The Next Big Thing

I'm boring my dogs.

What is the next big thing? I guess everyone should have a "next big thing" on their list. 
Last week Dorothy Wills-Raftery from the pawsome Five Sibes blog, and author of What'sWrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy,  tagged me for a feature entitled "The Next Big Thing." This weekly feature, where each author passes the torch on to five others for the following week's "The Next Big Thing," is about what "The Next Big Thing" writers are working on. What a great way to learn more about an author and discover some new reads. At the end of my post, I'll be tagging five other authors, so be sure to check them out. Thank you to FiveSibesMom for selecting me! 

What is the working title of your book?

The True Story of Hoover the Talking Seal.  
Although my previous two books are about dogs, I hope you don't mind that this one takes a bit of a different path, and is about a seal. They're not dogs, but seal babies are called pups!
 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I'm fascinated by animals with special or unusual skills. Hoover was quite a celebrity in and around Boston. I really wanted to learn more about him and share his story with others.  

What genre does your book fall under?

Middle grades, illustrated chapter book.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 

I never would have thought of this book in that way, but recently my agent told me about a 40 page children's book about a dolphin, Winter's Tail, that was turned into a major motion picture. I think Hoover's real life grandson Chucky should play Hoover in the movie. For his adopted human dad George I see Richard Farnsworth (The Straight Story, Anne of Green Gables.)

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

The true story of orphaned seal pup Hoover--adopted by his best friend, Maine fisherman George--and his fun adventures, from living in the family's bathtub, to learning to talk!

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

My agent has accepted the manuscript, and is ready to shop it around to publishers.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About three weeks. The research and plotting, however, took quite a bit longer. Then I usually do three or four rewrites, send it through a few trusted critiquers, and rewrite one more time to tweak any little issues.  

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Winter's Tail by Isabella Hatkoff, Juliana Hatkoff and Craig Hatkoff. 
Christian the Lion by Anthony Burke
 

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I write this blog about pets, and I've written two books about dogs. So I really thought my next book would be about dogs too, and for adults. But this story came to me and I just knew I had to write it. That's the way it kind of goes for me.
 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The BBC called Hoover "the most famous seal in the world." The New Yorker and Readers Digest and other papers and magazines wrote about him. He was even on Good Morning America! You can hear a recording of Hoover talking on the New England Aquarium website.

While all the facts are true, I wrote the story from Hoover's point of view, so that children could relate to him better. It was fun to imagine what Hoover would be thinking or feeling in different situations. 

* I want to add one more thing, not on the list. I'm also working on an exciting novel for adults, about three very special dogs and a mysterious Inn. I'm working on this book with a very special co-author, I can't wait to tell you all about it. But that will have to wait until the "next, next big thing!"

Now, according to the rules, I pass the torch and tag five authors to write up their own responses to the questions. Please be sure to check out their sites and then go visit them next week to see what their "The Next Big Thing" is, and who they select for their 5 authors.

Jackie Bouchard - author of the hilarious novel What the Dog Ate. Jackie's writing is bright and contemporary. You'll be glad you checked in.
blog: http://poochsmooches.blogspot.com

Barbara Techel - author of the popular Frankie the Walk n Roll Dog series. Frankie was a little dog with big lessons about love and acceptance.

blog: http://joyfulpaws.com

 

Annette Vivian - mom of blogosphere's most adorable dog Snoopy, and her next big thing is going to be her first book. If you smell mischief, you're in the right place!
blog: http://snoopysdogblog.com

Joy Choquette - We're veering away from the pet bloggers here, but I wanted you to meet Joy and hear about her novel. She's full of wonderful ideas.
website: http://www.joychoquette.com


 Michele Deppe- I'll conclude with a little romance for you. Michele is author of the Crimson romance Minding Jackson. See what she has in store next!
website: http://www.micheledeppe.com

Please be sure to stop over and visit my nominator, on Five Sibes and check out her book What'sWrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy.   

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G is for Gibson

Pawing through the Alphabet

G is for Gibson

Do you know Gibson? He's one of the beautiful Siberian Huskies over at Five Sibes blog. And Gibson has a very special message. Gibson has a children's book, written by his mom, Dorothy Wills-Raferty. And it's all about him and a serious condition affecting some dogs. And we're excited to be joining in with the Five Sibes Book Release Blog Tour!
Here's a description of the book:

A FiveSibes Tale-- What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy

by Dorothy Wills-Raferty

Welcome to the world of the FiveSibes! They are five energetic Siberian Huskies who spend all their days playing and learning together. In What's Wrong With Gibson?, one day while playing, Gibson has a seizure. It is a beautifully illustrated short story of the pups learning about what Canine Epilepsy is and how they can help their big brother. The FiveSibe Tales are stories that children and adults of all ages will enjoy.

Today Dorothy joins us to answer some questions about Gibson, k9 epilepsy, and writing the book.

