Two siblings, Tiffany and Tommy, share a bedroom on a snowy night. They hear footsteps. They dream of beagle pups. On Christmas morning, a moving box whimpers. Out pop two real beagles, Bella and Marley. This story came to me in a dream. I wrote the whole manuscript in under two hours, no outline, no plan. My only instruction to the editor was, “If you think it needs rewording, go ahead.” Every kid wants a pet for Christmas. Not getting one does not mean you cannot write about one.