A Dog Dreams of Paris: Review and giveaway

You know how much we love books around here! I had the opportunity to check out a sweet children’s book, A Dog Dreams of Paris, written by Barbara Barth. Now, since I’m not a children’s book expert, I had my ridiculously adorable nephew and his pups check it out on my behalf.

They look like they’re riveted, huh? And how cute, right?!

Anyway, when they reached out about sending a copy for review (and giveaway!), I also got the chance to ask the author a few questions. Since this is a dog-centric book, I thought it would be fun to learn about her dog April and how she went “from rescue dog to diva.”

We’d love to learn more about sweet April and how she inspired you to write this book!

April was dog number six in this household. She came from the same rescue group as Rascal, who joined my household New Year’s Eve Day. My thoughts on a bleak holiday came down to this  . . . can’t get a date, get a dog! I had a hard time looking at Petfinder online trying to decide on Rascal or April, but Rascal’s mismatched eye color won me over. I couldn’t forget April’s photo, however. The next week I decided April had to come, too. She was shy and kept her distance from the other dogs, including her old pen buddy Rascal. I renamed her Miss April in Paris and during a photo shoot placed a vintage pink chapeau with a large pink rose on her head. She took to the hat and posed for me. The placement of that hat and the attention she received as I took her photos, helped bring her out of her shell. I decided she would have her own blog (in 2010) about her dreams of going to Paris.  The blog turned out to be a good thing. I had self-published my memoir, The Unfaithful Widow, and was on my first blog tour with WOW Women on Writing. One of the stops on the tour was Tilly the Dog in England. My post had to be written from the dog’s viewpoint, so Miss April in Paris wrote about her blog. I kid that she has not made it to Paris, but she did a brief stint in England. Shortly after the blog stopped, but the idea to have a small book and expand her diary stayed with me. This year I decided to make it happen. I was getting ready for hip replacement surgery and needed to feel a sense of accomplishment before I had my surgery and something to look forward to while I did my physical therapy, which is this tour once again with WOW!

I saw that a portion of all book sales will be donated to animal rescue. Which rescue will benefit from your book sales?

I launched the book in May, right before my surgery, with all profits for sales in May to go to Friends of DeKalb Animals (FODA). I am very familiar with this group and it seemed like a good starting place.  My plan is to be able to do book signings at dog events and other local events and ear mark profits for the local rescue groups that brought me my dear dogs! In addition, the book is available at my wholesale cost for rescue groups who want to use them for their own fund raising events. They just have to contact me to work out details. I donated copies of April’s book to Atlanta Canine Adoption Project  (ACAP) the group that brought me Rascal and Miss April in Paris as a thank you. I am still on my walker from my surgery, so my book signing plans are on hold til the end of summer. Of course, readers can buy April’s story on Amazon and rest assured the profits will go to animal shelters. I’ve always donated to animal charities, if not money, auction items, especially when I had my antique shop. I wish I could give more. I hope my book will do just that as time goes by and folks learn about A Dog Dreams of Paris.

Does Miss April have any plans for future adventures?

April is content with her fame at the moment. But I have five other dogs with dreams of their own. That’s a lot of material to work with! I also plan on finishing my dog memoir this year, on life with a six-pack at home. April will be a big part of that story, too!

For any readers who think their dogs might have a story to tell, too, what advice would you share?

I am a blog freak, and would tell anyone with a dog to start a blog. I have way too many blogs, from sharing stories of my dogs, to my own dreams of owning a farmhouse. I use my blogs as writing journals, complete with photos. When I need material for a book, I can pull from my posts. It is a great place to put your thoughts together, share on social media, and then decide if you want to expand to a book. I love small books, too. A perfect format for a dog’s story.

Thank you, Barbara, for taking the time to share about your book, April, and what’s to come! So fun, right?

And, thanks to her generosity, one of YOU has the opportunity to win a copy of A Dog Dreams of Paris for yourself! This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. The widget will load below (sometimes it takes a second). If you’re reading this via email or through a feed, you might have to click the link.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! Have a great weekend, everyone!