My head said, “No! ” But my heart said, “Yes!” What I was about to sign up for, if I adopted the two Shih Tzu puppies jumping up at me, did not make sense, given my recent cancer diagnosis. Also, my husband wasn’t the biggest dog enthusiast. We had recently lost our first dog, and he seemed to feel that it was time to live without a dog. But every time the breeder mentioned the puppies’ imperfections, I knew they had to be mine. After all, I am imperfect, too!

Writing and publishing the stories about my” lively” puppies, Lilly and Livingston, have been on my bucket list. WIth a B.S in Elementary Education and an M.S. in Counseling, I have taught students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as well as in postsecondary education. In addition, I spent many years as a college academic advisor and counselor. After almost 50 years as an educator, I consider being a published author my “second act.”

As a parent and a teacher, I am passionate about showing kindness, displaying forgiveness, and promoting acceptance. These are some of the themes that are woven throughout the stories. They also celebrate the beauty in imperfection. After all, if everyone and everything were perfect, life would be boring! My “Perfectly Imperfect Puppies" series is written from my heart. I hope the series will provide readers and listeners an opportunity to share a smile as well as promote discussion of positive attitudes. Fair warning - some couplets are written in “slightly imperfect” rhyme!

I hope you find Lilly and Livingston as lovable as I do!

Linda Lacivita Krieger

Columbus-based Fine Artist Chris Rosati Yoos is a wildlife artist and educator focusing on conservation awareness. Chris earned her degree at The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Journalism and special focus in Industrial Design. She has also dedicated her continued education through The Columbus College of Art and Design as well as The Ohio Art League and The Art League of Alexandria, VA. Chris spent 30 years in a lucrative marketing and media career and received multiple awards for brand creative and marketing campaigns. She then turned her life-long passion of art toward wildlife education and conservation awareness. She has shown her work in galleries and has been published with award for her art. The Perfectly Imperfect Puppies series was her first opportunity to illustrate children’s picture books.