This blog entry is about Rusty’s Big Dig: the why, how, what, and all the questions you could possibly have. Why a Poodle? Why not? Who doesn’t love a story about a dog? Better yet, who doesn’t love a true story about a fluffy red dog? That is exactly what Rusty’s Big Dig is. People—especially me—have a love relationship with animal books. I mean, look at me. As you can see, I have already written a few of them, such as Jackie the Jumping Gerbil and Wintertime in Timothy Holl

I instinctively knew that this fuzzy jokester must be shared with the world. so, Jackie and I took pen to paper and bravely penned his story.

Animals dressed in clothing. What is more adorable? What is more Beatrix Potteresque than this? I will admit that my most favorite children's books as a child were those that aligned themselves with the English woman's storybook world, Thornton Burgess's Old Mother West Wind, Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, and of course, we can't forget our beloved Golden Books-basically the Bible of Children's books.

Have you ever wondered how an author brings a character to life? What process is used to create their personalities? How are characteristics chosen?