Friday, July 2, 2010

Julia London & Moose

Who is in the photo at right?

That’s me, Julia London, the bestselling author of One Season of Sunshine (available now) with Moose, a five month-old male Labrador. The picture was taken when he was 8 weeks old.

What’s the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

He won’t let me work, so I might as well have coffee with him. I had forgotten how much attention puppies need! We’ll probably head to the dog park later so he can run out some of his energy.

What’s brewing?

Starbucks skinny caramel latte. Tall. Frozen in summer, hot in winter.

Any goodies to go with the coffee?

Not unless the goody is calorie-free. If you know of any, Moose and I would be interested to know what it is.

Any treat for your dog on this occasion?

There is always a treat for Moose. He gets a Peanut butter and molasses dog biscuit.

How were you and your dog united?

I went looking for Moose. I had two labs before him, Hugo and Maude, who lived to be fourteen and thirteen respectively. About a year after Hugo died, I decided I was ready for another dog. But as I had a young child in the house, I wanted a puppy, so I went back to the breeder where I got Hugo and Maude and came home with Moose.

How did Moose get his name?

He is the offspring of Molly and Zues, and by the look of things, he will be the size of a Moose. The name seemed to fit all the way around.

Do your dogs have any influence on your writing?

Not really. Occasionally I drop a dog into the book, and use my famously obedient dogs as models for that canine. But mostly, their only influence is to drive me nuts with all the licking they do while I try to concentrate on writing.

Where is Moose’s favorite place for an outing?

Moose loves him some dog park. But I think his favorite place is doggie day care. Our day care has a policy that you choose a day to bring your dog and keep that day each week. That way, the same dogs are there each week. Moose has made some very good friends in other puppies there. The staff tells me that Moose is “enthusiastic” about everything. I take that to mean he attempts to hump everything.

Squirrel, cat, postman?

Squirrel. Cats scare him. We don’t really have a postman, but if we did, Moose would want to ride in his truck.

Tennis ball, stick, squeaky-toy?

All of the above.

What is Moose’s best quality?

He really is an affable dog and easy to train.

If your dog could change one thing about you, what would it be?

He would definitely want me to pay more attention to him. But I don’t have six hours a day to entertain crazy, energetic puppies who want to chew me.

What is Moose’s most amusing characteristic? The most frustrating?

He’s a puppy, so he’s all legs and no grace. He’s constantly sliding or slamming into things, and I have to say, that makes me laugh. The most frustrating characteristic is the jumping. But we are working on that. He is going to be a great dog!

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than a twenty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Desperate Debutante and Scandalous historical romance series, as well as several contemporary romances, including American Diva, the very popular tie-in novel to the daytime drama, Guiding Light: Jonathan’s Story, and Summer of Two Wishes.

She is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction.

London's latest novel is One Season of Sunshine.

She lives in Round Rock, Texas, with her husband.

Visit Julia London's website and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

--Marshal Zeringue