Apparently Madeleine was ready for me. Look at that face. Resistance was futile.

I decided to keep the name she was given at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSAZ), though somehow another “e” snuck in. That’s okay. It was appropriate that Madeleine should have the same name as a French cookie. Not only is she a sweetie but food is, well, her thing.

I had a clue about her food fondness early on. Madeleine kept trying to get into the front seat when I drove her home from HSSAZ and on subsequent jaunts for supplies around town. I couldn’t seem to find a way to secure her in the back seat safely. But when I drove her home from the vet visit that came with the adoption, I noticed she was being strangely quiet. Good, I thought, she’s settling in. Turns out, she had managed to chew through the 15 pound bag of free dog food that came with the adoption and vet visit, and was happily noshing away. Quietly. Stealth eating turned out to be one of her superpowers.

It was too bad she had so much trouble relaxing in my house though.

Before I made the somewhat rushed decision to adopt Madeleine, I promised a friend that I would petsit her dog, Mimzy. Madeleine had no problem with Mimzy–except at mealtimes, when, as the newly asserted top dog of the house, she was convinced that Mimzy’s food was hers too. It was at this point that I started giving Madeleine her meals in a large crate in another room, a practice that continues to this day.

Once the association with food was established, no crate training was required.

Mimzy’s visit was also when I learned that Madeleine was basically uninterested in other dogs. Not hostile or reactive, just “whatever.” Dogs have no food to offer her. What was the point of them?

She did let Mimzy know that the brown bed was hers.

My friend Diane, she who directed me to Madeleine, came over to see how my new pup was doing. This photograph has Madeleine looking uncharacteristically shy. She usually leaps into people’s laps, thus endearing herself to them (you know, in case they have food). You can see by her smile that Diane was very happy with her matchmaking. I was too.

Okay, that matching eyepatch thing was corny and, let’s face it, Madeleine definitely wore it better.

Madeleine is civic minded. It didn’t hurt that the issue, Improving animal care in Pima County with a new facility, had direct bearing on her co-speciesists.

The late great Bogie was one of Madeleine’s first cuteness co-conspirators. It would be going too far to say they were friends — though heaven knows Bogie tried — but Madeleine’s willingness to share a bed with him says something.

My friend Kim brought the adorable Penny to visit, hoping Madeleine would play with her fellow small white dog. No dice.

So dainty with the crossed paws — and that one ear kills me!

Earl Grey (whose color matches his name) and the dearly departed Clio, both canine companions to my friend Maryrose, spent some time with Madeleine. Earl was the only dog that ever got her to play with him, if only briefly. Earl was relentless (and adorable).

Madeleine is a badass. Don’t try to get between her and her dinner.

More pictures to come on Facebook…

We’re back — at least temporarily, at least the pair of us. One of us is heading out again next week. The first leg(s) of our book tour was/were quite the adventure, and I mean that mostly in a good way. Madeleine was universally adored, except by the person whose heel she nipped in New Mexico.

Enough said about that.

I misplaced my iPhone and managed to give the wrong date of a reading to the newspaper reporter who was going to publicize it.

Enough said about both of those things, too, at least for now.

I will write more about the trip but — couplist rant alert — answer me this: Why are there laws against taking your dog into rest stop restrooms throughout Texas and Arizona? If you are single, what are you supposed to do, especially in summer? Leave your dog in a hot car while you use the facilities? I broke the law multiple times, figuring that if I got a ticket I would contest it and thereby publicize the ridiculousness of this regulation.

Prescott, Arizona

On our first stop, Madeleine scoped out the facilities in the morning, before Peregrine Book Company was open. She deemed them more than acceptable, and this was even before she knew that she would have a plush green velvet chair to sit on (see picture, above).

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Look in the lower left hand corner and you’ll see Madeleine. During the reading, she had her own seat in the front row, next to my friend Diane Schmidt. But when Diane got up to take the picture — she’s a professional photographer as well as writer — I took the reins, um, leash.

Las Cruces, New Mexico

One of the many things I loved about staying at the pet-friendly Hotel Encanto was that you could dine in air-conditioned comfort with your pet at the excellent Garduño’s restaurant; you just needed to sit in the lobby, a few feet outside the restaurant entrance. Because the food was so good, and the restaurant so convenient, we did this several times. In answer to the ubiquitous New Mexico question, red or green (chiles, that is), I tried green one day, and red another.

