The Efi Loo Review

           
            Welcome!
to the debut of The Efi Loo Review! 

After spending numerous years nestled on top of opened books satisfying her nocturnal instincts with horror movies and pawing her inspiration into a computer keyboard, Efi Loo, in conjunction with T.K. Millin, is proud to put her training as a feline ghost writer towards helping promote authors and their books. 

The books featured on, The Efi Loo Review, have met Efi Loo’s four paws approval rating; which in other words means, it’s a book too purrfect to pass up!

Author Bobbie Pyron and Ted
photo courtesy of Bobbie Pyron

The Efi Loo Review 

is pleased to feature author

Bobbie Pyron and her newly released

book, A Dog’s Way Home. 

Copyright © 2011 by Bobbie Pyron; Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.             

Paws for Praise

image courtesy of Bobbie Pyron

“From the moment I put my paws on the front cover of

A Dog’s Way Home, my instincts instantly told me this

book was going to be pawsitively hard to put down. Once

again, my instincts proved to be purrfectly correct.” - Efi Loo

"A Dog’s Way Home is a magical book full of

love, friendship, and the
meaning of hope, courage
and determination. Be
prepared for your heart to be touched by the unexplainable phenomenon of the bond between a
dog and their companion.” - T.K. Millin

Book Overview

A Dog’s Way Home is an unforgettable tale about the incredible bond between a young girl, Abby, and her Shetland sheepdog, Tam. On their way home after competing in an agility competition (sorry Efi Loo says you’re going to have to read the book to find out if they win!) an unforeseen circumstance beyond their control causes them to become separated by hundreds of miles. Then just when you think they’ll find each other together again, another turn of events keeps them separated. Although Abby and Tam’s journey traveled throughout the story is different they both discover what they’re capable of under difficult circumstances and at the end of their journey they realize home is where the heart is.

The Four Paw Review

Typically, most stories are told from the main character’s point of view so the reader can connect with them as they struggle to overcome the obstacles in their life.  A Dog’s Way Home is uniquely told not only through the first person view of Abby, but through the third person view of Tam.  From the moment you begin to read A Dog’s Way Home you instantly fall in love with the larger than life characters.

From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the hills of Harmony Gap and all the way to the streets of Nashville, the scenery throughout the book is beautifully described making you feel as if you are right there experiencing every step and paw print of the journey and even the descriptive scents finds you sniffing your way along side Tam.

Halfway through the book you find yourself becoming a little anxious due to the struggles Abby and Tam are facing, which literally puts you on the edge of your seat. The only way to stop the urge to sneak a peek of the ending is to continue turning the pages one right after the other!  Is the love Abby and Tam has for each other strong enough to find their way home?  (Sorry but again Efi Loo says you’re going to have to read the book to find out!)

The only regret found after reading A Dog’s Way Home was not being able to read it fast enough and running out of tissue!

Although rated for readers between the ages of 8-12, anyone young at heart between the ages of eight and beyond will find a special place in their heart, and bookshelf, for A Dog’s Way Home.

Don’t miss Efi Loo's Author Showcase below for an exclusive cat chat with Bobbie Pyron and an opportunity to win your very own autographed copy of A Dog’s Way Home.!

AUTHOR SHOWCASE

Welcome Bobbie to The Efi Loo Review and thank you so much for the personally "pawtographed" copy of A Dog’s Way Home.  I can’t wait to paw through the pages again!  

It would be "purrfect" if you could tell my followers, and guest readers, a little something about Bobbie Pyron, the author.

BOBBIE PYRON:  I live high up in the mountains at 7,000 feet in Park City, Utah. I have three dogs, two cats, and one very patient and wonderful husband. I've worked as a librarian for well over twenty-five years, which is a great job for a writer! I was born and raised in Florida. I wanted very much to be a mermaid when I grew up. When I realized that probably was not a viable career choice, I decided I wanted to be a writer. Well, it took a long time to get there, and I did a LOT of other things along the way--lifeguard, dog trainer, professional singer, wilderness education instructor, librarian--but in the back of my mind, I always held on to that dream of being a writer.

