Two dogs, two picture books: an Arlington author on adoption, disability and chosen family

Toby, the first dog

Toby was the family's first dog, and the family adopted him [S1]. “He came into our lives as this little dog who needed a home, and before long he wasn’t ‘the dog’ anymore. He was family,” Luna said [S1].

Toby later died from complications related to a brain tumor, Luna wrote [S2]. That loss is where the first book started. “Toby was such a character that the stories were already there. He was wild, stubborn, funny, loving, frustrating and completely unforgettable,” he said. “After we lost him, I realized I didn’t want all of those stories and all of that personality to exist only in our memories.” [S1]

Family, not blood

Luna said the adoption theme in Toby's Tale goes beyond pets. “Families are created in all kinds of ways — adoption, marriage, stepfamilies, friendships, people who simply choose one another and, of course, pets. Blood may make you related, but love, loyalty and showing up for somebody are what make you family.” [S1]

He said it is what he hopes adults notice under the children's story: “Sometimes the one who needs a family doesn’t look or behave exactly the way you expected. Sometimes they’re messy. Sometimes they’re difficult. Sometimes they need patience. That doesn’t make them less deserving of being loved.” [S1]

Gizmo, now a pirate

Gizmo injured his right eye while playing with a toy, had a retinal detachment and lost the sight in that eye [S1]. “What struck me was that Gizmo didn’t suddenly stop being Gizmo. He adapted,” Luna said. “Once he had only one working eye, I looked at him and thought, ‘Well, now he’s a pirate.’” [S1]

Luna said Gizmo still runs, jumps, plays and gets around the house well, sometimes by turning his head or approaching something from another angle [S1]. The book is aimed at children who feel different. “I want a child who wears a patch, uses a wheelchair, has hearing loss, learns differently, has a prosthetic, or simply feels different from everyone else to see Gizmo and think, ‘Okay, maybe I just have to find my way of doing it.’” [S1]

How the books are made

Luna said he publishes through his own imprint “because I wanted control over the entire process.” [S1] There is no separate illustrator. “The illustrations are also developed by me,” he said. He described developing the artwork “through a custom digital illustration process. That includes detailed visual prompting followed by extensive modification, editing, compositing, enhancement and refinement across multiple art and design programs before anything makes it into the finished book.” [S1]

Where to find the books

Toby's Tale (ISBN 979-8-9967439-0-2) is available now from his publisher's website, thisrandomguybooks.com, at $14.99 for the standard hardcover, Luna said [S1] [S3]. Signed copies are available from his site [S1]. Gizmo the Pirate is available for preorder there for $17.99, Luna said [S1]. He expects it out before Christmas and has not set an exact date [S1].

Around DFW, the Arlington Public Library has accepted Toby's Tale for its Local Authors collection, Luna said. Dallas Pets Alive accepted a copy for its Tales to Tails program, in which children read to adoptable dogs, and the SPCA of Texas accepted one for its shelter library, where volunteers read to animals in their care, Luna said [S1]. He said he is working to schedule DFW signings, readings, library appearances and adoption-related events [S1].

Toby's Tale is also on the Aledo Ledger's Local Reading List.

Where can I buy Toby's Tale?

Luna said Toby's Tale is available from his publisher's website, thisrandomguybooks.com. The standard hardcover is $14.99, and signed copies are available from his site [S1].