so....with the photo shoots underway...getting pretty serious in the book department thinking

I'm glad you are considering doing a book about Saints.
It could make a great book. I think if you wrote it in the same style you do your blogs, it would be perfect. Too much introspection or edifying would milk down the raw meat of your reality and daily life at Saints.....
The good, the bad, mad, sad and definitely,the HUMOUR.

Its true this blog could be edited into a book. I see many options available for a book. You need to find an agent first ... then maybe they will help you figure out your market and what format your book should take. Just get some sample peices together from the blog and work on getting an agent with that to help get you published.

and i do like reading the absolute utter honesty you give, no matter what it is. you say what you feel and that is what we all want to hear. no bullshit, no trying to candycoat it, we who volunteer at saints know what an incredibley hard and repetitive job you have, but see all the love you give every single animal there and how they love you back. that is what makes saints so wonderful. you along with amazing staff and volunteers and people who recognize and donate, either money or time and support. not to forget the great team of vets. it all works together for the animals. it is saints.

when i am there i just see their faces, coming for a hug or pet, seeing someone who loves them and they love, that is what is is all about for me, no more no less. they feel safe and happy and at home, they can just be themselves and as you say loved for themseves. it is not complicated but so simple, they want to be loved. and at saints that is what they get.

I agree Carol..you really have already written a TON of material...sit back and let a pro edit it for you. I personally think..keep the good along with the sad..leave out the "mad"...Definitely keep in the natural humor you are SO blessed with. I can see a separate children's book as well...It could potentially be a HUGE life lesson...If they learn to love and respect "all creatures" ... understanding just how special they are...that our pets have needs beyond food & water...and how much fun it can be REALLY good at caring for them..... : )

Carol, You've already written the book...what you need is an editor!

I found you through 3 woofs.
I have read everything on your site, and some of it more than once. You must be a truly remarkable woman to do what you do.
I am personally partial to the "back stories", as it were. I found that your wish for one more night with Wee Hopey under your chin brought me to immediate tears. I have re-read that paragraph about 6 times and cry each time... because I also have (had) one for whom I would give ten years of my life to have him under my chin for one more night. I was able to piece together a miniscule fraction of what happened when I read about her brother, but perhaps a chapter about them, how they came to be with you, and what it was like to actually live with them, and what it was about her that made you love her that much.
Perhaps mini in depth chapters about the animals who have touched you the most deeply through the years... some funny, some sad... some happy endings... some not so happy.
I had a chronically ill rescued sheltie for three years. I found that the bond which is formed by caring for a chronically ill animal is like no other. For her last year, I knew I was going to lose her... it was simply a question of when. It was like a sword of Damoclese hanging over my head, waking up each morning wondering if that day was to be her last. Kudos to you for not only doing what you do, but for having the inner strength to keep doing it. I'm impressed from afar, and would definitely buy your book!

I also concur!

I agree too. I like the whole story of the animals, not sugar coated, but in there is the personality of the animal and also of you. And don't forget the pictures. We are all suckers for various animals and breeds. And off the topic but I REALLY want to see a picture of Perdy. (I had a dalmatian for 11 years and totally lost my heart to her.) I think you should tell the whole story, the good, the bad and the ugly. There are lots of books about the good warm fuzzy feelings of animals but SAINTS is so very unique. I think tell even the sad stories because you can't separate rescue from some heartbreaking stories and you'd also be educating people. Good luck!

I mostly agree with Charlotte. Some of your best posts are about the animals as individuals, how they came to you, how they revealed themselves to you at SAINTS, how they interact with the others. Posts that come to mind are ones about Spritely, Cole, the icky chis, etc. You have such a wonderful way of writing about these animals that isn't patronizing or overly sentimental. You see them as friends rather than children, as individuals in their own right, rather than adjuncts to the human experience. So important and not always the case with some rescue books.

But I also enjoy your posts that are a little darker, that talk about the contradictions of rescue and the contradictions in your own life when it comes to your actions toward animals. I continue to read SAINTS more than other rescue blogs because everything is real and mostly unedited. You just tell it like you see it. Frankly, I think this would be a refreshing change from most of the rescue books which are just all feel-good, happy dance. Not that I don't want people to feel good but, in my opinion, rescue books should really make people THINK about their treatment of animals and how animals are viewed in our society in general. Warm fuzzies are great but don't really make people think very deeply about all the suffering that continues to happen on their watch.

Having said that, if you just decided to go with warm and fuzzy and funny, I'm sure you would have lots of sales.

Well said, Charlotte. My sentiments exactly. I am retired, living alone and have 'taken in' quite a large number of animals and at times when I feel I may not be able to go another mile, I turn to saints blog. It picks me up, makes me smile and helps me on my way again. Thank you Carol. You are doing it just right!

Well, first off, I'd have to say that anyone who reads, enjoys and keeps coming back to your blog *has* to appreciate the honesty. Anyone overly sensitive who might be offended, or disturbed, or depressed, or whatever, isn't coming back day after day. So it's gotta be real, good and bad.

Personally, I'm a sucker for redemption. I often find myself wishing, at the end of one of your posts, that I knew the background story for that particular animal. Sometimes I can find it by searching 'welcomes so & so,' sometimes not. It's always enjoyable for me, anyway, to hear how someone got to where they are, and how/who they've become since arriving at Saints. I guess to a certain extent that sorta goes toward the fairy-type stuff.I want to hear how bad it was before, then appreciate how great it is now. An old-folks kinda happily ever after.

So probably some of both! The Phoebe is a Hag stuff has to be there - what makes the blog so enjoyable are all the colorful personalities (yours included!), same as with any story - the different characters are what make it interesting.

I didn't initially come here for instructions on how to deal with my senior animals, but through your stories you've taught me a great deal. And because you discuss things like leakage as a normal thing (rather than a life-ending event), I learned to look at them that way as well. My hope would be that others could learn sorta through osmosis the same way, without being hit over the head with it. It'd also be nice if it could get the message across that family members shouldn't be thrown away, although that's probably unlikely.

I really hope you do it. I know how hard it is to stick with something that isn't a Have-To, but to a certain degree this 'is' a have to - you have so many good stories in you that you Have to share them. And you Have to have money coming in to keep Saints going. You're lucky enough to have a talent that can actually generate income!

I like to read the comedic ... whether that is true, rude or fairyish I don't care. Make it funny and I love it. I don't like the sad or the mad. That is just me I want a great laugh. A funny pic. A funny story. Nothing too serious. Life is too serious.