Webster the Beagle and His Adventures at the River follows an adventurous beagle who gets lost and finds his forever home as a therapy dog. What was the inspiration for your story?

The inspiration for this story came from the time that I spent with Webster at one of the places I love, the Rappahannock River, and the animals that live on it or in it. I thought it was important to tell their story through Webster’s eyes as he looked at them in wonder the first time he saw them – or maybe that was just surprise when the crab pinched him on the nose!

The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Romney Vasquez?

Romney Vasquez is the best in the business and made the process very simple. He asked me what was being written on each page and what I wanted for artwork but we didn’t know each other and I had never written any kind of book before. Once he read thru a draft, he provided his own ideas and produced some sketch art to send me. When I saw the sketches for the first book, I couldn’t believe them because Romney had captured Webster’s essence so perfectly—especially the joy and smiles he brought to everyone. With this being our second book, we knew what worked, and I don’t remember making any changes because, to me, it’s the illustrations that make the books such a success.

When is the next book in the series coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

I’m not sure when or if there will be another book. I was inspired by Webster to write the first one and thought it was important to tell his story. The series allows me to make donations to various charities in his name so he will always be remembered. Although my wife and I did adopt a very mischievous beagle, Billy, who is an Envigo (4,000 beagles were rescued from unsafe conditions at a breeding facility in Virginia, the company, Envigo, behind it has agreed to pay a record $35 million in fines) rescue beagle and has already had quite a few adventures himself…

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