Today I welcome Terry Lynn Johnson to Best Dog Books, a blog that features interviews with authors who’ve written a canine story for kids or young adults. Terry Lynn Johnson is here to talk about Dog Driven which is realistic upper middle grade fiction published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for kids 10+.
Best Dog Books: Who is your key dog character(s) and what kind of dog is he/she?
Dog Driven features sled dogs – the kind of dog used to race is a mixed breed called Alaskan Husky. One of the characters is Zesty, a blind lead dog (based on a real-life blind lead dog!)
The main character’s lead dogs are Mustard and Twix. Mustard is a talker, inspired by my current and vocal border collie. Twix is based on my own lead dog.
Best Dog Books: Tell us about your story.
Dog Driven is set during a dogsled race through the Canadian wilderness following the real-life historic sled dog mail route. It’s about overcoming obstacles and finding your strengths.
Best Dog Books: What inspired you to write this story?
My main goal was to show the relationship a musher has with their team.
Best Dog Books: What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?
I’ve wanted to write about a dogsled race for a while. In fact, I started writing this several years ago. I’ve always been intrigued by the special nature of dogsled racing – how competitors must work together for the good of the dogs. Mushers wrap their whole lives around their kennel, everyone racing has the same love of dogs. Long distance racing especially can become like a strategic chess game.
But I found it challenging to write a compelling novel about just a race. The story was missing something. It wasn’t until 2017 when I had my own vision issues (from a tick bite) that I introduced the vision impairment element. The story came together after that.
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?
Since Dog Driven was my fourth sled dog story, I wanted to do something a little different. Hint: long flat tail and buck teeth.
Best Dog Books: Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Why?
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell because it had a dog, obviously, and it was a story that sent my imagination into overdrive. What if I had been left alone on an island? How would I survive?
Best Dog Books: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Don’t be in a rush. The industry is slow. You will make yourself crazy if you wait on it.
If you’d like to learn more about Terry Lynn Johnson, you can check out the author’s website or follow the author on facebook or twitter . You can also find starred book reviews from Kirkus and Booklist.
Terry Lynn Johnson writes middle grade adventures based on her experiences living in northern Ontario, Canada. She might have fallen through ice a time or two, been dragged by a dog team, and chased a bear with a chainsaw. She owned eighteen sled dogs, but now owns one border collie which is about the same amount of work.
Terry’s books have been recognized by Bank Street College Best Books, ABA Best Books, ILA Children’s Choice Book Award, Canadian Children’s Book Center Best Books, a Parent’s Choice Award, and been nominated for thirteen state Young Reader Book Awards. Dog Driven is her ninth novel.
Thank you Terry 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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