Animal Writes - Animal Writers and Best-selling Authors - Pets & Animals on Pet Life Radio (PetLifeRadio.com)

Joining me for this episode multi-award winning singer/songwriter Skip Ewing. Skip has written 11 #1 country hits recorded by likes of Keith Urban, George Strait, Kenny Chesney and many of the biggest names in country music. Skip and I have a chat about his own recent hit Road Dog. Road Dog a fun, lively and heartfelt song that features his own dog Shotgun. Skip explains how after many years of writing songs to hit the charts, he is now writing about what moves him and others (Guess what? His songs are still hitting the charts!) Skip says “It’s all about hearts and not charts”. Skip provides insight to his writing style, his personal spiritual journey and how horses, dogs and all animals have helped shape his life. Skip Ewing is truly one of the best! Have a listen and enjoy! EPISODE NOTES: Skip Ewing - Road Dog

Allen & Linda Anderson, the husband and wife team that have brought us numerous books on the animal-human connection, have done it again with their latest book, Dogs & the Women Who Love Them. This book shares with its readers the inspirational true stories that celebrate the companionship between the female-canine teams featured within its pages. In this podcast, the Andersons talked about why they wrote this book, how it felt to have this book listed in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, and what one of their favorite chapters was in the book. In addition, since I work with so many people that are going through the grieving process due to the loss of their beloved furry family members, I also briefly talked with the Andersons about their book, Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals. If you have ever experienced the loss of an animal in your family, this book is a "must read" in my opinion.

Award-winning, nationally syndicated humor columnist, Bruce Cameron, has written his first fictional novel, A Dog’s Purpose, which has become a New York Times bestseller. Being a best-selling author is not new to Bruce as he is also the author of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter (which the television show of the same name featuring the late John Ritter was based on). During this podcast, we talked about his latest book, the one dog that had four incarnations within the story, the reason he was inspired to write the book and the screenplay he is co-writing for DreamWorks Studios to make A Dog’s Purpose into a movie. Without giving away the ending of the story, the dog does figure out his purpose in life.

Veteran journalist and celebrity interviewer, Glenn Plaskin, is the author of Katie Up and Down the Hall. This is the true story of how his dog, Katie, turned five neighbors into a family. During this podcast, Glenn shared the real-life escapades that Katie had that brought him closer to his neighbors to create a family like no other. He also shared with us which celebrities he and Katie met and interviewed as well as what it’s been like since Katie’s passing with his new cocker spaniel, Lucy.

New York Times bestselling author, Larry Levin, talked with me about his debut book, Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love. The story about Oogy illustrates how a dog, by given a second chance with people that love him, persevered to overcome the greatest of odds. Find out from Larry how he and his family met Oogy simply by chance. We also discussed what life has been like since the release of the book, what breed of dog Oogy really is, and what it was like to drive cross-country with Oogy to be featured on Oprah Winfrey’s show.

Pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter, John Woestendiek, joined me to talk about his recently released book, Dog Inc.: The Uncanny Inside Story of Cloning Man’s Best Friend. His book illustrates the lengths that dog owners will go to duplicate their beloved animals. During the podcast, I talked with John about what prompted him to write about the dog cloning industry, how much the cloning process costs, and whether the results are what the pet owners expected.

Arden Moore, the founder of the Four Legged Life online pet community, award-winning author, editor, speaker, pet expert and host of "Oh Behave!" on Pet Life Radio, talked with me about one of her many books, Dog Parties: How to Party With Your Pup during this podcast episode. Her book is loaded with helpful tips to help make your "paw-ty" the best in the neighborhood! Arden and I also talked about her latest projects, her own pets’ parties and why pet parties are becoming so popular.

John Zeaman, award-winning journalist and author, recently released his book, Dog Walks Man: A Six-Legged Odyssey. During the podcast, I asked John to share with me why he wrote the book about the added benefits he discovered from walking his dog. In addition, he also provided an overview of the book, discussed his background as an art critic and how it helped him to write his book, and what makes a walk with a dog more meaningful than simply walking alone. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the metaphysical joys of walking with your dog, be sure and listen to this episode.

Blogger, free-lance writer and editor, CeliaSue Hecht, joined me to talk about her very popular blog, Have Dog Blog Will Travel. We talked about her inspiration to create a blog, what it takes to be a successful writer and blogger and the types of articles and advice are featured on her blog. During the podcast, I talked with CeliaSue about some of the trips that she and her dog, Cici, have taken and what it has been like to travel with Cici. Traveling with your beloved pet can be very fulfilling. If you’ve ever taken a journey with your furry friend, this interview will provide you with inspiration to share your adventure with the world.

Janet Elder, a senior editor of The New York Times, recently released her bestselling book, Huck. During the podcast, I asked Janet to share with me why she wrote the book about her dog, Huck. She also provided an overview of the book, discussed how much Huck means to her and her family, and shared what having her book listed in Oprah Winfrey’s "O Magazine" as 1 of the 16 recommended books for dog lovers meant to her. Huck’s story is very inspiring and teaches us never to give up hope when searching for a lost pet because they are part of our family.

