A trail meanders alongside the Sammamish River in Bothell, Washington. I walked this trail every morning with my small bearded dog, Ewok, as his voluminous Gandalf beard collected crispy leaves and brushed the body of moss and other bryophytes. Ewok is a Brussels Griffon, a funny breed known from the Jack Nicholson movie
As Good As It Gets and for greatly resembling the Lorax. If I’d had my way, we would have power walked or at least Prancercized along the gurgling river, but Ewok set our pace (glacial) and we’d tootle along at the speed of a stoned sloth. The walking helped me escape my own mind, a frenzied hive of doubts and dejection. Frankly, I felt broken. I’d failed at an acting career in LA, and now having rediscovered my love of writing, I was facing more rejection. I had known these walks were about the restorative meditation of following a path. I had not known they would literally inspire me along the path to publishing my debut novel from the perspective of a crow with a severe to moderate junk food addiction...