When I realized at the age of eight that I was receiving information from animals (mental pictures), my first impression was that it was normal. Soon after, when I shared my experiences with others, I found that they considered me crazy; some even called me a witch. I thought being different was "bad," so I tried very hard to conform to the norm instead. I was still getting information from the animals, but I was choosing to ignore it. At night I would pray to be "normal," and pleaded to all that would listen to stop my "visions," as I was calling them then. But they didn't stop. In fact, I started having more and more until one day I finally surrendered and said to the heavens that if they were going to send me information that I would like to do something worthwhile with this extraordinary gift. I told them that I didn't want to see anything I couldn't change. In exchange, I promised to do whatever I could to change the things I was able to and to let others know what I was receiving. That promise to the heavens in my early youth is still in effect today.

When I began communicating with animals professionally, I decided to keep a journal because the stories the animals were telling me were so special and unique. I was afraid of forgetting them if I didn't write them down. Soon I had reams of pages written with fabulous true accounts from my clients.

During one of my first interviews for a local newspaper, the reporter asked me for some of my favorite stories. She asked for the one I felt was the most humorous and the one I felt was most unusual. Her last question was, "What is the most common thing the owners want to know of their pets?" Without hesitation I replied, "The owners always ask, 'Do they know how much I love them?'" The answer is always a yes.

Soon after this interview I decided to categorize some of the stories I already had, and by doing so I realized that half the book was already written. All I had to do was write the other half. As a first time writer, and with English as my second language, it was a challenge at times. But a friend of mine, who is also an author, gave me the best advice. She said, "Every day sit down and write something. Some days you will write a lot of pages, others you will sit and nothing will come out. Do it every day." Soon I was on my way.

People from all walks of life have been affected by at least one of the stories contained in my first book, What Animals Tell Me, even those who thought they did not have a particular affection for animals and were skeptical. My Japanese translator, for instance, told me she dreamed of a day when I could meet her in person so that I could teach her how to communicate with pets. My Spanish translator told me that, after working on just half of my book, he went back home to visit his mother only to rekindle his relationship with the family dog, who he now viewed in an entirely different way. Several of my editors, too, have now a deeper understanding of their own pets after they have read, reviewed, and understood each and every sentence written.

The chapter on names has also caught a lot of people by surprise, and I find that more and more readers are asking if their pets like their names and are willing to change it if necessary.

But nothing makes me more proud than when people tell me they now have a much better understanding of their pet's needs and wants. They say that after reading this book something changed inside them. Furthermore, the book has helped many people who realized that they too were capable of receiving some information from their animals, but didn't understand how it was possible.

How fantastic it is that we are living in an age when we are no longer considered crazy, weird, witches, or fanatics only because we are open minded! We are tuned-in with nature and are more willing to learn, and most of all to understand and ponder.

I maintain that we are all able to communicate with other species. The fact that I was born this way only means that I had the ability to remember how it was done before languages existed. And because of my sheltered life, it never became foreign to my soul. It was only hidden, waiting for the right time to come out again.

After you initially read What Animals Tell Me for the enjoyment of the stories, read it once more to understand the concepts. Animals do have feelings and emotions, likes and dislikes, and they do have souls. No, they are not humans, but their basic needs are similar to ours. We all need to understand one another so that we can live together in harmony and love.