Registration is open for the 2022 Connecticut Book Awards!
When: October 23, 2022 | 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Where: Hartford Public Library
Please note that clicking the button will bring you to another site for registration.
Q&A
COVID is still with us, although easing off a little, thank goodness. Did you have a favorite comfort genre to turn to when things were looking bleak? Something that lifted you away and to a different place for a while?
My life revolves around veterinary medicine and dogs, so as a reader I tend to lean towards nonfiction, memoir style books, about dogs and their people. During COVID, coincidentally, I was here at home writing my own dog books which lifted me very far and away into my childhood and beyond!!
Where do you get your inspiration?
Through my veterinary practice, my life with dogs and other animals, and now through my social media pages, I’m fortunate to have grown a wide and varied network of educators and animal advocates who have become my friends. Their devotion to our shared interests is inspiring on many levels.
Managing my dog Piglet’s social media pages, I am honored to share Piglet’s inspirational life with thousands of people every day. These are the people who support my nonprofit, my social media pages, and have read my books and given the most positive heartfelt feedback. Despite becoming friends with people I probably will never meet in person, their commitment and support of my Piglet work inspires me to continue building our program and my nonprofit work with Piglet.
Who made reading important to you?
My children are avid readers. They have encouraged me to find interesting, heartwarming books that give me a new perspective on my own life.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
From the time I understood the concept of being something when I was grown up, I was 100% set on becoming a veterinarian. My goal and intention never wavered. I am thankful to my childhood self for choosing such an amazing career path!!
Who was your childhood hero?
My first dog’s veterinarian. In fact, as the years went on, he became my mentor, then a colleague, and then a friend. He is one of the most important people I included in my book. In fact, he surprised me by showing up to a bookstore author event we had in NH in August, 2022! I looked up and there he was, which made me feel amazingly happy!
Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to your writing?
My husband Warren is very supportive of pretty much everything I do and that includes writing. He gives lots of good input and encouragement which makes for a very nice collaboration in life.
Bio
Melissa Shapiro, DVM, is a veterinarian, a lifelong animal welfare advocate, and mom to three children and many disabled rescued dogs and birds. Since bringing Piglet home in 2017, she has used his social media platform to educate, advocate, and inspire others to adopt pets with special needs. Her nonprofit organization, Piglet International Inc., supports the Piglet Mindset Educational Outreach, a free downloadable educational program that teaches growth mindset, acceptance, inclusion, empathy, and kindness to students and others in the community, as well as various animal rights causes. She lives in Connecticut with her husband Warren, six rescued dogs, one rescued parakeet, and Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy.
Synopsis
PIGLET: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf Blind Pink Puppy and His Family is a charming, inspirational memoir about empathy, resilience, kindness, and an adorable deaf blind pink dog.
When veterinarian Melissa Shapiro said “yes” to fostering a tiny deaf blind puppy, she had no idea how that decision would transform her, her family, and legions of admirers destined to embrace the saga of the indomitable pink pup.
PIGLET is a positive feel-good story with something for everyone. It is about Piglet’s rescue and his positive message of inclusion, empathy, and kindness, sprinkled with vet medicine, animal rescue, dog training, parenting, and lots of light-hearted humor. It is sincere, authentic, and relevant to a wide range of readers.
