Tuesday, March 18, 2014

A Book About Being Saved by Gracie...

As a writer, I'm always thrilled to support other writers. Standing behind another writer and cheering them on is just the way it should be done. When Jan Dunlap asked me to read her new book, Saved by Gracie, which will be released in April, I was excited to get an advanced copy. When I read what it was about, it interested me even more.

I've always been an animal lover and was raised with dogs, so I'm particularly fond of them. I had the opportunity in my former career in social services to work with service dogs as well, so I know the difference they can make in people's lives. When a housekeeper who worked with a former client of mine refused to enter the house when she saw the client's little Miniature Pinscher, we worked with her gradually to help her to see the dog was actually very sweet. I admired her for her courage because people have fears for a reason.

After a short time, the housekeeper and the dog were the best of friends - and her entire attitude changed. She was so proud to overcome her fear, make a new furry friend, and work with a great client in the process.

When I saw Jan's book was about not only getting over her fear of dogs, but beating an anxiety she had, I was even more intrigued to read it. As she states on her website:
"My first humorous memoir, Saved by Gracie, will be published in April 2014 by Authentic Publishers. It’s the story of how our adopted rescued dog helped me overcome a growing anxiety disorder, which was really quite a surprise, since my fear of dogs was one of my biggest anxieties to begin with. I wanted my publisher to subtitle it “How an unwanted dog dragged me kicking and screaming back to health, happiness, and God, and why I blame my husband and daughter for making me one of those people who talks for their dog,” but he said we could probably shorten that up a bit."
So, here's to Jan, her new book, her new outlook, and dealing with anxiety on top of it...and doing it all with a great deal of humor. After writing several murder mysteries that involved birds and now writing about a dog that changed her she said: "So now you might say that while my mysteries are for the birds, my career has gone to the dogs. Life is just full of surprises, isn’t it?"
Photo of Book Cover Courtesy of Jan Dunlap.