For the Love of Dogs (in books and beyond)…by Cynthia Selwyn
A lot of interviewers have asked me about the dog in my recent release, Dog-Gone But Not Forgotten. Pictured on the cover, Ellie is an Irish Wolfhound on a mission to get Jack Radigan, the town dog officer, and Carrie Moore, a journalist together—for good. Interviewers ask what inspired her, or just how did you get the idea for her?
The answer is simple. I have dogs and they channel their thoughts through me. (Okay, yes, I know that sounds crazy. It’s something I started doing for my children when they were small and it became a habit; every animal talks now, even though my oldest is thirteen. But we still laugh about our dogs’ comments and adventures.)
Most of the adventures of Duffy (a Cairn Terrier—think, “Toto”) and Rosie (a black and white mutt with many hunting hounds in her genes) revolve around the quest for food. Especially the kind you have to catch. Rosie, for example, loves to chase squirrels. And within the past week, the nuts on the beech trees in our backyard have ripened so the trees are loaded with the little rodents. Loads of them. Like…a million.
For the past two mornings, I’ve opened the door to the back yard for Rosie. She pauses in the doorway, freezes as she spots those squirrels thirty feet in the air—and bolts. “I’m going to eat you!” she yells as she tries to climb the tree. “Get down here, you bad squirrrls!” (As Duffy says, “Rosie has a speech pedalment”, so the word “squirrels” is hard for her to say. Especially when she’s salivating with the need to kill. But I digress.)
Squirrels bolt; the tree is alive with racing gray streaks, swirling leaves, and falling beechnuts. “Come on squirrrls! Get in my mouth! Right now! Get in my mooooouuuuth!”
And the squirrels say, “No! Go away!” and hurl sticks at her. (Okay…maybe the sticks fall naturally, but isn’t it more fun to imagine the squirrels throwing them at her, distainful sneers on their little faces?)
Meanwhile, Duffy, who prefers not to go out first thing in the morning (because he likes to sleep in) will stand there with me at the door, watching. He mutters to himself. “Stupid puppy.” Then he flops down in the morning sunshine patch on the dining room floor, able to claim it in Rosie’s absence. Later in the day, when he’s awake, he will tremble with delight and tell me, “Look at her! She runs like the wind. She is a grand hunter.”
That’s not to say Duffy doesn’t hunt, himself. He, too, is a busy hunter for the mice which have recently taken up residence in our home. (Note: the problem with giving animals dialogue is that when you probably should exterminate them, you can’t. You think of them in the trap, screaming, “Help me!” and start to cry instead.) But Duffy spends his time staring at places mice might be or have been, like under the drawer of the stove. “Come out, Mouse,” he says. “If you get in my mouth, you will be delicious and nutritious.”
Needless to say, it hasn’t happened, yet. The mice stay under the stove and say, “No. Go away.” And Rosie sometimes chimes in. “Duffles, those mice are for poop. We need to chase squiirrrls.”
The dogs provide a running commentary about what’s going on in the house, too. “Daddy is home!” they yell. “We must celebrate! The return of the alpha! I’m so excited! I will drink water!” Or, they look at my four-year-old and say, “The little person is very annoying. He has a sandwich. Let’s follow him.”
In Dog-Gone But Not Forgotten, Ellie the dog doesn’t appear to be as food motivated as Duffy and Rosie, but by the strong, almost human-like drive to get Jack and Carrie to resolve their differences and be together as they should have been had they not been driven apart by an immature lack of communication and distance. She somehow ensures that they are thrown together again and again. And she has her reasons…but you’ll have to read the book to find out what they are and why she finally succeeds. As Duffy and Rosie have told me, it’s “…a five biscuit experience. Now give me a cookie.”
Dog Gone but Not Forgotten
by Cynthia Selwyn
She needs to get out of there, fast.
Eighteen years ago, Jack Radigan took Carrie Moore’s virginity—and then broke her heart by marrying her best friend. Now Carrie’s Nana has died, forcing her back to Rhode Island, where she’s trying to sell off Nana’s estate before she runs into him. But Nana had a dog not even her lawyer knew about and it appears Carrie’s plan is doomed. Because the Irish wolfhound seems to have an agenda all her own, and it involves making Carrie deal with Jack—the town’s animal control officer— on a daily basis. The havoc the beast wreaks is costing Carrie a fortune. Hopefully, it won’t cost the last whole bits of her heart, too.
Jack married Becky…but he didn’t love her.
She was pregnant and he needed to be a father to the child. Now, Becky’s gone, and Carrie’s back home. So when her dog runs amok in their town of Narragansett , it’s his job to get the animal under control. But first, he has to control his desire to kiss Carrie, the woman he was meant to marry many years before.
GIVEAWAY TIME:
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Hi.
I really like the sound of this book. Love stories with mischief making animals.
koonie2888 at yahoo dot com
I can honestly say I've never heard of a book like this! This sound so fun and now I'm intrigued 🙂
I love reading about animals in books. They are adorable and are tons of fun to read about.
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
This looks like a great book. If there has to be comic relief, I prefer an animal over a child any day! Can't wait to read it.
I forgot to give you my email addy.
shelby15@clearwire.net