What if your greatest teacher of kindness was sleeping at your feet? In this uplifting short read, mini-eBook, author Kim Lengling, a veteran, pet lover, and creator of Nuggets of Hope, shares 15 beautiful reflections on how pets gently remind us to slow down, forgive more, love deeper, and be kind to ourselves and those around us.
Tell us about your latest book
My latest book is an eBook: 15 Ways Pets Teach Us Kindness, and honestly, it feels like a natural next step in my 'Nuggets of Hope' journey. After Nuggets of Hope: Cultivate Kindness was published in November 2024, I kept thinking how often kindness shows up in our everyday lives through the animals we love.
This book takes that same Nuggets of Hope spirit but looks at it through the eyes (and paws) of our pets. Our pets have a way of teaching us life lessons without saying a word—patience, forgiveness, presence, loyalty, and unconditional love. Each chapter is a short, relatable reflection on life lessons, with gentle encouragement you can carry into your day.
Each short chapter is paired with a simple kindness prompt to help you carry their lessons into your own life, one paw print at a time. It’s not preachy and it’s not heavy. It’s meant to feel like a warm conversation over coffee, maybe with a dog curled up at your feet. If you love animals, need a little reminder to slow down, or want simple ways to bring more kindness into your own slice of the world, this book was written with that person in mind.
What is your preferred writing routine?
I don’t really have a set writing routine that I stick to. I’m much more of a pantser. When an idea hits, I jump on my computer and start writing and see where it goes.
More often than not, though, ideas show up when I’m nowhere near my computer. That’s when the voice notes on my phone come in handy. A lot of those notes happen while I’m out walking my dog. There’s something about being outside, moving, and letting my mind wander that opens the door to ideas.
Nature is a huge source of inspiration for me. The quiet, the changing seasons, the small details most people rush past. That’s where many of my ideas begin, long before they ever turn into words on a page.
What advice do you have for new writers?
This is always a hard question for me to answer because I never actually set out to be a writer. It was a bit of a fluke, really. I started, people responded well, and somewhere along the way I realized I truly enjoyed it.
If I had any advice, it would be this: pay attention to what feels natural to you. For me, that turned out to be non-fiction. I’m most comfortable sharing real stories, the human ones and the pet ones too. I don’t try to polish them into something they’re not. I keep it real, honest, and grounded.
Another thing I think is important. Seek out the people who know more than you do. Learn from them; Authors, editors, proofreaders, librarians, those who love to read, they all have invaluable insights you can learn from. There are many resources available, both free and paid for. Find them and be open to learning something new all the time!
Above all, write about what you care about. Write about what you notice. And don’t underestimate the power of small stories.
What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?
I’ve found that it really takes a mix of things. Social media has been a big help, especially for connecting directly with readers and sharing the heart behind my books. Word of mouth is incredibly powerful too. When someone recommends a book to a friend, that means everything.
I also try to say yes to opportunities like guest articles and appearances on podcasts, radio, and TV. Those conversations allow me to share the stories behind the books in a more personal way.
And I can’t say enough about my publicist. He’s invaluable and has opened doors to opportunities I might never have found on my own. Having someone in your corner who believes in your work and helps amplify it makes a huge difference.
Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research
This one made me pause, because I don’t recall uncovering anything wildly unexpected during my research. I spent time looking into what motivates people to be kind and the role pets play in that. What I found confirmed what I already believed. Which is it doesn’t cost a dime to be kind, and everyone is capable of it.
What did stand out, though, was how consistently simple kindness showed up. Small acts matter far more than most realize. Kindness tends to ripple outward, especially when it’s modeled in everyday life. And pets play a bigger role than people give them credit for. Our pets naturally draw us into moments of connection, whether it’s stopping to talk to someone while walking a dog, softening difficult emotions, or reminding us to slow down and be present.
I didn’t run into any big surprises, but I did find quiet reassurance: kindness lives in the small, ordinary moments, and our pets are often right at the center of those moments.
What was the hardest scene you remember writing?
Since I write non-fiction, “scenes” aren’t really part of my usual writing process, so I don’t have a hardest scene in the traditional sense. What has been challenging, though, is that I’m currently working on my very first fiction book.
That’s put me on a pretty steep learning curve. Thinking in terms of scenes, pacing, and storytelling in a fictional way is very different from how I normally write. It’s stretching me, pushing me out of my comfort zone, and reminding me what it feels like to be a beginner again. It’s been challenging, yes, but also exciting. There’s something refreshing about learning a new way to tell stories and letting myself grow into it one step at a time.
What are you planning to write next?
As I mentioned, I’m currently working on my first fiction book, which is a whole new adventure for me. It’s filled with fantasy and whimsy, and it’s been a fun (and sometimes challenging) shift from my usual non-fiction writing.
At the same time, I have a couple of non-fiction projects in the works. One will continue my Nuggets of Hope and kindness theme, building on those small, meaningful moments that remind us there’s still good in the world. The other is a more hard-hitting book about living with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress), sharing real experiences and honest insight in a way that’s supportive and grounded.
So, what’s next is a mix of imagination and reality, lightness and depth. Different projects, but all rooted in the same goal: telling stories that matter and hopefully help someone feel a little less alone.
Kim Lengling
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