Heather Gudenkauf & Maxine

Who is in the photo at right?

My name is Heather Gudenkauf and I'm the author of The Weight of Silence. Maxine is a five-year-old, female German Shorthaired Pointer.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

A beautiful Sunday morning on our deck.

What's brewing?

No coffee for me. Diet Coke.

Any goodies to go with the Diet Coke?

A cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting!

Any treat for Maxine on this occasion?

We try to avoid giving Maxine any "people" food, but she gets dog treats everyday when we get home from work. She also enjoys crunching on ice cubes.

How were you and Maxine united?

My husband is a pheasant hunter and the kids and I wanted a family dog. We did our research and found out that German Shorthaired Pointers are perfect for families and for hunters. We found Maxine at the home of a man who raises GSPs. We were playing with a litter of new puppies and my husband noticed a beautiful dog that was about three months old. We took her home that day.

How did Maxine get her name? Any aliases?

My husband named Maxine because he thought it would be a good name for a hunting dog. We call her Max or Maxie for short.

Does Maxine have any influence on your writing?

Max loves to sit on the chair with me as I write, no easy feat because she takes up most of the room. Max also helps me in my writing because I get so many of the ideas for my stories as I'm hiking through the woods or going on walks with her. Each of my books features a dog and in the book I'm currently working on, there is a beautiful, wonderfully loyal German Shorthaired Pointer.

Cat, squirrel, postman...?

Definitely squirrels... and anything with feathers.

Tennis ball, squeaky-toy, stick...?

All three, plus all of the stuffed animals in our house. Maxine enjoys gathering up all of my daughter's toys and and placing them in a pile next to her dog bed. She is especially fond a particular stuffed monkey.

Where is Maxine's favorite place for an outing?

Maxine's favorite places to go are into the fields to hunt, trekking through the woods, playing in the snow and creek stomping.

Who is Maxine's best pet-pal?

Maxine's best buddy is Dexter, a fellow GSP. They often get to go on hunting trips together.

What is Maxine's best quality?

Maxine is the most loving dog - she snuggles right up next to us.

What is Maxine's proudest moment? Her most embarrassing?

I think that Maxine is most proud when she is out hunting with my husband She gets a lot of satisfaction out of pointing and retrieving pheasants. Maxine's most embarrassing moment was when she had to wear a cone to keep her from chewing at her stitches. She looked mortified when we took her outside.

Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence. Her new novel, These Things Hidden will be released on February 1, 2011.

Visit Heather Gudenkauf's website and journal.

--Marshal Zeringue