W. Bruce Cameron's Blog
December 7, 2022
A review of Love, Clancy
I think I am qualified to state that Love, Clancy, Diary of a Good Dog may be the funniest and most moving dog book this author has ever written.
First a disclosure: this author lies about his weight to everyone, especially himself. Please know, then, that his words weigh more heavily on the world than he’ll admit.
Okay: back to the book. Many of the twenty-plus dog novels this Cameron guy has written are told from the dog point of view, but this one is unique, in that Clancy, a yellow Lab mix, is keeping a diary. In it he explains how dogs see the world, and especially how he feels about his pack, which contains several dogs (including the one he loves, Phoebe, and his rival for Phoebe’s affections, Spartan) and a motely clutch of humans who all love dogs but can scarcely navigate life with each other.
Oh, and there’s a cat named Kelsey, who refuses to be terrified by Clancy, which infuriates him to the point that he decides to come up with a brilliant plan to rid himself of the cat.
Brilliant planning isn’t exactly a known skill for a yellow Labrador.
This is a dog-meets-dog, dog-loses-dog, will dog-get-dog-back story, but it’s also about the hilariously hapless people who all pile into an over-sized van for a road trip to Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but first you have to get there, which proves to be something of a challenge for this group.
It’s dysfunction at its most comical, but Clancy tries to make sense of it and everything else as the gang encounters robbers and tornadoes and the cornfields of Kansas.
I give it five stars because the people are real and really, really funny, Clancy is authentic and adorable, and the rest of the dogs in his world have personalities as distinct as the people. You probably haven’t been interested in a dog-in-love story since Lady and the Tramp, and this one’s about real dogs, they don’t eat spaghetti (okay, as a Labrador, Clancy would eat spaghetti and anything else, but they don’t do it in a restaurant) and it’s really intriguing to find out how Clancy feels about Spartan showing up and flirting with his Phoebe.
Meanwhile, Clancy’s person, JayB, is at something of a crossroads himself, romantically speaking. Will he win the heart of the mysterious Dominique, who lives with the always-shirtless Bedford? Will he get back with his ex, Maddy, who keeps showing up to break up with him again? What about Alana, who pulls a gun on him when they meet for the first time? We care about JayB because Clancy cares about JayB, and everything comes together in ways I promise you do not see coming.
This Cameron dude might have a cookie addiction, but he knows how to write from a dog’s perspective.
Highly recommended! Get your hands on Love, Clancy, Diary of a Good Dog.
Love, Clancy: Diary of a Good Dog
First a disclosure: this author lies about his weight to everyone, especially himself. Please know, then, that his words weigh more heavily on the world than he’ll admit.
Okay: back to the book. Many of the twenty-plus dog novels this Cameron guy has written are told from the dog point of view, but this one is unique, in that Clancy, a yellow Lab mix, is keeping a diary. In it he explains how dogs see the world, and especially how he feels about his pack, which contains several dogs (including the one he loves, Phoebe, and his rival for Phoebe’s affections, Spartan) and a motely clutch of humans who all love dogs but can scarcely navigate life with each other.
Oh, and there’s a cat named Kelsey, who refuses to be terrified by Clancy, which infuriates him to the point that he decides to come up with a brilliant plan to rid himself of the cat.
Brilliant planning isn’t exactly a known skill for a yellow Labrador.
This is a dog-meets-dog, dog-loses-dog, will dog-get-dog-back story, but it’s also about the hilariously hapless people who all pile into an over-sized van for a road trip to Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but first you have to get there, which proves to be something of a challenge for this group.
It’s dysfunction at its most comical, but Clancy tries to make sense of it and everything else as the gang encounters robbers and tornadoes and the cornfields of Kansas.
I give it five stars because the people are real and really, really funny, Clancy is authentic and adorable, and the rest of the dogs in his world have personalities as distinct as the people. You probably haven’t been interested in a dog-in-love story since Lady and the Tramp, and this one’s about real dogs, they don’t eat spaghetti (okay, as a Labrador, Clancy would eat spaghetti and anything else, but they don’t do it in a restaurant) and it’s really intriguing to find out how Clancy feels about Spartan showing up and flirting with his Phoebe.
Meanwhile, Clancy’s person, JayB, is at something of a crossroads himself, romantically speaking. Will he win the heart of the mysterious Dominique, who lives with the always-shirtless Bedford? Will he get back with his ex, Maddy, who keeps showing up to break up with him again? What about Alana, who pulls a gun on him when they meet for the first time? We care about JayB because Clancy cares about JayB, and everything comes together in ways I promise you do not see coming.
This Cameron dude might have a cookie addiction, but he knows how to write from a dog’s perspective.
Highly recommended! Get your hands on Love, Clancy, Diary of a Good Dog.
