Is your pet a blessing? Author and animal trend watcher, Diana L Guerrero thinks so and reveals why in the recently released Blessing of the Animals. Both the book and Guerrero will be at Book Expo America (BEA) in New York next week.

Local California author Diana L. Guerrero thinks so. She is the author of the newly released Blessing of the Animals: A Guide to Prayers & Ceremonies Celebrating Pets & Other Creatures (ISBN 1402729677) and is heading out to participate in the biggest book event in the United States May 31-June 4, 2007.

The Book Expo America is attended by the "who's who" of the book industry. This year the expo will be held at Jacob K. Javitz Center in New York. Over 2,000 exhibitors, 1,200 publishers, 500 authors, and 1,000 media members will attend. In addition, booksellers from all over the United States will converge in New York for previews to new and exciting titles of books just hitting the shelves.

Guerrero will be amidst the weekend jungle of bibliophiles in her newest safari hat covered with animals. Her newest book, Blessing of the Animals: A Guide to Prayers & Ceremonies Celebrating Pets & Other Creatures (ISBN 1402729677) was recently released throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

When asked about it Guerrero said, “Blessing of the Animals is a compendium of stories, prayers, ceremonies, and engaging tidbits. It welcomes all creeds, all breeds, and covers everything from amusing contemporary phenomena—with such chapters about “bark” and other pet mitzvahs, pet pageants such as the Miss Crustacean contest and Lobster Dog competition—to more serious issues of pet illness, loss, and burial.”

Guerrero toured extensively with her last book but is only doing local events before embarking on a virtual tour. So far, she has conducted a couple of pet blessings live on the air and pet parents have already shared that they are using it for their own ceremonies.

On Memorial Day weekend she will autograph on May 26th at the Book & Bean and on May 27th at Edelweiss Books in the Big Bear Lake region of California.

She said, “The book is really fun and unlike similar titles, Blessing of the Animals is more than a collection of poems or blessings. Although there are blessings for the furry, feathered, scaled, and finned, there are also ceremonies and prayers for pets, fascinating background on the historical roots of the animal blessing traditions and where to find some of the most popular ones today.”

There are also tales of muttrimony and other pet nuptials—for pets or adding critters to human wedding parties. If you need advice on hosting a purr-fect party or where to participate in a pet pageant you’ll find that included too.

When asked for insider information, Guerrero said, “The fur really flies over pet nuptials and mitzvahs, and believe it or not, during animal blessings most creatures remain calm and cooperative...but some critters need a list of commandments: Thou shall come when called, Thou shall behave in public..."

Guerrero included those commandments in Blessing of the Animals and you can preview excerpts online at www.blessingoftheanimals.com. For a schedule of events visit www.dianalguerrero.com.

If you are attending Book Expo America drop by the Sterling Publishing booth (4138-39) to take a look. Guerrero’s book is available from most major book distributors and local bookstores.