Blog Tour: Guest Post: Kat the Dog by Jo Allen
Today I am taking part in the blog tour for Kat the Dog by Jo Allen. It is the first in a fantasy series and aimed for children ages 9-12. Today she is sharing her thoughts on loyalty and friendship and why she wanted to write stories about dogs. Kat the Dog is available now!
Book Description:
A puppy is born at Kymera on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year 2023.
The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, gifted with magic powers from birth, Kat is destined to become leader of Dogsworld.
Queenie, Top Dog at Kymera, must keep the newborn safe from evil forces set on destroying her.
The pup bonds with Olivia, the orphaned granddaughter of Archie, who is in charge of Kymera, a magical realm, where dogs talk to each other and fairies, who inhabit the old willow tree, can grant wishes. But Kymera is in danger of being stolen away from them.
Kat, Olivia and the other dogs will do all they can to save their precious home.
Buy Your Copy Here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Loyalty and Friendship
By Jo Allen
Loyalty rates highly on my list of expectations from the universe. Of course one shouldn’t really have expectations. That’s just setting yourself up for disappointment.
When I was a child, my dad, who loved children and animals, often said to me, ‘People aren’t as nice as you think, Jo. They’ll let you down later in life. You’ll see.’ I didn’t believe him. I perhaps should have.
Take my lifelong ‘best friend’. We’d been close, like sisters, since we were toddlers. On one occasion, I invited her and her boyfriend to a gathering chez moi. She later received another invite and said she would be going there instead. When that fell through, she turned up at my house. ‘Hmm,’ I thought, but was still pleased to see them. Halfway through the evening, she turned to her boyfriend and said, ‘Jo’s so loyal. I’m not loyal at all.’ ‘Oh,’ I thought, as it dawned on me, probably for the first time, ‘of course’. She knew herself well.
My best friend was somebody who made friends easily – funny, extrovert, vibrant, the life and soul of the party – and she made you feel special. Over the years, I’d watched her strike up sudden and wildly enthusiastic friendships, where the ‘new best friend’ could do no wrong. Then, just as suddenly, they’d get ghosted for some real or imagined slight. I was the one friend throughout her life that she never dropped. Until she did.
Several years ago, having become involved with yet another fresh group of friends, she stopped contacting me after an argument. I missed her. Six months later, I made a conciliatory gesture towards her, but she ignored it. We did arrange to meet a few years later, but then she ghosted me again. I subsequently discovered she was ill and again attempted to make things up with her, but she never responded. Last year I found out she’d died and I’d missed the funeral by a week. She apparently hadn’t wanted any visitors and didn’t want anybody at her funeral. All those ‘friends’ she’d made… it felt so sad. And I still miss her in spite of everything and wish things could have been different.
So what does that say about friendship? And about loyalty? One of the reasons I love dogs so much, and most other animals in fact, is that, unlike people, they don’t let you down or disappoint or abandon you. They can be cheeky and naughty, sometimes a little snappy, but my dogs have been my best mates, adding sparkle to my life, making me laugh, comforting me when I’m sad, annoying me at times. But always there for me.
My current dog, Arthur, is now seventeen, blind and deaf, and can drive me mad with his constant demands. In his younger days, he was a feisty little chap, who liked to pick fights especially with dogs a lot bigger than himself. He was very headstrong and the two of us used to have quite a lot of rows ourselves. If I tried to make him do something he didn’t want to, he’d growl at me and his eyes would go green. I’d shout back, or throw some water over him if he persisted. He never backed down. And neither did I, the pair of us snarling at each other. Quite the stand-off. But it wouldn’t be long before he was by my side nudging me, ‘Come on, Mum, let’s make up,’ and we’d be the best of pals again. He never once tried to bite me. He knew his boundaries that way. We’ve had a lot of fun and a lovely life together and now is my time to properly look out for him just as he’s always looked out for me. He may not be the dog he once was (no rows these days), but he still enjoys his food and going out in the pram and then having a run around the field and he still sleeps next to me every night, like he’s always done. Still my best boy.
So, that’s the reason I wanted to write stories about dogs. They are the most wonderful of God’s creations and can teach a child, adults too, about friendship, loyalty, love and, sadly, eventually loss. But you’ll never have a better or more loyal companion. And what could be more special than that?
About the Author:
When she was a little girl, a voice in her head told her that she had to like dogs. That was when she was about five years old and didn’t know any dogs. Then a family moved in next door with a little heeler-cross called Trixie. Remembering the voice in her head, Jo tried to like Trixie, but it wasn’t easy. Trixie would run up to her wagging her tail, then she’d roll on to her back, still wagging her tail, asking for her tummy to be tickled. Jo would oblige, and then Trixie would try and bite her. Not the best start.
But Jo didn’t forget about the voice and, when she was 8 years old, she went down to the local kennels, where she met Jim, who was very kind with her and they became friends. Jo’s love of dogs began to grow. She went to the kennels whenever she had any spare time and decided she would like to own her own kennels one day.
At the age of about ten, she went to a garden fete with her best friend, where she met Lassie, her first dog, and decided to bring her home. Her mum and dad weren’t too chuffed, but they soon fell in love with Lassie.
Life took over and, instead of following a career with dogs, Jo went to university to study languages and then moved abroad for a few years. But she missed England and eventually came back home, trained to become an acupuncturist and herbalist, and started going back to the kennels again. Of course, she was older and Jim was older, but the friendship was still strong. And then Kat was born and Jo decided to write about her.
Contact Jo:
YouTube
Instagram @katthedog7