Love, Clancy: Diary of a Good Dog
June 21, 2015
Why you should pre-order The Dog Master, plus also some information about your love life
FIRST: We are already selling out of the first print run. This happened with A Dog's Purpose too, and it means there won't be that many first editions out there. A first edition copy of The Hobbit sold for $ 210,000. Only a pre-order will guarantee a first edition. The Dog Master is exactly like The Hobbit except for plot and character. And, well, setting. But I used some of the same words! So pre-order The Dog Master and you'll be able to sell it for thousands of dollars and if not I will send you a sticker.
SECOND: Pre-orders, whether through the chains or indie book stores, send a signal up and down the nervous system of the publishing world. (And believe me, their system is VERY nervous.) It says they need to have lots of copies in stock because on August 4th people are going to pour through the doors, screaming and sobbing, drinking too many caffeinated beverages, stepping on each other to grab a copy of The Dog Master. They will order in more stock, which will deplete the first print run, which will make your copy worth thousands or you will get a sticker! In other words, it is really good for me. That's kind of the bottom line here.
THIRD: I need to get back to you on the third reason because I kind of forgot it.
FOURTH: Think of the convenience! Instead of being stepped on by the cappuccino drinkers, your copy will be waiting at the counter, given to you by a person who will turn out to be your long-lost aunt who will leave you hundreds of thousands of dollars in her will! This could happen even if it undeniably won't. Or if you order it on-line, it will arrive via a coachman wearing white gloves, who will hand it over on bended knee. Or, if you live in New York, it will be a bike messenger with a head wound. And if you order it electronically, it will appear as if by Hobbit-like magic on your device, along with a check from your aunt for hundreds of thousands of dollars! Or at the very least when she dies she'll leave you a sticker.
What are we on, FIFTH? Okay, here's how to pre-order. A LOT of indie bookstores allow you to order on their web sites. Just look for their site, there's usually a search function on their home page, type in The Dog Master, and follow the instructions. You of course know how to do this with Amazon and the chains. You can always ask in person at the customer service counter or the front counter. You can call the store, too.
SIXTH: I was told today if you reach for the nearest book to you and read the first line from page 45 it will explain your love life. I did this with The Dog Master and it says, "She pulled her clothing together and waited, feeling sick at heart." YES! This is EXACTLY RIGHT. So try this scientific method yourself and see how you do.
SEVENTH: I have to have a seventh so I can call this "8 Simple Reasons to Pre-Order The Dog Master."
EIGHTH: I would consider it a real favor. I promise you this is a worthwhile read, a great book, even. It's my favorite that I've ever written and those who have had an opportunity from my publisher to sneak a peek all agree it's my best. Pre-orders are so important to what I do for a living, if you think you'd read The Dog Master would you consider ordering it ahead of the publication date? -- Bruce, author of 8 Simple Reasons to Pre-Order The Dog Master."
SECOND: Pre-orders, whether through the chains or indie book stores, send a signal up and down the nervous system of the publishing world. (And believe me, their system is VERY nervous.) It says they need to have lots of copies in stock because on August 4th people are going to pour through the doors, screaming and sobbing, drinking too many caffeinated beverages, stepping on each other to grab a copy of The Dog Master. They will order in more stock, which will deplete the first print run, which will make your copy worth thousands or you will get a sticker! In other words, it is really good for me. That's kind of the bottom line here.
THIRD: I need to get back to you on the third reason because I kind of forgot it.
FOURTH: Think of the convenience! Instead of being stepped on by the cappuccino drinkers, your copy will be waiting at the counter, given to you by a person who will turn out to be your long-lost aunt who will leave you hundreds of thousands of dollars in her will! This could happen even if it undeniably won't. Or if you order it on-line, it will arrive via a coachman wearing white gloves, who will hand it over on bended knee. Or, if you live in New York, it will be a bike messenger with a head wound. And if you order it electronically, it will appear as if by Hobbit-like magic on your device, along with a check from your aunt for hundreds of thousands of dollars! Or at the very least when she dies she'll leave you a sticker.
What are we on, FIFTH? Okay, here's how to pre-order. A LOT of indie bookstores allow you to order on their web sites. Just look for their site, there's usually a search function on their home page, type in The Dog Master, and follow the instructions. You of course know how to do this with Amazon and the chains. You can always ask in person at the customer service counter or the front counter. You can call the store, too.
SIXTH: I was told today if you reach for the nearest book to you and read the first line from page 45 it will explain your love life. I did this with The Dog Master and it says, "She pulled her clothing together and waited, feeling sick at heart." YES! This is EXACTLY RIGHT. So try this scientific method yourself and see how you do.
SEVENTH: I have to have a seventh so I can call this "8 Simple Reasons to Pre-Order The Dog Master."