You showcase authors and what their canine companions mean to them on your site (here).  Now it’ your turn!

Boo, Teddy and Sherlock
photo courtesy of Bobbie Pyron

BOBBIE PYRON:  I have three dogs: Boo, Teddy, and Sherlock. All are rescues. We adopted Boo first, nine years ago. She was a feral street dog nobody wanted. When we went to the shelter to meet her, she (who, according to the shelter staff, was “aloof”) literally threw herself into my husband’s lap and looked at him with total adoration. Needless to say, we adopted her. The vet’s best guess is she’s some breed of herding dog mixed with coyote. And I believe it! Six months after we adopted Boo and we adopted Teddy from Sheltie Rescue of Utah. I’d wanted a Sheltie (Shetland sheepdog) forever! When Teddy and I met, it was love at first sight, and it still is. He was my inspiration for my book, A Dog’s Way Home. Then, a couple of years ago, I adopted little Sherlock, again from Sheltie Rescue of Utah. He was three years old and had lived all of his life in a puppy mill. He had to learn about stairs, grass, glass sliding doors, riding in a car. As I’d hoped, he’s really livened up the household!

I'm a SCBWI Member!

What was your "inspurration" for writing A Dog’s Way Home?

BOBBIE PYRON:  I’d just finished writing a first draft of my teen novel, The Ring (Westside Books, 2009), and had put it away to get some distance from it before I started revising. It was summer, and I was hiking up in the mountains with Boo and Teddy. Boo, with her coyote proclivities, was off hunting; Teddy, like any good sheltie, never ventured far from my side. I started thinking about what an amazingly loyal, loving and smart little dog he is, and I wondered, "what would happen if we ever got separated and he had to live on his own?" And then a little bit later as we were hiking, I started hearing the voice of this 11-year-old girl telling me about losing her beloved sheltie, Tam, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, four hundred miles from her home. And she told me how everyone had told her to give up on his ever coming home, but she never would. Fortunately, I had a pen and small notebook in my pack, and so I wrote this all down! So that’s a roundabout way of saying the love of and my relationship with my dogs is what inspired me to write A Dog’s Way Home. That, and my love for all the great, old classic dog stories like Lassie Come-Home and The Incredible Journey I read over and over as a child.

How's this for unique?

Tam is a unique name, is it from someone you know or from a special canine friend?

BOBBIE PYRON:  You’re the first cat to ask me that! Tam is short for Tam Lin, who is a character in a very old Scottish fairy tale. I came across the story when I was in undergraduate school in western North Carolina—a place saturated in Scottish heritage and magic. In the story of Tam Lin, he is a prince who’s kidnapped by the Fairy Queen and forced to live underground. I always thought if I ever had a sheltie, because they are originally from Scotland, I’d name him Tam Lin. Teddy, however, came with his name. Since he’d had it all his four years of life, I didn’t feel right about changing it. So I gave my imaginary sheltie the name of Tam.

T.K. Millin told me you describe the scenery of The Blue Ridge Mountains so vividly, have you spent time there?

Top of Grandfather Mountain, N.C.
photo courtesy of T.K. Millin

BOBBIE PYRON:  Yes, I lived in western North Carolina on and off for about ten years. I went to undergrad school there and just absolutely fell in love with those old, wild mountains. I spent a lot of time hiking and backpacking all over the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since then, I’ve traveled all over the world and I still think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth! I also fell in love with the music and the people very particular to that part of the world. It was fun to be able to write about it even though I haven’t lived there in a long time. Still, even as well as I know that area, I did a lot of research on the flora and fauna of the mountains to make sure I didn’t say a certain tree or bird existed in, say, Virginia when it actually doesn't.

Writing wears me out!

How long did it take you to write A Dog’s Way Home from the beginning to when you met your agent?

