Release: I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet
Contact:
speak@ramblingdog.com
www.ramblingdogpublications.com
How do you navigate grief when a pet dies?
Can you imagine a way to mend a broken heart?
SOUTHPORT, CT— What do you say to a child whose dog, their best friend, is fatally injured by a car as the youngster watches? Confronted with this dilemma, a caring neighbor reaches into distant memories to recall a story of life and death imagined as a Big Play.
Unable to find solace within the grieving family, the child finds consolation in chats with an elderly neighbor. Together the pair explore the mystery of “why” bad things happen, feelings of blame and guilt, ghost dogs and animal souls. As anger shifts to acceptance, the youngster learns how to let go of hurt, honor the old dog, and imagine a future with a new pet. But neither neighbor imagines the surprising end of this journey through grief.
I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet unfolds through dialogue alone, inviting its readers to participate in the theme of “imagining” as the two protagonists grapple with the accident’s aftermath. “I deliberately left the genders and descriptive details of the child and the adult to the reader’s imagination to fill in,” says author Bonnie Kreitler. “Each reader participates in creating the story in their mind’s eye in ways that reflect their personal experiences of living, loving, and dying.
Magical Zentangle®-style dog illustrations by Carole Ohl of real life dogs who touched their owners lives in special ways carry the theme of imagining throughout the book’s pages.
Kreitler has written about animals for over 30 years. Her book 50 CAREERS WITH HORSES! was a bestseller in its niche. I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet is her first work of fiction.
Personal experiences of loss sent Kreitler on quest to understand how to deal with grief. She found much good information, most of it packaged into dense analytical volumes that were hard to process while dealing with this heavy emotion. Or they were intended to soothe children and offered little in the way of concrete suggestions to adults. She sensed a gap that need to be filled. At just 96-pages, I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED offers a quick read that Kreitler hopes will be comfort food for the bereaved. “The reader needn’t spend days getting from beginning to end. And the perspectives the characters explore offer food for thought. It is my sincere wish that anyone who loses a pet and reads this book will feel just a little bit better when they get to the end,” Kreitler says.
Book lovers can read the first chapter of the book, by going to www.IHeardYourDogDied.com (insert link to IHYDD page on web site) and signing up for the Rambling Dog Publications newsletter. Subscribers will be notified when the e-book version goes on sale and when the I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Story& Coloring Book featuring the full size Zentangle drawings suitable for coloring along with the stories of the real life dogs who inspired them is released.
About the Author:
Bonnie Kreitler began her writing and editing career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Time-Life Books while living in Virginia. After moving to Connecticut, she focused on writing and marketing services for the horse industry. Her award-winning book 50 CAREERS WITH HORSES! was a best seller in its niche. Bonnie returned to her publishing roots when she started Rambling Dog Publications with a mission to help animals help people. I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet is her first fiction work.
Bonnie is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Author’s Guild, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the New England Book Publishers Association.
Throughout her career, Bonnie has earned numerous awards for her work from groups including The Association for Women in Communications, The National Federation of Press Women, The Connecticut Press Club, American Horse Publications, and the American Association of Agricultural College Editors.
About the Book:
I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet by Bonnie Kreitler | Fiction
Print ISBN 978-0-9970653-7-4 | paperback with French flaps | 5 ½ X 8 ½ | 96 pp w/ illus | $15.95 USD
Mobi ISBN 978-0-9970653-5-0
ePub ISBN 978-0-9970653-6-7
For more information, click IHeardYourDogDied.com or go to ramblingdogpublications.com.
Distributed by Thomson-Shore, Dexter MI. Available wholesale through Ingram | Backer & Taylor
Available through retailers including Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | Seattle Book Company |IndieBound | Books-A-Million | Kobo
Review Copies and Media Inquiries:
For a review copy of I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet or an interview with author Bonnie Kreitler, e-mail to speak@ramblingdog.com. When requesting a review copy, please specify an electronic galley or provide a street address for a print copy of the book.
