Congratulations on Lady and her puppies! She seems to be one cool dog. The fact she potty trained herself is a bit convenient, because the few dogs my family had were a bit difficult to train at times. Her wild, can't be closed in nature reminds me of a cat who always hangs around the cafe I work at. She doesn't harm anyone but it seems she has no wish to be domesticated and prefers to wander free.
I'm also happy for you to start your new book. Good luck! Is it fantasy or maybe another thing like Young World? (maybe there's murder mystery in it lol) And speaking of which, do you think you'll ever return to worlds like SGE and Young World via spin offs or short story collections/novellas or do you treat them as completed/laid to rest?
Thank you ❤️ I’ll reveal the genre in time… I would love to do more Younh Worlds but they’re huge efforts so it would need to be a pretty big haha. SGE is like home so you never know. I think cats are incredible at wilding. We have a bunch of stray ones up in the barn and they are such wily survivors
I had a dog named Grizzly who unfortunately died at three years due to kidney failure. We don't know why since none of her siblings died of kidney failure but her owners told us a few years later that her mother had gotten pregnant again with another male dog so we took her half sister. Her half sister named Ruby ( Yes after the ruby slippers) and they're so much of Grizzly in her despite the fact she doesn't dance like Grizzly did, she frolicks throughout the house and she loves her ball versus stuffed animals. Ruby is still kicking and I had another dog named Lola who I got at maybe 8 who lived until my twenties. Dogs are amazing because to them we are their entire life well they are only a fraction of ours. It's unfair and yet that's why we say all dogs go to heaven
Lady sounds like a wonderful dog! One of my favourite things to think about is how as humans we are so used to communicating through spoken or gestured or written language, language where everything has a definition that we understand, but our pets don't and yet we still know their personalities so well. My dog, Freddy, is the most extroverted animal I can think of. If he can hear people talking with any kind of emotion he wants to be in the room. His favourite person in the world is my brother's girlfriend because when she's at our house she gives him so much attention. He is also sneaky. He likes to get paper towels out of the garbage and if you leave the kitchen and there's food on the counter, the food will be gone by the time you come back (we have tried to train him to not do that, but by this point, we just make sure there's either someone watching the food or the food is far from the edge). One of his favourite games to play is hide and seek, where we hide one of his favourite types of treats (a greenie) while he sits in the other room, then we tell him to go find it and you can hear him sniffing as he searches for it. I can tell when he's happy and when he's sad (without just looking at his tail). I think the world today underestimates the importance of body language in human communication when our understanding of our pets proves how important body language is! When people try to communicate with others that don't speak the same language they say there is a huge barrier to understanding, yet we can spend a day at a friend's house and get a pretty good understanding of their pet's personality, likes, and wants. I think we could learn a lot about communication if we all decided to try to learn from how we interact with our animals.
i've never had a pet! (aside from two miniature turtles who ran away when i lived in japan; yes, i know it sounds funny. i'm sure there's a future picture book idea in there for me someday.)
alas, i am in the "final" round of edits on my mg for my agent before i send it to my "final" round of betas before we go out on sub....
and while i love it (or maybe used to?)... i almost feel like i don't recognize it any more? like, is this even the book i started writing three years ago? & it's been trimmed and cleaned and edited and so many subplots sucked out... is this even how i write?
so i'm anxious to "birth" (gross) the new book.... at least get to goo going on that rubbish first draft.... and looking forward to this one being out on sub so i can move on for now... :)
as to how YOU should feel? nothing but EXCITED.
you've done it before, and you can do it again. you get to invent and create and you know we know you keep your mind & body in such health that this mental exercise of chaos and inspiration and intricacy of character and worlds shall come together in an arful explosion of something NEW to you and to us, your avid supporters and readers.
also: please to give the puppies a hug for us. i wish i had a farm to bring one home to. but i'm more the put-a-sweater-it-imaginary-city-doggie kind of gal. :)
Lady sounds so lovely. What a grand life she has had! I'm curious about your decision to breed her vs. give her other purpose, and what will become of the puppies. Will you keep them? I have spent much of my 30s volunteering in dog rescue (fostering, placing, etc.) and I truly ask from a place of curiosity, not judgement. Animals (mostly dogs :)) have taught me everything about love, joy, forgiveness, and faith. It's both humbling and inspiring to watch how they move through life with belief in good.
The reason we bred her is we would like her to have a true family. So one will live on the farm with her for sure. The other 3 we are planning to give to family and friends on neighboring farms so she can visit her other kids any day she likes!
The story of Lady finding her way out of the apartment--she's like a raptor! I love her personality and can't wait to see these fierce puppies in action.
Congratulations! Your house is sure to be filled with puppy-energy for a long time.
I have always valued my mom's stories about her horse who she described as her 'heart animal', your animal soulmate. I'm told he was silly, stubborn, (haughty if she did not deign to appear before him too many days in a row) and genuinely looked out for her. In his own (horse-way) she realized she could leave a bad relationship. When she found the love of her life they decided to adopt two children because she knew that love was no a product of genetics.
Animals have a lot to teach us about unconditional love and acceptance and in that way, I wish we as a society, as a species, could be more like them.
On the book, however, I understand if you have conflicting feelings. It's a new beginning, but that means it's also an end. Take time to appreciate the masterpiece that you've made, and know that even if this new book is a struggle, it's worth it. Not just for the world, but for you.
You basically raised two dogs with Sophie and Agatha personalities
Congratulations on Lady and her puppies! She seems to be one cool dog. The fact she potty trained herself is a bit convenient, because the few dogs my family had were a bit difficult to train at times. Her wild, can't be closed in nature reminds me of a cat who always hangs around the cafe I work at. She doesn't harm anyone but it seems she has no wish to be domesticated and prefers to wander free.
