Here is one story from The ULTIMATE DOG LOVER by Marty Becker D.V.M with team of other writers. This is from the ULTIMATE series being published by HCI. I am working on the ULTIMATE PLANT LOVER for this series.

Date:   7/7/2008 11:15:08 AM ( 16 y ago)

8:44 AM
July 7, 08


The ULTIMATE DOG LOVER is a model for the book I will be writing
for HCI.

The ULTIMATE DOG LOVER is one of the first in the new series
that HCI is putting out.

I want to make sure I know this book inside out.

There are three sections to The ULTIMATE series Books.

1. Heartwarming stories
2. Amazing photographs
3. Must-Know Information

#2 Amazing photographs will be the easiest section for me to do.
However, the photographs of plants and plant lovers with plants
I would like to see tie in with the stories.

This is one improvement so far I would like to see in The ULTIMATE DOG LOVER.
There are 12 pages of color in the first section, called

Common Language and ESP (Extra-Sensory Pups)

There are seven stories in this first section.

Call of the Wild D. Lynn Black
Lover Everlasting Marcia E. Brown
Saved Deborah Blair
Somewhere Yonder Lisa Price
A Leg to Stand on Pierre O;Rouke
Chosen by a Dog Nancy J Bailey
Langley Calder Reid

I am going to make comments on each story as I read them.

Call of the Wild D. Lynn Black
Lover Everlasting Marcia E. Brown
Saved Deborah Blair
Somewhere Yonder Lisa Price
A Leg to Stand on Pierre O;Rouke
Chosen by a Dog Nancy J Bailey

Langley Calder Reid
Read July 8, 08
8:34 AM

This story pp 27-28-29-30-31-32
is about Calder Reid who works with the USDA Forest Service in California's
John Muir Wilderness. She has a job to check or wilderness permits.
Her dog Langley adores her. The dog is also an employee of the Forest Service
as she writes the story. The story opens with a catchy first paragraph.

"Langley, my chocolate Labrador retriever mix, was a good employee.
The Trust he won from the public always enhanced his end-of-season evaluations.
I'd write, "Highly recommended for rehire. Langley engages with the public effortlessly.
In addition, heworks well with others and is a self-starter." For all these accolades,
he didn't have to do much: he just had to be himself."

Calder Reid then describes her job,

..."check permits and rattle off the ethics and regulations for the area.
Not everyone is receptive to this kind of presence in 'their" wilderness,
but fortunately for me, most were receptive to the charms of Langley."

p. 28

"Knowing we were sure to maximize public contracs by staying in one spot,
we would get there early and wait, watching the sunrise creep up and over
the Sierra granite to warm my fingers and toes and Langley's dark chocolate coat."

p.28

"Over time, I learned to pay attention to his reactions to people.
He could sense a negative person thirty feet away, producing a low
growl that only I could hear."

"Seeing Langley, the public knew there were boundaries they could not cross."

P28-29

"As soon as approaching hikers saw this friendly Labrador, they knew at least one of us would
be forgiving."

"Langley could work anybody."

"He's bat his droppy eyes and move to the end of his leash to improve his chances at
winning their affection."

P29 bottom of page:

She goes back into the history of the woman-dog relationship...

"I don't think he could ever have imagined such a wonderful life when he was waiting
on death row in the County Animal Shelter.
[Shocking....
Emotional grabber....
strong writing...]

The other dogs were barking, wanting to be adopted.

Langley was silent...head propped up, looked at her intently.
She was intriqued by his demeanor.
She takes him outside.
He likes the outdoors. She takes this as a good sign.
She adopts him that day.

P 30

"Langley was a fast learner."

"Not only was he smart, but he seemed genuinely proud to bond with me."

p. 31

An experience on the trail:

Suddenly hears a bear....
Langley responds with a low growl...
then barks from inside the tent ten or more times....
The bear jumps and leaves....

"That kind of safe and humane protection was priceless."

"Who knows how many potentially bad situations he dissipated by his mere presence?"

Next paragraph:

"Langley and I patrolled together for eleven years.
Not many people remembered me from year to year, but they remembered Langley.
I can't count how many times I heard, "You were here last year,
I remember your brown dog, Langley, right?"

Eventually though, the work and elevation became too much for Langley's
aging body. I cried the first time I had to leave him with a trusted friend
and drive off toward the trailhead without him. THe sound of a zipper
always made his ears perk up, so that morning I packed my backpack when
he wasn't around to hear. He knew that something had changed that day,
but he was os adaptable he never held it against me."

Later, in the sad days and nights after he died, I looked at photo after photo
of Langley and me captured in time in stunningly beautiful places, on the tops
of Sierra passes, beside green meadows and crystal-clear lakes, beneath the open
expansive sky.

[This turn of events feels shocking...
abrupt...a grapper emotionally.

[This brings tears to my eyes...for some reason...I am feeling emotions....
brings up hurt of my own dog past, or maybe current hurt over feelings of
shifting withdrawal of apparent affection....]

End P.31-P32:

[Ends with more heart grabbing,
and then goes into the metaphoric
and spiritual....]

"His trail had been long and full of joy and purpose, more than any dog could wish for.
That special shelter dog touched not only my heart but also those of many others.
Through we'd come to a lot of trail junctions in our travels,
this was one where we had to go our separate ways.

"The grateful Langley carried me to this fork in the road.
It would have been a much more difficult and lonely journey were it not for him.
I know our trails will meet again; junctions jsut mark different ways of getting
to the same place."

__

QUESTIONS:

How do I adapt plant stories to this format?
The question rises...how much will The ULTIMATE PLANT LOVER
need to follow the same formula?????

Can the stories about plants be different?

This is a question I need to find out.

RELATED BLOGS:

NOTES FOR ULTIMATE PLANT LOVER
book outline here
http://www.curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1187511

PROPOSED STORY FOR THE BOOK:
Climate Control in Our Front Yerd:
http://www.curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1200371

PET CONNECTION with Marty Becker D.V.M.
announces this series:
http://www.petconnection.com/bookstore.php



9:42 AM
July 7, 08

Find the corrections Chef Jem Made....


To Do...
Send to Sara Snow....

Set up a Special file to collect photos for HCI
and have this downloadable for Larissa...
Make sure I know how to set this up with
Apple Care Tech Support if necessary.
Get this done, so she can look at photos.


Opening for ULTIMATE DOG LOVER:

Openings for ULTIMATE PLANT LOVER:

TO Do This Week:

Get computer into Crywork...
Tomorrow...pick up photos from Fromex
for MVH album...