she tapped at her keyboard, the cat tucked away in her own hidey hole. Thirty days of freedom. She was ready.
More of Dianna’s Stories
Neetu Malik: Featured Author
April 28, 2026 by Neetu Malik in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured Author of the Month, Neetu Malik, Poet's Day, poetry
Neetu Malik’s poetry is an expression of life’s rhythms and the beat of the human spirit. She draws upon diverse multicultural experiences and observations across three continents in which she has lived. She has contributed to The Australia Times Poetry Magazine, October Hill Magazine, Prachya Review, among others. Her poems have appeared in The Poetic Bond Anthology V and VI published by Willowdown Books, UK, NY Literary Magazine’s Tears Anthology and Poetic Imagination Anthology (Canada).
Her poem, “Soaring Flames”, was awarded First-Place by the NY Literary Magazine (2017). She has also been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, 2019 for her poem “Sacred Figs” published by Kallisto Gaia Press in their Ocotillo Review in May, 2018. She had a monthly column, Poet’s Day, here on A Slice of Orange.
Neetu lives in Pennsylvania, USA.
You can find Neetu’s poetry in these volumes.
Hover on the cover for buy links. Click on the cover for more information.
Thunder by Neetu
April 26, 2026 by Neetu Malik in category Poet's Day by Neetu Malik tagged as Neetu, night, quiet, thunder, Wolves
Thunder
the wolves are quiet tonight
deep silence
before that burst
of lightning
strikes again
illuminates
a desperately darkened
horizon that
holds its breath
like the wolves,
I know
it is better to keep
the howls
for nights when
thunder does not compete
© Neetu Malik
Some of Neetu’s Books
ALL AROUND US: A Review by Veronica Jorge
April 22, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Adriana M. Garcia, All Around Us, book review, Veronica Jorge, Xelena Gonzalez
ALL AROUND US
by XELENA GONZÁLEZ
ILLUS. by ADRIANA M. GARCIA
Cinco Puntos Press,
2017
ISBN 9781941026762
In my March 22nd post, As Young As Spring, I mentioned several nature themed books. Today, I’d like to offer a review of one of those titles. Since a picture paints a thousand words, I’ve chosen, All Around Us, a picture book by Xelena González, illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia. Available in many libraries and bookstores, I hope reading it will be the start of a flourishing Spring season for you, an inspiration to spend time outdoors, (my heart goes out to my fellow allergy sufferers), and an opportunity to share with others about the wonders of nature and our wonderful Earth.
Grandpa’s daily chores and routines seem mundane and dreary yet through them his granddaughter learns about the wonders of nature that encompass everything about them, including her.
When she sees a rainbow arc in the sky, Grandpa explains that the other half of the circle, the part we cannot see, is hidden in the earth. Patting the garden soil where Grandpa planted seeds, he reminds his grandchild that the seeds, though now unseen, will become the visible fruits and vegetables that will feed them.
Throughout the day, Grandpa introduces her to many other unseen secrets and she begins to see and to understand her own place in the circle of life.
All Around US by Xelena González is a reflective celebration of life; a warm and tender story of the relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter and the lessons he teaches her about our connection to the earth and the world around us. The illustrations by Adriana M. Garcia support the theme of circles all around with deep rich earth tones, and bright greens and vibrant yellows that swirl around each page. Intermingling with the text, they enfold the reader into the story to help them feel the warmth of the earth and the love between adult and child.
All Around Us is a 2018 Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book, an ALSC Notable Children’s Book and a 2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award: Picture Book Honor recipient.
See you next time on May 22nd. Until then, happy reading with whatever new book friends you make.
Veronica Jorge
Books Reviewed by Veronica
Neetu Malik: Featured Author
April 14, 2026 by Neetu Malik in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured Author of the Month, Neetu Malik, Poet's Day, poetry
Neetu Malik’s poetry is an expression of life’s rhythms and the beat of the human spirit. She draws upon diverse multicultural experiences and observations across three continents in which she has lived. She has contributed to The Australia Times Poetry Magazine, October Hill Magazine, Prachya Review, among others. Her poems have appeared in The Poetic Bond Anthology V and VI published by Willowdown Books, UK, NY Literary Magazine’s Tears Anthology and Poetic Imagination Anthology (Canada).
Her poem, “Soaring Flames”, was awarded First-Place by the NY Literary Magazine (2017). She has also been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, 2019 for her poem “Sacred Figs” published by Kallisto Gaia Press in their Ocotillo Review in May, 2018. She had a monthly column, Poet’s Day, here on A Slice of Orange.
Neetu lives in Pennsylvania, USA.
You can find Neetu’s poetry in these volumes.
Hover on the cover for buy links. Click on the cover for more information.
Featured Books
ONCE UPON AN ENCHANTED FOREST
The autumnal equinox is a celestial event that brings together harvest and celebration, symbolizes magick and transformation, and welcomes a balance of light and darkness. It’s a time when those who honor the changing seasons rest and reflect.
Or reap what they’ve sown.
More info →
ADVENGING THE EARL’S LADY
He’s the most irritating, inscrutable, insufferable lord in the kingdom.
More info → 
