Today I welcome Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann to Best Dog Books, a blog that features interviews with authors and illustrators who’ve published a canine story for kids or young adults. Candy and Eric are here to talk about Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen which is an illustrated, middle grade novel published by Schwartz-Wade Books/ Random House for kids aged 8-12.
I am a fan of historical fiction, dog stories, and stories based on true events so STRONGHEART did not disappoint. Kids who loved HUGO CABRET and WONDERSTRUCK by Brian Selznick will enjoy STRONGHEART for the illustrated aspect of the story. I would have enjoyed learning where Flemings took liberties in the story and so wanted to believe that Strongheart did, in fact, do all of the things in Flemings’ story. She did such an amazing job describing the events that unfolded that I felt like a kid again reading my childhood favorites like LASSIE and THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. I liked believing that dogs were as clever as the storytellers made them out to be through story. So reading STRONGHEART brought me kid-like joy.
Best Dog Books: Who is your key dog character(s) and what kind of dog is he/she?
Candy: Strongheart is a German shepherd who worked as a police dog in Berlin before being “discovered” by a Hollywood movie director and eventually becoming one of the biggest cinema stars of the 1920’s. Both the character and the story are based on the real-life movie star dog, Stongheart.
Best Dog Books: Tell us about your story.
Candy: Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen is based on a true story. There really was a Strongheart, and he really was Hollywood’s number one box office draw from 1921-1927. He was also the very first dog in movie history to have screenplays written just for him; where he was the leading man (or dog in this case).
The story goes like this: Taken from his litter as a puppy, Strongheart (whose name was Etzel at the time) was sent to Berlin where he was trained to become the fiercest dog on the police force. Sadly, in those days (1919) dogs weren’t trained with love or kindness. He became ferocious and incredibly well trained, but he didn’t receive any loving, human contact. He didn’t know how to play. He didn’t know what it was like to be petted. He lived this sad life until movie director Larry Trimble found him and took him to live in the Hollywood Hills. Trimble had been on a search for the perfect dog because he’d had a crazy idea – movies with a dog as the leading man. Nowadays, of course, this is hardly an original idea, but in the 1920’s when movies were still a brand-new technology, it was a crazy, ingenious idea. When he found Etzel he immediately knew he’d found his star. So he changed the dog’s name to Strongheart (a name with way more star power). And while his girlfriend, Jane Murfin, wrote a screenplay, Larry got to work rehabilitating Strongheart. And this is true! He had to teach the dog how to play… and how to accept food from a person’s hand… and how to enjoy a belly rub… and eventually how to love being loved. Strongheart had found his forever family!
He also became a star. His first movie, The Silent Call, was a smash hit. The dog (and Larry and Jane) made millions of dollars. With it they built a mansion in Hollywood with a doghouse in the backyard. And I mean a house! It had three bedrooms, a swimming pool and a butler named Alan who served Strongheart steaks on a silver platter. All true! The mansion has long since been torn down, but Strongheart’s house remains, and people actually live in it today.
Strongheart was awash in gifts and letters from his fans. They sent him bones… and rubber balls… and golf clubs… and a new car. True!! He sent them back his photo complete with his “pawtograph.” He visited orphanages and hospitals and went on cross-country tours where he was paraded down Main Street and mayors gave him the key to the town. Did you know the first national brand dog food was named after him? Yup! Strongheart Dog Food. It’s still around today.
He made seven movies in his career, all of them—sadly — long forgotten. He found a mate, Lady Jule, and fathered several litters of puppies. He got a star on the Hollywood walk of fame (it’s still there). Most importantly, he had the constant love of both Larry and Jane. His life was good… until he was accused of a terrible crime. I won’t tell you what, I don’t want to spoil it. But it, too – the court case and the outcome — is based on the truth.
Best Dog Books: What inspired you to write and illustrate this story?
Candy: Anger! I was really bugged that Strongheart had been all but forgotten. I mean, you say the names, “Lassie,” or “Rin Tin Tin” and people recognize them. But that’s not the case with Strongheart. And yet, he was the first. All the other movie star dogs were just copy cats… er. . . copy dogs. More than anything I wanted to return him to our collective American memory. I wanted people to remember him.
Eric: I grew up with German Shepards and so have always had a fondness for the breed. I loved this story from the first time Candy showed it to me and I shared her idea to have the narrative told not only with her text, but with pictures as well. To help the editor understand what we were thinking about I took the first chapter of the book and told some of the story wordlessly, making sequences of pictures much like one would illustrate a picture book. We all liked it and and got to work.
Best Dog Books: What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it? What was the biggest challenge you had illustrating this story?
Candy: The biggest challenge was finding information about the dog. When I set off to do research, no one had written about Strongheart – no books, no articles, not even a Wikipedia article (an unreliable source that I would have had to take with a block of salt). I had to go back to primary sources – newspapers of the day, movie magazines, black-and-white newsreels – and piece together the events of his life. Once I had the true story, I could see the trajectory of my book. I understood both Strongheart’s and Larry’s motivation. I knew where I wanted my book to start and end.
Eric: So many challenges arise when you are making pictures for a book! It was essential that I capture Strongheart’s intelligence and nobility, without drifting too far into anthropomorphism. I had to make images that simply did not decorate or repeat what was being said in the text. I had to make sure I did my research and everything I drew was of his time. At one point in the story we see a hair drier and indeed the first electric hair driers were on the market in the early 1920’s
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? Will you collaborate again on a future project?
Candy: We have three new collaborations on the horizon. The first is called MINE about forest animals that each have designs on the season’s last, red apple. To what lengths will each go to keep it for itself? We’re also working on the third in our Bulldozer series, called Bulldozer’s Christmas Dig. And we’ve just signed on for a third book, Polar Bear, which is a companion to our earlier Giant Squid and this year’s Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera. Sadly, not one of these books has a dog in it.
Best Dog Books: What else would you like us to know about you or your story?
Candy: Here’s a little secret about the book that shows how dog-crazy Eric and I are about our own fur-baby. We actually dedicated the book our mixed breed, Oxford, “our very own Strongheart.” And if that wasn’t enough, we included his picture… Eric painted it. It looks exactly like Ox.
Best Dog Books: Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Why?
Candy: Stuart Little by E.B. White because it was the first time I opened up a book and fell into it. I was in second grade at the time, and can clearly remember looking up from the page and thinking, “Wow, look how much time has passed!” I’d taken a journey far from my Northern Indiana home without leaving the window seat. In that moment I understood the magic of books.
Best Dog Books: What advice would you give to aspiring writers and illustrators?
Candy: Read, and I’m not trying to be flippant with that answer. I firmly believe that writers learn from other writers. We discover new ways to structure story. We uncover new ways of using language. We find the courage to try new genres and explore new subjects. We grow as writers from other people’s work. And so read – all the time and all kinds of stuff. Read fantasy, and nonfiction and historical fiction and picture books and magazines and newspapers and the back of the cereal box. Most especially, read the stuff you don’t typically read. If you write nonfiction picture books, read YA science fiction. If you write YA dystopian, read middle grade here-and-now. Better yet, try writing a couple paragraphs of sci-fi or here-and-now yourself. Shake things up. Keep learning.
Eric: Practice your craft—- draw, draw, draw. Spend time in museums. Look at artists in history. Look at what other artists are making today. Make pictures of things you care about. If you become an illustrator, you will be spending lots of time with your work and so make pictures of things you care about. Most of all find joy in your work and the rest will follow.
If you’d like to learn more about Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann you can check out the author’s website and illustrator’s website.
Thank you Candy and Eric for joining us at Best Dog Books. We look forward to reading your book!
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