When I finished writing Paw Prints in the Sand, a strong emotion came over me. As any author should, I loved the book. I loved the characters, the story and of course, the dogs. But more than that I loved the feeling that what happened at the ending could—and has—happened in real life. At least on some level.
While reading the story, I felt as if I were on an emotional rollercoaster. In order to fully portray the real horror behind puppy mills, I had do to something I didn't want to do. Research.
I don't mind researching information for any story, but for this one, I knew what I found was going to break my heart, yet it was necessary.
I found myself having to stop and take a break from writing because the tears were streaming down my face. That should give you a good indication about how awful puppy mills truly are. Once I pulled myself together, I continued on.
At the same time that finished writing it, a puppy duck toller wandered into the hands of a rescue group and into my living room to foster. The irony hit a chord with me. See, duck tollers are not common here but yet as I was writing the ending, I was staring into the eyes of a breed that this very book was about. A two month old at that. I simply knew it was going to be special and because of that...I didn't want it to end. Well, not quite.
So, I took a break and in a month's time I thought of the perfect sequel. And that is how Paw Prints in the Sand: Mission Accomplished came about.
The sequel, while a continuation of the first book, takes the story a bit further. I wanted to demonstrate how powerful the bond is between human and dog. It is very real and certainly tangible. For those of us that have been there, we already know. Some are just finding out for themselves.
In Paw Prints: Mission Accomplished, a man suffering with what some might call a critical mid-life crisis (and then some) is contemplating life and trying desperately to find reasons to stay alive.
His wife left him, he hates his job and despises his less-than-appreciative boss. Life as he knows it is pointless. A chance situation gives him reason to smile and he finds himself conversing with a couple of men who are excited to begin a new venture building a modern dog shelter called, "Paw Prints in the Sand."
Often, we hear about dogs that have been rescued by humans, but rarely do we acknowledge that the opposite is actually true. Harrison often rolled his eyes at his friends who called their dogs "kids." Now, he was one of them.
Harrison's life is drastically changed by opening his heart to these four-legged creatures. You'll find yourself in agreement that often it is our furry friends that rescue us just as much as we rescue them.
Every once in a while a dog walks into our life, changing our world forever, making us wonder how we ever got by without one.
Copyright © Elizabeth Parker 2013
"Bringing awareness about dog adoption and rescue, one dog at a time!"
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