Often in the afternoons my father will open a cabinet, and with his gnarled index finger trail the spines of binders filled with catalogued DVDs until he finds one he wants to share with me that day. He’ll slip on magnifying goggles so he can see, headphones so he can hear, and insert his choice into the DVD player. He plops into his timeworn recliner with an anticipatory sigh and points the remote to start our adventure. I arrange the pillows on the corner divan to make a nest and settle in. Papa looks over to make sure I’m delighted. I smile and nod. He wiggles his bottom into the chair and nods back, satisfied.
Born in Germany and adopted by an American Army officer, Maddie Lock fell in love with words as she learned the English language. When her stepfather retired, the family settled in Florida, where Maddie graduated from the University of South Florida with a BA in English Lit. After a brief freelance journalism career, Maddie side-tracked into the business world, eventually founding and building a successful security integration firm. After selling her company, it was time to return to her first passion of writing. Her combined love for dogs and children prompted two early readers: the award-winning Ethel the Backyard Dog, and Sammy the Lucky Dog. Focus soon shifted to creative nonfiction. Her essays have been published in various journals and anthologies, and she has recently completed a memoir.