I'm also happy for you to start your new book. Good luck! Is it fantasy or maybe another thing like Young World? (maybe there's murder mystery in it lol) And speaking of which, do you think you'll ever return to worlds like SGE and Young World via spin offs or short story collections/novellas or do you treat them as completed/laid to rest?
Thank you ❤️ I’ll reveal the genre in time… I would love to do more Younh Worlds but they’re huge efforts so it would need to be a pretty big haha. SGE is like home so you never know. I think cats are incredible at wilding. We have a bunch of stray ones up in the barn and they are such wily survivors
I had a dog named Grizzly who unfortunately died at three years due to kidney failure. We don't know why since none of her siblings died of kidney failure but her owners told us a few years later that her mother had gotten pregnant again with another male dog so we took her half sister. Her half sister named Ruby ( Yes after the ruby slippers) and they're so much of Grizzly in her despite the fact she doesn't dance like Grizzly did, she frolicks throughout the house and she loves her ball versus stuffed animals. Ruby is still kicking and I had another dog named Lola who I got at maybe 8 who lived until my twenties. Dogs are amazing because to them we are their entire life well they are only a fraction of ours. It's unfair and yet that's why we say all dogs go to heaven
I love how you think about their short life as a gift. How beautiful.
I'll take that as a compliment from my favorite author because everyone calls me pessimistic
Lady sounds like a wonderful dog! One of my favourite things to think about is how as humans we are so used to communicating through spoken or gestured or written language, language where everything has a definition that we understand, but our pets don't and yet we still know their personalities so well. My dog, Freddy, is the most extroverted animal I can think of. If he can hear people talking with any kind of emotion he wants to be in the room. His favourite person in the world is my brother's girlfriend because when she's at our house she gives him so much attention. He is also sneaky. He likes to get paper towels out of the garbage and if you leave the kitchen and there's food on the counter, the food will be gone by the time you come back (we have tried to train him to not do that, but by this point, we just make sure there's either someone watching the food or the food is far from the edge). One of his favourite games to play is hide and seek, where we hide one of his favourite types of treats (a greenie) while he sits in the other room, then we tell him to go find it and you can hear him sniffing as he searches for it. I can tell when he's happy and when he's sad (without just looking at his tail). I think the world today underestimates the importance of body language in human communication when our understanding of our pets proves how important body language is! When people try to communicate with others that don't speak the same language they say there is a huge barrier to understanding, yet we can spend a day at a friend's house and get a pretty good understanding of their pet's personality, likes, and wants. I think we could learn a lot about communication if we all decided to try to learn from how we interact with our animals.
And yes — I could write a whole diary on body language. You are so astute to pull on that thread…
I was deprived to not have my first true pet until later in life. I’ve learned so much from Lady. Sometimes I just tear up looking into her eyes.
i've never had a pet! (aside from two miniature turtles who ran away when i lived in japan; yes, i know it sounds funny. i'm sure there's a future picture book idea in there for me someday.)
alas, i am in the "final" round of edits on my mg for my agent before i send it to my "final" round of betas before we go out on sub....
and while i love it (or maybe used to?)... i almost feel like i don't recognize it any more? like, is this even the book i started writing three years ago? & it's been trimmed and cleaned and edited and so many subplots sucked out... is this even how i write?
so i'm anxious to "birth" (gross) the new book.... at least get to goo going on that rubbish first draft.... and looking forward to this one being out on sub so i can move on for now... :)
as to how YOU should feel? nothing but EXCITED.
you've done it before, and you can do it again. you get to invent and create and you know we know you keep your mind & body in such health that this mental exercise of chaos and inspiration and intricacy of character and worlds shall come together in an arful explosion of something NEW to you and to us, your avid supporters and readers.
also: please to give the puppies a hug for us. i wish i had a farm to bring one home to. but i'm more the put-a-sweater-it-imaginary-city-doggie kind of gal. :)
The messiness of birth is so much part of it!! Don’t shy away. It’s essential. Thank you for always being a source of light in the comments!
🥰💖 i’ll work my “letting it be messy!” well said, as ever!! 😄🖋️🧼
Lady sounds so lovely. What a grand life she has had! I'm curious about your decision to breed her vs. give her other purpose, and what will become of the puppies. Will you keep them? I have spent much of my 30s volunteering in dog rescue (fostering, placing, etc.) and I truly ask from a place of curiosity, not judgement. Animals (mostly dogs :)) have taught me everything about love, joy, forgiveness, and faith. It's both humbling and inspiring to watch how they move through life with belief in good.
The reason we bred her is we would like her to have a true family. So one will live on the farm with her for sure. The other 3 we are planning to give to family and friends on neighboring farms so she can visit her other kids any day she likes!
The story of Lady finding her way out of the apartment--she's like a raptor! I love her personality and can't wait to see these fierce puppies in action.
Congratulations! Your house is sure to be filled with puppy-energy for a long time.
I have always valued my mom's stories about her horse who she described as her 'heart animal', your animal soulmate. I'm told he was silly, stubborn, (haughty if she did not deign to appear before him too many days in a row) and genuinely looked out for her. In his own (horse-way) she realized she could leave a bad relationship. When she found the love of her life they decided to adopt two children because she knew that love was no a product of genetics.
Animals have a lot to teach us about unconditional love and acceptance and in that way, I wish we as a society, as a species, could be more like them.
Congrats to Lady❤️ it's absolutely incredible how instinct takes over and the mother immediately knows what to do❤️
Congrats on the pups!
On the book, however, I understand if you have conflicting feelings. It's a new beginning, but that means it's also an end. Take time to appreciate the masterpiece that you've made, and know that even if this new book is a struggle, it's worth it. Not just for the world, but for you.