Tag: Zach Cooley

Bella turns 12

May 17, 2026 Zach Cooley No Comments

There are moments in life that redefine who we are forever. For me, that moment came on a stormy Tuesday night — May 27, 2014, at 9:04 p.m. — when my daughter Bella entered this world. Today, the joy of my life turns 12 years old. Becoming a father was never something I truly expected, but the moment Bella arrived, it became my purpose. I could not be prouder of the young woman she is becoming. She inherited her mother’s beauty and kind heart, but she also carries a healthy dose of my no-nonsense personality. Thankfully, she inherited my love for live entertainment as well, and that shared passion has given us some unforgettable memories. This past year has been especially memorable for us. We traveled to Charlotte to see the touring Broadway production of Wicked and even met members of the cast afterward. Earlier this month, we attended Vicki Lawrence’s “Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show” and had the opportunity to meet her afterward as well. Then, just days before Bella’s birthday, we saw comedian Tim Meadows perform at the Millwald Theatre here in Wytheville. I know Meadows from his legendary years on Saturday Night Live. Bella knows him from Mean Girls. It was one of those perfect father-daughter moments where two generations met in the middle. Of course, nothing tops Disney World for either of us. Thanks to my mother — Bella’s grandmother — whose magical powers may rival Disney itself, our family will once again head to the Most Magical Place on Earth during the first week of June. We are already counting down the days. Bella’s first concert was Genesis, our favorite band. Over the years, she has joined me in seeing legendary artists like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Bonnie Raitt, and our late friend, the incomparable comedian James Gregory. But as she has grown older, her musical tastes have naturally shifted toward the artists of her own generation. These days, she is completely captivated by One Direction and the solo careers of its members. Now it is my turn to take her to the concerts she wants to see. Harry Styles ticket prices may require a second mortgage, so that dream may have to wait. Zayn Malik recently canceled tour dates due to health issues. But we already have tickets to see Louis Tomlinson at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center, the same venue where she saw Genesis in 2021. We are also headed back there to see a rising artist named Sombr, who I must admit is exceptionally talented. If all goes according to plan, we may even catch Niall Horan when he tours through Raleigh next spring. People say a father earns a special badge of honor when he takes his daughter to a boy band concert. By next year, I believe I will have earned mine several times over. As wonderful as this year has been, it has also been one of the hardest Bella has ever faced. Within roughly 14 months, she lost both of her grandfathers, her dog, and her cat. My father passed away on October 26, 2025, the day after his 83rd birthday. Living in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, he did not get nearly as much time with Bella as I wish he could have had. Still, I remain grateful for the memories they shared. Bella often reminds me not to worry because she has wonderful memories with “Pop.” I still remember sitting beside my father shortly after Bella was born as we watched her sleep in amazement. He looked at me and quietly said, “She’s going to do something very special with her life.” I believe he was right. Then, on February 11, 2026, Bella lost her maternal grandfather as well. She spent countless hours with her Pawpaw at his home in Elizabethton, Tennessee, often hanging out in “Dave’s Cave,” watching movies, listening to The Beatles, and talking about everything under the sun. They shared a special bond built on music, humor, and simple time together. She also continues to miss her beloved dog, Sophie, who had been by her side virtually every day of her life until Sophie had to be put down on March 14, 2025, just two months after Bella lost her cat, Sketch. For a child who loves animals as deeply as Bella does, those losses were heartbreaking. When a dog sleeps beside you every night of your childhood and suddenly is not there anymore, the silence is enormous. Yet through all of it, Bella has handled life with remarkable strength, positivity, and perseverance. One of the most important things I ever wanted to do as a father was to never crush her imagination or enthusiasm. Ironically, she has become the one encouraging me not to give up on my own dreams. Without her encouragement, I never would have landed the biggest interview of my career with Vicki Lawrence or shared that experience with my family. Bella has also never allowed my being in a wheelchair to define what we can do together. Whenever I worry about limitations, she immediately reminds me: “Are you kidding? We do more together than any father and daughter I know.” As I write these words through tears, I hope she always knows how much those words mean to me. Years ago, a counselor asked me to create a dream board filled with goals for my life. On that board, I placed a picture of infant Bella dressed in a Minnie Mouse outfit beside a simple phrase: “Take Bella everywhere she wants to go.” At the top of that list was Disney World. By the end of this June, we will have gone three times together. Along the way, we have attended concerts, met celebrities, traveled, laughed, cried, and made memories I would not trade for anything in this world. Most people never get to meet their heroes. Mine calls me Daddy. Happy 12th birthday to my Bubzie — the greatest joy of my life.

