A Tale of Two Oklahoma Authors by Allison Eldredge

A Tale of Two Oklahoma Authors

by ALLISON ELDREDGE

Oklahoma is full of creative people. We don’t always think about writers when we think of creativity… but writers are unique.

Hannah Hurdle, a native of Oklahoma, grew up in Cushing and attended college in Stillwater. She now lives near Edmond with her husband, son, and four dogs: Bear, Zilla, Kaya and Hazel.

Elizabeth Smith, a transplant to Oklahoma, grew up in Canada. She now lives near Sapulpa with her husband, two sons, dog Junie, and a flock of chickens; including one named Hazel.

When Hannah was in college, she took a creative writing class to fill a credit void and not really as something needed for her degree in Health Education. However, this class sparked something in her. She had always been good at writing term papers and her friends took advantage of her gift by having her “help” write their papers. After taking the class, she realized she could write a children’s book. She jotted down ideas on slips of paper and sticky notes.

Knowing that it is best to write about what you know, Hannah realized just how much personality Hazel and Kaya had. What might seem like normal behavior to her pups, could lead to some really great writing material.

Hazel and Kaya are around eight years old and are Timberwolf/Malamute mix. They are big, furry, and fun. Hannah decided to write about the adventure they could have had when they ran away from home. What would those girls have seen or experienced? How did they get back home?

Pups on the Run was written and ready for Hannah to submit to publishers. Some wanted her to send via email, some wanted her to submit her history, some wanted her to send in this or that and Hannah realized that it wasn’t as easy as she had expected. But she didn’t stop. Doodle and Peck is an Oklahoma publishing company and Hannah excitedly sent her story in, feeling that this was the perfect place for her stories. From there it took about a year to get everything lined up and corrected and resubmitted before it was accepted. Doodle and Peck lined up an Oklahoman to illustrate her story. In 2020, it was published. Her book is sold online at DoodleadPeck. com, Amazon.com; and in several Cushing stores; such as the Copper Penny, Farmhouse Salon, Veterinary Medical Associates, and Pet Paw Spa.

Hannah has been to several schools to read her story. She stated that students have the best questions and al-