Chet the Dog, mystery author, leads Mr. Media astray in "interview"

By BOB ANDELMAN

Dogs that can express themselves in a language we can all understand are nothing new.

Remember the movie Cats & Dogs? One dog had the voice of Tobey McGuire, another the sonorous tones of Alec Baldwin.

But how many dogs have written books about their adventures?

Point for Chet the Dog, sidekick of Bernie Little and sole employee of the Little Detective Agency and—do you smell that? Hint of bacon, ground black pepper, sizzling burgers on the grill…
Where was I?

Oh, right, the Chet and Bernie mystery series. Book one, Dog Gone It, was a big hit, quickly followed by the just published Thereby Hangs A Tail. Both books are narrated by Chet the Dog, who is a pretty adept storyteller, except for when he gets distracted by the smell of food, another dog’s butt, fresh pastries, Frisbees, baseballs…

Chet also has some problems remembering details a short time after an event occurs, but once he catches a scent the second time, the large incisors are known around the desert to take a big bite out of crime. And criminals.

Chet the Dog website or follow on Twitter.

CHET the DOG AUDIO EXCERPT: "Everything is dictated in a mental telepathy way, through Spencer Quinn, whose name also appears on the books. I would call him my muse; he's the interface with the publishing business. But the stories are mine." 

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You can LISTEN to this interview with CHET the DOG and SPENCER QUINN, authors of DOG GONE IT and THEREBY HANGS A TAIL, by clicking the audio player above!

Copyright 2010 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!



 

Kevin J. Anderson, ENEMIES AND ALLIES, THE SAGA OF THE SEVEN SUNS, PAUL OF DUNE novelist: Mr. Media Radio Interview

If you create or own a sci-fi or other genre character or franchise, one of the top, go-to guys for a writer who will admirably adapt your property for novelization is Kevin J. Anderson.

Anderson writes the Dune prequels with Frank Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert. He writes books in the Star Wars series, including the Jedi Academy Trilogy and Young Jedi Knights series featuring the twin children of Han Solo and Princess Leia. He also wrote three books based on “The X-Files” TV show, including Ground Zero, which I read when it came out back in 1995.

He even wrote a book on which he shares credit with L. Ron Hubbard that I’m curious about but not enough so that I want the Scientologists to come around pestering me.

And in his free time, he created his own genre series, The Saga of the Seven Suns.

Right now, his latest book is Enemies & Allies, a clever re-telling of the first time Batman and Superman met in the 1950s. A follow-up to his novel, The Last Days of Krypton, this one is a barnburner that brings in everybody you want from the Man of Steel and The Dark Knight families of characters.

Like most of Anderson’s books, once you start reading it, you won’t stop till you’re done.

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You can LISTEN to this interview with KEVIN J. ANDERSON, author of the novels ENEMIES & ALLIES, LAST SON OF KRYPTON, GROUND ZERO, THE SAGA OF THE SEVEN SONS and many more by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

James Sheehan, THE MAYOR OF LEXINGTON AVENUE, THE LAW OF SECOND CHANCES, novelist: Mr. Media Audio Interview

I met James Sheehan at a St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading event back in 2005. I was there promoting my new biography of Will Eisner and he was riding a wave of excellent reviews for his first novel, The Mayor of Lexington Avenue.

As we got talking, however, we realized we had met before – through our dogs.

Turns out, Jim and his wife literally live around the corner from me. I walk my dogs several times a day, and his dogs had figured out a way of tunnelling under the fence. They didn’t know how to get back once they were loose, however, so my wife and I returned them to the Sheehan’s yard more than once over the years.
They’ve got a new fence now, so that doesn’t happen as often.

A few weeks back, Jim and I met up again. He was on his way to South Carolina for a big booksellers event to launch his second novel, The Law of Second Chances. Jim gave me a copy to read and I knew it was time to get my neighbor on the show.
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ALSO AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST ON iTUNES.

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© 2008 by Bob Andelman. All rights reserved.