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By Joel Frady
Several months after retiring and moving to Warrensville, William
Schwenn couldn't stop thinking of the life he
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had known at his previous residence. Set on a 41-acre lot
in Reidsville, Schwenn and his wife, Mary, had known the home
they shared with several dogs as "Meadowbrook."
For Schwenn, the story of his life at Meadowbrook was one he
wanted to tell. Recently published by PublishAmerica, Dogs of
Meadowbrook tells the story of that life, but focuses more on
the Schwenn's canine companions than the humans.
"It was more unique than I might have thought at the time,
because we weren't distracted by some of the things that other
people would be distracted by," Schwenn said. The couple
never had children and had separate careers - Williams working
as Clerk of Court for the Federal Bankruptcy court in Greensboro,
Mary working in the Environmental Affairs Department in Winston-Salem
- and they would come back to their home place at the end of
the day to enjoy the company of Tag, Windi, Chelsea, Ruffin,
Freckles and Scamper.
Schwenn said the dogs were the real life of the house.
"They were full of fun, full of energy," he said,
noting that each dog had "very different characters,"
but "they were living together in pretty good harmony."
He added that the canines were "our entertainment and our
sense of adventure. We found quickly that we were doing things
based on the things we thought the dogs would enjoy."
The Schwenns lived at Meadowbrook for 12 years, believing at
one point that they had found the home they would retire in.
But as the years passed - and the dogs with them - they decided
it might be best to move.
"When you lose them, as you inevitably do, pretty soon
the place - our 41-acre spread - felt empty," Schwenn said.
"We ended up making the move from there, which was something
we wouldn't have considered halfway through our life there."
But the memories of their years at Meadowbrook stuck with William
Schwenn, and he decided to try something he had never done before:
writing a book.
"It didn't occur to me to write the book until, literally,
I had finished work and wound up the career," he said.
So, six months after the move, he sat down at his computer and
began to write.
"I literally said 'This is a story that our dogs created
for us while we lived there,' and I think it's something that
should be shared with as many people as I can," he said.
He later noted that he wanted to write because "it was
only afterwards, at the tale end of it, that we realized we
lived an existence that was different than many people get a
chance to."
Schwenn said that his wife helped him edit the book, which he
thinks will also illustrate to readers the importance of taking
"the opportunity to really get to know their pet to see
what they want and what kind of things they find fun."
Once the book was finished, the next task was getting it published.
Schwenn said that Lyon's Press and Wiley Press both showed interest,
but ultimately passed because of Schwenn's lack of name recognition.
Schwenn also employed a literary agent, but after 10 months
there and no deal they decided to part ways.
Schwenn said that he considered self-publishing the book, but
felt that it was "too self-serving."
Scwenn finally landed with PublishAmerica, based out of Baltimore,
Md. And thought the book has hit shelves, Schwenn said he doesn't
plan to author another book.
"I didn't intend to be an author," he said. "This
was something that occurred to me that I felt compelled to do."
The 226-page Dogs of Meadowbrook is available at SkyLand Books
in West Jefferson or online at www.amazon.com or directly from
the publisher at www.publishamerica.com.
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