My visit to the Chile Pepper Institute will have to wait for another time but it was hot, hot, hot (and fun)

Austin, Texas

If there are more pictures of Madeleine in Austin than in any other place, it’s because she got the most attention there. I’m surprised she allowed us to leave.

Madeleine got some great swag at the fabulous Highlander Hotel.  Lip smacking great swag, in fact.

The staff of the Highlander didn’t pay any attention to Madeleine at all. Sad.

Madeleine was allowed to roam free at BookWoman. At one point she chose to sit next to me. She seemed ready to take questions but none were asked of her.

San Antonio, Texas

Our visit to San Antonio had a distinctive feline vibe.

We went to the San Antonio Humane Society, which co-sponsored the book signing: In return for sharing the event on social media, 15% of the proceeds of the book signing was allotted to them. It is not a princely sum, I’m sorry to report. But that too is a story for another time.

When we went visited the facility, which is one of the nicest I’ve seen, anywhere, there was a feral cat wandering around. Madeleine pretended not to see it, as is her wont. But more astonishing, we shared an evening in a house with a friend and her kitty, Athena. The two of them co-existed with little stress, even though Madeleine ate all of Athena’s food. I thought that Madeleine was a little under the weather the next morning, the last of the tour; uncharacteristically, she didn’t touch her food. Now I’m thinking that once she tasted cat kibble, she didn’t want to go back.

As far as I know, this will be Madeleine’s first visit.

We’ve got lots of activities planned.

The TV Appearance

Sometime between 9 and 10am on June 22, Madeleine and I will appear on Great Day SA. It’s an upbeat morning lifestyle show with great hosts, according to local friends who suggested we try to get on. I’m sure Madeleine will charm everyone. I did worry a little when I saw the description on their Facebook page: “At Great Day SA, we have a simple rule…stay classy and stay positive.” Positive, absolutely, but there’s that title of my book…

The Charitable Cause

Because Madeleine is a poster dog for rescue, having come to me through the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, I decided to partner with rescues whenever possible, in exchange for publicity about my book signings. I am excited to announce that in San Antonio I will give 15% of book sales to….

When looking for animal welfare organizations to partner with, I checked not only the websites but also all the comments on other review sites. All were stellar for the San Antonio Humane Society, and the promotion in honor of Fiesta San Antonio, pictured at the top of this page, sealed the deal. The name of this blog is short for “Will my dog hate me if I dress him.” This is proof positive that the answer is “No!”

And are those dogs adorable or what? Duchess of the Fire Hydrant indeed.

It turns out that donating to this particular charity was meant to be: It’s down the road from the Ken5 studio, so Madeleine and I will go over there after our appearance and say hello. It is, after all, part of her job as poster dog for rescue to look cute and behave well in public. She even got a haircut for the occasion. And see how politely she waits for food? Luckily, you can’t hear the whining sound effects.

The Bookstore

On Thursday, June 22, from 5pm at The Twig Book Shop, I will talk about and read from GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY: An Accidental Travel Writer Reveals All, including stories about the writing of Frommer’s San Antonio & Austin. Madeleine will look cute and accept treats. She will be naked. I will be dressed. See, Great Day SA? Classy.

Aaah, Austin, that laid-back city in the lake-laced hills, home to cyberpunks and environmentalists, high culture and haute cuisine. A leafy intellectual enclave lying well outside the realm of Lone Star stereotypes, Austin has been compared to Berkeley and Seattle, but it is at once its own place and entirely of Texas.

My First Guidebook

I wrote those words in 1994 as the introduction to the Austin section of Frommer’s San Antonio & Austin. I had updated many guidebooks before, but this was the first time I wrote one from scratch — and, as is my wont, I worried whether I was up to the task. I hadn’t been to either city before and my driving skills were still being honed.

My disastrous introduction to Austin is one of the stories from GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY: An Accidental Travel Writer Reveals All  that I plan to tell when I read in that city on June 20th.

Book Woman

Also in that first edition of the Frommer’s guide was this listing for Book Woman:

Offering the largest selection of books by and about women in Austin, this store is also one of Texas’s best feminist resource centers, the place to find out about women’s organizations and events state wide.

