Books with author Mike Kazmark

Characters (All Characters are Dogs): "Raru"Raru is the young mother of the largest litter of puppies in the town of Wigglesburg. She thought the rumbling in her tummy might have been from the ribs she had at the barbeque the day before, but she found out it was a little more complicated than that. Walk with her as she deals with the news she has received and grapples with what to do. Watch how the local townsfolk come to help her and the love they extend to her. Grandma:I can't wait for you to meet Grandma who is the town sage. Everyone loves her and she is the consummate host. Hunker down on a rainy day in front of her giant fireplace and enjoy a plate of fresh made biscuits and hot tea.Doc:Doc is the local doctor. He is the old fashion kind of doctor that every small town should have. He is so excited about the new puppies because he doesn't quite understand the whole situation.Buddy and Betty Blue Buddy and Betty Blue are like many who grow up in small towns across America. They constantly serve the community in any way they can. They are always looking out for the town but they definitely feel like one thing is missing in their lives. Come to Wigglesburg and fall in love with this host of characters.Note from the author: This book was originally written just for my son. I wanted him to know that his life is a special gift to his parents and others in his life. I thought a good animal story would help him to understand this. I showed the manuscript to a number of people at work. They often took it with a yawn and a look on their faces like, "I'll get around to it." When they brought it back more than a few had tears in their eyes. Almost everyone handed it back to me telling me that I had to do something with this story. Many expressed how much it had meant to them. I was shocked. I had no idea this children's book would also touch grownups! I read it to my son who was six years old at the time and he got the humor in it and the tenderness of some of the situations. One co-worker read it to his grandchildren which prompted a great discussion about their lives being a gift and what that means. I knew that there was something special about the characters in this book because of how they seemed to touch people. I can't wait for you to experience this as well. How did Raru get her name? When my wife was a little girl, they didn't have a pet dog, so her brother would pretend that he was her pet dog. When he would howl like a dog for her, it would sound kind of like, "Raruuuuuuuuuu!" So she named her new pet dog (her brother) "Raru." When I wrote this book there was no other choice for a name for the lead character! Some may also be interested in the process of how the story was developed. A famous musician was talking in an interview and said that he felt that the songs he wrote were not so much "crafted" as much as just played, and then recorded on paper what came out. I related to this description of the process. I don't remember thinking that I needed a character who is this or that kind of personality. It was more that the story flowed in my mind and I wrote it down as fast as I could. Some parts of the story line and what happened were crafted to some extent but the characters were just who they were. I sincerely hope you enjoy getting to know them and that they are a blessing to you and to your family.