EIGHTH: I would consider it a real favor. I promise you this is a worthwhile read, a great book, even. It's my favorite that I've ever written and those who have had an opportunity from my publisher to sneak a peek all agree it's my best. Pre-orders are so important to what I do for a living, if you think you'd read The Dog Master would you consider ordering it ahead of the publication date? -- Bruce, author of 8 Simple Reasons to Pre-Order The Dog Master."
November 26, 2014
Why I Started to Write
I have been a writer nearly my whole life, but none of it would have happened if it hadn’t been for what are rather awkwardly called, “dialogue tags.” Literally, dialogue tags are the “he said, she said” of storytelling, the part no one ever says in a movie, or in real life, for that matter. But they can be magic.
I was in fourth grade when a simple assignment changed me forever. All we had to do was come up with ten different words to fill in the blank in the following sentence:
“Get out,” he ___________.”
Just in case we were too dense to understand what we were being asked to do, the teacher provided us with an example.
“Get out,” he said.
Hmmm… that’s the one I was planning to use. Okay, how about shouted?
“Get out,” he shouted.
Nine more to go. Oh, how about,
“Get out,” he sobbed.
And then I stopped, stunned by what had just happened. I hadn’t just changed the word, I had changed the story. When he shouted he was angry, but now he was sobbing—something tragic had just occurred!
“Get out,” he laughed.
Is he laughing because it’s funny? Or is it a mocking laugh, an “I-run-this-place-now-so-get-out” laugh. I wanted to know more. What was going on? Who were these people? Get out of what?
There was only one way get the answers to any of these questions: I had to write them.
And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.
If you're a writer, was there a moment like that for you? I'll bet so: maybe not with sentence structure, exactly, but maybe with a story that you wrote that had such a perfect ending that you could see the whole thing as if it were happening right in front of you. Or maybe you wrote a poem and the beautiful way the words lay upon the page inspired you to keep at it. Or maybe such strong emotions tilted your brain until you wrote down words to help your brain back upright.
Whatever the epiphany, I'll bet you it was wonderful. -- Bruce
I was in fourth grade when a simple assignment changed me forever. All we had to do was come up with ten different words to fill in the blank in the following sentence:
“Get out,” he ___________.”
Just in case we were too dense to understand what we were being asked to do, the teacher provided us with an example.
“Get out,” he said.
Hmmm… that’s the one I was planning to use. Okay, how about shouted?
“Get out,” he shouted.
Nine more to go. Oh, how about,
“Get out,” he sobbed.
And then I stopped, stunned by what had just happened. I hadn’t just changed the word, I had changed the story. When he shouted he was angry, but now he was sobbing—something tragic had just occurred!
“Get out,” he laughed.
Is he laughing because it’s funny? Or is it a mocking laugh, an “I-run-this-place-now-so-get-out” laugh. I wanted to know more. What was going on? Who were these people? Get out of what?
There was only one way get the answers to any of these questions: I had to write them.
And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.
If you're a writer, was there a moment like that for you? I'll bet so: maybe not with sentence structure, exactly, but maybe with a story that you wrote that had such a perfect ending that you could see the whole thing as if it were happening right in front of you. Or maybe you wrote a poem and the beautiful way the words lay upon the page inspired you to keep at it. Or maybe such strong emotions tilted your brain until you wrote down words to help your brain back upright.
Whatever the epiphany, I'll bet you it was wonderful. -- Bruce
November 22, 2014
I am headed home
Book Tour.
About 30 days ago my alarm went off at 5:30 AM, causing a "fight or flight" reaction. In this case, my flight left at 7:30. I was headed off into one of the most forbidding places on earth: the eastern time zone.
Every few days I got on another plane. I have eaten a lot of peanuts.
Here's what is the best part of it all: I met so many people who have read my new book, The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man, and who couldn't wait to tell me how much they loved it. I was so, so relieved. Yes, there's a dog in it, and yes, there's a dog on the cover, but the dog isn't the main point of the thing. I was worried people would come at me with torches and pitchforks.
I've been told by my readers that The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man is "like Carl Hiaasen without a suntan." But I also have huge endorsements from Lee Child, Nelson DeMille, and Andrew Gross.
Now I'm headed home. I can't wait to see my dog.
Bruce
About 30 days ago my alarm went off at 5:30 AM, causing a "fight or flight" reaction. In this case, my flight left at 7:30. I was headed off into one of the most forbidding places on earth: the eastern time zone.
Every few days I got on another plane. I have eaten a lot of peanuts.
Here's what is the best part of it all: I met so many people who have read my new book, The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man, and who couldn't wait to tell me how much they loved it. I was so, so relieved. Yes, there's a dog in it, and yes, there's a dog on the cover, but the dog isn't the main point of the thing. I was worried people would come at me with torches and pitchforks.
I've been told by my readers that The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man is "like Carl Hiaasen without a suntan." But I also have huge endorsements from Lee Child, Nelson DeMille, and Andrew Gross.
Now I'm headed home. I can't wait to see my dog.
Bruce
