"Life to the Max: Maxims for a Great Life by a Dog named Max" Now Published!

As some of you know, I have been working to bring the story of my family’s dog, Max, to publication ever since he passed five years ago. Max was a wild, wiry Airedale Terrier who my husband I rescued from the Humane Society as a companion for our first Airedale, Bernie. Max had an irrepressible spirit that left an indelible impression on the lives of my family. This story was a way for me to deal with my grief of letting him go and to celebrate the many gifts he brought to us.

I had shared this story with many of my pet-loving friends and family over the years and they continually urged me to publish this story. There were many fits and starts on my journey to publication, but when my NICE Creative design partner, Terry Rohrs, showed me a colorful, fun page design which married simple illustration with real-life photos, I knew we could finally make this project a reality. Together we researched all sorts of publishing options, culled through hundreds of pictures and designed the pages. Being the photo-retouching genius she is, Terry was able to take my amateur family snapshots and turn them into focused, well-balanced images that really capture the spirit of Max.

Along the way, we have learned a ton about self-publishing, the ins and outs of setting up e-commerce and how to make a dog’s ear look like it’s flapping in the wind even when you don’t have a picture like that. If you’re interested in learning more about this book or you’re interested in ordering, please visit our website www.lifetomax.com. Though we have reached this milestone, we know the journey will continue—just as Max taught us it would.