I found out that my debut novel, Tiger Drive, has been nominated for the Benjamin Franklin Award:
“The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards™, which include over fifty categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers…Gold winners will be announced April 5, 2019, during a gala dinner ceremony held in conjunction with IBPA Publishing University in Chicago, Illinois.”
Why is this recognition so important to me when it’s already been so rewarding and gratifying to see how readers have responded to–even related to–the Sloan Family’s determination to change after generations of family secrets, addiction, and trauma? Why am I thrilled at this ‘shout out’ and pleased with the silver Benjamin, or still possible, gold Benjamin?
Tiger Drive by Teri Case has been nominated for the Benjamin Franklin Award in Popular Fiction
“The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards™, which include over fifty categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers . . . Gold winners will be announced April 5, 2019 during a gala dinner ceremony held in conjunction with IBPA Publishing University in Chicago, Illinois.”
To order or learn more about this novel, click here.
Congratulation to my fellow nominees in Popular Fiction: Cathy Zane, Better Than This Rob Hiaasen, Float Plan Dave Edlund, Guarding Savage: A Peter Savage Novel
I can’t wait to read your books!
Thank you IBPA for this wonderful honor, and thank you, readers, for being you!
Their support is important to me becauseDOGTV is the number one resource for the comfort and stimulation of our dogs when they are alone. In In the Doghouse, the main character is Skip, a Wolador (part Timber Wolf, part Labrador). When his life is turned upside down and his human gets him a subscription to DOGTV so she can go to work guilt-free (almost), Skip is at first resentful because he knows what it means: he’s going to be left alone. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it’s fair to say that Skip ends up thinking DOGTV is his personal reality show. So funny!
7-year-old Emma is fighting a very rare and inoperable brain tumor called DIPG. Last weekend she was having a normal weekend playing with friends, playing in the snow, and wrestling with her brothers. On Sunday though, she got a headache and started having flu-like symptoms. By Wednesday, she was rushed into surgery to reduce swelling on the brain. She has had a second surgery now and is preparing for 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy. She is a fighter and she and her family along with everyone on Team Emma are here to fight for her. (copied from, and donate here: gofundme)
Emma loves dogs and has asked for people to contact her with their dog’s photos. Many of my readers, forwarded this to me. When Skip heard about it, he had a lot to say to Emma:
Dear Emma,
My name is Skip. I’m a Wolador. I’m part Timber Wolf and part Labrador. My mom was a Timber Wolf, and my dad was a Labrador. I live in San Francisco, California, and guess what? I’m seven years old. Just like you!
During the day when my owner, Lucy, is at work, I sit by the window and guard my neighborhood because I’m an official member of my neighborhood watch. But during summer vacation when school is out, my neighbor boy, Thomas, reads HARRY POTTER to me. I have a lot in common with Harry Potter. I’m not a wizard, but I’m excellent at building a pack and gaining friends, just like Harry finds Hermione and Ron.
So this is the first time I’ve ever emailed a human, and I’ve never had a pen pal before. I bet you didn’t now that dogs could email, right? But I’m special, as in bow-wow special. In fact, I just wrote my first book. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m an honest dog. It’s true. I really wrote a book. My friend, Teri Case, speaks Canine, so I asked her to translate my story to English.
It’s called IN THE DOGHOUSE: A COUPLE’S BREAKUP FROM THEIR DOG’S POINT OF VIEW. It’s a book for grown-ups, but who knows, maybe your mom or dad can read it to you and keep out the parts they think aren’t appropriate for your young—but wise, I’m sure—mind. I got this idea from my owner, Lucy. When Lucy was little, her Aunt Eve used to read aloud love stories but had to skip over the bits that weren’t meant for kids. Anyway, if your parents want a copy, let me know. I can’t mail one myself because I’m a dog, but I can walk to the post office with Lucy to mail it to you. Cool, huh?
My favorite things to do are take walks, chase tennis balls (sometimes I can’t stop, and my legs get wiggly like Jell-O), and cuddle. Cuddling is the doggone best activity in the entire world. I may look like my Timber Wolf mama and accidentally scare people with my size sometimes, but I’m a cuddler at heart.
You already know I like to read. Oh, and I love DOGTV. I watch it all the time. It’s a channel where other dogs do a lot of things I like to do too.
Do you like to read? What’s your favorite book? What’s your favorite show or movie? Do you like Jell-O?
There’s one last thing you should know about me. I’m also a service dog. I get to visit hospitals, nursing homes, and schools in my area. Have you met a service dog before?
I can’t take selfies yet to send you my picture, so instead, I’m giving you a picture of my book cover. The dog model on the cover is not me, but I look a lot like him. In my opinion, I’m more handsome. This dog actor is a Berger Blanc Suisse. A Berger Blanc Suisse is, you guessed it, a breed of dog from Switzerland.
Thanks for being you, Emma. I’m barking and cheering for you.
Maggie travels the world with her humans. Her motto is, “It’s a dog wagging view of the world.” She goes on to say,
I love to travel, eat, play and write about my experiences and I started Wag The Dog UK in February 2012 to share with dog lovers some great stories, tips, and a few recipes too. Thanks for visiting and learning a little about us!
Here’s hoping that Maggie and her peeps love Skip and Lucy as much as I do. While we wait for their review, I encourage you to head over to Maggie’s website and catch up on her travels and recommendations. You can even subscribe to her newsletter, and in today’s world with distressing news coming at us left and right, what could be better than an email update from Maggie or one of her pack members? Click here to learn more and subscribe.
And one more wonderful announcement before I go. DOGTV called me yesterday. Yes, theDOGTV. Skip from In the Doghouse has strong opinions about DOGTV from start to finish. At first he sees the “treat” as a guilty supplement for his human’s (Lucy’s) absence and is quite self-righteous about it all, but by the end of the book, he is a huge fan. In fact, he considers it his personal canine reality show. So . . . DOGTV is showing their love and support by offering a 2-month FREE subscription to DOGTV for anyone who pre-orders In the Doghouse: A Couple’s Breakup from Their Dog’s Point of View by Teri Case. If you order it (any format) via Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, or Apple, send me an email, and I will give you the promotion code. If you ask your local bookstore to order it, let me know that too. I can provide a press sheet for you to give them to make ordering the book easy.
Writing a book is hard, but I swear, marketing one is even harder! Push too hard, you lose people. Push enough, you gain a reader. They (you know, the Big They) say that a new customer needs to see a product (my book cover) an average of seven times before he or she will purchase it. However, they also say that people can become desensitized if they see something too much. It’s a fine line, and as it is with everything, too much of anything is rarely a good thing.
Brilliant book! From the first to the last page, In the Doghouse oozed the emotion that we all know our dogs have, not to mention their commonsense. Filtered with friendship, furship and the turmoils of relationships and the promise of things to come, I highly recommend IN THE DOGHOUSE to everyone and anyone.
~ Net Galley Review
Click here for more details on In the Doghouse, arriving at a dog park near you on April 16, 2019. Pre-orders for the hardback, paperback, and ebooks are now accepted at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo. And to place the order with your local bookstore, click here and give them this form.
