Author Interview with author of Dog-Ma, the zen of slobber, Barbara Boswell Brunner 

 Tell us a little bit about your book and have you published before?

This is my first book, though hopefully not my last. I was inspired to write it after many years of being the “headliner entertainment” at every cocktail party we attended, telling our crazy dog stories. Our dogs are hilarious. Who else out there has a dog nicknamed “Houdini in a dog suit” by their Veterinarian? You just can’t make this stuff up.

Will this be the only book or a series? and 3) Are you currently working on anything else?

Initially I was thinking it would be a one-off book, but since publishing it I have had so many readers write to me and ask for a sequel that I have started working on the next installment. It does not even have a working title right now and is just a pile of disjointed notes but there is a book in there somewhere… One of these days I will take a week, organize my mess and see what pops out.

What is your favorite writing snack?

Oh, there are so many! I guess the MOST favorite is frozen grapes. It’s hot here so they are refreshing and you can’t eat too many without getting brain freeze.

What gets you in the mood to write?

I am in the mood to write most of the time. It is just a balance of wants and musts in the space-time continuum.

Who is your favorite character and why?

For me, that is like asking who is your favorite child. My characters were all living beings. Any answer is wrong on some level. The quirkiest was Cooper and his butter addiction. He taught himself to open the refrigerator to satisfy that addiction. We never could find a “Butterholics Anonymous” meeting for him to go to, though. It would have been helpful.  

Favorite book of all time?

Oh, this is a hard one. No, No, Taffy! by Jean McDevitt sticks out as the first time I had a book of my own as a child. My grandmother read that book to me until I learned to read myself. I never tired of the story and I am sure it influenced my love of dogs. As an adult Rabbit, Run by John Updike.

 I think breakfast says a lot about a person, what is your perfect breakfast?

Anything concocted by my husband! He is an amazing cook and spoils me with his talent. My favorite is a savory egg bake that he makes with fresh herbs from our garden; always accompanied by a steaming cup of French pressed coffee. If I haven’t been lazy there will also be a loaf of yummy fresh baked bread.

 Do you have a favorite period of time that you like to write about or would like to live?

I would have liked to live in Paris during Hemmingway’s time. It was an amazing collision of artistic talent all gathered in one city for a short period of time. It would have been incredible to observe them up close or from afar.

 Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book!

This can be summed up in a quote from a book review that I received recently, though it violates the one sentence rule. “Do you love dogs? Then you have to get this book. Do you not love dogs? Get this book anyway. It is hilarious!”

Barbara
grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and
always a dog, or two or three. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from a
small women’s college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Meeting her husband in
Washington, DC, they continued together on a journey as self-proclaimed
dog addicts. In the ensuing years, she founded three successful
businesses in the Pacific Northwest and is a prolific fundraiser for
breast cancer research. She and her husband are retired and now reside
in Southwest Florida with two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur. She
is currently working on indulging her well known flip flop addiction.  

For dog lovers everywhere…….Barbara’s
vivid and dramatic stories, told with a wicked sense of humor, will
make you laugh out loud. She definitely gets what living with rescued
dogs (nine of them!) is all about. This book will inspire you with the
couple’s unstinting love, devotion, and respect for dogs as family
members. You’ll be glad to include it in your treasured collection of
great dog books.

When
Barbara meets her future husband, Ray, it is love-and dog-at first
sight. Over the course of thirty-two years, seventeen relocations and
nine dogs, their mutual love of dogs guides them on their unconventional
path. The love that Barbara and Ray get in return is literally
lifesaving, with one dog attacking a lethal intruder and another
discovering Barbara’s cancer. Her own survival story underscores the
story of how her dogs become survivors themselves. 

Each new dog
adds its own dynamic to the family, sometimes upending it. From Turbo
(whose Spock-like ears may have provided super powers), Barbara learns
about the will to live; Lexington demonstrates incredible patience and
an inexplicable love of golf; Madison teaches that laughter is truly the
best medicine and that the whole “nine lives thing” is not reserved
just for cats; Morgan should be sainted for tolerating Izzy, who is as
cute as she is bad. Barbara is certain that somewhere in doggie heaven
there is a poster that says “If you are sick, injured or in need of
really expensive medical care, FIND THESE HUMANS!” 

Buy the book from ….

Author’s Website

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Barnes and Noble