Another Redstripe, Please

Many readers think that authors control the characters they create. Most authors know better.

You can type The End, publish your story and put your characters behind you, but sometimes they refuse to be quiet. They lurk in the back of your mind, insisting that they have more to say and do on the printed page than you've allowed them so far.

Luckily for us, the characters (dachshunds included) that Jack Magestro brought to life last year in Redstripe And Other Dachshund Tales have compelled him to bring them back in Another Redstripe, Please.

Jack (who we got to meet at last September's Midwest Dachsiefest), his wife Jill (no, really) and their dachshund Belle were prominent characters in the first book, but this time they step aside to give centerstage to Cirtron, the easygoing Rasta Man from Jamaica, Sheila, his high-toned New York girlfriend, and the dachshunds Paris and Redstripe. Sheila inherits a farm in the wilds of Wisconsin (if we're not being redundant) and decides to leave her New York highrise to live there. Summoning Cirtron from Jamaica for his purported knowledge of agriculture, she sets off by car to claim her heritage. We must note that she has to stop along the way to buy harnesses to control her unruly 'hunds; thanks for the subtle plug, Jack. Once everyone arrives at the farm, there are surprises and setbacks aplenty, with the two dachshunds providing a Greek chorus of commentary and driving a few plot points. With the displaced city dwellers trying to figure out the ins and outs of country life, you might say that it's like the current reality (quote unquote) TV show The Simple Life. It even has a female character named Paris, although we are pretty sure that no gamy videos exist.

Jack brings his characters to a wholly satisfying story conclusion, and even leaves the stage set for another book, one that will bring him, Jill and Belle back into the saga.

If you know and love these characters from Redstripe And Other Dachshund Tales, you should buy Another Redstripe, Please. If not, you should buy both of them. You can order them from Amazon.com by clicking on the links in this paragraph.

While you do that, we'll go back to waiting for the next book to appear.