The Nicholberry Dispatch
A surprising book from Dean Koontz and an interesting tidbit about the dog brain
BOOK NEWS
So here’s a little crazy story. Because I get so many messages/emails from those promoting something — a product, more views, website SEO — I almost ignored the message that made Puppy Brain come to fruition. In March 2021, my agent (the wonderful Leigh Eisenman) sent me a short DM and my first instinct was just to delete it and move on. But my finger hovered and I wondered, is it possible she is legit?
A year earlier, I had attended the Kauai Writers Conference as a chaperone to my teen son (@itsmaxnichols, who you can guarantee will one day write a book) and the idea of a memoir related to the dogs had begun to percolate. Fortunately, I had a great conversation about it with Josh Mohr and when Leigh reached out to me, I asked Josh what he thought (in a long rambling IG message). Josh read the subtext and replied with two words I desperately needed to hear: “She’s real.”
Life’s decision tree is so funny. Had I deleted Leigh’s message, what would have happened? I’m so glad I’ll never know. Twenty-five days until Puppy Brain publishes!
In case you missed it, here are the happenings:
* April 29th 5:30pm: Carmel event with food, wine, book signings, and Q&A. I cannot wait to kick off my book launch with all of you! This is a ticketed event.
* May 2nd 6pm: Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica - I am SO EXCITED to tell you who my conversation partner will be! I’ll just say this - if you are in the area, put this one on your calendars. You won’t want to miss it.
* May Date TBD: Boston! It’s happening! We are just sorting out the date.
* May Date TBD: Washington DC
SOMETHING TO LEARN
Dogs actually understand what we say
In this study, 13 dogs were trained to lie still and wear headphones for seven minutes during a functional MRI scan. Brain scans indicate that there’s a division in the dog’s brain between meaning and sound. In other words, they understand the actual words! Of course this is just one study and much more research is sure to come, but I love seeing the interesting things that science is discovering about these extraordinary beings.
SOMETHING TO READ
One of my commitments for 2024 is that I would actually read the books in my “to be read” stack. Slowly but surely, I’m working my way through them. (And I’m one of those people who has a book going on Audible, a hard copy of a book on my nightstand, and a podcast to fill in the gaps).
The book on my nightstand is A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz. I have to confess that I have never read a Dean Koontz book, but when I found out that he is a major Golden lover and wrote this bestseller about his Golden, Trixie, I added it to my stack. He says of her, “Trixie was innocent and joyful, but also at times enigmatic and solemn. I learned as much from this good dog as from all my years in school.”
Same, Dean Koontz. Same.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
SOMETHING TO LOVE
A friend gave me A Big Little Life. Oh how I cried when I read this book. When I lost Luke I read this passage so often and it gave me comfort. I often share with those who grieve their loss.
Dogs, lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and there's going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware that it comes with an unbearable price. Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we allow ourselves and the mistakes we make because of those illusions.
Dean Koontz
Read Remarkably Bright Creatures on your rec last week. LOVED it. Dean Koontz, you’re up next! Add me to the excited you’ll be in DC list and can’t wait to know the date.