The Lazy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment
The Lazy Dog Blog
Lazy Dog Blog - #6
Lazy Dogs goes West Coastal....Yup, the Lazy Dog team is now spread out over the Pacific Coast, Andrea in California, Zac in Washington, and me now in Oregon. This just means that we get to meet more people who love dogs. Oregon, I'm learning, is a very dog-friendly state, and Portland in particular is a great place to live with your favorite pooch.
The signing in Seattle went very well and we're gearing up for the holidays (howl-i-days if you'll forgive the pun!). If you have a person on your holiday shopping list who is impossible to buy for, who has absolutely everything already...give the gift of laughter and enlightenment! Who can turn their nose up at a picture of a puppy getting ready to dive in? Or a beagle loving life and the ride? Who do you know that couldn't benefit from a little canine wisdom?
The Lazy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment is great for ALL the people on your list, whether they've been naughty OR nice...
Don't forget, your dog loves you and thinks you are the best person in the world...keep that in mind and you will have a great day!
~Beth
The Lazy Dog Blog
Lazy Dog Blog - #5
It's official. The Lazy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment has been launched! Andrea and I, and occasionally Basil, have been busy doing talks, signings, radio and tv appearances, and of course, our launch party. It has been great to get to meet some of you and your dogs...and the blueberry facials at the launch party, at the Wag Hotel in West Sacramento, were a great hit. I particularly loved the idea of Rocky, the great big Mastiff with the super sweet disposition, in the spa getting his facial. We will have some pictures from the launch party and siging up soon.
Andrea and I keep hearing great stories from people, new people and people we already know, about how a dog has really touched a life. It is just amazing the effect unconditional love can have on people. It makes you wonder why, if canines can do it, why people aren't better at it. It is one of the best thoughts in the book - love unconditionally. I think that while ideally unconditional love would be a given, that it should also be a habit. And habits are learned...so, each of us, you, me, the guy next to you on the freeway, the woman in front of you in line at the grocery store, can LEARN to love without limits. We just have to remember to keep trying.
My mom is really big on good grammar. She was always correcting us as we were growing up - so much so that I began to correct, not only myself, but my friends as well (sorry guys!). At the time I didn't really care for the constant lessons in grammar nor did I particularly like being corrected all the time, but now I appreciate the time and love that went into the constant reminders...it has helped me in my studies, in my work, and obviously helped in writing books too.
I think that loving without condition is a good habit that we can learn. We just need constant reminders - even when we don't feel like being corrected. This is the job of your canine friend. Your pooch loves you without question, and not only that, is a reminder of how easy it can be, if you only try and practice. You have a lovable, furry example sitting right next to you. And, trust me on this one, you'll be better for the lesson and the habit...not to mention that it will make you appreciate your dog just that much more.
Think about it...and don't forget to try. Unconditional love doesn't necessarily happen overnight...but if you practice and try, you'll get there.
Keep taking those naps and being kind to one another
~Beth
Lazy Dog Blog - #4
Welcome back! It is finally here - Launch Month!! This is what we've all been waiting for: the book is finally out. Andrea and I have seen the books on the bookshelves at Barnes & Noble. I can't tell you how exciting this is - tails are waggin' and hearts are poundin' around here. We're starting to see people with the book in their hands - so now everyone knows first hand what we've been talking about for the last sixteen months.
Everyone we talk to has a different favorite caption for different reasons- we'd love to hear what your is - and why - so email us at lazydogsguide@yahoo.com and let us know. I still can't pick my favorite - I love them all still, even after all this time. Right now I'm in between "Have the Patience to Wait: Right Timing is Everything" and "Life Passes Quickly - So Enjoy the Ride." I'm sure that I'll have picked two others by the end of the week depending on how life is going. I've found that instead of one of the messages resonating with me at a time, two, three, or even four of them seem to hit home. It's kind of funny that I'm learning so much from a book I helped to write...of course the dogs knew all the answers to begin with, but were just too lazy (and too comfortable on the sofa) to give us any hints!
