Why I Wrote "The Meaning of Home"

The Meaning of Home was not my first attempt at writing a novel. There are two others that shall forever remain in singular copies on my bookshelf. Often, the right novel happens when the author meets the right character, in this case Charlie.

One morning in December 2017, I was sitting on my couch holding a cup of coffee in one hand and running the other through Charlie's soft fur. Charlie lay in my lap looking up at me.

“You’re wondering where I came from, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Always,” I said. “I've never met a rescue dog like you. You are perfectly house-trained. You don’t have adjustment issues. "You're perfectly content in anyone’s lap, and you don’t chew Carolyn’s shoes. Who taught you your manners?”

“Not every rescue dog had a bad puppyhood,” he replied. “When misfortune came to my human companion, it visited me, too.”

“So what happened?” I asked.

Charlie sighed and crossed his paws. “I’ll tell you my story,” he said, “if you’ll tell it to others.”

And so the novel was begun.

#recuedogstory #writing #novel #themeaningofhome