Zuzu Interviews: Author Catherine West’s dog Noah

Hi, everyone! Zuzu here.

Stealing the laptop from Mom while she gets ready for her Facebook Party tonight. Something about 1000 Facebook page likes. Anyway, I’m going to be there. You should too. Check it out here:

So, anyway, while she’s otherwise occupied… I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity and chat with a celebrity friend of mine!

Noah (Bryning Gryfalcon) was born in Lancashire, UK. He is a purebred Border Collie who spends his days with his best friend, “Mom”, playing frisbee, chasing pigeons, swimming, walking and waiting for meals. He is a very faithful companion and highly intelligent and recommends all of Mom’s books, which he has read at least twice.

His mom, Catherine West, is an award-winning author who writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s latest novel, The Things We Knew, released July 2016, through Harper Collins Christian Publishing. Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at Catherine@catherinejwest.com

You can also connect with Noah at his mom’s website, Facebook, Twitter, and something called Pinterest.

Hi, Noah! This is a big honor for me… mostly because Mom finally lets me do my own interviews!

Noah: WOOHOO – love it when we get to take over the laptops! 😛

Mom starts all of her guests with a fast four. I suppose I should too…

Bones or Chew toys?

Noah:  Bones because they last longer I guess. But Chew Toys are so much fun to decimate, especially if there’s a squeaker involved. I can have both, right? Of course I can. I get whatever I want.

Zuzu: Right? Of course we do. Because we’re cute.

Frisbees or Tennis Balls?

Noah: Have you seen me catch a Frisbee? You really need to. I will send you a video  sometime!  Air, baby. It’s all about the air.

Zuzu: I’ve never gotten into Frisbees. I much prefer chasing tennis balls and showing Mom and Dad where they are.

Dogs or Cats? (I mean…. Seriously…. Why does she ask this question? I’m not even going to insult you by making you give me the OBVIOUS answer.)

Noah:  Yeah, this is a lame question. Cats are . . . well. Why?

Moving on… SQUIRRELS OR BIRDS?

Noah: Um. What’s a squirrel?? We don’t have those where I live. So birds. Specifically, pigeons. Oh do I hate those darn things. They love to roost on our roof and I bark and chase them but all they do is fly around the yard. I swear they’re teasing me, Zuzu. They’re horrible flying monsters and they poop all over the place, and my mom hates them.

Zuzu: Squirrel is my favorite stuffed animal toy that I carry around with me everywhere. I saw one in the wild one day so I went and got Squirrel and showed him. He translated for me. And yea… birds. Mom says they’re evil.

Behind-the-ear scratches or Belly Rubs?

Noah: All of the above. Any form of attention works well for me. 🙂 I am mostly a head-scratcher type, but if I’m up on the bed for our nightly snuggles, a good belly rub hits the spot!

Zuzu: Yep. That was really a silly question, wasn’t it?

Mom says that reading is her superpower and sleeping is mine. If YOU and YOUR MOM had superpowers, what would they be?

Noah: Hmm. Well, I hear she writes pretty decent books, so that’s probably a super power, right? My superpower is being able to know when people are coming over before they arrive. I can just tell that something is up and I wait at the door for at least an hour before anyone shows up. That’s probably a superpower don’t you think? Oh, and when I get to go to the cottage in Canada, I can jump off the dock into the lake. Pretty sweet.

Zuzu: Those are really cool superpowers. I know when Dad is coming home. I wait at the door for him. But I don’t know about other people.

I recently heard this Colonial American Proverb – You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats. What are your thoughts on this controversial statement?

Noah: Well, I’d say those colonials had a lot to learn. I’m not sure it’s possible to make friends with cats. I mean, they really don’t do the whole friend thing like we do, do they? Plus, when I see a strange cat, all I want to do is chase it. And another thing, ‘strange cats’. That’s an oxymoron.

Zuzu: I agree. Cats are just weird.

Your mom writes books. My mom reads books. If you were going to write a book, what would you call it & what would it be about?