You will start to see us, Andrea and myself, along with Mr. Sweetness - Basil. Chloe is a little too lazy right now to be bothered with the whole "promoting the book" business (I think she thinks that being the inspiration was enough!) but we've talked her into coming to at least one of our signing events this month. We will have our first "appearance" April 5th on the web radio show "Greyhounds Make Great Pets" (www.greyhoundsmakegreatpets.org) and will hopefully have a link on our site soon so you can hear it if you missed it.
Look for us in the Sacramento Bee soon, April 8th is the date du jour...and we'll keep you updated on all the latest happenings.
One really exciting event for us, and very close to our hearts, is our book signing at the Sacramento SPCA Spring Book Sale www.sspca.org . The sale is located in donated store space next to Longs in the Birdcage at Marketplace Center in Citrus Heights. The sale begins April 21st and runs through April 29th. We will be signing books (and probably buying more than a few of the great used books available there) on Thursday April 26th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. I hope you can come out and visit us - we will be donating 50% of our profits from sales of our book that day to the SPCA. Even if you can't come out that night, please come out and support the SPCA by shopping at the booksale. It is such a worthy cause. With all the recent exposure on the heart-wrenching pet food recall, it has really highlighted the need to take care of our pets with as much care as possible. The SPCA steps in and fills a need, and saves so many animals in need of care and love. I hope you'll support them as much as you can.
Well - gotta go rest up for all our appearances! Hopefully we'll meet you soon!
~Beth
The Lazy Dog Blog
Lazy Dog Blog - #3
Things are getting really exciting around here! The Lazy Dog book is now available at amazon (you can reach the page quickly through the link here on our website) as well as other online book sale sites - and the book should be in stores (for those of you who like instantaneous gratification) in early April.
Andrea and I are busy booking signing events and other appearances (check out our Events page for more details) as well as working on the details for our launch party. Remember that the launch party is open to everyone and their dogs - it’s a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I hope you will join us - there will be dog treats and people treats, doggie facials - blueberry facials, no less - a free raffle, and Andrea and I will be signing books! We are also donating a portion of our book sale proceeds that day to the Sacramento SPCA, so come on out and treat yourself to a great book (if I do say so myself) and help a really good cause.
As we work on our author talks that are rapidly approaching, I am finding that the captions from the book really follow me. All of the captions have truth ingrained in them, but as with most life lessons, certain captions float to the top depending on what is happening in my life at the moment. At the present time, the caption dealing with patience and right timing is the headliner for me. Looking through the book this past weekend, however, I realized that the caption about trusting and letting go, were the main theme in my life about four months ago. This book really IS good for a life-time.
The really, really good thing to realize about this is that although you may have many lessons to learn, and may have those tough spots that are always difficult to deal with (mine are always patience and faith it seems); your dog will always love you no matter what. Your dog doesn’t care if you have a hard time trusting that things will work out, or if you often fear moving forward because of things that may have gone poorly in the past. Your dog just loves you. Simple truth there - and because they love you so much and so unconditionally, you become a better person - just for loving and being loved. I think that is a pretty good deal.
So - we hope to see you at one of our events. We’d love to meet you and your lazy dogs! Take care of yourself and of your lovely canine companions!
Beth
The Lazy Dog Blog
Lazy Dog Blog - #2
Welcome back! The Lazy Dog’s Guide to Enlightenment is getting ever closer to being out on the shelves of your favorite bookstore...and we're busy making sure that everyone knows about the book. I hope you will bookmark our website and keep checking back - we've got new stuff going up all the time. We're working especially hard on getting our signing events set up - hopefully there will be an event near you! We'd love to meet all of you who have 'lazy dogs'...and of course we would love to meet your lazy dogs too!
One of our first events is scheduled for April 12, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble at Arden Faire in Sacramento! We will also be signing books at the Sacramento SPCA's spring book sale in Citrus Heights, CA. This is a great event - for both dog lovers and book lovers. If you haven't been to the sale before, consider coming down. They have a great selection of gently used books, and the proceeds support the care and rescue of animals in need. Bonus for all involved!
