Gabriel Garcia Marquez is my favorite writer, my inspiration. He once wrote that we are not only born once, when our mothers give birth to us, but that life requires us to give birth and rebirth to ourselves, again and again. That is so  true in my life, as in so many others. To awaken to life is to invite and accept change and new experience, to take the great risk and reward of the creative life. It is never a straight or simple line, it is marked by ups and downs, twists and turns, birth and rebirth.

My life has changed beyond my imagination since the time I first moved to the country nearly two decades ago.

This week, it is time to change again, to give rebirth to my writing life again.

I have decided to say goodbye to my longtime publisher, Random House, a difficult and emotional decision. Random House is the only publisher I have had for almost every one of my 26 books. This week, my agent and I decided to take my next book project “Talking To Animals,” to a different publisher, I will go to New York shortly to meet with editors who are interested in talking to me about it.

It was a very mutual and respectful decision. Random House made an offer on the book – my next book, about Simon, is the last book on my contract –  but I think they knew, and I knew we would not accept it, it was simply time for a change. I believe they thought so too. Random House is a good place, a great place, it is not the place for me now.

This is both sorrowful and exhilarating for me; I am so grateful to Random House for making it possible for me to be a writer my entire adult life, that is a wonderful gift and a precious thing. They have edited my books well and published them beautifully. My editors have all been amazing, skilled and dedicated, they have taught me so much and endured so much from me, supported me for a very long time. It is a rare thing for a writer to have such a good and long relationship with a publisher, I am so appreciative of that.

Still, it is time to go, some marriages can last too long, and publishing has changed so much in the past few years I barely recognize it. My world has vanished; my world is being reborn. The blog is the centerpiece of my creative work; it is, in many ways, my work, but I have always been a book writer, and I hope I will die a book writer. I embrace new technology, and it is a fundamental part of my writing, but it can also be stifling and dehumanizing – I need an editor who wants to talk to me as much as I want to talk to him or her. That is how great and successful books are made, in my mind.

I want to be careful to make sure that writing for me is joyous and that I have the freedom to write what I wish, and that I feel good about myself as a writer. I need something different; I can feel it in my bones.  So I’ve taken the big plunge, given birth to my creative self once more. Taking a plunge like this is always uncertain, especially for an older writer working in a fluid environment. It is also essential to a creative life, which is full of risk and rebirth if it is to remain vital. My blog, my photography, my move upstate have all proven to creatively powerful and successful experiences. Rebirth has always worked out for me, I will hold my breath and hope it goes well again. Early indications are very good. I feel more vital and creative than ever, I feel my work has really just begun.

My niche as a writer about animals and rural life is a bit specialized. As many of you know, I want to write thoughtfully and intelligently about our lives with animals. I love the animals I live with but I also seek to find and capture some perspective, I want to challenge myself and others to think about their relationships with animals and understand them. I believe there are many people who need this and want it, even when they disagree.

“Talking To Animals” is, I think, the culmination of my two decades of life and research and  experience of real life with real animals and also of photography, I hope to follow Henry Beston’s call and help my readers find a wiser and more mystical understanding of animals. I have seen and learned so much that I want to share, and I’m eager to tell it in story form, each chapter a different story of my life with animals – Orson, Rose, Elvis, Pearl, Clementine,  Winston the rooster, the goats, the barn cats Mother, Flo and Minnie, Izzy, Lenore, Orson, Red, Frieda,  the donkeys Simon, Lulu and Fanny and the carriage horses of New York as well. Each one has taught me something different about communicating and understanding, about the miracle of listening and observing.

Each animal will be a chapter; each one has taught me something about talking to animals and listening to them, I am excited to share this.

So thank you, Random House, and thank you, good readers.

I wanted to especially thank those of you reading this who have been along on this ride for some time, been a witness to my births and rebirths, have stuck with me and supported my work and encouraged me through the many ups and downs of being born again, and again. I thank  you, I hope you will come along for the next chapter, I think it will be a hummer. I have a lot of good noise to make in the world, I am honored to share it with you.