Noah: Feed Me. Play With Me. Walk Me. It would be all about me. As everything is. But I mean, have you seen me? 🙂 Dad says I am spoiled but Mom says, “Just look at that face . . .” And I think Mom wins.

Zuzu: Moms always win.

Speaking of writing books, your mom has one coming out soon, doesn’t she? What’s it about?

Noah: Oh, yeah. The book thing. You know, I don’t know what takes so long. Why does she need to sit at the computer for sooooo many hours?? When I try to get her attention, she’s always like, “Uh, one more sentence. Or one more chapter!” I don’t get it. Anyway, yeah I guess some book is coming out at the end of March. It’s about a winery and there’s dogs. Border Collies, to be precise, so I think it’ll be a best seller. Oh, there may be some humans in the story too. I guess people are gonna have to buy it to find out. I think it’s called The Memory Of You. I have no idea what that means.

Zuzu: Well it has dogs so you know it will be good. I’m good at whining. Mom says I’m too good at it. I’ve never been to a whinery though…. do they teach you how to whine more effectively? That sounds interesting.

Mom is always saying weird things like #teamGray when she talks about your mom’s books. Do you have any idea what she means?

Noah: I don’t actually. Is it a human? Do you think he likes dogs? Will he play with me? Gray . . . hmm. I think I heard mom say that name when she talked about The Things We Knew. That’s her book that came out last year. So many books. So much wasted time that could be spent with me . . .

Zuzu: I know, right? It’s the same with my mom and reading books. Sigh.

What does a typical day look like for you as an author’s dog?

Noah: Well, Dad gets up early, usually around 6 AM. Then I jump on the bed and sleep another couple hours. We get up, Mom lets me out and I go, you know, do my business. Then I come back in and Mom feeds me. And then she gets coffee and opens her laptop. Yawn. She doesn’t understand why we should immediately go play Frisbee first thing in the morning, you know? I mean, you get that, right? Well, then Mom will eat, usually cereal and if I stare at her for a long time and put my head in her lap just so, I pretty much always get the leftover milk. Then we’ll go outside for a bit. I’ll chase some pigeons. Mom will have more coffee and throw the Frisbee for me. Then it’s off to Mom’s office on the other side of the house and she’s on the laptop doing her thing. I’ll chew up a bone and chase sunbeams and flies until she takes a break. We’ll go play more outside or if it’s warm we swim. After lunch she writes more. Then it’s walk time. I know exactly what time that is and I start being annoying. When we get back from that, it is my favorite time of day. DINNER!!! That’s when Mom tries to do stuff in the kitchen. It doesn’t always end well. I go wait at the back door for Dad around 5:30. I’ll usually get to play some more or swim again. Then we hang around until it’s time for bed. And that’s pretty much it. Kinda fun, eh? Oh, sometimes a duck will come on our driveway so I can bark at it. Or a cat. I bark a lot then. 🙂

Zuzu: As you should. Always be on guard for cats and birds of any kind.  Swimming sounds fun. I’ve never tried it. But I think I would like it!

Noah, it’s been fun! Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you. What’s on your agenda over there in Bermuda?

Noah: Oh, lots of eating, sleeping, swimming and Frisbee playing and hopefully some nice long walks. I think Mom’s writing another book though, so I’m practicing my pout for when she tries to ignore the fact that it’s time for a walk!

Stay cool, Zuzu, it’s been great chatting with ya! You’re kinda cute. 🙂

Zuzu: *blushes*

Noah’s mom is giving away a copy of The Things We Knew to one of my mom’s readers! Enter via the Rafflecopter below. This giveaway is open to US and Canada only. Giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies.

After her mother’s death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to blame their father for their mother’s death, but nobody will talk about that tragic day. And Lynette’s memory only speaks through nightmares.

Then Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, bringing the past with him. Once Lynette’s adolescent crush, Nick knows more about her mother’s death than he lets on. The truth could tear apart his own family—and destroy his fragile friendship with Lynette, the woman he no longer thinks of as a kid sister.

As their father’s failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets surface that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question their faith, their willingness to forgive, and the very truth of all the things they thought they knew.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What about you? What questions do you have for Noah? Or his mom? 🙂