Surprise! It's a Book!
Plus a retreat to help dogs, a book marketing class, how to help teens, & a foster update.
In today’s news, animal shelter workers and rescuers in south Georgia are invited to a recharge retreat, there is a comrehensive resource on book marketing for soon-to-be authors, a famous comedian helps teens understand emotions, and an unexpected photo of a former foster dog made my day.
But first a story…
STORY PAUSE
I’m delighted, excited, and terrified to announce that my debut book, “Mom Loves the Dogs More: A Memoir of Family Rescue” will launch this September.
What you will read is not the book I set out to write. My family was four dogs into a six-dog fostering commitment when people around me began commenting, “I could never foster. I could never let them go.” Rather than repeat the same response that “yes, you can,” I imagined writing a book to serve as my rebuttal. With that first flicker of light, I began journaling about our fostering experience. I attended writing classes, nudged words into paragraphs, and rearranged paragraphs into pages of double-spaced lines.
A few early readers loved the dog stories. One even intimated that I was the next James Herriot. My ego soared. I envisioned people lining up at tables for an autograph, books flying off bookstore shelves. My brief writer’s journey would make me the anomaly of the writer’s world. I would be the first to bypass the shitty first draft and climb right to fame.
Two readers with writing experience and skills to match red-lined my manuscript and filled their own blank pages with recommendations. Both arrived at the same conclusion. My book was too focused on a niche market. They challenged me to write the bigger story, the one I had hidden, not so completely, between the lines.
That story centered on “why” we began to foster dogs. The short answer was that I longed to return to the happily ever after family we’d been before our beloved family pet died. I surmised that if we replaced her, we’d heal our grief. Happy would return.
Little did I realize that Sierra’s death had turned up the knob on an already simmering pot. Our family who had collaborated on choosing Sierra could not agree on which dog to adopt. Emotions were boiling over. I tried to curb the chaos with distraction. I committed our family to fostering for a pet rescue rather than adopting one dog. Surely a parade of pups would temper our grief, reunite our family, and end the sibling squabbles over which dog would best replace our long-time companion.
But the emotional tsunamis, slamming doors, and “I hate yous” continued with a ferocity that felt atypical for teens. Finally, intensive evaluations concluded that both girls were struggling with anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
Managing my daughters’ mental health and restoring their confidence became my mission, sending me stumbling down a path of self-discovery to become the mother they needed. I could have ended our fostering commitment but didn’t. The healing power of dogs had become the tether keeping our family bond from unraveling as the kids spiraled out of control.
With story arc developed and manuscript written, I began to query literary agents. I had been warned in writing classes to stay the course. It could take 200 rejections before landing an agent, especially with a memoir written by a non-celebrity.
I steeled my will through 100 rejections, using the waiting time to meet with authors – traditionally published and self-published, to have my manuscript professionally edited, and to take classes. When a promising publishing lead evaporated while I was in the middle of Lainey Cameron’s 12 Weeks to Book Marketing program, Lainey and my classmates picked me up. Their support was like the clouds parting after a storm. From their light my confidence grew.
My new goal is to self-publish my memoir September 25, 2025 – a date so exacting as to be anxiety inducing. Yet I thrive on deadlines.
As I work through my checklist with 300 lines and growing, one big to-do is the cover design.
I’m curious what cover image came to mind when you read the title and backstory? Please, please, please add a comment below!
RETREAT TO HELP DOGS JUNE 7: PLEASE SHARE
If you are an animal shelter worker, rescuer, volunteer, change maker, government official, community member, or just want to see better welfare for dogs, join me and Who Will Let The Dogs Out on June 7 for a one-day event to learn, collaborate, support, and network. The shelter crisis is real, but we are Stronger Together. Tifton, Georgia (USA), 8:00-4:00 ET.
THE BEST BOOK MARKETING CLASS EVERY AUTHOR NEEDS
Lainey Cameron’s 12 Weeks to Book Launch Success Program is worth it’s weight in gold. Lainey is a speed-talking dynamo with a willingness to share everything one needs to know about marketing a book, including how to wade through the weeds to find what works for one’s style and preferences. Be sure to allot time to watch, to read, and to ponder the plethora of material. (I am warning you. Lainey does not hold back when sharing information!) You’ll also want to commit time to build comradery with classmates. Some pretty amazing authors showed up in my class! If you aren’t ready to dive in, get to know Lainey through her Best of Book Marketing Podcast.
HOW TO HELP TEENS MANAGE EMOTIONS
Christopher Pepper ranks as one of my go-to writers for capturing the essence of adolescence in his Teen Health Today newsletter. The May 15, 2025, issue spotlights a series of videos focused on a variety of mental health topics from understanding the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviors, to managing intense emotions, to relaxation skills. The videos, part of the Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids series, were made in collaboration with comedian Hari Kondabolu and the Child Mind Institute. So good!
FOSTER UPDATE
Wriggly, a spunky golden fella who looks like a cross between a yellow lab and pug, filled our foster home nearly a decade ago with a playful energy that rivaled residents Margo and Rascal. Toy boxes were emptied, squeakers eviscerated, and rope toys shredded. He was adopted by the parents of Mia’s good friend, Michelle, after a robust campaign by the two. I get frequent updates about Wrigs—the only child in an empty nest. Is he spoiled? The recent photo of a peaceful pup sleeping on a silk pillow may not seem unusual to most until one learns that all his predecessors had been relegated to heated outdoor pens.
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Cover photo? I see you holding your daughters and the group is encircled by dogs. It doesn't have to be an actual photo but an illustration would be lovely.
Cindy, I am so excited to read your memoir! It sounds right up my alley. Thank you for sharing your publishing journey as well. I hope to follow in those footsteps, if I ever get back to writing my own memoir 👀