Page design, “Rose In A Storm.” October 12, 2010.

January 27, 2010 –  The page design for “Rose In A Storm” arrived from Random House yesterday, one of the step’s in a writer’s life when a book becomes something real, rather than an ephemeral idea. I’m into interactivity, and I want to share the process. And the joy.

“Rose In A Storm,” a novel inspired by my life on Bedlam Farm with my border collie Rose – to whom the book is dedicated – is a significant creative leap for me. I began my writing career doing fiction, and waited a long time to return to it. I’m also working on a book of short stories about people and dogs.

“Rose” is the story – an emotional,  fast-paced one – of a border collie abandoned on a farm during an awful blizzard, trying to meet her working responsibilities in the midst of a  horrific storm – snow, wind, ice, and predators. She lives with a farmer, Sam, to whom she is close and dedicated, even as he struggles to understand her. The two of them grapple with the awful storm, which threatens them, the farm and its animals – sheep, goats, chickens,  cows and a donkey. They work together, and then. Rose has to face great challenges by herself.  How she evolves to deal with all of this is the crux of the story. There is a cast – coyotes, a runaway dog who appears in her life, and other animals. And a woman who understands Rose very clearly and intuitively.

I spent nearly two years talking with behaviorists about how a dog’s mind works, and the story is mostly told from the POV of the dog, who acts and reacts as a dog could and might. I didn’t want the fictional Rose to do anything a dog could not conceivably do. And the real Rose and I spent many winter days and nights together – lambing, plowing through snow and ice, chasing off coyotes, feeding stranded animals.

The fictional Rose, like the real one,  is not a Disney dog, or a sappy creature, but a real dog, with a lot of heart and real emotions. Her interior world is a place of loyalty, bravery, cunning and courage. And a ferocious work ethic. In some ways I see the story as a modern women’s parable, the story of a seemingly tough but vulnerable creature whose complex emotional life exists mostly out of the sight and consciousness of others, especially men.

One of the most fascinating elements of my life here has been seeing Rose evolve from an eager puppy into a complex creature who makes a lot of decisions every day. That surely influenced my writing. The book was hard work, and the best work I have done in a long time,  I think. Sometimes it’s good to write while you are opened up emotionally. I am so excited about the book. I also got a proof of the first few pages, and I will post a part of the first page shortly.

I will share bits of this novel throughout the summer, up to publication. I can’t wait for this book to come out. I want to be open about the life of the book, share some of it here, as I believe that is the new ethic and expectation spawned by blogs and the Internet. But I won’t give the story away. You are welcome to come along for the ride.