All pet lovers have suffered the tragedy of losing their constant companion. You give them unconditional love and affection, and the bonding process begins. Each time you look into their loving eyes, you freely give them your heart. Although they return your affections, they hold on to your heart forever. ‘The life and times of Gemma’ is a diary of events we shared with our German Shepherd in England before flying to America. We spent three years exploring the foothills and mountains of Northern California before she lost her life to cancer. I spent the next three years struggling to understand the loss of her charismatic character and the profound impact she had on my life. Eventually, I finished the book about her life with my wife Colleen and myself and the huge void she left in our lives. The first book was a disaster because I wanted to pay tribute to her life with a coloured photograph of Gemma at the start of each chapter. This was my first venture into publishing a book, and despite being told it would make the book price too high to sell in numbers, I put out a costly failure. I have completed the revision, and I will relaunch it when I finish the first book of a trilogy called, ‘The Nene Queen.’ New writers are vulnerable to hype and believe the next tutorial they purchase will eliminate all of their mistakes and turn their manuscript into a bestseller. Paying through the pocket is the hard way of learning a trade, hopefully, it will stand me in good stead for my next venture into writing a book.