It’s Thanksgiving Day and our kitchen is crazy, we all work together and no one is lazy…
That’s the beginning of a Thanksgiving tale penned by Wendy Haugh of Burnt Hills, who wrote the children’s story, “The Turkey Hunt,” 31 years ago. It was just published in the November issue of “Highlights for Children.”
“I’m very happy to see it in print, it’s a long time coming,” said Haugh. “The timing, I felt, was really about as good as it could get for this piece.”
When Haugh first wrote the short story in 1981, she was a new mother with little time to spend pitching to magazines or publishing companies. Two sons later, the Thanksgiving story had been all but forgotten.
“I don’t know how it happened but I was just so busy I never read the story to them,” said Haugh.
Now she has grandchildren, so Haugh dug out the story and sent it off to “Highlights,” an interactive magazine for kids that’s been around for more than 60 years. After trimming 800 words and adding miniature illustrations throughout, “The Turkey Hunt” is now a two-page spread.
“There are at least seven different characters so the artist had to draw small. There’s all these tiny people doing all the different things like preparing the meal, bustling with food, a 2-year-old playing with the dog,” said Haugh.
The gist of the story is that a turkey gets stolen and the family hunts to solve the mystery before Thanksgiving dinner is ruined. It’s written in verse and modeled after “The Night Before Christmas.”
This isn’t the first time Haugh’s work has graced the waiting rooms of doctor offices, sat on the magazine stands of grocery stores or adorned coffee tables.
She’s had articles, stories and poems for children and adults published in “Children’s Digest,” “Woman’s World Weekly” and more.
“It’s a mix. I’m very eclectic,” said Haugh.
She remembers her very first sale in 1979. It was an 11-word Secretary’s Day Card she sold to Hallmark for $75. Then came a short story for children in a religious magazine and seven poems and short stories for “Highlights.” One of her favorite self-imposed assignments is writing romances and mysteries for “Woman’s World Weekly.”
“Writing is fun but it’s work. Mysteries in particular are like a puzzle you have to put together,” said Haugh. “Something I feel like energizes my middle-aged brain.”
Her latest romantic short story, “The Perfect Christmas,” will appear in the upcoming issue of “Woman’s World Weekly.”
Getting paid to write is a perk for Haugh, not the reason she does it. It’s more the challenge and uncertainty that drives her.
“If you have that in you, that urge or whatever it is that makes one person want to write … it’s not a dollar value,” said Haugh. “Anything that you create and are able to get out in market somewhere is huge, it never diminishes, it never becomes less of a thrill or second nature.”
That’s not to say she doesn’t appreciate the rush she gets when finding a check in the mailbox.
“I received two writing checks in the mail on the same day, one for $500 and one for $1,” said Haugh. “It really was just as exciting getting the $1 check as the big check, to know I’d have something else published.”
She’s known since the age of 4 that she wanted to be a writer.
“I remember my Dad bringing me home this pad of yellow paper with a blue truck on it and a pencil. It was the coolest thing,” said Haugh. “I took it into my little desk in my bedroom, struck it there and thought ‘Now I’m a writer.’”
Her parents were both artistic and creative, so they nurtured her passion.
“We always had that environment where you were encouraged, not pushed,” said Haugh.
When she’s not writing, Haugh gives piano lessons.
“I always find I write best when I’m doing something in music and I feel like I’m a better music teacher when I’m writing,” said Haugh, who’s taught for 20 years. “They’re kind of a synergistic boost to one another.”
“Highlights for Children” can be found online, by subscription and is a staple of many doctor and dentist offices. It’s also a mainstay at the Haugh household.
“I’ve had a subscription myself for years,” said Haugh. “It’s nice for the grandchildren and students.”
