The cover of “Giada’s Lucky Day written and illustrated by Rob Liotti. Liotti is a graduate of Parkersburg South High School. (Photo provided)

A Parkersburg native has written and illustrated a children’s book about a little dog he rescued and became part of the family for 16 years.

“The inspiration was really easy,” Rob Liotti, a graduate of Parkersburg South High School now living in Charleston, S.C., said about “Giada’s Lucky Day,” the true story about how the puppy Giada came to be a big part of his and his girlfriend’s life.

On an afternoon in 2009, Liotti and his god-daughter Giovanna were outside playing when she chased after a little dog running down the street with a leash around its neck. She yelled to her Uncle Rob to catch the dog and corner it where it eventually warmed up to the two.

Giovanna begged her uncle to take care of the dog, but becoming part of the family was the hard part for Giada, Liotti said.

Giovanna is Gigi in the book, her nickname, he said.

Jennifer Raddatz and Giada. Giada died in 2025. (Photo Provided)

His girlfriend, Jennifer Raddatz, was not as quick to accept Giada, Liotti said. They already had a dog, a black lab, he said.

“She was reluctant at first,” Liotti said.

“Giada’s Lucky Day” is an inspirational story about the puppy’s unwavering persistence to gain the love and affection of Jenny, as his girlfriend is called in the book, Liotti said.

Eventually Jenny grows to love Giada, too, he said.

“All of the elements came together in this story, told just the way they happened. Naturally, I don’t want to spoil it, but the little pup finally wins Jenny’s heart,” Liotti said. “Suffice it to say, the book is very inspirational and teaches a thoughtful lesson of determination and second chances.”

Rob Liotti

Giada lived 16 years before passing away on Jan. 2, 2025, Liotti said.

“It was devastating,” he said. “It was our last pet.”

Liotti is an actor, screenwriter, author and an equestrian expert. He wrote the psychological thriller “Zero Turn” and “The Consumer Guide to Horse Ownership and Purchase,” his latest book.

Liotti also is an artist. He drew the sketches for the book, then ran them through a computer program with AI capabilities to develop the illustrations.

The book was easy and difficult to write at the same time, he said. The nice thing was it is all true, he said.

A children’s book is more difficult to write in several ways, Liotti said. Characters must be quickly developed because there’s only about three dozen pages and from 500-1,000 words total, he said.

“Literally, every word counts and has to move the story forward,” Liotti said. “Notwithstanding all that, the through line has to convey the story’s message to the reader or through the narrator.”

In “Giada’s Lucky Day,” there are two through lines, the underlying themes and messages, which are second chances and being persistent, Liotti said. The author’s note on the last page in the back of the book explains that while Giada’s story ends, Giovanna’s is just beginning as she is in her third year of veterinarian school, Liotti said.

“That’s a message all in itself,” he said. “Gigi’s journey is just beginning.”

“Giada’s Lucky Day” is 36-pages long and is $8.99 for the Kindle version and $13.99 for the paper version on Amazon.com. All of Liotti’s books are on Amazon.