BOBBIE PYRON:  Oh gosh, it was a long journey! I would say from first draft to finding my agent, it took almost three years. It took me about ten months to write the first draft. After that, I took it to numerous workshops for critique—some were encouraging, some not so much. There were a few times I almost gave up on it. It seemed like just when things were at their bleakest, I found my wonderful agent, Alyssa Eisner Henkin. Finally, here was someone who said, “Yes!” That was after many, many rejections. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this “business” is all it takes is that one “yes” to open a door, and you never know when that yes is going to come!

I'm also a MWA Member and earned a 5K words a day pin during NaNoWrimo 2010! 

You first met your editor, Molly O’Neill, at the Utah’s SCWBI Conference in 2008.  (She has a great “behind the scenes” look on her blog here) Do you have any advice for aspiring authors attending their first conference critique?

BOBBIE PYRON:  I think the three pieces of advice I can give are be prepared, keep an open mind, and remember that it’s subjective. By be prepared, I mean two things: make sure the pages you’re having critiqued are as polished as they can be and that they represent your best work; also try and do some research before hand on the editor and the house they work for. Does this house even publish the kind of work you’re having critiqued? When you’re in the chair opposite the critiquer, try not to be defensive. Yes, this is your baby that you’ve sweated over and nurtured for the past however long. It’s precious to you, but it’s not to that person. This is a good thing! Have paper and pen ready and take notes as they talk. After the critique, put it away for a week or two and try not to think about it. Work on something else. Then later, go back and look at the notes you took and what they (hopefully) noted on the manuscript pages. It’s probably not as bad as you remember! And there are probably also some very valid points. Finally, remember it’s all subjective. One editor or agent at a workshop may tell you you can’t tell the story from the point of view you’re telling it (or in the case of my book, multiple points) and then at the next workshop, the critiquer may well say it’s perfect that way! So take what they say with a grain of salt, and trust your instincts. I was told in several workshops and conferences that I just couldn’t tell A Dog’s Way Home from a dog’s point of view (in third person) and a human girl’s point of view (in first person, no less)—it just wasn’t done! But my gut told me the story had to be told that way, so I stuck with it.

You don't say!

A little birdie told me

there may be a future book on the horizon for Bobbie Pyron. Is this true or was he full of chirp?

BOBBIE PYRON:  I’m very excited to tell readers my agent just sold my next book, Mercy’s Bone, to Arthur A. Levine Books! Arthur is a legendary editor (of Harry Potter fame) and just a wonderful person. And having Scholastic behind this book will be amazing. It’s tentatively scheduled to be published in the Fall of 2012. 

Inquisitive minds want to know?

WOW that’s “pawsitively” terrific! One last question,
since Tam thinks fondly of cats along his journey, have you ever been owned by a cat?

photo courtesy of Bobbie Pyron

BOBBIE PYRON:  Ah, good question, Efi. I don’t know if one is ever truly “owned” by a cat as much as one is assimilated by one. But yes, I do indeed have cats in my life! My mother was a dog person, not a cat person, so I didn’t have them growing up. But when my husband and I got married, he had one cat—Mittens-and shortly after we adopted the other one, Kami. All the dogs and cats get along very well, I’m happy to say.

Thank you Bobbie Pyron for being our first guest author on The Efi Loo Review and we hope you will come back and visit again in the future, "purrhaps" to talk about Mercy’s Bone?!

WIN your very own autographed copy of A Dog’s Way Home from Bobbie Pyron! All that’s required is you must be a follower of The Unknown Author and post a comment to this review.  Then sit back, relax and wait for May 1, 2011 when Efi Loo will randomly paw one lucky winner!  The winner will be notified on Monday, May 2.  

Bobbie Pyron and Ted
photo courtesy of Bobbie Pyron

Get to know more about Bobbie Pyron by visiting her blog (here) and becoming a follower! 

image courtesy of Bobbie Pyron

You can get your own hardcover or Kindle Edition of A Dog’s Way Home at Amazon.  It would also make a great gift!

Next time on The Efi Loo Review, the debut novel, Holly’s Story, will be our featured book and the author, Bessie Mac, will be stopping by to cat chat with Efi Loo.  You won’t want to miss it!