Best-selling author Dean Koontz is famous for his science fiction, horror and fantasy writing, but in Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life, he defers to his beloved, deceased dog Trixie by serving as editor of her advice on how to lead a happy life.
Deceased? Why, yes! According to Koontz, Trixie, a golden retriever originally trained by Canine Companions to assist persons with disabilities, had her career cut short because of elbow surgery. Forced into early retirement, she then came to live with Koontz and his wife Gerda where, after a number of happy years, she passed away shortly before her twelfth birthday.

Nonetheless, in life she had already made her mark as an author in her own right with her witty contributions to Koontz's web site, and after her demise she began posting messages and musings she labeled TOTOS--Trixie On The Other Side--to Koontz's computer.
Each night, Koontz would shut down the machine only to find it switched on again in the morning. And there, displayed on the screen, was Trixie's latest chapter. In eight chapters, she expands on necessities for bliss: Calm, Beauty, Fun, Wisdom, Meaning, Others, Humility, Loss and Gratitude.

Sensible of life's brevity and the need for simplicity, Trixie keeps her own counsel and writes in a style sometimes referred to as pidgin: economical, easy to understand, and very much to the point. For example, "To see beauty of world, must really, really, really look. Not look through. Not look at. Must look into." And, "Beauty helps calm you. Bad day at work, you almost assaulted fellow worker with stapler. Spend evening in garden, star-gazing, cuddling puppy, will lose homicidal urge." Or, "Calm is first step on road to bliss. Mustn't be angry, not even if have reason to be angry. Cannot be angry even at crazy Aunt Edna when she knits paw booties and berets with ear holes, makes you wear them when she visits."

January is a time when many resolve to improve themselves and their existence in the New Year. Bliss To You is a good place to begin for those wanting some competent guidance, even if, as Trixie herself candidly acknowledges, she does make cats the butt of occasional jokes.