Dea and I are so excited to be invited to Hound Honey’s Dog Wash Club NYC event on Tuesday July 14th. Sounds like a pretty perfect place to show off our memoir, Walking Alison.
I am so excited for this podcast- Say Yes to yourself with the wonderful Wendy Harrop to now be live. In it I discuss both my memoirs and I talk about having humor, being vulnerable, and resiliency. I also discuss my reflections on identity, connection, and what it means to choose yourself after life has asked you to begin again. And if you like it please share.
Here is my new podcast that takes you from Rome to resilience, including love, loss, illness and a cherished poodle’s wisdom. Take a look and a listen.
This is a snippet from the podcast I did with Ladies Who Leap where I talk about my experiences with breast cancer. The entire podcast comes live next Saturday and we talk about a whole lot more, including both my memoirs, A Place Called Grace and Walking Alison. Take a listen!
Hope you’ll watch my newest podcast on The Abundance Journey with the wonderful host Elaine Starling where the topic of abundance has many different meanings and ties into my memoir, Walking Alison.
Hope you’ll like this as it covers themes of the importance of the human animal bond, mindfulness and connection, what animals teach us, illness, isolation and happiness.
I am excited to announce that I will be the guest on these four podcasts this Fall!
Authentic Living Podcast, hosted by Roxanne Derhodge, Say Yes to Yourself, hosted by Wendy Harrop, The Abundance Journey, hosted by Elaine Starling, and Ladies Who Leap, hosted by Lisa Andria.
They will all have impactful and interesting conversations and topics that will also revolve around my memoir, Walking Alison. Stay tuned for the live dates.
If Your Dog Wrote a Book About You, What Would They Say?
If your pet wrote a book about you, what would they say? I look at my dog and wonder what she’s thinking at least three times a day, which means I was bound to love this book – it’s a memoir from the perspective of the author’s dog.
Alison Rand’s new book, Walking Alison, is narrated by her sassy black poodle, bringing humor and wisdom to the tale. Dea nudges her human to engage with the world and appreciate everyday magic, even in the face of hardship. From processing grief to recovering from illness, Dea sees it all—and with deep love, shares insight that can only be gleaned from looking through the eyes of a beloved pet.
How did humans manage to function before dogs were domesticated some 23,000 years ago?
That is what Dea, a savvy black poodle, wonders in Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life, by Alison Rand—a wise and jaunty memoir told entirely from her dog’s point of view. During their daily walks, new puppy Dea pulls her human, Alison, by the leash into making connections, handling crippling loss, and coping with the challenges of life. What might have been tragic through Alison’s eyes finds wider perspective and resonance through Dea’s as she tolerates Alison’s pathetic attempts at meditation and online dating, sees her through a second bout of cancer, and finally steers Alison toward appreciating life’s daily wonders that are a puppy’s birthright. Thanks to Dea’s “training,” Alison learns to finally trust herself in new and life-affirming ways, realizing that feeling safe is a conscious decision.
This delightful book is now available on Amazon and fine bookstores everywhere.
A Poodle’s Perspective On Her Human’s Dating Life, In Sweet New Memoir
If a pup wrote a book about its owner, what would they say? Author Alison Rand’s new book, ‘Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story Of Helping Her Human Navigate Life’, is narrated by her sassy black poodle, bringing humor and wisdom to the tale. Dea nudges her human to engage with the world and appreciate everyday magic, even in the face of hardship. From processing grief to recovering from illness, Dea sees it all—and with deep love, shares insight that can only be gleaned from looking through the eyes of a beloved pet.
During their daily walks, new puppy Dea pulls her human, Alison, by the leash into making connections, handling crippling loss, and coping with the challenges of life. What might have been tragic through Alison’s eyes finds wider perspective and resonance through Dea’s as she tolerates Alison’s pathetic attempts at meditation and online dating, sees her through a second bout of cancer, and finally steers Alison toward appreciating life’s daily wonders that are a puppy’s birthright. Thanks to Dea’s “training,” Alison learns to finally trust herself in new and life-affirming ways, realizing that feeling safe is a conscious decision.
Celebrate National Dog Month (August) with this episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Pet Connection” Show that features Alison Rand, author of the contemporary memoir, “Walking Alison: A Poodles’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life.”
About the Book
What is the book about?
So, my mama struggled with how to continue her story until she decided to have me become the narrator. That was the best decision she could have made.
Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life is my mama’s (Alison’s) second memoir. Her first memoir, A Place Called Grace ended in a bittersweet manner, but it mentioned me at the very end so I guess my Alison felt the need to continue her story so there would be more about me and our new story to be less sad.
In Walking Alison, which by the way, is narrated by moi, the star of the book, a beautiful and opinionated black poodle, I needed to take my Alison on so many walks because she needed to be walked a couple of times a day, to help her make new connections. Then, through my pulling her along by the leash with my mighty strong shoulders she engaged more with life enjoying all the little things that I see, like the beady eyed squirrels who lock their eyes on me and then run away and she began to smell all the pungent scents in the grass everyday.
