Nervy Dash turns orange

Dogs just know when something is up. For days now – ever since we started serious preparations for the house move, in fact – Dash has been a bit out of sorts. She paces from room to room; she jumps up off her mat and stares at nothing. Maybe it’s the fact that the odd firework has already gone off in advance of Bonfire Night. Maybe it’s about being a nervy, ex-racing greyhound. Anyway, in an attempt to distract her, last week I added to her collection of toys. ‘Orange’ is a squashy, squeaky ball that looks like, you’ve guessed it, an orange. To say she’s become obsessed is an understatement. Clamped in her jaws, it squeaks and squeaks and SQUEAKS. Suddenly it’s like she’s got a voice, like she’s talking: ‘At last – something to get my teeth into.’ Let’s hope she doesn’t do the same with the book when it comes out!

Moving house and the US hears about Dash

The one bouncing in the background is my son, Freddy. The one sprawled in the foreground needs no introduction, of course. What a set of toothy-pegs! Both Freddy and Dash have proved quite a handful this week in the run-up to moving house. As if a full-time job and a part-time writing career isn’t enough, this year has seen us sell up and buy our first family home in a village near Oxford. Eynsham is six miles out of town and bounded by a river, lush fields and woods. Enticing dog-walking territory. On the book front, I had a lovely email this week from an American author and ‘historian of everything greyhound’. It seems news of the publication of ‘Dash: Bitch of the Year’ has already spread across the pond, and she’s keen to be the first to review it!

Another endorsement

The past week has brought another celebrity endorsement! This time from TV vet and author, Emma Milne. She describes the book as “a brave and, at times, brutally honest account of what it’s like to be a pet owner”. She was also kind enough to bring her professional expertise to bear and correct a couple of facts in the bookproof. Did you know greyhounds and dogs don’t have ‘collarbones’? Scapulae, yes; collarbones, no. A basic mistake and one which I’m very grateful she spotted pre-publication. The other is that she thinks Dash’s hayfever may be a phenomenon called ‘reverse sneezing’. Apparently it happens in plenty of dogs - her own included - and there’s all sorts of sneezing and snorting vids to be seen on YouTube. It just goes to show that despite my obsession with all things greyhound, I remain nothing but a passionate amateur!

Four months to go till publication!

OK - so I've adopted the dog, got married, written the story and lived the dream. Next stop publication! How will Dash cope with her continued transformation from champion racer to ring-bearer to literary heroine? How will I cope? Well ... over the next four months I'll be blogging on a weekly basis about the experience. There'll be stories, updates and insights; there'll be trials and tribulations, no doubt. But, as ever with Dash, there'll also be fun and hijinks galore. For now, I'll leave you with the news that no less than Twiggy herself has fallen in love with 'Dash: Bitch of the Year'. Her comment on the book is: "funny, moving and I highly recommend it". So there you go. If the face of M&S is backing it, we're halfway there already.