Hi everyone – I had thought that my update for the month of
September would be to fill you in on my book status and when the fourth book in
the series might be available, or how the writer’s conference went or even how
my own book event turned out.
But I’m writing now, sooner than I expected to, in order to
share the saddest news to you from my author self. I’ve suffered another loss, and this time it
has affected me in a way I hadn’t put any thought in to when I first began to
write my mystery series.
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| Piper - using her paw to get my attention |
I’ve shared with you in previous posts about my dog, Piper,
who has dealt with some health issues the past few months. Piper is also the only “real” character in my
mystery series and I have thoroughly enjoyed adding her cuteness to the
personality of her fictional alter ego.
Sadly, the issues that continued to plague Piper came back
with a vengeance this past week. We
attempted another surgery to remove the infection, and a new mass in her neck,
but I’m heartbroken to share that a few days after surgery, complications arose
and there was nothing more we could do. I was with her when she passed, I’m so thankful for that, but saying
goodbye was gut wrenching for me. She
was my little shadow, my muse, my writing buddy (always lying on the floor in
the office with me when I was plugging away these past five years) and her
absence will be felt…Every. Single. Day.
When I first began writing this series and decided to add
Piper as a character, I never thought about what it would mean to me if something
ever happened to her. Whether or not I
could continue to write about her, no longer having her by my side. Whether I could continue to share her
personality traits or quirks in the series, when I wasn’t around her to see
them firsthand every day.
Whether I’d want
to continue to share parts of her with others, when I couldn’t have her here
for myself.
These thoughts had never occurred to me…
Admittedly, as I review my latest novel and read over what I
wrote about Piper in the story, it’s difficult. I want her here, with me. Admittedly,
it’s only been two days and I need some time to heal. However, when I sat down today to work on my
book, and as I let myself become immersed in the story, something happened I
did not expect. It felt good to read
about her. It felt good to imagine her healthy…hanging
out with her owner, going for walks, playing outside, riding in a vehicle. Doing what dogs do, rather than how I’ve seen
her the past few months due to her illness.
And I felt her here, with me.
She’s no longer physically here with me, but she will always
be by my side, in spirit at least. As a “character”
in my series, the memory of her will continue to live on through my books, and
because of that, she will live forever.
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