Life Lessons of Lucy Lu: Lucy Lu Gets Adopted follows a young puppy who is abandoned at an animal shelter and learns how to be a good dog and get adopted. What was the inspiration for your story?

After moving to the US from Canada, I was naive to how severe the pet overpopulation was until a friend opened up that world to me. I also did not realize that black dogs and cats are adopted the least. When my Eddy passed away, somehow, and it was quite a strange turn of events, I ended up getting an email about a dog needing a home but since she was a terrier mix, I had reservations. I had no experience with that breed. I said I would visit her but made no promises. She was being walked down the hallway to be euthanized when they got the call that I was interested. I was hooked from the minute I saw her. She had previously been abused with a broken leg that did not heal correctly. It would be her nemesis. As I drove up, she was in the yard, that little leg stretched out behind her. Heart tug. I took her home and decided to educate myself on the terrier breeds which I soon learned are very misunderstood. Lucy Lu became the love of my life, and I vowed then to help animals – particularly shelter dogs, black dogs, and terriers or terrier mixes. I grew up with animals but never had I met a dog with such a personality as Lucy Lu. She was divinely intelligent. I now volunteer at the local animal shelter where I have personally seen things I don’t ever want to repeat, volunteer with Georgia SPOT Society who help spay/neuter, and I volunteer with another animal coalition group against dog fighting, abuse, and neglect which is on a much higher level.

I saw a need to educate children because they are the next generation that needs to learn to love animals and not hurt them; to protect them and not use them for a human’s entertainment or income stream. Children can relate to animals, so if a child is suffering they can understand how the animal is feeling. I saw that not enough emphasis was being placed on change and that creating no-kill shelters only puts a bandaid on the big issue. On the life lesson side, children need to learn that the sky is wide open to them. Moreso than ever, you can be whatever you want to be. You can have dreams and achieve them, too. I grew up with just the essentials. There was no money for luxuries, yet here I am today writing books. Lucy Lu was such an inspiration to me in so many areas of my life, the biggest in finding my soul’s purpose. I now understand what I was sent here to do.

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

It was important to me to drive home the problems we face in this country with shelter animals. We use animals for entertainment, we use them for punching bags, we use them for sources of income and this is not right. As stewards of this earth, it is our responsibility to protect those that cannot protect themselves, and animals are one such group that needs us all. Generational patterns can form if a child is not subjected to other ways of thinking or acting so this book was meant to help the child’s development as much as an animal. Children need to know they have opportunities, to never give up on their dreams, and to stay positive with hope. I’m hoping they can apply as much to their own life as they can to the animals. I wanted a book that would blend both human and animal issues together. I wanted it to educate children not only for themselves but for animals as well. I wanted a book that would spark something in a child’s parent to hopefully do more and maybe even effect change there.

The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Leo Brown?

After searching for an illustrator for what seemed like an eternity, I found Leo Brown through a Facebook group. I was not sure how we would fit together but after a few conversations, I realized that he was the one. He lives in England, so although we do things slightly differently, for the most part, it was smooth sailing. I do wish I had pushed for a few things differently, but since this was my first time working with an illustrator, I pretty much let him take the wheel and drive. I already had the idea for the cover–I wanted Lucy’s sweet face to stand out with a star around it because she was a superstar, and I think he nailed it!

When will book 2 be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?

I am hoping to have book 2 available in the first half of 2024. All books in her series will teach a life lesson that we can all learn from. I have six stories written so far, but I think the one I will use for my next book will talk about how sometimes we can hurt someone’s feelings and we don’t even realize it. It is the adage of do unto others as you would like done unto you. It will encourage us to act in a loving way and from a loving heart. This happens when Lucy Lu is in the backyard and meets up with some butterflies! You will be introduced to some new characters that she becomes friends with who will carry forward into the rest of the stories. Of course, there may be some sad moments in the beginning, but it will end on a high note with a happy ending.

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