You Lucky Dog! By Kate Kelly (Review, Interview and Giveaway!)

Genre:
Non-fiction

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
America Comes Alive

Release Date:
March 2013






This book is a compilation of dogs that played a huge part of American history. It includes dogs from show business, politics and all kinds of backgrounds. It even includes stories about such famous dogs as Toto from The Wizard of Oz and Rin-Tin-Tin. Presidential dogs are part of the story, too.  Each story is quick and a "feel good" type of story.

As a cat lover, I really enjoyed the dog stories. Okay, I admit, I’m an animal lover period. Doesn’t matter if it’s a cat or dog, I love them all :) 

Anyway, these stories will bring both tears and smiles to the reader. It’s a quick read and each chapter goes very fast – maybe too fast. Plan to snuggle up for a weekend and delve into the lives of some famous, brave and heroic dogs. You won’t want to put this one down until the last page is turned!

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Author Interview

I’d like to welcome author Kate Kelly to Socrates’ Book Review Blog. She is the author of “You Lucky Dog! From Homeless to Famous.” Although we do love cats, we prefer to think of our blog as an animal friendly blog. We love them all!

Welcome, Kate and let’s begin the interview!

1) To start off, what or who influenced you the most in starting your career?

My first job was in radio, and I quickly learned that I absorbed my information by reading. I would have to grab the broadcaster’s script and read
it after the show in order to fully absorb the content. That was what led me to writing—I knew the written word was my medium.

2) Why non-fiction? What other non-fiction books have you written?

I love reading fiction and mysteries, but I am 100 percent a nonfiction writer, I think primarily because I love research and learning. My first work was for magazines, and then when I had three young children I discovered that collaborating (sometimes for credit, sometimes as a ghostwriter) was a great home-based job. I have done about 36 books as a co-author. On my own, I have written several parenting books, a safety book, a 6-volume history of medicine, and a book Election Day: An American Holiday An American History.

Now most of my attention is focused on my website, www.americacomesalive.com. I have enjoyed the shorter format and love connecting directly with readers.

3) Do you research your books and what is involved in the research process?

Research is a huge part of my life and it always has been. Today we hear the expression, “going down the rabbit hole” on the Internet, and I LOVE all types of “rabbit holes.” Whether it’s interviewing people in person or by phone, reading a book, or delving into more detail on the Internet, I find it very rewarding.

With books I co-authored, I learned that some experts were really at a loss to come up with what information I needed to know write a book. Sometimes it was better to do the research myself and let them amend what was necessary.
The hardest part of research is knowing when to stop. I set deadlines for myself but often keep an open file for information I find later on. Then I go back and add in what I want to. (That’s a wonderful aspect of a website; you can always add to a story later.)


4) How long does it take to complete a book?

It takes about six months for most of the books I write. I’m a fast writer so once I am ready to go, I can really move quickly.

5) You have made several public appearances. Is there any one that stands out the
most to you?

I love speaking to audiences about subjects I’m passionate about. A few years back I was invited to give a speech in my hometown, so my children went with me for the visit. They were with a babysitter in another room in the restaurant while I gave the post-lunch speech (about time management, the subject of the book I had just written).

In the middle of my talk, we all became aware of the sound of a toddler crying and coming closer… My two-and-a-half-year-old was running down the hallway to the bigger dining room, sobbing uncontrollably. She ran directly to me, and I did what moms do, I picked her up.
She immediately quieted down, and I assured the babysitter and my other child that Bibi could stay with me. I gave the rest of the speech with a very peaceful toddler on my hip….It was certainly my most memorable speech!

6) Is there any specific topic you feel most comfortable talking about?

I grew up in a small town in Colorado with parents who worked tirelessly to make it a good community. When I created my website, America Comes Alive, it was with this background in mind. I wanted to find a great way to tell the interesting stories that make up our country’s past. I’ve found that people do want to read these stories, and they love reading it in manageable bites.

The summer series about American dogs is a great example. If you read the story about the first dog used as a seeing eye dog in this country, you will never again think the same way about the guide dogs we see around our communities.

7) What future books do we have to look forward to?

I am working on a book about military dogs, and I would like to do a collection about American heroes (of course, including heroines). People like to be able to identify with specific individuals, so I think it’s fun to focus on some little-known people who have done great things for this country---there are so many of them, and it’s such fun to identify them and research their contributions.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit us!

BOOK GIVEAWAY !!!!

Now you can enter to win either an e-book or paperback copy of You Lucky Dog! by Kate Kelly.

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the form below.

2) US residents only.

3) For an extra entry: Follow this blog

4) For an extra entry: Follow me on Twitter

5) For an extra entry: Follow me on Goodreads

6) For an extra 2 entries: Post this giveaway on your blog.

7) For an extra 2 entries: Tweet about this giveaway.

The giveaway begins on August 16th (midnight est) and ends on August 23rd (midnight est).

The winners will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway