GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY
Ralphie, Always Loved
by Andrea Yerramilli
Ralphie, Always Loved by Andrea Yerramilli is currently on tour with iRead Book Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
This is the story of the life, love, and adventures of a beloved family dog, and how he delighted and touched his family and everyone he met.
Ralphie was born with a heart on his belly.
He loves food, his family, his friends, his neighbors.
He loves pretty much everything and everyone.
And they love him back.
And that's how it is all through his life.
Read the book and fall in love with him too.
He loves food, his family, his friends, his neighbors.
He loves pretty much everything and everyone.
And they love him back.
And that's how it is all through his life.
Read the book and fall in love with him too.
Rambunctious and hyperactive, Ralphie had already been returned to the animal shelter three times, but when Andrea and her husband adopted him and gave him a loving home where he was understood, accepted, and taught, he learned fast. As Ralphie's human family grew, so did his capacity for love and the ways he could express it. He remained a loving and beloved family member who touched the hearts of the whole neighborhood until he was ready to say goodbye at the grand-old age of sixteen. Ralphie, Always Loved will remind you of all that is good and reaffirm your belief in love's power to uplift and transform.
Excerpt
Click below to look inside.
Praise for the Book
“This is a story of patience and understanding, of love given and love received. Even though I had the privilege of knowing Ralphie, I fell in love all over again.” ~ Karen Soares, DVM, VCA Pacific Petcare Animal Hospital
“I'm excited that kids reading Ralphie's story will see that adopting a homeless dog is the way to go, and I hope that parents will use this book to teach their children to Adopt, don't shop!” ~ Kim Alfred, The Rescued Dog, San Diego, California
“Bright colorful illustrations complement this story of Ralphie’s life. This would be a good book for a family preparing to adopt a dog.” ~ Youth Services Book Review
“If you're a dog lover (or know someone who is - this is the Christmas season, after all), then you'll want to check out Andrea Yerramilli's children's book, Ralphie, Always Loved from About Something Good press. With charming illustrations by Samantha van Riet, this children's book is dedicated to the real Ralphie who inspired Yerramilli to write his story. Now Ralphie's memory will live with you as well.” ~ Critical Blast
“It’s a rare occurrence when a book comes along that not only teaches a lesson and gives children something to truly enjoy, but also fills the heart with love. This is that book. The illustrations are adorable and the words are kind, loving and filled with emotion. [T]his reviewer believes Ralphie is a book that moves from the category of lovely to award-winning. It is a fact that the love, respect, admiration, and kindness dogs bring to our lives is something that goes beyond the norm; they are truly a gift from Heaven, and this author/illustrator team has put on paper what dog owners everywhere feel with all their hearts. Quill says: You need to jump on board with the many other passengers out there who, I am quite sure, have already fallen absolutely in love with Ralphie!” ~ Feathered Quill Book Reviews
Guest Post by the Author
A Legacy of Love
Ralphie, Always Loved is a picture book about my beloved dog Ralphie. I wrote it because I wanted to keep him alive, both in the hearts and memories of those who knew and loved him, and by sharing him with people who otherwise would never have had the chance to meet him.
During the last year of Ralphie’s life, I focused very clearly on this little dog who had been with me for fifteen years. Every gray hair on his face made him more special. There’s something about an old dog who’s been around for a while and has perfected the art of loving and being loved. And my Ralphie was a pro! He had a way of looking right into your eyes and seeing into your soul, and when you looked back into his eyes, you were lost forever.
In January 2016, I started an Instagram account for Ralphie. I don’t really know what I hoped to achieve from it, but I did it anyway. The Instagram dog community, I found out, is a very supportive and loving group of people. Before long, Ralphie was a member of a much larger pack, and I was a member of an IG family. As the year went on, Ralphie found a voice and a group of friends who listened to what he had to say. We started to make a difference. Ralphie was building a legacy, a very loving one. RalphieAlwaysLoved aka The DogFather on Instagram was an old dog, one that pups looked up to. He made friends all over the world.
For his sixteenth birthday, we ran an Instagram event where we made sixteen donations to charities around the world with the help of sixteen Instagram accounts. In some cases, we made direct donations to a charity to which the particular account felt a special connection. In other cases, we sent the account a bunch of goodies, and they kept a few, added a bunch more of their favorite things, and then donated it to a local shelter of their choice. It was #MissionPawsible from a bunch of ALWAYSLOVED friends who made a difference. And it was a celebration that paid the love forward.
Shortly after his sixteenth birthday, Ralphie was diagnosed with a splenic hemangiosarcoma. The outpouring of love and support from his many friends was tremendous. After Ralphie passed, thirty-seven Instagram accounts from around the world pooled resources, and a star in the Auriga constellation at the approximate coordinates 5h 19m 40.1 degrees was named “Ralphie Always Loved”. He’s up there shining down on us all.
Ralphie is still spreading the light on Instagram. His memory and spirit are strong in those who love him. He still lives not only in my heart but also in hearts around the world; hashtags like #RalphieAlwaysLoved, #RalphiesHeart, #RalphiesLegacy, and #AlwaysLovedIsland keep his legacy alive.
About the Author
Andrea has always been an avid reader and that jumpstarted her imagination at a very early age. In fact, she escaped to the Land of Make Believe more often than her mother liked.
She is a former marketing professional who is a mom to kids both with and without fur. Andrea says that it helps to have one foot planted firmly in reality while the other is foot loose and fancy free in Imagination Land. She enjoys the best of both worlds.
In 2013, Andrea and her husband started About Something Good (ASG) as a vehicle to curate, inspire and share goodness in the world. In a world where negative images flood the media, and words like “hate” get tossed around so easily, Andrea felt she needed a space that encouraged and focused on the words like “love” and the beauty that is life.
Andrea is committed to finding the good in everything and believes: that a sense of belonging to someone's heart is what makes us feel complete, that kindness goes a long way, and that keeping your mind and heart open can help when things happen that you don't understand.
Andrea lives in New Jersey with her husband and children.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a print copy of Ralphie, Always Loved by Andrea Yerramilli and a $15 Amazon gift card (US only).
Plus, visit the author’s website for some free activities for the kids.
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