A Sundae Lost & Giveaway! (guest post by author Heather Muzik)

I guess the problem started long ago…. You see, I have always loved miniature things. My good friend Sam would tell me that I have the “little disease.” When I was young, I collected Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Herself the Elf? Had her too. Oh, and those 80’s fashion dolls, Glamour Gals, that were like tiny mutant  Barbies—loved them! Teensy shoes, wee wardrobes, bitty brushes—I even had a palm-size baby doll. I had so many wonderful mini childhood treasures... and that brings me to the crux of the matter: a tiny doll named Caramellie and her little sundae-shaped house. My favorite toy ever and the impetus for Cat’s riotous adventure in 2 Days ‘Til Sundae. 

I am certainly not Catherine, but she is a part of me—the part that has a sentimental streak a mile wide and a penchant for the dramatic. And like her, I know how it feels to lose what you thought was safely stored away. When I graduated from high school and left home for college, I didn’t realize that I would never go back to Jersey, so I left many things behind. I hopped a plane to GA with the clothes on my back and a couple of suitcases in baggage and shipped the rest of what I truly needed through UPS. I was eighteen at the time, living in a dorm; I couldn’t bring along my younger self and all her collections! And then I was married and living in a tiny apartment; I didn’t have room for all those memories! But by the time we moved into a real house, with an attic and extra rooms, it was already too late. It turns out that one person’s treasure is actually another person’s trash—sounds a lot less hopeful and promising that way, doesn’t it?

So I can relate to Catherine’s plight. And further, I can certainly attest to getting the occasional post-auction crazies when someone snags a win out of my clutches in the last seconds, although as of this point I have never actually hopped a plane to claim what I feel is rightfully mine…. In that respect I have to envy Cat’s guts and gumption, and I sure enjoyed going along for the ride. 

To be fair to my parents, even though many of my treasures are still MIA to this day, how can I hold a grudge when 2 Days was born out of that loss?  Besides, it turns out that my Caramellie has finally been accounted for. It seems she’s been “homeless” and naked (probably since the 80’s—it was a wild time), living in a box (a Herself the Elf box) with several other tiny misfit dolls. She deserves better.

Now I find myself closer to Cat than ever, trolling the antiques and garage sale circuits and searching eBay late at night, in hopes of finding a new or used sundae house. Meanwhile Caramellie waits patiently in a place of honor on a bookshelf in my office, reminding me that sometimes a story can come from the most unlikely of places…. And that “little disease” I mentioned earlier? That is alive and well and manifests itself in a quasi-obsession with Christmas ornaments. ;-)

An EXTRA huge thank you to Heather Muzik for providing the above post for me today!   I have reviewed each of Heather's books here on the blog:  Celia's Journey, 2 Days til Sundae (via the pre-release ebook) and Apathetic (via the pre-release ebook).  I am excited to announce that 2 Days Til Sundae will be officially released in paperback on Tuesday, October 18, 2011.  (But you can totally get it now with the link I provided - shhhh!!)

Heather has generously agreed to giveaway a signed copy of 2 Days til Sundae here on Family, Scrapbooks and Coffee!!   The contest opens today and closes 10/17/11 at 11:59 p.m.  The winner will be chosen on 10/18/11 via Random.org and the winner notified that day via email.