Patti Lawson's Biography

Patti Lawson's first book, The Dog Diet, A Memoir: What My Dog Taught Me About Shedding Pounds, Licking Stress and Getting a New Leash On Life, was released by Health Communications, Inc. in April of 2006. The book received excellent reviews in The Bark Magazine, Forward Magazine, Women's Health and Fitness Magazine, and was dubbed a "must read" by Quick and Simple Magazine. In February 2007, The Dog Diet received the prestigious Maxwell Award for Dog Humor Book of the Year from the Dog Writer's Association of America.

Patti is a frequent contributor to the Charleston Gazette and other publications. She writes a column titled "DOGS....DIETS....DATING," which appears in Divine Magazine and Pittsburgh Boomers Magazine and her online blog at http://www.thedogdiet.com/ Her essay "Timeless Legacy" appears in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul (Health Communications, 2005). Her essay "Love, Loss, and a New Leash on Life," appears in Single Women of A Certain Age (Inner Ocean, 2005). She is a celebrity Author Guru on http://www.lifetips.com/. She writes regularly for Ogden Media publications and PAW NATION on AOL.Huff Post.

After a career as an English teacher, Patti Lawson went to law school and graduate business school at West Virginia University. Patti became a frequent speaker at legal conferences and training programs. She is certified as a Family Law/Divorce mediator by the West Virginia Supreme Court.

Patti Lawson is a member of The West Virginia State Bar, West Virginia Trial Lawyers, Women's Leadership Exchange, Dog Writers Association of America, National Association of Women Writers, and National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Patti was a finalist in the 2005 and 2006 Dog Writers Writing Competitions and won the Emerging Writer Award from the West Virginia Writers in 2005. She is an accomplished public speakers and has presented numerous seminars on litigation and spoken to civic and women's groups on a variety of topics. Patti has appeared at the popular Southern Women's Shows in major cities throughout the South. She was a keynote speaker at the popular Women's Lifestyle Show in Peoria, Illinois in the fall of 2006.

Patti created a new company this past year with her dog Sadie as her partner. Watch for great new practical and elegant items for dogs from SAPALA, Inc. in the coming months. A licensed pilot, the author also enjoys horseback riding, photography, and finding new hotels and resorts around the world that will accept Sadie as a welcome guest.