Welcome 2025. At this time each year, I feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted from me. Despite all the mental minefields carefully curated in my Museum of Magical Memories that are highlighted during the holiday season, I still honor, celebrate and respect the season, but welcome the lightness of the world as we inch toward warmer and longer days.
I spent more time on some online private sites for those widowed during the holiday season; a safe place in which to hang with those who unfortunately understand the complexity of widowhood; a space to commiserate, vent, lend support and encouragement and sometimes even offer a dose of much-needed levity.
What struck me recently on these sites was the number of widowed that shared how important their pets were to their emotional well-being. It was overwhelming to see the photos and testimonials about how these cats and dogs were the reason many got by day by day during the holidays and year-round. While we know that being among humans is necessary and is encouraged, when that is not possible due to weather constraints, health issues or just days when it is hard to get through, these animals are truly a source of comfort and offer a mental safety net, getting us to the “next step” or just through to the next day.
I personally know this to be true as I’m currently in the query/submission process for a memoir based on my bond with a dog named Quint who came in to my life just seven weeks after the passing of my husband, Rich. The story told in this proposed work covers the period of late October 2021 when Rich passed to present. In its writing, I’ve relived many events and have tracked my progress over the past three years, no easy task.
I say proposed because when seeking to be traditionally published with a memoir, not only do you need a complete manuscript, but you must also have a completely polished Full Proposal that includes a marketing plan, competitive titles, chapter outline and summaries as well as sample chapters. This must all be summed up in a compelling 300-word query letter which is a “sales pitch” presented to literary agents and/or directly to editors at publishing houses to garner genuine interest.
I started formulating my Full Proposal and the writing of this book a year ago. I remember getting to the 3,000 word count point and thinking only 60,000 more words to go! It was a slow process due to the passing of my mother in February and subsequent matters that needed my attention, but I prevailed and now as I continue to edit, I will most likely land at the 65,000 word mark which is ideal for this genre.
Writing a memoir is not an easy process, but in its development, I know I’ve grown as a writer and as someone who approaches writing with a better sense of the business of publishing. A book must not only be well-written, it must make money for the publisher. Inherent in my writing is the quest to share my experience and positivity with others, and the power of the human-canine bond, that are struggling with the loss of their spouses and once-presumed life partners. My tag-line could be, “Making “Sirius” subjects light”.
I know that Quint, and the other dogs that share my life, give me a purpose and direction; I can’t imagine life without them. In the word memoir is found the word “me” because it is a story that is mostly about the author. But, in honoring this little dog that became my life line, I think I’ve written a we-moir, because it is a story of “We”.
In our time together, Quint who was born nearly totally blind, has flown from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL with me, taken a road trip from St. Marys, GA to my home state of New Jersey and now has adjusted beautifully to Central Florida, navigating unfamiliar unpaved trails with ease, much like his dog-mom.
Of course this is all lost on Quint, but he’s not lost on me. Our dogs teach us to live with what we’ve been given, for better or worse, and to live in the moment at hand.
Happy First Saturday of a Blank Canvas. Have a good productive new day, followed by one more…and then another…