During our story I even tolerated a man she liked a lot, (he gave great back rubs) but I didn’t see the need in adding someone to our pack of two. When it didn’t work out, I was OK because I had my mama all to myself again. I hope she finally realizes that all she needs is me– and she doesn’t need to go out with silly men who are too hot to wear shirts like we saw in their photos inside the big box she looks at.
Plus, once “I trained her” to appreciate what the most important things in life are, like feeding me on time– ahem, throwing my loudest, squeaky, elephant toy every morning, lying down on the grass on our bellies, smelling all the scents outside in the park, watching squirrels with their beady little eyes trying to clamber up the trees, she became a happier person, with less stress and more resilience. She learned to appreciate her own strength and could look at her silly and odd humanlike ways with more humor even in the face of setbacks and loss, including her own recurrences of breast cancer.
Alison Rand is the author of the new memoir Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life. She also has written the memoir A Place Called Grace. She lives in Manhattan.
Q: What inspired you to write this new memoir from the perspective of your poodle, Dea?
A: After I published my first memoir, A Place Called Grace, I heard from many people that they were curious as to what happened to me because it ended in a bittersweet way, not a fairytale ending.
I knew I had more of a story to tell but didn’t feel that telling it from my own point of view was the right way to go.
So, as I looked for a different angle I realized that my dog, Dea, my beloved and opinionated black poodle, knows me as well as I know myself!
Plus, we have a lot in common—we have the same birthday, we both love exercise and we both suffer from bouts of anxiety. I then thought why not write this second memoir entirely from her point of view.
I tried not to anthropomorphize Dea because Dea is a dog and it needed to be told from a poodle’s perspective, but I also needed to keep my own persona as her number one character. I knew it would be a challenge, but Dea had to tell my continuing story.
As I researched other books narrated by dogs and one narrated by a cat, they were all terrific stories but they were fiction and mine was a memoir. I couldn’t find anything that was comparable to what I wanted to do, so that was scary. Would anyone be interested in an opinionated poodle narrating her mama’s memoir? I decided yes.
My memoir is really like two different books in one. It is my continuing memoir, but because it is told by my dog, my story had to intertwine her voice and personality and our lives into telling my story—not an easy feat.
Author Alison Rand shares her process of writing two memoirs, one from her point of view and the other from the perspective of her poodle, Dea.
I have written two deep, open, personal, and very different memoirs. My first was A Place Called Grace and as the traditional narrator I told my story of feeling unmoored and then finding my way in the world. But in my new memoir, Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life, my poodle, Dea continues the story—she literally pulls me into a better and more satisfying life. She also shares her own, often humorous opinions on the mysterious ways of humans.
When I wrote A Place Called Grace, I knew I wanted to tell my story of being deeply affected by family turmoil, separation from my siblings early in life, and loss. Later, after a failed marriage and as a struggling actress in New York, I felt lost—even with an outwardly good life. So, I made the brave if crazy decision to move alone to Rome, without speaking the language well, having any work lined up, or knowing anyone. I was hoping to begin a new life as an actress, along with all its bureaucratic nightmares and charming Italian men.
I knew in order to tell my story accurately I needed to include all the good and all the bad that had happened to me, along with the most intimate and painful details. It was difficult and at times a painful venture to write. I knew that the ending to my memoir was going to be bittersweet.
What a terrific book event my mama and I had last Sunday Feb 4th at Barnes & Noble UWS! So many humans came and even some of my dog friends were there. Of course, because I was the narrator and the star of my mama’s story, I got to sit on my Alison’s lap the whole time. Take a listen!
Click to images to enlarge
Walking Alison Book reading and signing at Barnes & Noble, Feb. 4th, 3pm.
Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is hosting a book reading and signing on Sunday Feb. 4th at 3 PM for my Alison’s memoir, Walking Alison: A Poodle’s Mostly True Story of Helping Her Human Navigate Life.
Of course, I will be there sitting on my mama’s lap or in my own chair next to her because I am the narrator of Walking Alison, the star of her story–the most important part!
Our stories intertwine a bit because we both have many things in common, such as the same birthday and we both love cookies, but as I am Walking Alison, I pull my human by the lead into making connections, enjoying life’s daily occurrences and moving her forward from loss and illness.
I am excited to greet you there!
Signed copies
Barnes & Noble had just gotten in the physical copies of our book, Walking Alison, and they asked me and Dea to come in to sign the copies! Dea is the narrator so she is the star! So excited.
The wonderful show “Get Booked” on Women’s Radio Station hosted by Hazel Butterfield promotes my new memoir, Walking Alison, which is narrated by my poodle, Dea.