Fido and Friend in Five: W. Bruce Cameron and Tucker!

Bruce & Tucker (photo Ute Ville)

So as some of you may or may not remember from an earlier blog post, I recently went on a girls trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Not long after we got on the road, being the good librarians we are, talk quickly turned to what we were all reading. It quickly became clear that I was the only one in the car who had not read (or was reading) A Dog's Purpose, by W. Bruce Cameron. The book got rave reviews in the van. "You of all people have to read it!" everyone said. And so I did. I'm hard to impress, especially when it comes to dog stories. Let me say right now, this book is amazing. It's being compared to Marley and Me and The Art of Racing in the Rain, but personally, I think it's much better than both those books. It reminds me a great deal of my favorite dog book in the last five years, A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray, by Anne. M. Martin. And let me tell you, that's high praise indeed. I normally don't like "talking dog" stories. But both Cameron and Martin pull it off with such respect for both the reader and the dog, the narration never too precious.

The Writer as a Young Man

Now, you may know Cameron's early books, including the New York Times Bestseller Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. This is his first foray into fiction, and has been hugely successful. A Dog's Purpose spent 19 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, and has just come out in paperback. And the movie rights have sold! Hooray! Bruce also has a new novel, Emory's Gift, coming out in August. AND he's a syndicated columnists, so I was really surprised and thankful when he enthusiastically agreed to visit my funny little blog with his cuter-than-cute friend, Tucker.

1. How did you and Tucker meet each other?  My dog Tucker was abandoned at birth--dropped off in a box at my daughter's animal rescue. She took him in to her home, where she has about ten thousand pounds worth of dogs. He was so well socialized that my daughter said, "Dad, I know you're ready for a new dog. This is the one."

2. What' your all-time favorite dog story?  You're kidding, right? It's A Dog's Purpose.


3. What makes Tucker's tail wag?  Saying his name, or thinking his name, or looking at him or in his direction, or at anything at all.

4. If Tucker could change just one thing about you, what would it be?  My fingers would be made of bacon.

5. In five words, tell us what Tucker means to you:  More than just five words.

Thanks so much Bruce and Tucker!

Run, don't walk, right now and buy or check out A Dog's Purpose. You'll never look at your dog quite the same again. And be sure to check out Bruce's website and blog http://www.brucecameron.com/ He's got lots of really cool things going on: book trailers, photos of past dogs, Dog of the Week photos, and even photos of his wedding, with Tucker as Best Dog! It's too cute!  http://www.adogspurpose.com/