Marion Guenther is hoping her new book will bring a little happiness to people.
The book, called My Dogs Are Going To Heaven, They’re Not Sure About The Cat, is a collection of short, humorous stories about her experiences while taking her dogs on walks at Mission’s Fraser River Heritage Park.
The book describes the adventures of Gilligan, a golden retriever, and Bugsy who Guenther refers to as a “lovable mutt.”
“I used to tell my students and my children and grandchildren stories about my dogs and they loved them. I even put some on Facebook,” explained Guenther, a retired English teacher.
After enjoying her works online, a friend told Guenther to make a book out of the short stories.
It didn’t take long for her to complete.
“I had a whole lot of them already done and had some pictures that helped illustrate them,” she explained.
In fact, it was harder to get it published than to write.
The 72-year-old, first-time author has lived in Mission for 38 years with her husband, Dennis, who is the pastor of the Zion Christian Fellowship Church in Mission.
She has always been a dog lover, while her husband is the cat fan.
She said dogs make great stories, which is why she thinks people will enjoy the new book.
While both of her dogs have now passed, Guenther has a new dog named Charlie. However she isn’t planning a Charlie sequel book just yet.
“Let’s see if people like this one first,” she joked.
Guenther will be signing copies of her book as part of the Mission Arts Council’s 35th annual Christmas Craft Market taking place Nov. 5-6 at the Clarke Theatre (33700 Prentis Ave.)
She will also be signing books in Abbotsford on Nov. 25-26 at the craft show at Gateway Community Church (2884 Gladys Ave.)
The book is also available at the House of James in Abbotsford.