NEWBURYPORT — No matter what adversities she has encountered throughout her life, “Sopranos’” actor Marianne Leone has always been able to find comfort and happiness in her canine companions, a fact she highlights in her new book “Five Dog Epiphany.”
“They have really brought us joy,” Leone said, during a Thursday phone interview.
Leone has appeared in a variety of films and shows throughout her career including “Goodfellas,” “The Three Stooges,” and arguably her most notable role playing fictional mobster Christopher Moltisanti’s mother for nine episodes on “The Sopranos” from 2002 to 2007.
Now Leone is releasing her third book, “Five Dog Epiphany,” which will be available on Monday. To promote her book, the Kingston resident will be appearing at the Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.
“This is a story about rescues, grief and healing,” Leone said.
For Leone, her story with dogs began with her son, Jesse Cooper, who was born 10 weeks premature both quadriplegic and nonverbal.
“He sat on Santa’s lap when he was 6 and he blurted out with real fervor, ‘dog,’” Leone said.
Inspired by that emotional moment, she and her husband, actor Chris Cooper, quickly went to a pet shop and got their first bichon, Goody in 1994.
“Those two were first siblings forevermore. Goody slept with him, and he waited for him to come home from school, and came with us on walks. They were just soulmates. He even would just undo me after Jesse died by running into Jesse’s room, stopping short and wagging his tail wildly as if he saw him,” Leone said.
Jesse Cooper died on Jan. 3, 2005
“After Jesse died, you know that Bessel van der Kolk who wrote the book, ‘The Body Keeps the Score?’ My body kept score and I grew a tumor the size that Jesse was at birth after he died, and I almost died, and Goody died the night of my surgery. So, it was a parade of deaths,” Leone said.
Following the surgery, which happened in 2007, Leone said she felt she needed something to lift her spirts.
“And I just started looking at pictures of rescue dogs. We ended up with not one but two rescue dogs, Lucky Dog and French Fry,” Leone said.
She said that the pair of bichons brought joy back to her home for 13 years.
“They died during COVID. Seventeen-years-old, both of them,” Leone said.
Deciding it was too bleak to have a household without dogs, she and her husband decided to rescue two more bichons.
“We did end up getting these two rescue dogs from Louisiana who sound like pole dancers, Titi and Sugar. We did not name them. They were delightful, and we still have them,” Leone said.
She said that she hopes folks who read her book will have a better grasp on the impact of grief and how people live with it.
“People want you to get over it and that’s not the way it works, especially the loss of a child. It’s lifelong and people don’t want to hear that, but it does not mean that you will never experience joy again. It does not mean that you won’t laugh like you’re 5-years-old again with your husband. It just means that a part of you will always mourn that loss,” Leone said.
Asked why she was so partial to the bichon breed, Leone said that at first it was because of the compatibility with her son.
“I did research. Jesse was using a wheelchair, so what’s a good dog for a kid in a chair that doesn’t shed? These were the advantages of bichons, and they look like Muppets, which Jesse loved,” Leone said.
From there, the breed grew on her.
“They’re easy dogs to have, they’re very bright, and they don’t shed. They’re kind of hilarious in the way they zoom around and they have bursts of joy that I really love watching,” Leone said.
Speaking about Leone’s upcoming appearance at Jabberywocky, owner Sue Little shared that Newbury-based author Andre Dubus will be part of the event speaking with Leone.
“The author will talk with Andre about her book. It’s a heart touching and warming story,” Little said.
Leone said she was excited to be returning to the store.
“With my first two books, which I did read at Jabberwocky, I just did a reading, whereas I’m new to this ‘in conversation’ thing that has taken hold. So expect the unexpected,” Leone said.
Little said that they will be trying to make it feel like a party.
“People can expect refreshments after and time to mingle,” Little said.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.