Dear Family and Friends,
Today is the day! I’m excited in a bittersweet way to announce the release of my poetry collection, King Copper – a tribute to my family’s friendly, lovable chocolate lab mix who crossed over the rainbow bridge on March 3rd. I had already written several fun and happy poems about Copper when he was with us. But when he left our world, I began writing through the heartbreak, providing a destination for grief in the form of poetry. I’ve also included color photos to bring life to the poems.
But today isn’t about feeling sad, bittersweet, yes, but this day is for my family and I to celebrate Copper through this special book. We can ‘see’ him frolicking with his friends in a magical place where pain doesn’t exist, only lush green meadows, redwoods, cheerful sunflowers, smiling daisies, ladybugs, and butterflies. It’s about believing…
I wasn’t going to do a formal blog tour, but I couldn’t believe the outpouring of support. Several friends offered to help spread the word about King Copper. So, the blog tour began with my good friends, Maggie at Ephemeral Encounters on Monday, and Mike at Silent Pariah continuing yesterday.
More good friends will continue the tour as follows:
Jacqui at https://worddreams.wordpress.com/ – Friday, August 8th
Ernie at dawgdaddyresponds – Sunday, August 10th
Sally at smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com – Tuesday, August 12th
Dawn at dawnpisturino.wordpress.com – Thursday, August 14th
Marsha at alwayswrite.blog – Monday, August 18th
I hope you’ll follow the tour to get to know these amazing writers and to learn more about the book.
Each post will offer something new…
A little back story of how my family became Copper’s humans:
When I knelt down to Copper’s level, my heart melted. His amber, soul-searching eyes told me all I needed to know.
I recalled sitting at the table, perusing a Labrador rescue website. A lab sporting a copper-colored coat stood out like a citrine crystal in a bowl of black diamonds. I had to meet the handsome fellow.
So, on a late winter March day in 2012, my family drove to Oakland to meet Copper. A woman was fostering him in her small apartment. He had a gentle demeanor, and after a walk around the block and some play time, I was ready to take him home. My son and I were excited to welcome Copper into our lives. But my husband and daughter were hesitant to adopt another dog so soon. Would we be replacing Lucky Girl, our black lab mix, who passed just four months earlier?
Despite telling the woman we needed time to make a decision, only three days later, we found ourselves signing the adoption papers. Copper effortlessly jumped into the back of our car for a ride to his new home. We heard that the best way to get past the grief of losing a pet is to get a new one, and that’s what we did. Lucky Girl would always be in our hearts. But after many conversations, we felt the timing was right. I, especially, couldn’t shake the feeling that Copper was meant to be our next canine friend.
From the hugs, cuddles, and games of fetch, Copper learned to trust us. And so, he became family. For thirteen years, he gave us unconditional love. He crossed over the rainbow bridge this past March. It is serendipitous to know that he came into our lives in March and left our earthly world also in March – the month of new beginnings. He was a bright light in our lives that will shine eternally. This is the power of our dogs or any pet. They leave a positive, long-lasting imprint on our souls.
Some samples of poetry:
A Special Connection (an excerpt)
Every canine that has joined my family
owns a part of my heart,
but when Copper trotted into our lives,
something different,
something special clicked inside of me.
Warmth radiates from his amber eyes
that see into my soul.
Cliche, yes, but it is through those eyes
that we are linked.
How can an impression be described?
He is my third child,
a copper-coated lovable boy…
March to March (an excerpt)
From March to March
he arrived with youthful spirit
and left with angel wings –
thirteen years in the spaces
now glowing memories
around each corner.
We celebrate his life –
those soul-searching eyes
that connected to us –
we were links in a golden chain
and now one link is missing…
I hope that if you read this special book, you will laugh out loud. I want a smile to form, crinkling your eyes at the corners. And I even want the heartache to be felt because it was intense when I wrote the grief poems. Every emotion plays a role in reaching the point of acceptance. Every stage of grief is necessary. But I also hope you feel comfort if you’ve lost your beloved furry family member because Copper and all those who keep him company live in our hearts. It’s choosing to believe so we can find a way to move forward without our loved ones, humans or pets.
The paperback and e-book versions are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and e-book only on Kobo. Click on the ‘buy’ button above for the image below for your copy from Amazon.
So, thank you for being here. I appreciate you, and I’m sorry if I’ve missed your posts. It’s been a head-spinning week (in a wonderful way) with the blog tour, so I hope you understand. And I want to thank again all of my friends who are sharing about King Copper. I am so grateful for your friendship and support. I wish you all a wonderful day, and if you are a dog parent, give your pup a hug for me. ❤️🤎🎉
brought him home, so we kept it
because it fit with his rich, copper coat. 🤎🧡
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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.
Baydreamer Writes ~ Lauren Scott, Author & Poet 