A Bark Of Love

If you’ve read any of the Sister World Novels you’ll notice the dogs. It’s obvious how much I love animals, especially dogs. There is a reason.

I don’t remember how old I was, neither do I remember why I was so sad. I hate crying in front of people. I hate it even more if it’s someone in my family. I’ve been known to climb out bathroom windows to find a good place to hide. Part of this may be that I can’t make a coherent sentence when I cry, no matter what I’m crying about. Maybe you feel like this too. I’d like to know I’m not the only one. Anyway back to dogs. Back then I lived in a small older home with a large farmers sink that sat pretty far out from the wall. The cupboards on either side had drawers that also didn’t go to the wall. For whatever reason, I was crying and there was no escaping the house. Small and skinny, I opened the door and managed to fit behind the pipes and the drawers. My cheerio box fit too. Munching on my treat, I suddenly heard a soft whining. I was worried Chipper, our dog, would give me away and I was enjoying the silent moments. I opened the door to shew him away. Chipper, so called because his beautiful white fur had round chocolate spots, had a better idea. I’ll never know how he did it, but somehow he managed to crawl inside. I could even close the door. He put his head on my shoulder, whined softly and enjoyed the cereal too. He understood me, he cried with me and made me feel less alone. I’ve thought of him in some of my saddest moments. You can’t buy love like that. He’ll always own a special place in my heart, just like I hope Spirit (Sister World) will find a place in yours.

AUDIO BOOKS

Submitted.

OMG, I’ve done it. All the files, covers and details for my audio book are complete. I watched my pocketbook shrink, but this feeling is priceless. Having Dark Night Of The Soul recognized by the American Legacy awards is a really big deal to me. My heart and soul went into every page. I told my 7th grade English teacher that I wanted to be a writer. It took 42 years, a close encounter with death and many life changing moments to make that dream come true. Mrs. Lanoue, if you read this, I’ve never forgotten you. Sometimes I wonder what the 17 year old me would say to me, what would I say to her. Would she tell me to follow my friends and go to California. Jeffrey, a very talented musician, sexy too, invited to be the lead singer in his band. Obviously I didn’t go. Was this a missed opportunity, a chance to follow my other dreams, or a lucky escape from unknown dangers? What would I tell me when I was making that decision? Would I tell her to avoid the people and things that hurt me? Even now, approaching 70, I can say that avoiding the things that came as I aged, may have lead me to things far worse. Unanswerable questions will always be unanswered. I don’t think there’s one clear path, there is only the one we choose.

I have to get back to my books. All my characters faced difficult choices. I had them make the choices that I hope I would have made. Life has a way of sneaking into our art. Now for the somewhat funny moment. The other choices my characters could have made would have made for very boring books.

There are so many things I could say. The things that hurt me blessed me in ways I didn’t expect. Being poor made me realize how little value money has. Thinking I wouldn’t wake up, made me realize how much I wanted to look into my husband, my babies face meant to me. Taking many years to have my son, made me learn that all children are ours. Facing possible death taught me how strong I am. When I held my child in my arms I learned the value of life. Some say it takes almost losing your life to learn how to live. For me, it did. We are temporary. Live your best life, even when it hurts. And today smile for me. You can never have enough smiles.

Book Descriptions

It’s funny, but for me it was easier to write books than to tell my readers what they’re about and don’t even ask me to talk about myself. I’ve done pretty good here but I actually hate doing it. It seems to me that when you talk about your life it can seem like you’re being overly dramatic. Most lives are lived, as is often said, in the quiet spaces between adventure and boredom. I was mostly on the side of being boring but then I learned that even a life lived quietly can have moments of deep anguish or joy, sometimes both. I knew I’d marry the man I’m still married to when I was seventeen. If you want to hear the fairy tale version, you’ll have to read fiction. It hasn’t been a fairy tale. What it has been is love, its triumphs and pain. He hurt me as no other could and I’m sure I returned the favor. No matter. He loved me and I know I returned that favor. He still makes me laugh. I do most of the laughing, he does most of the protecting. A fair exchange of abilities. It is in this relationship that I created the ones lived out by my characters. We aren’t easy. Complex and quite often perplexing, we struggle to find our place. I think this is true, though I won’t say this is something I know. The place we make for ourselves is not our destiny. I’s a complex cohesion of what we want, what we need, what we accept and what we’re forced to accept. To those who rise, you have my support and admiration, to those who accept the imperfections of those we love and those who find a way to move forward, I will forever be in your dept. I’ve heard that love is enough, but it must always start with loving who we are and who we need to be.