Andrea and I are busy working on planning our book's launch event, which will be held in late April. Basil and Chloe have been giving us their inert support - sleeping and lounging around the office while we work and plan. The launch event will be dog-friendly and will be fun for everyone! I hope you and your dog will join us. Watch our events page for more information - and sign up for our newsletter to get email notices about our upcoming events.
Well, I've got to get back...no rest for this lazy dog disciple. There are parties and signings to plan, and a whole lot of buzz to create. I hope you'll keep coming back - and send your friends to the page...we're trying very hard to make sure there is a little something for everyone.
Keep those tails a-wagging!
Beth
Follow that nose, it always knows!
Welcome to the LDB - following that cold, wet nose on the path to enlightenment. We are three months from the launch of our new book, The Lazy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment, and are so glad that you've decided to join us!
Over the next few months, we'll keep you updated on the events and goings-on that happen before a book is launched, and once the book is out (and you have your very own copy), we'll let you know where we'll be signing books and other fun stuff. We hope you'll bookmark our website and will come back to visit us often. We are working on a free quarterly newsletter (click here to sign up) that will contain all sorts of canine wisdom and fun. The newsletter, Canine-spirations, will include pet training tips, advice from vets, a spotlight on various animal causes, fun activities, cool products picked by Chloe, and a short editorial column by Basil.
But who are all the players involved in The Lazy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment you might be asking yourself? Good question! I'll take a quick moment to introduce us.
Basil and Chloe - the two inspirations.
The enlightened duo.
Andrea - the co-author and literary agent.
Andrea is the proud owner (though who owns who around here, I'm not really sure) of these two spirited Dachshunds. She has her own literary agency, Andrea Hurst Literary Management and has sold a number of great titles. She is also the author of one of the original organic cookbooks, Everybody's Natural Foods Cookbook. She has worked with a number of well known authors, including Dr. Bernie Siegel, who was gracious enough to contribute the foreword of our book. Andrea has been on the spiritual path for many years and has long been a supporter of animal welfare causes.
Beth - the co-author and editorial assistant.
This is me! I work with Andrea, helping on projects such as submission review, book evaluation, book proposals, book idea development, and editing. In my "spare" time, I work full-time for a local nonprofit foundation in fundraising. I enjoy the opportunity to explore both of my passions. Unfortunately, I don't have a dog of my own yet. I'm hoping to have a place soon that will give me room for my books and my puppy. I've got my heart set on a Yorkie - they are so cute - but I'm pretty open to most any small dog. I really love small dogs because they tend to have 'big dog' attitude, something I can relate to, being of short stature myself. I also am a supporter of animal welfare causes - and being in fundraising myself, like to help out when and where I can with my expertise.
Zac - the photographer extraordinaire.
Zachary Folk, Zac to us, is the phenomenal photographer who took all the wonderful photos found in the book. Let me tell you, it was so hard to pick which would go in the book. If you want to see other great photographs by Zac, go to his website. Zac has spent a lot of time photographing not only dogs (though he really has a great connection to them) but also other animals, such as owls. Zac understood right away what dogs knew about enlightenment and, I think, his photographs really capture that essential spiritual dogginess.So, that is the main cast of characters you'll find in The Lazy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment. I'll be keeping our Lazy Dog Blog up to date and invite you to come along with us. We'd love to hear from you…I'm sure you have a lazy dog of your own and a great tale of how your lazy dog has helped you on your path to enlightenment.
If you would like to sign up for our blog – and really, why wouldn't you? – put your e-mail in the box at the top of the page.
Don't forget to stop by our Sites We Like page for other canine resources, products, and other miscellaneous.
And of course, don't forget to get your own copy of The Lazy Dog's Guide to Enlightenment. It is quite possibly the most important book you could ever own! :)
-Beth