Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big?
Professional writer and multi-book author, Dena Harris, joined Tim in this episode to talk about her latest book, Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? - A Diet Book for Cats. During the interview, Tim asked Dena about the premise behind her latest book. Tim also talked with Dena about writing humor in her books and articles. If you enjoyed Dena's other great books, you'll definitely want to listen to this episode to find out more!
BIO:
Hailed as the “Erma Bombeck of cat writers,” Dena Harris’s stories provoke laugh-out-loud reactions from readers in her short-story humor collection, Lessons In Stalking…Adjusting to Life with Cats (2005). A former humor columnist for Cats & Kittens magazine, Dena’s humor appears in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul (2007), Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers (2008), and Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul (2008). She is also the author of For the Love of Cats (2006), a glossy 315-page coffee table book covering every aspect of the furry feline. In addition, Dena writes a bi- monthly pet humor column and cartoon for Banfield magazine, distributed to over 30,000 veterinarians across the nation. Her follow-up humor collection, Kiss My Kitty Butt: More Life With Cats, will be released in 2009.
The author’s humor writing has won awards and accolades. The editors of Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul selected Dena’s humor piece, "Can You See Me?" for national release as a "promo" piece for the book. Feline Follies, the author’s Cats & Kittens humor column, won a 2006 excellence award from the international Cat Writers’ Association (CWA). CWA presented excellence in humor awards to the author for five of the stories appearing in Lessons In Stalking and the book as a whole won a 2006 excellence award in the Gift Book division contest.
Dena is a former board member and regular conference presenter for CWA, an organization of professionals (writers, editors, publishers, artists, public relation specialists, veterinarians, and broadcasters) writing, publishing, and broadcasting about cats. She was recently asked to accept the presidency of the organization in 2009. She declined, but is considering leading the organization in 2010.
A freelance magazine writer by day (and caped cat crusader by night), Dena’s articles have appeared in over 50 national and international publications including Writer’s Digest, Art Jewelry, The Toastmaster, 2007 & 2008 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, Puppies USA, Pet Sitters International, and many more. A diverse array of companies, individuals, and organizations rely on Dena for their corporate communications through her company, Write For You. Corporate offerings include speechwriting, promotional mailers, phone scripts, brochures, ghostwritten articles, executive press kits, and more.
Dena graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in communications and earned her Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) degree at University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Prior jobs include bodily-injury claims adjuster, database librarian, and job-coach for displaced homemakers. All of which make her grateful for a life now filled with cats and writing.
Dena resides in North Carolina with her husband and their two cats, in a home packed with expensive, never-touched cat stuff.