Welcome to Part 2 of my Dogs and their Writers post, featuring Diesel and his debut
author Kathryn Evans, Mitzi and her writer, Amanda George, and Stanley Chester’s
author Camilla Chester.
First, a picture of Basil, who inspired Dog in my debut
book The Island.
I wrote my book over a teacher holiday one summer, and hid away from all internet and mobile reception in my caravan in West Wales. My only companion was my Jack Russell dog, so little by little I suppose it was only natural that he crept his way into my book as well as onto the bed. My teenage castaway Fran has Dog as her only companion on a desert island in the middle of the Indian Ocean...
If you look closely, he has even found his way onto the spine of my book!
Now to this week's dogs and their writers:
Diesel, and his writer, Kathryn Evans...
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| Diesel and Kathy among the strawberries |
1. Have you ever featured your pet dog in a
book? Which and how? Not as a dog but his personality has definitely been
hijacked – loyal, loving and a bit dim.
2.
Is your
dog an essential part of your daily writing routine? In so many ways! How? He is always by my side when I’m
writing. My office is also where I work for the farm so when people come in
unannounced, and I’m acting out a scene from a book, I just pretend I’m talking
to the dog! It’s a bit strange if I happen to be crying at the time. Also, when
I have plot problems, we go for a walk to unstick them. Never fails – though sometimes we have to go
for very long walks…
Where does your dog
like to be when you’re writing? In his stinky bed, by my feet. Unless one
of the cats beat him to it and then I have to move the cat or Diesel makes his
sad face.
3. How does your dog help/inspire you in your
life as a writer? I think it’s just having a companion, someone to talk to
who just listens! You don’t need answers to work things out, you just need to
go through the process of discussing them. Dogs are perfect for that. My cats
just look at me as if I’m stupid then through all my papers on the floor.
Diesel looks at me as if I’m brilliant, the best thing in the world. It helps when you are convinced you can’t
write for toffee!
4. What does your dog think of your current
WIP? How would s/he describe it? There’s a cat
in my bed. Is it walk time? Is it dinner time? Is it walk time? There’s a cat
in my bed. Sorry, to be honest, he isn’t the brightest…
I am sure that Diesel would like everyone to know that his writer has her debut book coming out in February, and that his writer is very brilliant indeed! I was lucky enough to critique the opening, and can't wait to read it.
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Follow Kathy @mrsbungMitzi and her SCBWI writer, Amanda George
1. Have you ever featured your pet dog in a
book? Which and how?
One of my WIPs is based on Mitzi and she is going to
donate the payments from that book straight to the Dogs Trust when a publisher
takes it on… needs to be edited first though!
2. Is your dog an essential part of your daily
writing routine? How? Where does your dog like to be when you’re writing?
Mitzi is a vital part of my creativity! She’s never far away whenever I’m writing and
she just needs to look at me with her soft, brown eyes that somehow wakes my
muse up!
This is me giving Amanda my 'you cannot be serious' look
3. How does your dog help/inspire you in your
life as a writer?
I can bounce ideas off her without her putting me down or
telling me that I’m writing crud until it’s editing time when she sits on my
right foot and yawns if it’s boring
4. What does your dog think of your current
WIP?
Amanda writes terrible stuff during her first drafts so I
just stay in my bed and dream of the editing times when she really takes my
comments to heart and usually makes the changes I say about. She sometimes reads her first drafts to me
but I don’t take much notice until it’s finished and editing it… I can’t wait
for her to edit my book!
Mitzi and her writer, Amanda
Stanley, and his writer, Camilla Chester
1. Have you ever featured your pet dog in a
book? Which and how?
My dog Stanley Chester is not featured as himself but I sneak in his
name. He wheedles his way into every aspect of my life!
In my first book, which I am due to publish in the spring (JarredDreams) the creepy town where the book is set is named Stanbridge and one of
the dreams is his (Stanley Chester’s dippity do dog circus with matching hats
for all)
2. Is your dog an essential part of your daily
writing routine? How? Where does your dog like to be when you’re writing?
If I am on my own in
the house then I always write at the table with Stanley next to me in his
basket. Occasionally he will come and put his head on my knee. So gorgeous.
I walk dogs for a
living so all my dogs help really as I use the time to think things through and
might make voice notes into my phone as thoughts come to me.
3. How does your dog help/inspire you in your
life as a writer?
He believes in me and
I love him. He is patient, non judgemental and loves it when I read my work out
loud.
“Being
the wise king was ok, but the crown didn’t taste as good as gravy bones.”
4. What does your dog think of your current
WIP? How would s/he describe it?
Well, that Mummy HB
is always click clacking away into the shiny thing. She’s telling stories. This
one is about a boy called Lucas Larks who likes cooking (he can come and cook
for me anytime – although he only makes veggie stuff which is not as good as
sausages). Anyway, he goes to a big house and then tries to get out of it
again. It all sounds a bit pointless if you ask me, but then all HBs are mad,
so carry on.
You can read
Stan’s blog here: http://thestanleydiaries.blogspot.co.uk
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