Indies Unlimited contributing author Chris James is pleased to announce the release of his new comedy/picture book The B Team and Me, or How five adorable puppies nearly ruined my life.
The B Team and Me
When a struggling writer reluctantly agrees to give a home to a stray dog, he gets far more than he bargained for. The dog gives birth to a litter of pups that turn the writer’s life upside down and threaten to ruin him.
A hilarious comedy-picture book that shows five cute, adorable puppies as you’ve never seen puppies before!
Chris says that he was encouraged to take a break from writing his current science fiction novel by two Twitter friends, “When my dog had the puppies in the spring, I put up a few jokey blog posts with pictures and these friends suggested I publish them in a book. At first I thought that copy-and-pasting the posts into a book would be unfair, in that I would charge people for something I’d previously been happy to give away, but then I realised that I could take the idea one step further. I created characters, a proper story arc, then sifted through the hundreds of pictures I’d taken of the pups, so the reader not only gets a funny short story of the chaos the pups cause, but also over 50 of the best photographs I took.”
Although the humour is a little racy in places, Chris believes The B Team and Me would make the perfect gift for animal lovers and anyone who has a soft spot for cute, adorable puppies.
The B Team and Me is available from Amazon US and Amazon UK, and in print from Lulu. In addition, Chris decided to put this book into Amazon’s KDP Select programme, something he’s always said he’d never do with his books, and he is now wondering what the appropriate dressing is that one should have when one eats one’s own words.
Particularly happy to see this announcement today as coincidentally received my own copies from Lulu this morning!
A light, chuckle-out-loud book with some really good photos and a fun story. Yes some of the jokes are racy, but it's that British humour & sensibility at play. Also, I remember those original blog posts but Chris is right when he says the book incorporates a true story arc.
I know many dog owners who've suffered with surprise "adorable" puppies and I know this book will give them a good laugh!
Thank you for your kind words, Jo; I'm very happy it made you chuckle.
🙂
Adorable. Something like this happened to me once, only it wasn't puppies, it was lab rats. Also, it wasn't so much an adoption as it was a catalog acquisition. The order form said "retired breeder", but she wasn't quite ready to retire, as it turns out. So really, not the same at all. Also, not nearly as cute.
Thanks for commenting, Krista. Lab rats? That sounds interesting… I think I feel a sequel coming on!
I could be mistaken, but I think I picked up the very first copy from Lulu. Now I'm wondering if I could send it over and have it signed. 😉
Great book Chris. I loved seeing the action in print. Also glad you finally found good homes for them. The puppies may be gone, but I think there's a sequel in there with The Crazy Dog. She sounds like a handful. Then there's always the Feline Overlord to contend with. 😉
Thanks for publishing this. I have it sitting on my shelf at work now and it's been a great conversation starter.
Yes, KD, you were the first purchaser, and thank you, my friend. With all the animals in my house, there are bound to be more problems – er, "opportunites for entertaining stories" – soon!
Awwwww.
My father bred German Shepherds and this pic reminds me of the litters we had in our house. Adorable.
Ah, to be a breeder and actually have a justifed reason for the puppies! I couldn't believe that the ugliest mongrel in Warsaw not only decided to squat in my garden, but that she actually got pregnant despite being shut in a pen!
Oh jeez. That's gestapo marketing. Puppies???? 😉
Sad but true, brother. I've spent years trying to get the world into my kind of science fiction, so when these pups came along I thought, "Sod it, I'll try and make them laugh instead."
Nothing to lose, except my credibility as a speculative fiction writer, which I don't really have so I don't know why I bothered to mention it.
🙂
I have my copy sitting on my desk as I type. Being professional about this I gave it a thorough testing. I read it through,(five times) When I'd finally finished going 'oooh' and 'aaaah' at the photographs I actually read the story.
There is no doubt that Chris has a great British sense of humour and can make you snicker like a five year old. Written from all points of view, I surmised that Chris has Dr Dolittle skills as he managed to convey the puppies thoughts in a highly entertaining manner. My favourite character – The Evil Feline Overlord. (Boooo! Look behind you, puppies – I warned you that this book makes you regress to childhood!)
I also lent the book to Hubby who never smiles, reads or enjoys life. He spent an hour with the book and I think I even heard him laugh!
I think this is a super book that would appeal to old and young. It would make a great coffee table book for any visitors and who doesn't like photographs of sweet puppies? Bring on book two about further adventures of Crazy!
Thank you Carol for your kind words, I'm very happy it managed to make even hubby smile!
There's another story behind the cats, too: the grey one in the pictures really IS the Evil Feline Overlord's mother. She was a stray who turned up in our garden five years ago, almost starved. We took her in and she produced kittens the following year, but the Evil Feline Overlord was the only one to survive.
Oh yeah, my home's a real magnet for the stray animals of Warsaw!