You Have a Story to Tell

When I began to write Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog on January 1, 2007, I knew the entertaining stories about my life with a mystical, stubborn beyond belief, and hilarious Scottish terrier would appeal to others. Before deciding to pick up a pen, or sit down at a computer and let the creative juices flow, you should know something. To become the author of a successful book about your life, you must have a compelling story to tell; one that will capture and hold the interest of readers from beginning to end. No matter how well written, a book about the life and times of the Bulgarian snail probably won’t capture the attention of large audience.

Each one of your lives is unique and contains stories that only you can tell. Perhaps about your childhood, good or bad, a heartbreaking romance, dysfunction family, or even about a special relationship with an extraordinary pet. Whether you know it or not, you have a story to tell.

Life with McDuff is about my Scottish terrier therapy dog, but my life is in it, too. I wrote about a domestic violence incident and a life-saving brilliant white light and the bitter divorce that followed. One of the valuable life lessons that McDuff taught me came during that turbulent time. He taught me how to forgive and get on with life.

I wrote about my mother’s home invasion, lengthy hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit, and the heartache of disconnecting life support. Asking one person to decide when or whether another person lives or dies is a lot to ask. A precedent-setting jury trial with cameras in the courtroom, AP and local television news coverage, and reporters waiting outside the courtroom with bright lights and cameras followed.

After the loss of my job, I told about the cross-country trip from Columbus, Ohio, to Henderson, Nevada, with my son and McDuff. All of those events happened within a year’s time period.

McDuff was with me every step of the way during those hard times providing his special brand of therapy. When life literally beat me down to the ground, he was there to press his furry body against mine and lick the tears from my face.

McDuff’s outstanding therapy dog work in Las Vegas and Henderson landed us on television and the front page of newspapers. Nine years of my life on a journey with an extraordinary dog provided my compelling story. Look at your life. Do you have a story to tell?