The Butterflies Above My Bed

About the Book

A dog’s life is more than just tail-wagging, treat-begging and squirrel-chasing. In The Butterflies Above My Bed, Mya Mia Happy Michael (as told to her beloved human companion Samantha Michael), chronicles the joys, frustrations and general puzzlement’s of a dog’s life. And though a glass window separates Mya’s sunny perch inside from the wild, untamed world of the forest into which she gazes daily with full attention, the boundary between nature and civilization can be torn at any moment, as Mya learns when her world collides unexpectedly with that of a wandering monarch butterfly. She’ll soon be endearingly duped into “punishment” for her unintentional error but even that trick offers a few treats of its own.

Mya navigates a human-dominated landscape filled with inexplicable gadgets, simple pleasures and strange holidays, unafraid to assert her “dogness” at every turn. The friendly beagle reminds her human audience that the length of a leash is an oh-so-surmountable limitation for a well-meaning dog with an appetite for adventure.

Samantha’s own experience writing her memoir The Beauty of my Shadow aided Mya in composing hers. Together, they’ve helped each other power through the ups and downs of a world with a propensity for unexpected happenings, reminding each other that beauty is fleeting and fragile but it is nonetheless everywhere, ready to reveal itself to those willing to look.

A percentage of author royalties from the sale of this book are donated to charity of Mya’s choice. Please see www.anaid.org for details. Donated royalties are net of commissions.

About the Author

First-time dog author Mya Mia Happy Michael was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. She was bounced back and forth between a few owners before finding the warm embrace of Samantha Michael, her lifelong human companion and creative collaborator. Though Mya utters not a bark or whine about her difficult past, she has built a comfortable life for herself, where she indulges in forest-watching, friend-making, bunny-hunting and other typical pleasures of a much-loved canine. The Butterflies Above My Bed is her first book but hopefully not her last! Since miraculously surviving a devastating collision at the hands of a drunk driver at age 18, Samantha Michael has risen above the tragedy to distinguish herself as an author, philanthropist, dancer, volunteer and definite dog lover. The arduous, life-changing process of overcoming the physical and emotional trauma of the accident forever marked her life but also helped inspire her to pursue a diverse range of activities and, ultimately, made her a stronger person. Today, Samantha serves on the board of An Aid to Help Foundation, a family non-profit she founded, which helps raise money for charitable causes in Canada and beyond. She has also served since 1999 as a volunteer at the National Arts Centre. She is the author of The Beauty of My Shadow, a memoir and The Princess in Pink, a children’s book to be published in 2014. All books are raising money for the advancement of education.