This project is a collection of short stories, non-fiction, and poetry, most of which have been previously published in smaller, more regional journals or publications, or which have placed in various contests. I hold the copyright to each work included in this project. Individually and together, they mostly present snapshots of growing up in Appalachia, life in a world where children created their own entertainment in the days before home computers, mobile telephones, and video games; a time and place when family, faith, and friends meshed easily and pretty fully, despite what kind of people the people who attended the services really were. Dog Days and Dragonflies is a collection mostly about childhood and growing up, but with an adult perspective looking back; it is not a book for children, although most of it could be enjoyed and appreciated by mature Young Adult audiences.