A few years ago, when Massapequa teacher Eleanor Antinis was tasked with helping a student write a book, she never knew how much she would grow to enj
oy the experience.
“After being involved in the process, I used it as motivation to write my own book,” said Antinis.
A few years later, her book Lorelita the Hurricane Hound hit stores online. Antinis noted that the inspiration for her book came from her daughter’s hound dog mix.
“She had just come back from the groomers and had a bright orange bandana around her neck and that was my inspiration,” Antinis explained.
The story, which is written with both English and Spanish speech bubbles, begins in Mexico and is about a mother dog and her two puppies. They get separated during a hurricane, but are then reunited on Long Island at a dog shelter. Written in about one week and self-published at the tail end of 2013, Antinis has said sales so far have been good.
“I haven’t done much to advertise the books, but I did have a book sale and signing at my church,” she said.
However, the proceeds to the sales don’t go back into Antinis’ pocket—instead, she donates the money to children’s charities, most recently the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, after experiencing the birth of her pre-mature grandchildren.
“I have two grandchildren that were born preemies. One of them has had open heart surgery at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital at Columbia Presbyterian and the other one is waiting for her open-heart surgery,” she said. “I really believe that hospital has saved my grandson’s life. But I’m not tied to just them. I would love to be able to give to more charities as sales of the book pick up.”
While her grandchildren are at the forefront of her mind, Antinis also wants people to be aware of what dog shelters do.
“I want people to think twice about getting a puppy from a pet store. Give your business to dog shelters and be kind to animals,” she said.
As for Antinis, knowing that she reached her goal is more than enough for her.
“I love writing and I really enjoyed writing this book. It feels great,” she said. “It just goes to show you that there isn’t anything you can’t do once you set your mind to it.”
Lorelita the Hurricane Hound can be purchased on lulu.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon.
