March 6, 2020

Jim Mitchem and Laurie Smithwick – “Gone Dogs: Tales of Dogs We’ve Loved.”

Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:40 — 24.6MB)

In this episode 85, we visit with Jim Mitchem and Laurie Smithwick, the creators of the book, “Gone Dogs: Tales of Dogs We’ve Loved.”

“Gone Dogs” isn’t one story, by one author, about one dog. It’s a collection of 50 stories by 50 authors from around the world sharing stories about the dogs of their lifetimes. The project was born from a blog post Jim Mitchem wrote about his dog passing. It was a simple tribute that generated a strong response and made him realize that all dog owners have something important in common — eventually, we must all say goodbye.

Jim, a writer, and Laurie, a graphic designer, put out a call for entries, received hundreds of submissions from all over the world, chose 50 of the most poignant and uplifting pieces, then edited and published this anthology.

In 2014, when Jim’s dog Sydney died, he was inspired to compile a book of stories about ‘gone dogs’ from people everywhere. Laurie was one of the first people he reached out to. Soon after, the pair agreed to invest their time and energy into the book project. The result after five years of work is the remarkable product you hold in your hands—a book about dogs. But really, a book about love.

Connect with the author and designer:

Website: http://gonedogs.com

Social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoneDogsBook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gonedogs

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gonedogs

How to Get the Book:

Purchase directly from the publisher: https://gonedogs.com/product/signedcopy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692861157

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About Jim Mitchem

Jim Mitchem says this about himself at the site www.minorking.com a site about his debut novel: Jim Mitchem is a copywriter who found his way into advertising via a dirt path on the outskirts of society. Born with no obvious talent, Jim began writing at a young age as a way to lasso the stories that ran circles in his mind. Dismissed as folly when he shared them, he gave up writing for drinking at the age of 17. After a stint in the USAF, and armed only with a pen and looseleaf paper bound by elastic, Jim meandered through the US until he awoke in a gutter in New York City in 1991. His life and his writing have improved significantly since giving up booze. And while he doesn’t think that’s a coincidence, he does consider it damn ironic.

Jim Mitchem and Laurie Smithwick met in the mid-2000s at their local swimming pool when their daughters became friends. Jim, a writer, and Laurie, a designer, hit it off. Over the years they’ve worked together on a range of projects both commercial and pro bono.

About Laurie Smithwick

Laurie is a Grammy-nominated designer, the founder of LEAP Design, a partner in the Alt Summit design conference, and a TEDx speaker. She holds degrees from Duke University and Parsons School of Design, and is a native of Charlotte, NC who actually lives there today, which she says, “makes me a unicorn.” She’s also an abstract artist, mother of identical, redheaded twins, and she observers, “a very happy wife of a cute programmer, an ENFP, and an unrepentant cilantro hater.”

For more information, go to www.lauriesmithwick.com

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