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Dog House Blues

Dog House Blues, published by Orca Book Publishers, is a new novel for kids ages eight to 13 written especially for BC SPCA Kids Club members by children's author Jacqueline Pearce. 

In the story, the main character, 11-year-old Erika, finds it difficult living in a house with three dogs -- especially when the grade six class snob and bully starts calling Erika "dog girl" and doesn't mean it as a compliment. Worrying about making human friends causes Erika to forget what her dog friends mean to her, until a crisis opens her eyes. The novel is Jacqueline Pearce's fifth book for kids and the first in a series of Kids Club books. The second novel will revolve around rats! 

Dog House Blues is available in bookstores but if you purchase your copy through SHOP SPCA you will receive a signed, special-collector edition with the BC SPCA Kids Club logo on the back. All proceeds from book sales goes to the SPCA -- another reason to order through SHOP SPCA.

Dog House Blues Author Interview:
Jacqueline Pearce

How did you get the idea for the novel Dog House Blues?
I wanted to write something about people and dogs. I got the idea of a house full of dogs from my friends who have four dogs. I modeled the three dogs in my book after three of my friends' dogs. One of the dog characters also includes bits of my own dog and bits of other dogs I've known. Some of the things the dogs in the book do are things the real dogs actually did -- like the basset hound pulling a pot of spaghetti off the stove. I got the idea for Erika's conflict with another girl in her class from a radio program that talked about the way girls bully and how it tends to be different from the way boys bully.

Are the people in your book modeled after real people?
No, the people are made up. Real people might not like it if I wrote about them, but dogs don't seem to mind. The only time I've written about a real person was when I wrote about the artist Emily Carr. In that case, I did a lot of research to make her character as accurate as I could, but I had to use my imagination for some of her reactions, thoughts and words.

Is this your first book about animals?
Yes, but some of my other stories do have animals in them. In my novel Discovering Emily, which is about the childhood of artist Emily Carr, Emily wishes for a puppy and discovers she loves to draw when she does a sketch of her dad's dog, Carlow. Animals are also featured in Weeds and Other Stories, a short-story collection about teenagers who are inspired by animals and nature in the city.

Why did you want to write about dogs?
The BC SPCA asked me if I'd write something about animal issues, and I thought I'd start with a story that shows the bond between a girl and her dog and also talks about some of the issues dog guardians need to be aware of -- like the need for I.D., which, of course, every pet needs.

Does that mean you're going to write more stories about animals?
Yes. My next book is going to be about a boy and a rat. The boy, who's name is Conner, first appears in Dog House Blues, and he becomes the main character in the next book. I'd like to write more stories about some of the other characters, too, and also about different animal issues.

How did you become a writer?
I've always liked to write stories and poems ever since I was a kid. I tried to write my first novel when I was in grade six. I never got past the second or third chapter. I ended up with a whole drawer full of first and second chapters of different stories, but I didn't actually get a whole novel written until I was much older. By then I had spent several years in university, learned a lot of different things, read a lot of books and studied how they were written. I'd also worked at different jobs and taken courses on how to write. I think all of those things helped me feel ready to finally write my first complete novel, and the things I learned and experienced influenced what I wanted to write about.

What kind of experiences led you to write about animals?
I've always liked animals -- both pets and wild animals. When I was growing up, we had a cat called Spooky, a gerbil and a rabbit. Now I have a dog and two cats (brothers), all adopted from BC SPCA shelters. It's always interesting watching how they interact and communicate. They still do things that surprise me and make me laugh. I also like to watch wild animals like birds. We have squirrels, skunks and raccoons visit our yard, and we've seen coyotes in the neighbourhood. I like the idea of sharing the city with other animals. My interest in nature and wild animals also led me to get a university degree in Environmental Studies.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a writer?
Read all kinds of books and practice writing. Any kind of writing is good practice -- keeping a diary, writing stories and poems, writing articles for newsletters, writing letters, working on school newsletters or yearbooks. Don't worry if you don't get something published right away. If you love writing, you'll just keep doing it.