Tag

Dog

Essays, Humor, Inspirational, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Mar 05: Itching to Love with Award-winning Author Shelley Fraser Mickle

March 5, 2025

The Story of a Dog

Itching to Love with author Shelley Fraser Mickle

“[Shelley’s writing] warms us with the wisdom and perspective that come from a lifetime filled with animals, people, history, science, and literature. An absolutely unique memoir by one of the South’s great storytellers.”

— Danny Rubin, Screenwriter (Groundhog Day)

When you’re used to being needed and hearing someone shout “Mom” a hundred times a day, who are you, and what do you do when the kids leave home? Like millions of other moms, award-winning writer Shelley Fraser Mickle faced that same dilemma. Her solution found her.

Today Shelley shares why she wrote to author William Faulkner and how that worked out. We discuss the importance of storytelling and passing down family stories. How humor helps us physiologically; why we should laugh out loud and try to find the humor even during dark days. Shelley shares her love of horses, and the dog who saved her, Buddy. We also discuss the challenges and joys of writing a memoir, ITCHING TO LOVE: The Story of a Dog.

Meet Shelley Fraser Mickle

Shelley Fraser Mickle is a multiple award-winning author and beloved storyteller. Her readings delighted listeners on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition from 2000 to 2006.  Shelley’s second novel, REPLACING DAD, won a Friends of American Writers Award and was adapted into a Hallmark Channel movie. Currently, her 2023 narrative history WHITE HOUSE WILD CHILD: HOW ALICE ROOSEVELT BROKE ALL THE RULES AND WON THE HEART OF AMERICA is in development as a film series. ITCHING TO LOVE: The Story of a Dog is Shelley’s memoir.

Continue reading
Essays, Non Fiction, Personal Development

What Can Dogs Teach Us? Plenty Says Hersch Wilson

October 11, 2023

Dog Lessons: Learning the Important Stuff from Our Best Friends

Podcast with Hersch Wilson author of Dog Lessons

Firefighter, writer, and speaker Hersh Wilson joins us today with his latest delight — Dog Lessons: Learning the Important Stuff from our Best Friends.

It’s not a training book for dogs; it’s about what we can learn from them. In fact, while researching Dog Lessons, Hersch found himself changing his mind on a couple of things he thought he already understood.

Part memoir, part humor, with a lot of love, Dog Lessons is packed full of insight into the powerful presence of dogs in our lives and the transformative lessons they can teach us about love, loyalty, zoomies, grief, and more.

Hersch Wilson

Hersch Wilson‘s diverse background includes paid jobs as a corn pollinator, a Ferris wheel operator, a short-order cook, ballet dancer, outdoor educator, soccer coach, leadership consultant, pilot, and writer. He says his job as a Ferris wheel operator was by far the strangest — lots of physics involved in that. Hersch was a volunteer firefighter-EMT for 33 years which culminated in the awarding winning book, “Firefighter Zen, A Field Guide for Thriving in Tough Times. He sees his most important roles as that of partner/husband, father, and dog guardian. 

Continue reading
Humor, Memoir, Non Fiction

Oct 21: #1 NYT Bestselling Author Teresa Rhyne with Poppy in The Wild

October 21, 2020

A Lost Dog, Fifteen Hundred Acres Of Wilderness, And The Dogged Determination That Brought Her Home

Known as the pack-leader of heartfelt, funny, original dog memoirs, Teresa Rhyne is upfront about her books having happy endings—important when we’re talking about our furry ones.

Today we hear the tale of Poppy, a beautiful beagle rescued from China’s meat trade, only to vanish in 1500 acres of wilderness. Teresa shares how she became involved as a foster mom. Common mistakes that dog owners make when their dog is lost.  And how her own dog helped her through breast cancer.

About Teresa J Rhyne

Teresa Rhyne’s debut memoir The Dog Lived (and So Will I) reached #1 on the New York Times Nonfiction and E-book bestseller lists twice, #1 on the Wall Street Journal Nonfiction bestseller list, and #6 on USA Today’s Top 100 books in the USA. Poppy In The Wild: A Lost Dog, Fifteen Hundred Acres Of Wilderness, And The Dogged Determination That Brought Her Home is Teresa’s third book. When not writing bestselling memoirs, she is a fulltime estate planning attorney in California.

Continue reading

  • Categories

  • Past Shows