Dean Koontz writes a memoir about Trixie

Since I was in high school, I have devoured all of Orange County resident and bestselling author Dean Koontz's books. His tales such as "Watchers" and "The Servants of Twilight" kept me up way past my bedtime hour, reading and reading. I didn't think I could like this bestselling author more, until I learned he's a dog lover.

What impressed me more than his novels, awards, money or notoriety was now much he loved his dogs. This pure, selfless love grounded Koontz, held him accountable and gave his soul joy. His example inspired me to love my own dogs that much more, and to realize what a true gift they are to my life and the world.

Koontz is also a supporter of dog groups like Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization that raises and trains guide dogs for owners with disabilities. In fact, it was CCI that alerted Koontz and his wife Gerda to a young dog who needed to retire from guide dog life after joint surgery and was looking for a forever home.

That day changed Koontz's life forever. Enter Trixie, a 60-something-pound bundle of golden love who lived a charmed life right beside Koontz. She enjoyed dinners out with the couple, daily walks, trips to the groomer and just about any and every joy that could be showered upon her from her adoring owners. Koontz readily said that this Golden Retriever lived close to the ground, but cast a long shadow as she changed Koontz's life and taught him how to be a better person. Throughout her life, Trixie "wrote" numerous books, such as "Life is Good!: Lessons in Joyful Living." They are penned in the way that Trixie probably would have spoken--quickly shifting focus points, blasts of beautiful insight and an overwhelming sense of innocence and love.

When Trixie suddenly passed away June 30, 2007, at the age of 11 from cancer, Koontz was devastated. He wrote on his website that he loved her as desperately as if she were his own child, and he mourned the passing of his furry daughter intensely. For a long time after Trixie's passing, Koontz, a self-termed workaholic, couldn't even write a word. But eventually, his fingers found their way back to the keyboard, and he began writing once more. As did Trixie. Last September, Trixie "wrote" another book, this one from over the Rainbow Bridge, entitled "Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life," a blueprint to living every day with the same wonder and joy as did she.

As Koontz said in a recent USA Today article by Carole Memmott,

"Before Trixie I wasn't looking for the brightness in daily life I used to," says Koontz in the article. "I started thinking about the wonder of the world again. She changed me by the example of her exuberance and her innocence."

In the past, Trixie's news contributed (a lot) to Koontz's newsletter content, and she served as a guest blogger on Koontz's website. After Trixie passed, more than 50,000 condolence emails flooded her blog. Now, the ever-prolific pup still contributes to the site, signing her posts "TOTOS: "Trixie On The Other Side." I love her site, and hearing her "talk" through the website's avitar is adorable.

This year, on August 25 (the same day my first book, "Mover Over, Rover" hit stores. A coincidence that thrilled me completely), Koontz recently released his first non-fiction book, "A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog," about his beloved Trixie and how she changed his world. Koontz recounts unexpectedly falling in love with Trixie and how she had a huge impact on everyone she encountered.

"Trixie was joyful, affectionate, comical, intelligent, remarkably well-behaved. She was also more self-possessed and dignified than I had ever realized a dog could be," wrote Koontz in his e-newsletter. "Already and unexpectedly, she has changed me as a person and as a writer. I am only beginning to understand the nature of those changes and where they will lead me."

The 288-page novel also describes Koontz's early years, such as living in a $65-dollar-a-month rental house without a stove. It's not often that this private writer gives readers insight into his home and family life, but when writing about Trixie, he does. Koontz writes in the same conversational tone he uses in his interviews, and it makes the book incredibly readable. Fans adore Koontz's easily accessible characters, and in this nonfiction book, he makes himself just as accessible.

The humorous and touching "Big" beautifully weaves tales of how Trixie's magic restored the family's sense of wonder and awe about life around them. Koontz recounts Trixie's passing as well, and with that his grief comes through. But in the end, the book focuses on Trixie's life, not her death. It's not sappy, but life-affirming. As was Trixie.

For more information, or to read Trixie's website and see Koontz's video about her, check out http://trixie.deankoontz.com/.

You can also check out Canine Companions for Independence's webpage about the book at http://www.cci.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=cdKGIRNqEmG&b=4134045&ct=7319197. Photo courtesy of CCI.org.

Also check out the USA Today article at http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-06-08-dean-koontz-cover_N.htm.