“I’m Published, I’m published”!!!

I’ve waited a long time to say those words; truth is I never put too much stock in it ever happening. Good friends and family have long told me I have the gift of the written word, but what has always held me back from taking that next step and actually pursuing some of my work to be published was my own lack of confidence.

Admittedly I suffer from anxiety every (each?) time I hit the “publish” button on my blog. I worry about proper grammar and punctuation, neither of which I’m any good at. “No worries” people I’d confide in would tell me, “I love the way you write.” So although I still may cringe a bit when I publish a post, for the most part I’ve become comfortable with Popeye’s mantra… “I am what I am” which for me interprets as “I write like I speak”; direct and from the heart with plenty of foul language sprinkled in.

I was recently given an opportunity through KC PetConnect to write an article for the September issue of Metro Pet Magazine. TC was always my biggest cheerleader in anything I chose to do. It was she in fact who suggested the name “ChrissyCan” for my own business because she believed I could do anything I set my mind to. “Chrissy can do anything” she used to tell people. It does not go unnoticed by me that in some distant way, TC was the one who got me my first gig!

1000 to 1500 words was what I understood the length of the article would be limited to. I wrote with reckless abandon because this was something I was passionate about; my sister TC and the legacy she left behind, KC PetConnect. When my trusty word counter reached 1749 words, I knew I was in trouble and worked feverishly to cut it back down to 1459. I was told the magazine had an “editor”… which is now a four letter word in my vocabulary… who would “neaten everything up for me”. Ru-roh!

Tom is a very nice man, Irish Catholic and grew up near Breezy Point in New York where my family is from. An instant connection was made and I thought, “This won’t be so bad”. I handed him my paper, he glanced at it and said “Whoa…. this is way too long. It can’t be more than 800 words”. I felt like a knife was jabbed in my heart. No way could both TC’s story AND KC PetConnect’s story be told in 800 words. “You have two different stories going on here, nicely merged, but too long.” I knew then what would happen to my story… slash, slash, slash.

Metro Pet hit the newsstands yesterday; I flew out the door to get a copy and actually copped 10 of them. They’re free and can be found at most all CVS pharmacies, Blockbuster’s, Price Choppers and a slew of other business’ most likely including your favorite Vet. I had not seen the final cut so my eyes could not read fast enough while sitting in my car outside the store. I hate the first sentence; really? The word “finally” used twice in one sentence? And I’m the one with the lack of confidence regarding grammar? But I read on as I sipped my coffee to settle my nerves and the rest of the article is full of my words. I can appreciate that they gave TC credit and had a very small space to do so; I’ll just have to post the article in its entirety here soon. Bottom line I’m published; even if it is in a pet magazine!

I always like to look for the “lessons learned” from new experiences; if given the opportunity to write again I will be better prepared. The lesson learned this time around will come in very handy when I finally write my book that is currently stuck somewhere between my soul and my keyboard. Two simple words…

Self publish!!!

Note: Metro Pet is also offered online, you can check out my article by clicking on their link, then clicking on "Latest Issue". As of right now, the September issue has not been downloaded, check back soon. Ideally though, pick up the magazine at a CVS or Blockbuster near you; they're free and chock full of great pet info!