Immortalized on the page

 This year is only two months old, but already it's shaping up to eclipse 2021 in horrors. In the western world at least, as the fresh new year approached, we were just getting our hopes up that the pandemic was on the wane. We were dreaming of travel and family hugs and dining out again. And then Omicron slammed us, people were getting infected despite being double vaccinated, hospitals and ICUs were getting overwhelmed again, and, here in Canada, a dark, dismal winter loomed ahead. Restrictions and various public health mandates were brought back in. Some people snapped and began to resist, demanding the virus be over and all mandates be removed, including mask mandates. So we got the so-called "freedom convoy" which rolled across the country honking and blaring and gunning for the government. I won't say much more, except that the city was under siege for nearly a month before they were driven out. Vehicles were towed and arrests were made, revealing some very nasty organizers and financial supporters who had quite a different agenda from repealing health mandates.

So sooner had the last truck been towed and the last organizer denied bail than Russia invaded Ukraine. We are once again on the edge of our seats, frightened, helpless, furious, and gnashing our teeth as we watch a brave country, led by an extraordinary man, fight for its survival. What else is in store for the rest of 2022? The apocalypse?  

So like Douglas, I turn to a tale about a dog. But unlike Douglas's tale, this one is sad – yet another blow from this brutal year. A week ago, my beloved Nova Scotia Duck Toller Eva crossed over the rainbow bridge after a wonderful, fun-filled eleven years. She was the perfect dog. Sweet and loving, super smart, and tirelessly playful, especially if you had a ball or stick. She had energy to spare, putting most younger dogs to shame, and her sunny disposition made even the grumpiest, most depressed person smile. I still expect her to come rushing up the minute she sees me, her whole body wagging and the nearest toy or ball snatched up in her mouth. I still look for her hopeful, expectant face as she tries to judge what I'm up to. Memories fill every corner of the house, and her younger brother and I miss her at every turn.

But she lives on. Seven years ago I started to write the first Amanda Doucette novel, FIRE IN THE STARS, and I gave Amanda a dog as a support animal – a bouncy, playful, endlessly happy Duck Toller. I named her Kaylee after a previous dog, but she was all Eva. And through five books, I brought Eva to life on the page for others to meet. The fifth book, which comes out in early 2023, will be dedicated to her memory.

Kaylee is the only character I have ever created who is completely based on a real being. Humans might have taken issue with how they were depicted and what I made them do, but Eva would have loved every minute of the adventures and her role in helping Amanda. Kaylee proved to be adept at locating lost things, tracking scents, detecting danger, and providing moments of levity, and I'm so glad she is there on the page to be enjoyed. For as long as the books are read.