Meet Bonnie Jae Dane, Author of ‘The Dog Grapevine’

Bonnie Jae Dane, a native of southern Appalachia, is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities awards, the winner of numerous film and writing awards, including twice finalist at American Film Festival for the film Autism: A Behavioral Approach; nominee of prestigious American Cable Excellence award for the film The Combat Sport: Boxing Yesterday and Today;  winner of CINE Golden Eagle Award; writer of monologues used in the film SPEAKEASY women talkin’ mostly ‘bout men, which won Most Creative Film, American Motion Picture Society, LA.

Ms. Dane is at work on her next novel told in her trademark comic/pathos style using a writing voice described by  Yo-Yo Ma as being, ‘ Mellifluous’.

Welcome to Pet Hooligans Bonnie! To get us started, tell us a little about you and your career as an author.

I began my professional writing career when a junior in college. The head of the Geology department had read my assorted short stories and poems published in literary magazines and was impressed enough to hire me to write speech abstracts for an upcoming conference. I saw this as an opportunity to branch out and write the thesis for graduate students. I continued writing for academics all the way to Harvard while working on documentary film scripts and reading my Appalachian monologues along with using my novels published as a side hustle.

What inspired you to write The Dog Grapevine from the perspective of a mastiff named Bernard?

My dog Yuki, as written about in The Zen of Yuki, was a chatterbox and would talk to anyone on the street who could telepathically communicate with him. He always had some funny tidbit to say to strangers passing by, talking about his being a sweet and precious boy who meditates every day and loves his Dog Mom.

Naturally, over the years I have taken him to an animal communicator to record his conversations. It was illuminating. Until Yuki spoke about all the animals’ disappointment over the way Humans treat the environment, I had no idea they could form words, images, and send thoughts to those receptive enough to hear them. Nor did I know the depth of feeling they possessed for all beings.

Once comfortable with a dog’s voice, Bernard appeared on paper with a lot to say in an elegant earthy way that reflects his tender character with a heroic nature.

What challenges did you face when writing from a dog’s point of view? Were there any moments that surprised you?

What surprised me the most was how much I loved Bernard and when comparing his dog viewpoint to Humans, the latter came up short of compassion with numerous boundaries and little understanding of their place in our environment. Dogs understand and behave accordingly but have a tendency to take their cues from Humans. I also discovered I would never want to disappoint my dog. Writing for Bernard was easy compared to looking at life from a dog’s reality. I love all animals and the idea of being a disappointment to them hurts my heart.

Bernard is a very distinct character. Was there a specific dog that influenced his personality, or is he a blend of different canines you’ve encountered?

I met a woman in the post office one day and she was telling me she and her husband rescued English Mastiffs two at a time and now being in their seventies the current ones would be their last ones. Upon meeting her dogs, their gentle nature and spiritual bent surprised me for a dog normally viewed as threatening. I began to study them. Bernard took shape long before I put pen to paper.

The book is written as an autobiography. Why did you choose this format, and how did it enhance Bernard’s story?

Being a professional writer, it’s necessary to write in any voice. I simply wanted to expand my catalogue of voices. Bernard’s an easy, fluent talker with a sense of the absurd, especially when it comes to Human behavior. The only mode of bringing out his way of being Bernard was to give him a voice that’s distinctly Bernard. All the dog characters from the down-home dog bloodhound Otto, who speaks Appalachian dialect, to Lola the chihuahua who speaks ‘haughty’  possess their own style of expressing themselves, which made it fun for me.

Can you share a little about how the other characters (human or animal) shaped Bernard’s life and perspective in the story?

I think Bernard and his Kahu, sacred guardian in Hawaiian, both being orphaned and finding a depth of love from each other allows the space to be the best of themselves. They overflow with gratitude in the presence of each other. Also, the ducklings attach themselves to Bernard, adding to his view of himself as a new parent and his increasing responsibility. But I give too much away here. (laughter)

If Bernard could talk in real life, what do you think he’d say about the book?

I definitely think Bernard would want me to leave out all the fuss over his heroic deeds. He sees himself as an emissary of the Divine Dog and doesn’t need the praise of Humans. He would definitely want me to play down the celebratory aspect for his heroic deeds. (laughter)

Do you have a favorite dog book, movie, or story that influenced your own writing?

I love the book A Dog’s Life by Peter Mayle. I view it as the masterpiece of first-person dog books.

Overall, Vladimir Nabokov inspired me by his use of language as having the possibility of soaring with beauty, wit, using a playhouse of words on endless pages that can appear freely in the privacy of my room. Anytime someone tells me the English language is boring, I refer them to Vladimir Nabokov. There’s also a slender novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez entitled No One Writes to the Colonel that proves this point. Marquez viewed The Colonel as his best work despite having written One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Can you tell us one interesting or quirky fact about Bernard that didn’t make it into the book?

Bernard’s desire to bring his biological dad home to live with him after going to great lengths to find him. His father’s reluctance is his greatest disappointment.

Do you have any plans to write more books from a dog’s perspective, or perhaps even a sequel to The Dog Grapevine?

I’ve already written two other dog books, The Zen of Yuki and A Woman and her Dog but if my readers show enthusiasm over Bernard, I would enjoy continuing to be his autobiographer.

The Dog Grapevine is now available in paperback and on Amazon Kindle. You can find all Bonnie’s novels on Amazon USA and Amazon UK.

You might also want to head over to Bonnie’s website where you can download her short story Poetry Girl, or join her over on Facebook.