Dubs Goes to Washington: Author Interview!

Dubs Goes To Washington by Dick Morris & Eileen McGann
Illustrated by Clayton J. Liotta

The DMS was lucky enough to interview the authors of the adorable children's book, Dubs Goes To Washington And Discovers The Greatness of America. We recently reviewed this book, taking our readers along on this spunky golden retrievers quest through the historical monuments of Washington D.C. as he searches for his run away ball.  (read the review on Margo's Musings) It was a great story and just in time for President's Day!  

1) What inspired you to write Dubs Goes To Washington?

   

We looked in children’s’ bookstores and could find no books about this country’s greatness, heritage, or history. There was nothing about our country to inspire patriotism among young people.

We also love dubs, our real life dog, and wanted to do a book to immortalize him so he’ll always be with us.

2) How long did it take you to write the book?

We kicked around the illustrations and rhymes for about two months.

3) What are some of your favorite books from childhood? Were there any specific authors who inspired you?

We enjoy all of the usual ones, Scuffy the Tugboat, Dr. Seuss, Winnie the Pooh. We were raised in NY, so we liked The Little Red Lighthouse and The Great Grey Bridge.

4) Where did you come up with the name Dubs?

We go to Ireland a lot and the football team there is named the Dublin Dubs. When the fans cheer for the team, they say “Up the Dubs!” So, when we invite Dubs up onto our bed, we tap the bed and say, “Up the Dubs, up the Dubs.”

5) How did you meet the illustrator, Clayton J. Liotta?

We met him as a decorative house painter. He painted some lovely faux wood paneling in our kitchen and mentioned that he was also an illustrator and that he had done some children’s books (as yet unpublished, but that may change soon). He showed us his work and we fell in love!

6) What is your favorite place to visit in Washington, D.C.?

The Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. We find the words so inspiring and the soulful look in Lincoln’s eyes never fails to elicit a tear or two or three.

7) If you could meet anyone from America’s historical past, who would it be? Why?

Lincoln. We’ve both read all we could get our hands on about him, but he seems like a really neat guy. The anecdotes about him are just wonderful.

8) Where can we purchase a copy of Dubs Goes To Washington?

It’s not in stores. You can purchase a copy of this book at amazon.com 

We have sold over 30,000 copies so far!

Children's Author, Dick Morris

Children's Author, Eileen McGann

Illustrator, Clayton J. Liotta

In honor of President's Day... 

Abraham Lincoln

• Born: 12 February 1809
• Birthplace: Near Hodgenville, Kentucky
• Died: 15 April 1865 (assassination by gunshot)
• Best Known As: The Civil War president who wrote the Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States from 1861 until his shocking assassination in 1865. The colorful stories about Lincoln’s life really are true: He was born in a log cabin and grew up on the American frontier, educated himself by reading borrowed books, and worked splitting fence rails and clerking in a general store, and then as a country lawyer, long before he became president. He served in the Illinois General Assembly for eight years and in the U.S. House of Representatives for one term (1847-49) before his election as the nation’s first Republican president in 1860. As president he is best remembered for leading the Union through the Civil War and freeing Confederate slaves with the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation; for delivering the Gettysburg Address, the most famous oration in American history, on 19 November 1863; and for his tragic assassination by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.Upon Lincoln’s death, Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency. The Lincoln Memorial, with its famous statue of Lincoln by Daniel Chester French, was dedicated in Washington in 1922.

He married Mary Anne Todd in 1842… Yes, that’s Lincoln on the U.S. penny and the five dollar bill. Lincoln also named Salmon P. Chase to be Chief Justice of the United States in 1864, and Chase is on the $10,000 bill… Lincoln was preceded by James Buchanan, the only president to remain a bachelor for life… Lincoln was the first president to be born outside the original thirteen states… He was the first president to wear a beard while in office… Lincoln’s oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was present at three assassinations: his father’s, President Garfield‘s in 1881 and President McKinley‘s in 1901… A famous (and enormous) biography of Lincoln was written by 20th-century author Carl Sandburg… Lincoln was the 16th president.