Strictly Observing

Not A Sparrow Falls drops today

January 6, 2026 Zach Cooley No Comments

On August 15, 1926, Wytheville experienced perhaps the darkest hour in its history, when one of its citizens was lynched solely because the color of his skin was Black. Long before the lynching of Raymond Byrd was memorialized on a plaque at the site of the former Wythe County jail, a friend of mine, David Monahan, approached me with the idea of writing a novel inspired by this tragic event. From the very beginning, the idea both compelled and frightened me. I was deeply drawn to the story, yet I felt I lacked both the courage and, perhaps more importantly, the lived experience to tell it responsibly. For more than a decade, I wrestled with that truth. Ultimately, I arrived at a novel that includes this history—but in fictionalized form. Names have been changed, and certain circumstances differ from the historical record. I still do not feel qualified to tell the full truth of this story as it deserves to be told. That work has already been done with great care and scholarship by the late local historian John Johnson in his book They Gathered a Mob. My novel, however, seeks to tell a more multifaceted story. While I do not understand—and would never claim to understand—what it means to be societally ostracized because of race, I do know what it feels like to be treated as a third-class citizen as a person with a disability. A century ago, the experience was far harsher. If a disabled child survived birth at all, institutionalization was often immediate and permanent. That reality was another truth I wanted to confront in this story. One of my sister’s favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird. It is one of mine as well. Inspired by it, I introduced a disabled teenage boy and his younger sister into the narrative, drawing from our own childhood. I included memories of strolling the streets of our neighborhood together, planning imaginary journeys, always accompanied by our dog, Fluffy—who was tragically killed by a car. After I lost another dog years later, I was devastated by the thought that I might never see him again. I had been told that animals do not go to heaven. That idea broke my heart. Dogs love unconditionally in the way God calls humans to love—and so often, we fall short where animals do not. I could not accept that such love would be excluded from eternity. Years later, a caseworker visited my home, and I shared that grief with her. She introduced me to Matthew 10:29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” I held onto that verse. I carried it with me for years. It became the spiritual foundation of this book. I knew I wanted to write a story that paid tribute to Raymond Byrd, to the pets I have loved and lost, and to people with disabilities like myself—to affirm that a meaningful quality of life should never be denied to any of us. At its heart, though, this book is also a tribute to my sister. She is six years younger than I am, yet she often took better care of me than I ever did of her as her big brother. My childhood was wonderful because I had the greatest playmate in the world. She was my baby, and she is the reason I wanted to become a father. Through her, I learned the joy, tenderness, and purpose that come from loving a child. She has always been kind, funny, generous, and loving. Today, she remains among my truest friends and my most trusted confidants. This book is as much a tribute to her as it is to anything else. On a more serious note, I want readers to see the connection—however uncomfortable—between the mistreatment and misunderstanding of people of color, people with disabilities, and even animals. These are very different experiences, but they share a common root: the denial of dignity. In the end, we are all God’s creatures, and we are far more alike than different. If the idea that “not a sparrow falls” does not convey that truth, then my work has failed. Not a Sparrow Falls has the potential to be the most important book of my career—but only if people are willing to engage with its message. If you are open to examining the unsettling parallels between our present moment and the world of a hundred years ago, I humbly invite you to read it. As its back cover summarizes, “In the shadowed hills of 1920s Virginia, teenager Eli Ellis moves through life in a wheelchair, his sharp eyes and quiet strength carrying more than just the weight of his own body. Beside him is his little sister Sill, brave and bold with a sketchbook always in hand, and their dog Fluffy — until the day violence steals more than just their peace. When a lynching in their town is hushed, the siblings record the dirty secrets of Stones Mill. Their handmade book spreads faster than whispers in the church pews, drawing admiration, suspicion — and danger. As community support swells and opposition turns threatening, the Ellis family is pushed to the edge, facing down the powerful men who would rather preserve silence than face justice. Eli must find his voice, not just on the page but in the town square, as the truth begins to stir hearts and shake foundations. Based on true events, Not a Sparrow Falls is a tender, unflinching portrait of a small town at the crossroads of conscience. Told through Eli’s wise and wounded voice, it is a story of resistance, remembrance, and the quiet resilience of those who refuse to be erased.” This is the strongest statement I have ever made as an author. If you give it a chance, I would genuinely love to hear whether its message reached you. Not a Sparrow Falls is now available on Amazon in hardcover…

