Ringo’s Rainbow Journey: A Memoir of Our Border Collie’s Return to His Soul Family illustrates the multifaceted relationship between humans and their animal companions, capturing the essence of love, loss, and the indelible mark a pet leaves on a family. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I was compelled to write this book because of the extraordinary story my husband and I lived through. We began communicating with our dogs and cats through a very gifted animal communicator. Through these conversations, we learned some extraordinary things that 1) validated my beliefs in living, loving, and the potential for an afterlife. 2) turned my lifelong atheist/skeptic husband into someone who now believes in the unseen/unprovable mysteries of life. This book is primarily about the return of our elder male border collie, through reincarnation, coming back to us in the body of our sweet little female border collie. But, beyond that, it is an entertaining walk through the lives of many of our pets, our connection to them, and the unconditional love we have for them.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

Well, this is a little unique and perhaps tips the “believability scale” for some people, but it was my dog who urged me to write this book because he had two important lessons to teach humans: 1) Bodies come and go, but the soul is eternal. 2) Gender fluidity is a natural and normal thing in the animal kingdom. Humans need to get over their judgment of it.

What is your background and experience in writing, and how did it help you write Ringo’s Rainbow Journey?

I was in the corporate world, as a Vice President for a staffing company. In that role, I did a lot of writing and public speaking, teaching, and mentoring. I retired from that career in my late forties and became a yoga teacher. During this second phase of my career life, I began writing for an online publication, specializing in “the mindful life” – Elephant Journal. I became a featured writer for them, with over 90 articles published within about a two-year period. I stopped writing for them when I began writing Ringo’s Rainbow Journey. Writing has always come easy to me. My readers tell me that I write in a very conversational style, eliciting the feeling of two friends talking over coffee. The time I spent writing for Elephant Journal likely helped me hone my skill for writing my memoir.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?

I want everyone who reads my memoir to understand how intelligent and multi-faceted our animals are. When they read my words, I believe they will come to see the depth of character, of understanding, of emotional facility, and ability to love profoundly, not only in the stories I tell about my own animals, but also as they look into the eyes of their own precious dogs and cats. I also hope it will open people’s eyes to the possibility of reincarnation and that this could help people navigate loss and grief with a little more optimism and understanding of the bigger picture.

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