It's Okay to Cry: Warm, Compassionate Stories That Help You Find Hope and Healing After the Death of a Pet

Its Okay To Cry contains warm, compassionate stories that help people to find hope and healing after the death of a beloved pet. Twenty-four people who have lost pets including dogs, cats, birds and working animals share their stories. Included are stories of Robert Weatherwax, Sr., the owner and trainer of Lassie, as well as Jack Hanna, former zoo director and frequent guest on Larry King Live. Its Okay To Cry is 224 pages in length and contains a 42 page journal that allows people to record their own stories. It is printed on acid-free paper with a quality paperback cover.

Maria Luz Quintana

Maria Luz Quintana experienced pet loss when Butch, a German Shepherd that she loved, was shot and killed while protecting her home from a burglar. Maria and her family had been visiting Mexico for the Christmas holidays when it happened. They came home to find that Butch was near death from a bullet in the head. Maria blamed herself for not being there when Butch needed her.

Maria graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Ethnic Studies. Her inspiration for this book came from a class in death and dying. She realized that there was a lot of research and information about the grieving process that a person experiences when a human being dies, but very little support was available for people who had lost a favorite pet. Through this book, Maria wants to give people who have lost a pet a voice for their grieving.

Maria lives in Perrrysburg, Ohio with her husband, Harley. They have one daughter, Johari. Maria has twelve years of experience teaching in preschools. Its Okay To Cry is her first book.

Shari L. Veleba
Shari L. Veleba graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Journalism. Shari has experienced pet loss several times over the years. The most recent loss, a Collie named Buppy, led her to consider the relationship between pet loss and human loss. Shari is a freelance journalist and lives in Columbus, Ohio. Its Okay To Cry is her first book.

Harley King
When Harley King was eight years old, his family moved from a farm to a small town in central Illinois. His childhood playmate, Lucky, a Collie, had to be put to sleep because he could not adapt to living in town.

For over twenty years Harley has been writing poetry, fiction, magazine articles, newsletters, training manuals, policy and procedural manuals, ads and speeches.

Harley has published four previous books: Winter Silence (1977), Empty Playground (1980), Mother, Dont Lock Me in That Closet (1989) and The World of Speaking (1995).

Harley, a graduate of Goshen College with a degree in English, has twelve years experience speaking and conducting seminars. He speaks in the areas of leadership, customer service, service recovery, marketing, sales, writing and pet loss. His topics include: Its Okay To Cry, How To Recover From Service Failure and Build Customer Loyalty, How To Be A Catalyst For Change, The Secrets of Caring Leadership, and the Circle of Excellence.

Harley is the coauthor and executive producer of the Circle of Care program, an eleven-hour customer service program that has been taught to over 75,000 people. He has trained more than 2100 trainers to conduct the program.

Harley lives with his wife, Maria, in Perrysburg, Ohio. They have one daughter, Johari. For more information on speeches, seminars and workshops, contact him at E-mail: HGKing@aol.com.