No One Likes to Hear Me Sing Book by Chic Cariaga

"This Christmas was the first of my 60 Christmases that I spent alone. It was a peaceful, calm, and reflective day. I arose early, finished watching “A Christmas Carol” then went out to take some pictures of the sunrise. I went to a local lake; positioned myself facing eastward. The lake was slick as glass and was reflecting the sky perfectly; it was a mirror. After I had finished with my morning photographic Christmas memoir, I returned to my car. Driving home a singular thought came to mind. This Christmas, away from the dizzying mad scramble to open presents, missing my son’s Christmas Day birthday, loud laughter and voices, food accumulating on a Christmas table, the mad rush from one house to another; all these memories, well set in my mind have given way to one word: PEACE.
I then thought; “I suppose I’ll go home to no one…” Ummmmm? Cool, (brain in overload mode). “What if I had a dog and I named him ‘No One’?” And the possibilities came flowing over me like an avalanche. The lines just wrote themselves. I contacted Kathleen, my illustrator, with a Merry Christmas and an “Uh Oh” (Code word for new idea) and told her I got a dog and named him “No One”. She responded with a roll of her eyes (I could see the image 600 miles away in NJ) and started giggling (her code word for this sounds like fun). And off we went writing another book during the finishing our first book in which we collaborated. Within a month the book; simple, sweet, hidden pictures and meanings was finished. It is a great testament to keeping things simple, the reception to this book has truly been unbelievable: even ol’ Ebenezer Scrooge would have taken a shine to it. So, on this Christmas Day, I believe I received the second and third best Christmas presents ever. An amazing sunrise; I had never experienced on a Christmas morning before and a visit from “No One”. And I could enjoy Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas with the best Christmas present ever: my son(s). New 2017"