Novelist Dean Koontz has spent most of his life writing to thrill his readers, with fourteen novels rising to the #1 spot on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list and over 450 million books sold worldwide. His success as an author is due to his wonderful writing and storytelling in which he passionately shows the power of love and the struggle between good and evil. Dean is known to love dogs, and they often appear as wise and kind characters in his novels.

Dean says he’s learned most about dogs from his furry family members—first Trixie Koontz and now, Anna. In his upcoming book, Ask Anna: Advice for the Furry and Forlorn, Koontz once again clues us in to what dogs are thinking—this time in a hilarious book of advice for dogs in all sorts of predicaments. The adorable 4-color book features photographs of Anna’s clients along with photos of Anna hard at work giving her witty and insightful counsel.

Anna follows in Trixie Koontz’s paw prints with her first book. Dean and Trixie wrote books together, and Dean has published a beautiful memoir of Trixie calledA Big Little Life. Both Koontz dogs were raised by Canine Companions for Independence, the non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities. CCI provides assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. The Koontz family has been a major supporter of CCI since the early 1990s with donations in excess of $9 million dollars.  Now 100% of what the author receives from the sale of Ask Anna will be donated to Canine Companions for Independence. As Anna says, “I want to give back to my community –which I feel obliged to do especially because of all the park grass I’ve ruined with little brown spots.”

Dean sums up his feelings about Anna and dogs in general,  “Anna—in fact any dog—is not only a source of good advice but also a bridge over troubled waters, and not only a bridge but a 12-lane causeway.”