Never Mind (Duke the Deaf Dog Series)
It took more than 40 years to make this book!
I don’t mean I worked on it for forty years straight. Truth is, the seed of Never Mind was planted in my brain on Christmas Eve of 2018. Which is a completely different story I plan to tell soon.
In elementary school, my younger sister and I made homemade comic books featuring dogs and cats. I wrote the words, and she drew the illustrations. Think Garfield meets Snoopy. I wish I had saved one just so I could show you a photo for comparison. Trust me when I admit they were pretty bad. We believed that when we grew up she’d be an artist, and I’d be an author.
Well, Theresa realized her artist dreams much earlier than I did. You already know that my first mystery book was published this year in April. My sister has been making gorgeous painted murals and illustrations for years, while I worked to become an ASL interpreter.
I’m thrilled that after all this time we were able to put it all together on this project. You’re going to love her illustrations! The detailed facial expressions, ASL signs and little extras are charming.
You’ll also get to see the work of my friends who contributed to the bonus features on the book. Amy Willman, an instructor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, demonstrated the ASL signs in the book and also is featured on the bonus videos. Robert Chadwick, a rock concert photographer, lent his camera skills to capturing all the photos for the book.
The story idea was inspired by a friend named Chris Grassmeyer who’s the mother of four sons, one of whom, Max, is Deaf. Like any mom, she wanted to include all of her children in her family’s everyday life.
If someone in your family experiences deafness or hearing loss, you know that often people don’t take the time to repeat something they’ve said, or to sign or speak face to face so that they can understand you better. If you have a story of this happening to you or your family and you want to share it, please comment below. Or maybe you made a similar house rule to the one in the book. You can comment in English or ASL and I’d truly love to see your experiences and (with your permission), share them with other readers.
Enjoy the first book in this series!
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.