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Zach finds “Home” in new novel

September 30, 2025 Zach Cooley No Comments

When it came time to build the world of my newest novel, Home, I realized I didn’t need to imagine an entirely new place. I already lived in one. For many, a house is just a structure—a roof, four walls, and a place to rest at the end of the day. But for me, my home is a living, breathing thing with a century’s worth of stories etched into its bones. It’s a place where memories linger, where joy and heartbreak have left invisible imprints. It’s a place of deep magic. I never expected to own a home like this. Growing up with cerebral palsy, my parents didn’t prepare me for milestones like marriage, parenthood, or homeownership. Those dreams felt impossibly distant. So when my wife Emily and I got married in 2010, we fully expected to rent for the rest of our lives. But life has a way of surprising us. One day, while looking for a new lease, a friend mentioned we might be able to afford a mortgage for about the same price as rent. At first, I didn’t believe it. I’d grown up riding around Wytheville with my parents, gazing out the car window at the old houses lining Fourth Street—grand, century-old homes that seemed like palaces. Owning one of them felt like an impossible dream. And yet, through a combination of providence and perfect timing, one of those very homes came up for sale—foreclosure had brought its price within our reach. We bought it. The day we moved in, Emily and I looked at each other and knew, without a doubt: We were home. As we settled into our new life, I couldn’t help but wonder about the house’s past. Who had walked these halls before us? What laughter, arguments, and dreams had filled these rooms over the decades? I dug through courthouse records, uncovering a fascinating timeline that stretched back to 1915, when the house was first built by a young couple named William and Daisy Moore. Their story began in joy but ended in tragedy—both of them died young, leaving their dream home behind. Over the next century, other families came and went. There were eras of great happiness, like when the Pope family lived there for fifty years, raising children and hosting weekly card nights. And there were darker times, when conflict and grief seemed to drain the very warmth from the house. One detail stood out to me: in one hundred years, no child had ever been born living in the house. Many had lived there, of course, but none had entered the world under its roof. That changed in 2014, when our daughter Bella was born. To me, that felt like magic—like a blessing written into the very foundation of the home. That spark of wonder grew into a story. At first, it was just a simple poem for Bella. I called it The Rose Princess. With illustrations from a friend, we turned it into a children’s book, but as time passed, I realized there was more to tell. The house wasn’t just the setting for a sweet little poem. It was the heart of a much larger story—a battle between light, darkness, hope, and despair. Bella would the center of this magical legacy. That’s when Home was born—a full-length novel blending fantasy with the very real history of Wytheville and my own family. In the world of Home, the roses that bloom around the house are magical. When love and goodness fill the rooms, the roses flourish. But when evil stirs, they wither and fade. The first owner, Daisy, becomes an enchantress who sacrifices everything to protect the home she built. Across generations, families come and go, while a dark force—personified in the villainous Cyrus Owens—plots to corrupt the magic for his own ends. And then comes Bella, the first child ever born in the house, whose mysterious birthmark—a small rose at the back of her head—marks her as the one destined to defeat the darkness once and for all. It’s a story full of wonder, danger, and redemption. But at its core, Home is about something very simple: the love that turns a house into a home, and the courage it takes to protect that love. For me, Home isn’t just a fantasy novel. It’s a love letter to my family, my town, and to every person who has ever felt the power of a place to shape their story. I want to share this book with you—not just as readers, but as neighbors. That’s why I’m thrilled to announce that my first shipment of 50 signed copies will arrive by September 17th. These are special, limited editions, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Here’s how to claim yours for $20 for scheduled local pickup or $30 to have a signed copy shipped directly to you. Payment can be accepted by PayPal at paypal.me/zacharygcooley, Cash App at $ZacharyCooley1, in person at 820 S. 4th St., Wytheville, VA, or by phone at (276) 620-7492 to arrange payment or pickup. As I sat on my front porch, watching Bella play in the yard, I’m reminded why I spent a decade writing this story. Life is full of challenges, and sometimes the world feels dark and uncertain. But even in the hardest seasons, there are places and people that bring light and renewal. For me, that place is this house. For you, it might be somewhere else entirely. My hope is that, when you read Home, you’ll feel a little of that magic for yourself. This book is about family and faith, about how the past shapes us and how love can heal even the deepest wounds. And it’s about finding courage—the kind that grows in the soil of our everyday lives, blooming quietly until we need it most.

Strictly Observing