Ali's Bookshelf: Blog Tour: Dog-Ma: The Zen of Slobber Guest Post and Interview

So today I have another great tour for you all. Dog-Ma: The Zen of Slobber is a great book and today I have a guest post from the author to share. Below you will find the guest post, author information and book information as well. Enjoy!

There was a time that I thought that writing my book was the hard work. Then I started trying to get it reviewed and sold and found that the REAL work had just begun. It’s tough out there. Blogging, book signings, press releases...oh my...

Promoting for me is fun. It stems from 30+ years in the retail business, first as an underling working for some amazing teachers and then as a business owner. I know I love to sell.

Because of my subject matter – dogs – and my personal struggle with breast cancer I have many outlets to hawk my books. I have been able to lock down book signings at the usual places; libraries and bookstores and at some unconventional ones like veterinarian offices and pet food stores. If there are people gathered in a group, I will talk to them and try to sell books. A book hoar, some would say...

This past weekend I set up a book table at the Susan G. Komen Bowl for the Cure event we had here in my little Florida town. Who would have ever thought bowling and books would make a match? What an amazing group of people, some going through the various stages of breast cancer treatment and most in support of a friend or family member going through the struggle. Despite their personal losses or struggles, so many people at the event came up to me and talked about all sorts of stuff. Cancer was usually the main topic, but everyone wanted to know how my dog found my cancer or why I decided to write about dogs. Several of my dogs have had cancer and people wanted to know if my dog’s battle was the same as a human’s struggle with cancer and the aftermath of treatment. They shared their own cancer story or reminisced about a dog in their life, now gone. Everyone had a story to share and by the end of the afternoon I felt like I had made dozens of new life-long friends.

Oh, and I sold quite a few books and had such fun personalizing them. All of my proceeds for the day were donated back to Susan G. Komen with the hope that one of those dollars is the dollar that tips the scale to finding a cure or saving a life.

The moral to this story? You can sell books almost anywhere if you try hard enough. Sometimes the proceeds are not what matters most.

Please tell us about your current release.

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.

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!”

What inspired you to write this book?

My inspiration was the grief I suffered at the loss of our first dog, Kashi. I started

writing the book in my head almost twenty years before putting pen to paper. I took a break from my work life when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I sold my business, worked on getting well and found myself ready to finally start writing my little story.

What exciting story are you working on next?

My next project is still in its infancy, but it will be a sequel to The Zen of Slobber. I am constantly quizzed by readers about what happens next. Everyone wants to know how Izzy and Morgan are getting along and what is next in their lives. Since our lives are an evolving circus, new material pops up daily. It will continue the journey.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I still do not consider myself to be a writer. I am just a story teller. I have loved telling stories since I was small. I first realized I had enough tales to share in a book when I always seemed to end up as the headline entertainment at every single cocktail party we were invited to. Each of those small stories evolved into this book.

Thanks so much Barbara, for writing up this great guest post for us.

Author Information

Barbara grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and always a dog, or two or three. She founded three successful businesses in the Pacific Northwest and is a prolific fundraiser for breast cancer research. She and her husband currently live in Southwest Florida with two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur.

Book Information

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. 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!”

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