1. When did you first know that Gibson had k9 epilepsy?
It was three years ago, shortly after Gibson's third birthday.

 

2. How many dogs are affected by k9 epilepsy? What are some of the symptoms?

That's a really good question...large numbers of dogs worldwide experience seizures or are diagnosed as Epileptic Dogs or Epi-Dogs everyday. While there is no actual tracked number of dogs with Canine Epilepsy that I know of, there are quite a few valuable resources with information available to Epi-Dog parents worldwide. Canine Epilepsy Resources (www.Canine-Epilepsy.com), who is the non-profit center that a percentage of proceeds of "What's Wrong With Gibson" will benefit,  is a center that not only has information, but also is home of the Epil-K list, a place where Epi-Dog parents can connect. There are other great resources listed on my blog and in this posting from National Epilepsy Awareness Month that may be of interest to Epi-Dog parents (http://www.canineepilepsy.co.uk/default.htm).

 

3. Why did you decide to write this book? 

Ever since Gibson had his first seizure, which scared me more than anything I've ever experienced with my dogs, I carry his experiences around with me. As an Epi-Dog parent, you always are listening, watching, waiting, and hoping another seizure will never come. It keeps you on alert. It was very hard for me to talk about it at first and I just concentrated on learning everything I could to help Gibson live the best and healthiest life he could. I am a photojournalist by trade, so when Gibson first seized, I turned to social networking and met a fabulous lady from Texas who walked me through it all in the early days as one of her dogs is an epileptic also. I then shared my journal entries of Gibson's seizures online in hopes of helping others. To pay it forward, if you will. I've worked in the educational field for 19 years and knew I wanted to write about it in the format of a children's book. There are children out there who have epilepsy themselves, or have a family member, friend, or pet who has it. It was my hope that by writing this book, children could have something they could relate to, help them understand, and...if one child remembers to get "a bag of frozen peas" to put on their pet during a seizure, then they've helped! Canine Epilepsy is very scary, and through this illustrated story, I hope to remove some of the fear for children and let people know that it's OK for a pet to have epilepsy and, with a regiment of medicine, vitamins, diet, and exercise - still be able to live a happy and healthy life. A reader told me the only course of action for her Epi-Dog 20 years ago was euthanasia - that is not, thankfully, the case today.

 

4. What does the book tell us about how we can help dogs with epilepsy? 

 There are hints throughout the tale, such as getting a first aid kit (very important - all Epi-Dog household should have one); getting an ice pack or bag of frozen peas (to bring down the dog's body temperature) - when Gibson seized, I did not have ice packs in my freezer, so I actually used a bag of frozen peas and a loaf of frozen Italian bread! I also have the pups get a hose for water, as a dog needs a drink post-seizure. They see Harley jot notes in a journal (which is key for parents of epileptic pets to mark down details of seizure). They also have ice cream at the end, which is what you can give the dog post-seizure to help raise the sugar levels back up. There are all little helpful, true tips throughout the book.

 

5. How is Gibson doing now? 

Gibson is doing well! As any Epi-Dog parent can tell you, when things are going good, you don't even like to say it! He is on a good regiment that is has been successful for him for the past three years. I pray it continues. The one thing about Canine Epilepsy is that even if your dog is successfully medicated, there is no guarantee that a seizure won't happen again. We just do the best we can. Gibson has some mild effects from the meds - lethargy, voracious appetite, and occasional stomach upset. I have his blood levels tested every six months to check on his liver as one of the medicines can affect it long range. I do give him a vitamin supplement - Milk Thistle - to help cleanse the liver. I was extremely overprotective of him for the first couple years. I still keep a very close eye on him and always will, but finally I let him pretty much do what he feels like, i.e. running, playing, etc. My vet gave me the best advice ever. She said, "Let him live his life." And now, I do.

If anyone would like to order a copy, they may do so through the ArcticHouse Publishing website,(www.ArcticHousePublishing.com).

 I think this book would be a wonderful to share with any child, to give them a better understanding of our canine friends and a disease that can affect people, as well as our pets. Plus, a percentage of the proceeds are donated to Canine Epilepsy Resources. 

Thank you Dorothy for joining us today, and here's a big hug for Gibson, and all the Sibes! 

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Wednesday Pet Roundup

Hi and Welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup! Kelly is enjoying playing outside in the leaves. Does your dog have a favorite team?! Here are the links for this week:

* Fox news reports on the best breeds of dog for home protection. What do you think---doberman? rottweiler? You may be surprised by one of the answers.

* Joyful news when Jack the cat was found alive in a claims room, after being lost for 7 weeks at JFK Airport. Sadly, however, abc news reports that due to wounds that couldn't heal, he died last week.

* Have you heard of Musher's Secret, an "invisible boot" made of natural wax to protect dogs' paws from the snow, salt and ice. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.com tells us about this and other products to help our dogs feel more comfortable this winter.

* On Care2.com, this Pet MD article answers Weird Questions You Don't Want to Ask Your Vet.

Weight Loss with a Wag blog tour stops today: Five Sibes invites Kelly and I to come on in and sit down for a spell and visit with the sibes. Pop on over and say hi!

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