Writing tends to be a lonely profession. You’re in a room, on a screen, dealing with nothing but your own imagination and, in my case, twisty murder plots. When I began writing The Perfect Escape, a girls’ weekend gone wrong set in Catskill, NY, I had also just recently found out I was pregnant. Add nausea, exhaustion and brain fog, and it was tough to hit my goals. But one creature-slash-coworker motivated me every single day, keeping me going so I could finish my book: my lovable dog, Farley.
Farley was the first and only dog we ever saw at a shelter. We found him at the incredible BARC in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and instantly fell in love with his outsized personality and scruffy mohawk. I had only a few months before begun writing full-time, and not only did Farley quickly become my new best friend, he also took on the job of my most reliable coworker.
Farley is a terrier mix of indeterminate age (around 10-11ish, but we don’t know for sure) with a lot of Jack Russell in him and an appearance that can only be described as “as if cartoon Snoopy came to life.” His velvet ears are perfect for scratching when you’re in need of a writing break, and he promises to answer any important plot questions with a simple turn of his sweet head. He’s agile and acrobatic, and when he’s not on my lap or nearby he might just be dreaming of chasing squirrels, which he does all over Brooklyn, and sometimes in the country, as well.
When I’m drafting a novel, he’s truly always by my side, with his dog bed perched at the bottom of my desk (bonus if there’s a sunbeam!). He’s the greatest cure for writer’s block I know of, and I really couldn’t have written my books without him.
You may find a dog or two that resembles Farley at least a little bit in my books. In All the Broken People, Dusty, is a fluffy white companion for Lucy, a woman fleeing Brooklyn to start a new life in upstate New York. And even though I write thrillers, and all sorts of bad things happen to some of the people in my book, I promise never to hurt a dog on one of my pages. Farley simply wouldn’t have it.
In the last two years, Farley has also taken on a new role in addition to beloved coworker: big brother! For a working mom in the middle of a pandemic, it’s awesome to have a dog who sweetly watches over your sleeping baby, as well.
Anyone who loves dogs knows just how much they change your life for the better, bringing you joy, laughter, and companionship in so many different ways. I know that Farley won’t be able to physically be with me for every single book I write, but I also know there won’t be a single book I write in my life where I won’t think of Farley.
Leah Konen is the author of All the Broken People and of several young adult novels, including Love and Other Train Wrecks and The Romantics. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and English literature. She lives in Brooklyn and Saugerties, New York, with her husband; their daughter, Eleanor; and their dog, Farley.