Nancy Stanley talked with me about her book Pillow with a Heartbeat, in which she told the story of how her chocolate poodle, Truffles, went from being the runt of the litter to working with children as a very effective therapy dog. During this podcast episode we also talked about the differences between a therapy dog and a service dog, how she came to realize that Truffles would make a great therapy dog and the role that Truffles plays in the Make a Wish Foundation. Listen to this interview to find out more about the qualities that Nancy saw in Truffles that makes him a great therapy dog. Who knows? Your dog, cat or rabbit may have similar traits and would enjoy working with children, too!

New York Times bestselling author, Sophy Burnham, recently released her thirteenth book, The Art of Intuition: Cultivating Your Inner Wisdom. During this podcast, Sophy and I focused our discussion on chapter 6 in her book which dealt with the intuition that animals have and animal intuitives / communicators. In addition, we talked about her first experience where she heard her dog, Puck, say, "Wait! Wait for me!". As you can imagine, this was a total surprise to Sophy (as it probably would be to anyone not used to this happening)!

Two of the founding members from Rescue Ink, Joe Panz and Big Ant, joined me in this episode to talk about the work they do to help animals that are being neglected and abused. Their work is featured in the recently released book, Rescue Ink: Tough Guys on a Mission to Keep our Animals Safe, written by Denise Flaim. They shared with me how the non-profit organization, Rescue Ink, was started, discussed the two stories in the book which featured them, and how Rescue Ink strives to educate people on how to better care for their pets. If you’re a fan of the Rescue Ink television show or the book and the work they do to help animals, be sure and check out this episode.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) president and CEO, Wayne Pacelle, joined me in this episode to talk about his recently released book, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. He talked about what inspired him to write this book, the current issues that are at the forefront of the HSUS’ efforts, and his advice to others on how they can help to save animals from abuse and neglect.

Author, radio show host and the star of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog, Victoria Stilwell, joined me in this episode to talk about her book by the same name and the current projects that she is working on. The work that she does with dogs of all types and their families is featured in her book, It’s Me or the Dog. She also shared information with me about her participation in National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 15-21, 2011), some of the most common challenges she is asked to assist with, her Positively network (podcast, training, website) and how the attitudes of the families play a part in the success of the training that she recommends. If you’re a fan of the It’s Me or the Dog television show or the book and the work that Victoria does to help animals and their families through her training and guidance, be sure to check out this episode.

Emmy-nominated writer and author, Martin Kihn, joined me to talk about his recently released book, Bad Dog: A Love Story. His book is a memoir about his struggles with sobriety and taming his unruly Bernese mountain dog, Hola. Martin shared with me how Hola helped him change his perspective on life, what prompted him to write this book and how the love he shares with Hola has helped him. If you’ve ever wondered how a dog can change your life forever, be sure and listen to this episode.

New York Times best-selling author and veterinary surgeon, Dr. Nick Trout, talked with me about his recently released book, Ever By My Side: A Memoir in Eight Pets. We discussed each of the eight pets featured in his book and how they have helped shape him into the person he is today. He also shared how this book is different than the others that he has written about veterinary medicine, the lessons that he’s learned from each of the pets and what prompted him to write this book.

Blogger, author and Georgia Writers Association President, Cherie Miller, joined me to talk about her entertaining and popular blog, Pet Peeves. During the podcast, we talked about how she got started with blogging, the types of articles and advice that are featured on her blog and how having a Master’s degree in Professional Writing has helped her with being the author of this blog. She also shared one of her pet peeves that she has with one of her dogs. If you have a pet peeve with one of your pets, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode to find out more about the Pet Peeves blog.

Best-selling multiple book author, Linda Francis Lee, joined me in this episode to talk about her latest novel, Emily & Einstein. Her novel is about getting second chances, the strength of the human spirit and the danger of taking life for granted. During this podcast, we talked about why Linda decided to write a novel with a dog as the main character, what getting a second chance would mean to her and what she hopes readers will take away from reading Emily & Einstein. If you’ve ever wondered what you would do if given a second chance to make things right, be sure and check out this episode. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - What Would You Do with a Second Chance? with Tim Link

Author and studio animal trainer, Sue Chipperton joined me in this episode to talk about her recently released book, A Famous Dog’s Life: The Story of Gidget, America’s Most Beloved Chihuahua. While Sue has trained many animals for roles in commercials, television and movies, her book mainly focuses on her life with Gidget the famous "Yo Quiero, Taco Bell" dog and the fascinating world of Hollywood animal training. Sue shared with me what it was like to train such a famous dog, how she selects animals that will be trained for roles in movies, commercials and television, and how Gidget surprised everyone by biting Antonio Banderas on the nose when he got to close. This is truly an inspiring story! More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - What Do You Know About the "Taco Bell" Dog with Tim Link