I have always been a writer, most often at times of turbulence and transition. I was on my high school literary magazine and kept a journal from my teen years forward. As a school administrator I did a lot of boring writing--newsletters, reports, etc. Only upon retirement did I find the time to be creative and I love it!

I adopted my dog, Foxy, after my husband's first brain surgery, to be a companion for him when I went back to school that fall. I immediately took a great interest in figuring out Foxy's point of view about everything. What did he see, think and feel as we were out on our walks and hanging out at home? He was so timid when we brought him home from the shelter, what had his first two years been like? How had he been harmed? The writing started as my attempt to create a backstory and reveal what Foxy might be thinking about his humans and the world. It ended up tracing our journey through illness and loss, along with a lot of dog-centric humor. How DO we stand on our two hind legs all day without getting really tired?

It was simply time to do it. Foxy will be 13 this year. I knew that a lot of agents and publishers turn up their noses at dog-narrated stories. I happened to meet D. Patrick Miller of Fearless Books, who clearly had the skills I lacked to design a book. That was it!

I'm still at the beginning of this journey. Having the book available for all e-book platforms is a big plus.

When I'm in "the zone" and the words are flowing, new ideas are coming out of nowhere, and I'm not aware of time passing. It's a great place to be.

Everything. All the people who tell me their stories about how their pets have changed their lives, given them hope and comfort--every one makes publishing this book worth the effort. Some early readers while I was still revising told me my book had changed the way they looked at their pets. Getting people to be open to the feelings and experiences of others, even their animals, is a big deal to me. I believe it leads to more tolerance and compassion.

I have quite a few humorous essays I'd like to get published, I'm working on my poetry, and percolating ideas about a non-fiction self-help book. Check out my website: www.lenorehirsch.com.