Today I welcome Bobbie Pyron to Best Dog Books, a blog that features interviews with authors who’ve written a canine story for kids or young adults. Bobbie Pyron is here to talk about STAY which is a middle grade novel published by Katherine Tegen Books/Harpercollins for kids aged 10 and up.
Best Dog Books: Who is your key dog character(s) and what kind of dog is he/she?
Baby is a little mixed breed terrier dog who looks an awful lot like ToTo. He lives with his person, Jewell, in a city park.
Best Dog Books: What is your story about?
STAY is the intertwined stories of Baby and Jewell, and 11-year-old Piper and her family. All have found themselves experiencing homelessness and are trying to make sense of their lives. When Baby and Jewel are separated, Piper and her new friends do all that they can to help reunite the “pack of two.”
Best Dog Books: What inspired you to write this story?
Several years ago, my husband and I were stopped at a red light at a large intersection. At that intersection was an older woman holding a sign asking for help. It was a cold spring day but she had on a thin, faded dress. She looked so desperate! Next to her sat a little dog who looked just like ToTo from the Wizard of Oz. He looked calm as toast and perfectly content. I kept thinking about that little dog and that woman, and felt like there was a story there.
Best Dog Books: What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?
I think I was a little intimidated at first to write Baby’s chapters in free verse. I knew intuitively that that’s the way it needed to be written. Still, I hadn’t done it before. So every day, before I started writing the first draft, I read poetry, particularly Mary Oliver’s poetry. It always put my mind in the space it needed to be in to write that way. After a while, it became pretty effortless!
Best Dog Books:What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it about a dog? If so, what can you tell us about it?
I’ve just started the very early work on a new novel—too new to really talk about. It’s not a dog story per se, but there is a dog in it. My stories will always have dogs in them!
Best Dog Books: What else would you like us to know about you or your story?
I hope what readers will take away from STAY is that when they see a “homeless” person on the streets, in a park, or standing in line to eat, that person is not defined by what their current living situation is. That person has a story; that person is somebody worthy of compassion.
STAY hits the shelves on August 13th!
Best Dog Books: Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Why?
CASEY THE UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE HORSE by Anita Fogle (I think) was the first chapter book I read all on my own. I was so proud and it was so much fun!
Best Dog Books: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Enjoy the journey and the exploration of writing. Don’t focus all your attention on finding an agent, an editor, getting published. You will never be so free to create and explore whatever you wish in your writing as you are before you’re published. It’s all about the journey!
If you’d like to learn more about Bobbie Pyron, you can check out the author’s website or follow the author on facebook or twitter.
Thank you Bobbie Pyron for joining us at Best Dog Books. We look forward to reading your book!
For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.
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