The more I researched and wrote, I began to get a bigger idea still about kindness but the huge numbers of rescued and abused animals bothered me. Of course we are all impacted by bullying and cruelty. I wanted to speak to a larger audience. It is easier to be cruel than to be kind for some people. What if I could, in a small way impact that change? If I could get to the preteens and teens, there could be more of an impact on younger children, as this group represents the mothers and fathers of the future.

Sometimes we read or hear something that sticks in back of our brain. It influences how we treat others and animals. For me, I know it sounds corny, but it was the Golden Rule, ‘Treat others how you would like to be treated.’ I also taught my children the same standard, and I believe they have passed this mindset down to their children.

I felt that I had to make parts of the book sad because this caused the reader to become emotionally involved in the story. Only my walls know how much I cried while writing this story. Sometimes I couldn’t go back and edit a chapter because I was unable to see the computer screen through my tears. I tried to make Ben very much a part of every character’s story. He was a Therapy Dog without any training for that role. Dogs are naturals for giving love and expecting nothing more in return than a place to sleep and food to eat. Loving them back is their bonus; their reward.

Rosemarie B. Smith is a devoted animal lover, and is passionate about changing the attitudes of a young generation that she worries is becoming desensitized by rapidly-developing technologies. Smith, mother of three and grandmother of six, spent much of her career in Human Resources Management, before semi-retiring at age 60, and purchasing a start-up company, which she turned into a successful business. She has personally adopted a total of 12 rescue cats.