By Susan Bromley
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.- When George, a foxhound, came to live with Karen Swift, her terrier, Jake, did not adapt well.
Depressed, the smaller dog would sit at the edge of the room and stare at the new dog. Watching how the two interacted gave Swift the idea for a story.
In 2001, after the death of her father, who was also named George, Swift was inspired to begin writing the story down as ‘The Adventures of Jake and George.? Last month, the first book in the series ‘Jake Gets a New Brother,? was published.
‘Being an author is not anything I ever even thought about, but once the story started in my brain, it was a creative outlet,? said Swift, payroll director at Fountains Golf and Banquet Center in Clarkston.
The 57-year-old township resident didn’t rush the process. She would write some of the story down, then put it away for months at a time before bringing it out again, taking a fresh look and changing some of the wording. She knew it would evolve as it was supposed to, and when she had written three or four separate stories about Jake and George, she gave typed copies to family and friends.
Once she was confident they weren’t just trying to be nice when they said they liked the stories about her real-life dogs that share life lessons in a non-preachy way, Swift submitted manuscripts to seven or eight publishers. She was prepared for a lot of rejection slips, but instead, three immediately expressed interest.
‘I was shocked and delighted, for sure, to be accepted,? Swift said. ‘It was a big learning curve, I wasn’t sure what the next step would be.?
The next step turned out to be finding an illustrator. While the publishers could supply one, she would lose creative control. It was the most difficult part of the process, but she finally found her own illustrator that shared a similar style and vision at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit.
Last month, when Swift arrived home from work, she saw a flat package leaning up against her kitchen counter. Inside was the first hard copy of her book.
‘It was indescribable when I first opened it and saw it,? said Swift. ‘It was pretty emotional. My fiance asked how long I had been working on these… The whole thing was little baby steps. I knew the big picture is that it would be published.?
The series will soon include ‘Jake Learns to Swim,? ‘Jake and Geroge Have Visitors,? ‘Jake and George Meet Their Neighbor,? ‘Jake and George Make New Friends,? ‘Jake Makes a Difficult Decision,? and ‘Jake and George Visit the Park,? all under her pen name, K. Marie Swift.
Swift, who paid for the illustrations on the first book out of her own pocket, is hopeful each book will help pay for the next. The books are printed on demand and she will receive a royalty check after a certain number have sold. She has no plans to quit her day job, but money isn’t why she wrote these books.
‘It’s a relaxing outlet for me,? she said.
More writing is on the horizon, too? Jake and George, now 13- and 10-years-old, have been joined at home by Swift’s fiance’s dogs? Harley and Cruiser.
‘The Adventures of Jake and George: Jake Gets a New Brother? is published by Eloquent Books and is available online at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or at Swift’s website,
www.jakeandgeorge.com. The book can also be obtained by going to a brick and mortar Barnes & Noble or Borders store and ordering it (ISBN: 978-1-60693-863-8).
An excerpt from ‘The Adventures of Jake and George: Jake Gets a New Brother?: ‘My name is Jake and my life has changed forever. My people brought another dog to live with us. They’re even calling him my brother. I don’t want a brother! Things have been just fine around here without this brother they’ve named George!?