Charlie and Sophie’s Great Escape follows two spirited Border Collie puppies who are eager to explore after a rainstorm and wind up lost in the woods. What was the inspiration for your story?

Charlie and Sophie’s Great Escape was inspired by my border collie puppies and their absolute zest for life. We adopted both of them from a rescue in upstate New York. They made me smile every day and brought much joy and gratitude to my life. I was training them to be off-leash in the woods and fields around our farm. For the most part, they were attentive and easy to train. However, being puppies, they could be impulsive at times. After being cooped up in the house for a couple of days because of bad weather, they took off into the woods on their own. This was the incident that inspired my story.

Sadly, Charlie became sick when he was barely five years old, and the problem remained undiagnosed. We had to let him go just four months after he became ill. Losing him broke my heart. Eventually, I decided to write about some of our dogs’ adventures so Charlie would live on in the pages of my book and bring joy to those who read about the two puppies. Charlie and Sophie inspired me, but Charlie’s death was the impetus to actually write the book.

What educational aspects were important for you to include in this children’s book?

I was fascinated by the intensity of concentration my dogs displayed when exploring their surroundings. I wanted to show how dogs use their senses and how their senses differ from ours. Rich sensory imagery, conveyed through words and illustrations, makes the sights, sounds, and smells of the woods more real for the reader.

I include two pages of backmatter that discuss a dog’s five senses and encourage the young reader to compare those with our own human senses.

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

I really enjoyed writing the part where Charlie discovers the goose nest and is attacked by an angry mama bird. Describing the scene’s energy with all the involved sounds and emotions was fun!

Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Charlie and Sophie and the direction of the next book?

Charlie gets jealous when another dog comes to stay. Rocky is big and used to being a solo dog. In our house, however, Rocky has to share attention with Charlie and Sophie, while Charlie has to accept less attention from Mom! An encounter with a porcupine is a turning point in their prickly relationship!

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