Skip to main content

Pepper and Snickers

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.29.2009

Let me tell you the story of Pepper.

Pepper is a Labrador mix who belongs to a certain editor who shall remain nameless.

Pepper was an adorable puppy and remains a darn cute dog. He is black, with short legs and a barrel of a body. He also loves the cat he lives with.

Snickers is a German Shepherd/Labrador/Pit Bull/name any dog you can think of mix who is a butthead.

She went through SIX ROUNDS OF DOG TRAINING because she is such a butthead. Even our trainer said she was a butthead and that we got a difficult dog for our first pet.

Lovely.

While lots of other dogs responded well to their owners, ours did not listen. The trainer had to be—ahem—a bit forceful with her to get her to stop misbehaving.

It’s kind of like having the problem child in a classroom full of brilliant overachievers.

For my May 2010 book, my editor asked me to write about a dog. Naturally, being a dog owner, I jumped at the chance.

Except I am the owner of one of the biggest buttheads on the planet. Not a very heroic character for a novel.

Not having much experience with obedient dogs, what was I to do?

Pepper to the rescue.

In my May 2010 release, I introduce you to …

Pepper!

Comments

Myra Johnson said…
I happen to know who Pepper and the cute kitty belong to! As for Snickers . . . have you considered contacting The Dog Whisperer???
Anonymous said…
Awesome!

Oh yeah, in my last two novels, I'm written in a dog. But, I can't use mine...too wild and crazy.

But, I can invent my dream dog and give it the same name...LOL.

Great post!
Well, Camy, can't you get a lot more literary mileage from a butthead dog than a cute, obedient one?
Camy Tang said…
Myra, we have been watching his TV show and I've read both his first books several times each. We probably don't have good calm assertive energy, but my problem is that it's not easy for most people to achieve that. I like Victoria Stillwell b/c she's a lot like our dog trainer, she works with people who don't necessarily have good pack leader energy to enable them to still be a pack leader.

Lynn, why is it we have the wild dogs and it seems everyone else has perfect dogs???

Jeanette--LOL you're absolutely right!

Camy
SueB said…
I am honored to be the mom of Pepper:) He's a real sweetie but far from perfect. His original name (till I made hubby change it) was "turd burglar." He never listens when he is outside and loves to run off for 3-4 hours.

But now he is pretty and shiny having just come home from the groomers. He smells so good!
Camy Tang said…
ROFL!!!!! I totally didn't know that about his "original" name! Snickers' favorite snack is almond rocha aka cat poo.
Camy
Myra Johnson said…
What is it with these dogs??? Our Shadow apparently doesn't get his nutritional needs met with "real" dog food, so he always grabs "dessert" in the backyard (Gracie's recycles).

Popular Posts

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...