Dakota is a loving, funny, stubborn, (loud!) 5-year-old Shetland Sheepdog gentleman from Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Dakota is a Native American word meaning ‘trusted friend,’ and his name won the popular vote in a naming contest for a canine character in the new Amy Shojai book, “Lost and Found!”
He loves eating bones, being brushed, modeling and playing with his ball, and he’s a great brother to Cody, the cat.
His mom, Caren Gittleman, says he can spell! (You’ll have to ask him about that…)
Confession. Thrillers usually leave me cold. It is not a genre that I normally read. I haven’t a clue why that is the case, but it is. I avoid them like the plague. I might have avoided Lost and Found by Amy Shojaias well, had my dogs’ name (Dakota) not won the:
“Name That Dog”contest to help Amy find a name for some of the furry characters in her book. More than 85 names were suggested with close to 800 votes!
I’m glad that Dakota won.
Had he not, I might have missed this spine tingling book.
“Dakota” was chosen to represent the “heart-dog” that lead character September Day (yes that is her REAL name) refers to often throughout the book.
FROM THE PUBLISHER:Animal behaviorist September Day has lost everything-husband murdered, career in ruins, confidence shot-and returns home with her trained Maine Coon cat Macy to Texas to recover. She’s forced out of hibernation when her nephew Steven and his autism service dog Shadow disappear in a freak blizzard. When her sister trusts a maverick researcher’s promise to help Steven, September has 24 hours to rescue them from a devastating medical experiment impacting millions of children, a deadly secret others will kill to protect. As September races the clock, the body count swells. Shadow does his good-dog duty but can’t protect his boy. Finally September and Shadow forge a stormy partnership to rescue the missing and stop the nightmare cure. But can they also find the lost parts of themselves?
Trust me when I say that this book is OUTSTANDING.
The language; full of descriptive detail, gives the reader clear and frightening images of the villains. While reading I was wondering if September embodies many of the personality traits of Author Amy Shojai? I question this because I have yet to meet Amy in person, (but I am certain that one day I will!) but I have come to know Amy a bit through our mutual affiliation with the Cat Writers’ Association and through her blog. In her emails and her writing, her personality comes across to me as being confident, vibrant, uber-articulate, strong, determined, knowledgeable, tough-as-nails yet somewhat vulnerable with a sense of humor to beat the band. The more I read about September, the more I wondered how much of Amy is in this intriguing character?
Lost And Found for me, wasn’t a “quick-read.” The plot, details, dialogue and characters are well-crafted and intense. My heart was literally in my throat throughout much of the book. Lost And Found offers a lot to digest, it is the prime rib at an all-you-can-eat buffet, the side dishes are just filler, the meat leaves you feeling satiated. Upon finishing this deliciously intriguing and attention-engulfing thriller, you will feel as satisfied.
Has Amy Shojai converted this “thriller-phobic” blogger/book reviewer?
In the case of Lost And Found…my answer is a resounding. YES.
Author Amy Shojai with Magic and Seren
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant, and the award-winning author of 24 bestselling pet books. She is the Puppies Guide at puppies.About.com, the cat behavior expert at cats.About.com, and hosts a weekly half hour Internet Pet Peeves radio show. Amy has been featured as an expert in hundreds of print venues including The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, and Family Circle, as well as national radio and television networks such as CNN, Animal Planet’s DOGS 101 and CATS 101.
Yep you read that right! Back in July my Mom entered my name, “Dakota” in a contest held by Amy Shojai. Amy is super well-known in the cat world, for those of you who may not know her, here is some info about her:
AMY’S BLOG: Bling, Bitches & Blood– is your virtual water cooler for all-things-pets, bloody-good writing tips, and some serious sparkle-icity. The edu-tainment empowers dog and cat lovers, inspires writers, and dazzles readers with wit, wisdom, and shiny objects. (She cain’t hep it, she’s from Texas!)
Amy Shojai has been reinventing herself for years. She’s a certified animal behavior consultant, and the award-winning author of 24 best selling pet books that cover furry babies to old-fogies, first aid to natural healing, and behavior/training to Chicken Soup-icity. She is the Puppies Guide atpuppies.About.com, the cat behavior expert at cats.About.com, writes features for AOL’s PawNation.com and Huffington Post, and hosts a weekly half hour Internet Pet Peeves radio show. Amy has been featured as an expert in hundreds of print venues including The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, and Family Circle, as well as national radio and television networks such as CNN, Animal Planet’s DOGS 101 and CATS 101. She’s been a consultant to the pet products industry and a host/program consultant for select “furry” TV projects. Amy brings her unique pet-centric viewpoint to public appearances, writer conferences keynotes/seminars and thriller fiction (including pet “voice”).
What a pedigree, eh?
Anyway….back to the contest!
Amy held a contest asking readers to suggest names for the canines in her debut thriller:
click on the book cover to read all about Amy’s new book!
Thank you to everyone for your participation in the “Name That Dog” and “Name That Cat” contests to help me find the perfect choices for some of the furry characters in the book LOST AND FOUND.
More than 85 terrific cat and dog names were suggested. I narrowed the choices to about a dozen each, set up polls for you to vote, and we had over 800 votes result.
I’d say pet people are passionate about pet names! Without further delay, here are the results.
DOG HEROES NAMED
Caren Gittleman suggested the winning dog name Dakota because it means “trusted friend” and is also the name of her lovely Sheltie (who helps her co-write Dakota’s Den Blog).
In the book LOST AND FOUND, the main character September mourns the loss of her heart-dog (we’ve all been there right?) who died trying to save her husband. Therefore, her long lost canine partner DAKOTA is mentioned throughout the book.
How cool is THAT?
Is that MAJOR mischief or what?
Mom can’t wait to receive her copy of the book to read and review, so stay tuned!!
RT @BarackObama: In moments of crisis, we look out for one other. And we need leaders with empathy who will bring people together rather th… 2 years ago
Dakota's Den 