Behind Fetch!

Charlie at my office

Stories for me usually have a jumping off place in the real world. Fetch! is no exception.


When Charlie first came to live with our family I had this big plan to take him to work with me every day. But Charlie was a very nervous puppy. He barked a lot at the office and he’d hide whenever any of my coworkers stopped in.

We thought taking Charlie to doggy school might help him build confidence and make friends. Our first visit to the doggy day care was hilarious because I learned that each size dog had their own class: the littles, the middles, and the big dogs. I immediately thought, this would make a great story.

Buddy Barker and Charlie on the way to doggy school

Buddy Barker even went to school with Charlie a few times to help him adjust.


Otis on the dog bed

Otis, our cat, was very happy to stay at home and have the cozy dog bed all to himself.


Of course, the cover image was inspired by how much Charlie and Buddy love squeaker balls. Squeaker balls are almost as distracting as squirrels!

Fetch! is a story about found family and teamwork.