No bones about it, Alison Pace is DOGgone great...plus a book giveaway

Introduction by Cindy Roesel

**Giveaway is now closed**

Alison Pace is the author of five novels and has been published extensively in various anthologies and magazines.

For years she has written stories about being a dog person without having a dog. I first read Alison’s work in A Pug's Tale, which tells the story of Hope McNeill and her Pug, Max, and opens at a pug-a-luscious party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Being a dog lover, I fell in love with Alison’s easy-breezy writing style and story-telling which made it a must read for all fiction fans, especially canine-lovers.

And now that Alison has a dog, a West Highland white terrier named Carlie, she identifies as a "Friend of Fido" and thus, has written a collection of essays called You Tell Your Dog First, which was published on November 6th.

You can find Alison at her website and on Facebook and Twitter. If you live on the east coast, see if she's coming to a town near you!

Alison is here for the second time to chat more about writing and dogs, amongst other things. And Penguin has a copy of You Tell Your Dog First for a lucky US reader.

First off, tell us about your awesome book, You Tell Your Dog First, and what inspired you to write it.
Hi! You Tell Your Dog First is all about life lived with dogs. I grew up in a home where we had at least four dogs at any given time and that played a big part in shaping me as a person (I grew up to write books about dogs.) It’s about my connection to dogs but also so much about the ways in which dogs connect people to their worlds. It’s also about life in New York City, writing, family, friendship and (looking for) love.

Which three authors or people, past or present, have been important to your writing?
Pam Houston has always been important to my writing because not only have I always admired her writing, especially about dogs, but because I studied writing with her at her workshop in Creede, Colorado. Elinor Lipman, because she has been a great source of advice, and a good friend, and Jennifer Weiner because she endorsed my second book on her blog and brought a lot of attention my way early in my career so I’m very grateful to her for that. And I love all of these writers’ books.

What question or comment have you always wanted to say to them?
Luckily, I’ve met the three writers who have been so important to me so hopefully I’ve managed to articulate that to them, and I have been happy to be able to thank them for their support and inspiration.

What are your biggest motivations to write? What keeps you going?
Is it Dorothy Parker or Ernest Hemingway who said, “I don’t like writing, I like having written?” The quote’s been attributed to both but it comes close to summing it up for me. I do—not—like the day to day of slogging through a first draft but I absolutely love the feeling of a finished product. I hope this doesn’t make me seem too self-focused but when I get that first copy of a book, I can stare mesmerized at it for days. I’m also a big believer in that if you are lucky enough to find something you feel you are reasonably good at, you should stick with it. I can’t really think of anything that I am as good at as writing. So I try really hard to keep at it. Granted, some days are a lot easier than others.

I think authors are the best people to ask this question - What have you read and loved lately? Any newbie authors or books you would recommend?
I LOVED Gone Girl. I absolutely love the feeling of being so wrapped up in a book that you just don’t want to do anything else but read. It doesn’t happen very often, but it did with Gone Girl, to the point that after I finished it, I needed to take a reading rest because I’d been so all consumed by it. I also really enjoyed Defending Jacob. Right now, I’m reading Friendkeeping by Julie Klam. I bought it because Julie blurbed You Tell Your Dog First and once an author is kind enough to endorse my work, I will no holds barred buy everything they write. I’m so glad I bought this though because it is absolutely delightful. I’m also re-reading Ken Foster’s I’m a Good Dog because he and I are going on a book tour together. He writes really beautifully and thoughtfully about dogs. I’m looking forward to Lauren Willig’s The Ashford Affair in the spring. I love her books.

Where would you like to travel and why?
Safari in Africa to see the animals.

What is one item you can't live without?
My dog.

What is your favorite snack to munch while writing?
Trident White Gum, peppermint flavor.

What is next for you?
I’m back to fiction. I just yesterday printed out the first draft of my next novel. But I take Ann Lamott’s advice (in the wonderful writing book, Bird by Bird) about writing shitty first drafts to heart, so I have a long ways to go with this one.

Thanks to Alison for visiting us again and to Penguin for sharing her latest book with our readers.

How to win You Tell Your Dog First:
Please comment below with your e-mail address. (Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)  

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: Who is the person (or pet) you tell everything to first?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
5. Follow us on Twitter and/or Pinterest.
6. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

US only. Giveaway ends November 13th at midnight EST.

Visit Chick Lit is Not Dead for another chance to win this book. (US/Canada. Ends 11/12.)