What’s your name and your author’s name?
Hi! I’m Buddy. I’m a Labrador. I’m about 6 months old! Marc Jedel is my author. That’s what they tell me but what’s an author? Do you have any food? Want to play? I like balls. And food. Do you have any balls? Or food? I really like food.
What book(s) have you appeared in?
Marty Golden is my buddy and he brought me to my family in UNCLE AND ANTS. I’m in the next three books too. I heard they’re cozy mysteries. Is that because I get to be so cozy with his nieces, Skye and Megan? Marty doesn’t like to get cozy with me. I don’t think he likes dogs. But that’s okay, I like him. When I hang out with Marty, I get to be in more books. Want my paw-tograph? I can give you one right after my nap.
Are you in a series?
When do we get to play? I know I saw a ball somewhere! I saw your blanket. It’s ok that I’m chewing on it, right? Oh. Your question. Yes! I’m in a series! All 4 books are in the Silicon Valley Mystery series. I think the series is about me, but Marty seems to be in every scene. This fashion-backward uncle isn’t exactly hero material. As a reluctant amateur sleuth, he bumbles his way through the investigations, armed with nothing but an eye for detail and powers of self-delusion. Worst of all, Marty doesn’t seem to like dogs. Well, he’s starting to appreciate me, at least. But he doesn’t play with me either. But his nieces like to play with me. Can we play now?
Are you based on a real dog such as your author’s?
Yeah, my author knows a dog named Bailey, but I’m not allowed to meet her. The grownups say she’s given me too many bad ideas already. I think she’d be awesome to play with. I want to learn more of Bailey’s fun tricks for my next book. My author has a small dog who prefers to sleep on the couch and go for walks rather than wreaking havoc on the household. That dog may be cute, but he sounds boring, like an old dog.
Please share an excerpt from one of your books that features you in an important scene?
Here’s part of a scene about me that I can share without giving away any spoilers. The story is told from the point-of-view of Marty. Laney is Marty’s sister and Skye is her daughter and one of my favorite humans.
“Let’s go. Right now,” Laney yelled as she jumped into her car.
We raced back to encounter a fire truck, ambulance, and police car parked outside her house with their lights flashing. Laney’s neighbor hovered on the porch near the front door. Inside, Skye sat on the couch, wrapped in a towel and looking mortified as firefighters tramped through the house checking for any danger.
Despite her foot in the cast, Laney practically flew to Skye’s side and hugged her. Between Skye and the firefighters, the story came out. Skye had put Buddy in his crate before taking an extra-long shower, but she’d only closed the latch, forgetting to use the combination lock. Buddy should have been named Houdini. He’d escaped and somehow turned on the gas stovetop again. The new alarm did its job, calling the fire department. Skye had wrapped a towel around herself and run out of the house. The firefighters must have expected Buddy to cause trouble again and been cruising in the neighborhood because they showed up within a few minutes.
“This time wasn’t as bad as the last one. Still could have had an explosion,” said the same fire crew chief as last time. He must have kept close tabs on their frequent customers.
The shrill voice of Laney’s neighbor came from the doorway. “Would the explosion destroy neighboring houses too?”
As everyone turned to stare at her, she fluttered her hands. “Should I call the police?”
Then, she noticed the cop standing next to her and began making little strangling noises.
Laney’s eyes narrowed as she watched Buddy. To no one in particular, Laney muttered, “I’m going to make some calls.”
I hugged the girls and got out of there before Laney started blaming me for Buddy again. There was always tomorrow for that.
What do you like most about your part in your authors’ books?
The best part is I don’t have to anything special. I just have to be me. I’m only a puppy, remember? And in these books, I can be a puppy — no pressure, no chores. I get to play, eat, play, sleep, play, and mess up the house (also called play) and Marty’s nieces still love me. Sometimes I’m pretty awesome too, but you’ll need to read the books to learn more. I’d tell you what happens because I don’t really have much self-control, but the author just bribed me with some treats to keep quiet.
Do you talk in your books or are you silent?
I’m never silent. I bark and I knock things over in the house. Talking is for the humans.
What advice would you give other dog characters?
Be a puppy, we’re the cutest. And we’re way better than cats because we play. If you’re already super old, like one year old, then just be yourself — be a dog. My first owner told me about an old saying “it’s a dog’s life” that means a miserable, unhappy existence. That’s crazy! I’ll bet whoever said that hated dogs because it’s so wrong, it’s laughable. Other dog characters should relax, enjoy themselves, and let the author worry about all that story stuff. Eat, play, sleep, repeat! Sometimes, you’ll be a hero, sometimes, you just settle for being cute. Or eating. Always remember to eat! Of course, that’s not something I need to remind dogs to do.