About M. J. Simon
About M.J. Simon: Official Blurb
M.J. Simon is the author of three novels: Shadow’s Embrace; Shades of Gray; Dragon Sleep; and four children’s books: Pilot the Service Dog; Benjamin Bear’s Christmas; Letters, Numbers and Dinosaurs; and The Easter Flight of Sir Jack Rabbit. Dr. Simon has also been published in academic journals for her research in posttraumatic stress disorder and forensic psychology. She holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and has practiced for over twenty years in her field. She lives in Lansing, Michigan with her husband, one dog, and two cats.
About M.J. Simon: Unofficial Blurb
One of the first things you should know about me is that I talk to mice. And rabbits. And cats. And dogs. And chipmunks… Well, you get the picture. I’m also a clinical psychologist who has spent much of my career working in the world of forensics. Interesting juxtaposition. Kind of like tea parties and ax murderers all mixed up into one strangely enchanted pot. So, take a look at the stories and see what you think.
About My Passion
All my life I have loved and nurtured animals. When I turned fifteen and signed up for Driver’s Training, my father said his main worry was that I would hit a tree while swerving to miss a squirrel. I had cats that loved to hunt and, from the age of seven, every time I would hear the frantic squeak of a mouse or bunny, I would leap up and run out the door to their rescue, snagging one of my poor, long suffering cats by the scruff of the neck until he or she dropped the little critter. Thankfully, cats tend to play with their food before they kill it, and the rescue was often successful. Mice, chipmunks, birds, and baby rabbits, were saved and released without a scratch. However, the posttraumatic stress disorder they may have suffered afterward went untreated.
As a teenager, I was suspended from school for letting the frogs, slated for dissection, go in the creek behind the school. As a college student, I took it upon myself to find homes for 250 white mice that had been trained to run mazes in my experimental psychology class, so they wouldn’t be euthanized.
Over the years, I have donated money to animal charities and welfare organizations, sending a portion of each paycheck to help pay for spay and neuter programs, placement of domestic animals in loving homes, emergency funds for animals left hurt or homeless in natural disasters, and toward the legal representation of animal rights in research/testing labs and in the fight to shut down puppy mills, dog fighting and other cruel endeavors designed to create profit from the blood and suffering of innocents. And I have rescued dogs, And I have rescued dogs. And I have rescued dogs.
I discovered early on that I didn’t have the heart or the stomach for hands on volunteering at humane societies or animal shelters, and have gone into recovery over my dog rescuing tendencies (My name is Melinda and I haven’t taken in a stray in two years) and I still fall off the wagon. Therefore, I have given money and engaged in advocacy through the spoken and written word.
With my books, I see an avenue to lend further support to the cause for animals and this is the reason a portion of the proceeds from the sales of my books are donated to the animal welfare groups listed on this web site. I would ask you to join me in this fight by purchasing my books and/or by donating to your local animal shelter. Together, we can make the world a better place for the animals and for the rest of us.
Thank you,
M. J. Simon