Mignon Morse, former Sachse Library Director, penned a children’s book based on the adventures of her dog Sadie, and Sadie’s best friend Moose. The book is available on Amazon.

A former librarian’s long-awaited dream of seeing her name in a library catalog is about to come true.

Mignon Morse, a Woodbridge resident, recently published her first children’s book, “Sadie & Moose on the Loose.”

The book, inspired by the adventures of Sadie, Morse’s 9-year-old Aussie/Shepherd rescue, and Moose, a golden retriever mix, was officially released March 19.

“I wanted to write a book so that I could have my name in the card catalog, and, well, that’s not the way most people think,” Morse said. “I talked about it for about two or three years, and then I finally just said, ‘Okay, it’s time to do it.’”

Morse, who has worked in public library management in Sachse, Wylie, Garland and McKinney, self-published “Sadie & Moose on the Loose” through Amazon.

Sadie and Moose’s real-life friendship was the inspiration for the story. Morse said she and Sadie first met Moose, a neighbor’s dog, through her pet sitting business she established after retiring to care for her elderly mother.

Morse said Moose and his owner walk over about once a week for a play date.

“When I say, ‘Sadie, Moose is coming,’ she goes and stands in the window and waits for him,” Morse said.

The story is based on the dog’s adventure after the backyard gate blows open.

The book took about a year to complete, with six months spent on illustrations. Morse hired Canadian artist Chris MacLeod, a chalk pastel and watercolor artist, to bring her story to life.

She asked MacLeod to capture a style like the Carl books by Alexandra Day.

“God has just blessed me through the whole thing,” she said, “with the hiring and finding people to help and do things—because I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Because of her background in municipal libraries, Morse wanted to ensure her book would hold up for multiple checkouts. In addition to the paperback version published through Amazon, she contracted with IngramSpark, a subsidiary of Ingram Content Group, to release a hardcover edition.

Now, Morse is focused on marketing her work. She plans to donate a copy to the Wylie Library, among others, for consideration in its collection.

As for future adventures of Sadie and Moose, Morse said she has thought about writing another book.

“If Sadie does well in this adventure, we might consider another one,” she said.

Beyond her love of storytelling, Morse is giving back to the community. Because of her ties to Sachse, she plans to donate part of the book’s proceeds to the Sachse Animal Shelter.

Aside from selling her books on Amazon, Morse will be at the Hwy 78 Food Trucks and Outdoor Vendor Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19.

For more stories about the Sachse community see the next print, or digital edition of The Sachse News. Subscribe today and support local journalism.