Donnie Quickly’s Lost Cause
“Being the First True Account of His Departure from Dependable, Tennessee, and His Passage West, as It Actually Happened, More or Less.”
“A little crazy might be the only honest thing left in a hundred miles.”
The Dude
Nicola Jayne Kulesza
If you’ve ever been told you’re too old, too late or too foolish to chase a dream, meet Donnie Quickly.
He’s sixty-one, he’s read too many Westerns, and he’s fixing to become a US Marshal like his hero, Bass Reeves. All he has is a one-eyed horse who’d rather be eating, a deadpan mechanic called the Dude, and a talent for getting almost everything wrong.
Funny, warm and a little bit sad, Donnie Quickly’s Lost Cause is Don Quixote on the back roads of the American South. You can read it in an evening. You’ll be rooting for Donnie long after you finish, and wondering whether he’s the crazy one, or the world that told him to stop.
We’re delighted to have Nicola Jayne Kulesza bringing Donnie Quickly’s Lost Cause to life. Nicola has been painting for as long as she could hold a brush, and her love of the natural world runs through everything she creates. That makes her a natural fit for Donnie’s world of hills, hollers and Southern back roads. She can catch the beauty of a landscape and the comedy of a sixty-one-year-old gas station owner riding out on a one-eyed horse to become a US Marshal. Her book work ranges from watercolour covers to laugh-out-loud comic designs. Authors say she gives characters real personality and turns a few lines into something vivid and atmospheric. Donnie, with his grand dreams and big heart, is in good hands.s.
“Dreams are cheap. Living them is the work.”
Donnie Quickly
A mysterious dog named Black adopts author Steve Bonham and his friend Moha as they journey through the High Atlas Mountains towards the Sahara Desert. Through the heat, rocky mountains and deep valleys, encountering deserted kasbahs, streams of salt water, remote villages, a young snake and packs of wild dogs, this is an enchanting and haunting tale of adventure and companionship.
Special launch offer
A signed copy of the book
Access to a special The Spirit Dog Life site - filled with background information on this wonderful story, photos from the journey, the songs that have been recorded about Black and the trek , fun activities, downloadable maps, and much else.
A beautiful portrait of Black, the dog
A Spirit Dog sticker
A contribution on your behalf to Education for All Morocco, rebuilding schools for young children devasted by 2023’s earthquake
![The Spirit Dog [paperpack] (inc. UK P&P)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/640f8eded7598d6facb7e7f3/1715855009875-NYCGC9VJNAXYOAO384A6/The+Spirit+Dog+front+cover+FINAL+medium.jpg)
The Spirit Dog is a heartwarming and true story about a mysterious dog named Black who adopts author Steve Bonham and his friend Moha as they journey through the High Atlas Mountains towards the Sahara Desert. Through the heat, rocky mountains and deep valleys, encountering deserted kasbahs, streams of salt water, remote villages, a young snake and packs of wild dogs, this is an enchanting and haunting tale of adventure and companionship.
“A touching true story about friendship, love and how one dog united a group of travellers on a perilous adventure through the Atlas mountains. A fantastic read.”
- Maisie, aged 9
Written by Steve Bonham. Illustrated by Tasia Graham.
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Every book sold will contribute to Education for All (Morocco), rebuilding schools devasted by the 2023 earthquake.
Enter the code SPIRIT10 for an exclusive discount!
Written by Steve Bonham
“Adventures are everything to me. Black had made this one special in ways I would keep finding out.”
Illustrated by Tasia Graham
“As an illustrator I’m drawn to narratives and the magic of books. The Spirit Dog has great reading imagery to capture moments, feeling and emotion, which compelled me to work on the project!”
Education for All (Morocco)
Education For All Morocco (EFAM) is dedicated to empowering young girls from rural communities across Morocco by providing essential access to education. EFAM works to break the cycle of poverty and equip girls with the skills needed to build bright futures for themselves and their communities. EFAM offers safe and nurturing boarding houses near schools, enabling girls from rural Morocco to continue their studies from ages 12 to 18, until they graduate with their Baccalaureate. Without these dormitories, very few would have the chance for a secondary education.
EFAM operates in the region where The Spirit Dog begins. Every copy of ‘The Spirit Dog’ sold will contribute to the rebuilding and expansion of this amazing project.
“Steve is leading a remarkable project, and we love collaborating with him. We are huge fans of ‘The Spirit Dog’, and we’re moved by the passion Steve brings to both the story and his dedication to Education For All Morocco (EFAM). We are very grateful to Steve for his ongoing support and commitment to advancing EFAM whenever and wherever possible.”
Illustrations by Tasia Graham