Book Woman also carries a great selection of T-shirts, cards, and posters, including a blowup of the Texas Monthly magazine cover of a white-leather-clad Governor Ann Richards straddling a B-I-G motorcycle.

BookWoman’s address has changed — I visited when it was on 6th Street; it’s now on 5501 N. Lamar — and Ann Richards is no longer with us (damn, I wish I’d bought that poster); neither is Molly Ivins, my other Austin feminist hero.

But all the rest of what I wrote about BookWoman is true and I’m thrilled to be reading there.

The Highlander Hotel

I may not be doing guidebook research any more but I’m always on the lookout for great accommodations — and now they need to be pet-friendly. Voila — the Highlander Hotel Austin. The price was right, the amenities — including guest laundry — were great, and the location was ideal: in the up-and-coming Highland neighborhood, about eight minutes from BookWoman. The pictures of the cute pink sheep drew my interest, and this description was coup de gras (or is that coup de baaah?).

Legend has it there was a farmer in the Highlands of Scotland who bred an exotic strain of pink sheep. Thinking this would be a unique marketing tie-in for our hotel here in the Highland section of Austin, we imported several of them to deploy in our common areas. Though they were a source of great delight for our guests, sheep—especially kept indoors—are unruly. Pink ones especially. So we returned the sheep and replaced them with the highly authentic-looking replicas that you’ll see in and around the hotel. We encourage our guests to take pictures with the sheep and post them. #cheapmarketingploy #whattheflock #thehighlanderaustin

Kudos from one shameless marketer — and punner! —  to another. We are in the same flock, for sure.

The Book Store

The Chile Pepper Institute is part of New Mexico State University — which is also where I will be reading on June 16, at the campus’ Barnes & Noble (from 2-4pm). I am told that there will be a group of new students in the store for an orientation visit. I’m thinking both my cute dog and the word “naked” in the title of my book might prove appealing to them.

The Hotel

A check of pet-friendly hotels in Las Cruces led me to the Hotel Encanto. In my experience as a travel writer — which is what GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY is all about, I should probably mention — and as a dog writer, you get either character OR pet friendliness in most lodgings. The Hotel Encanto is that rare exception when you don’t have to sacrifice style for the pleasure of sharing a room with your furry pal.

More good news: The hotel has a branch of Garduños — one of my favorite New Mexican restaurants — in the lobby. Sorry, Madeleine, there are some things I’ll share, but not my carne adovada. Okay, okay, if there are leftovers (which I doubt), maybe a doggie bag is in your future….

The Bookworks Reading

I chose the stops on my book tour carefully. Arizona for Dummies was originally supposed to be The Complete Idiot’s Travel Guide to Arizona and New Mexico. How the Dummies took over the Idiots and how New Mexico was omitted from the book are both long stories; the former is in my book, the latter was one of the anecdotes that got cut. Suffice it to say that, even though I didn’t move there, I came to love New Mexico and, especially, its version of Mexican food.

And I’ve heard nothing but great things about Bookworks, both from friends who have visited as book lovers and authors who have read there. How could I not request a reading there?

The Local Pet Scene

Madeleine is a charmer and the star — in my eyes — of the Tucson dog scene, but there is no question who is top dog in Albuquerque — nay, in all of New Mexico. That would be Travelin’ Jack, the charming bulldog pictured at Bookworks at the top of this page. I interviewed Jill Lane, Jack’s campaign manager, amanuensis, and all around bone vivant for Animal Cafe back in 2011 (!). I am very excited that I will finally get to meet them — or at least Jill after all these years of virtual acquaintance.

And so it begins.

The first stop on our book tour is Prescott, the one-time territorial capital of Arizona. It’s got a bustling central square with lots of bars and restaurants; a row of antiques shops, many selling cowboy kitsch, which I love; loads of Victorian houses, of which I’m less enamored but which look charming on postcards; several fine small museums; and lots of distinctive hiking trails.

And it sits at more than 5,300 feet, making it hella cooler than Tucson, where the temps hover in the 100° F range at this time of year.

The Book Store: Peregrine Book Company

I wrote much more about Prescott and with far more precision in Arizona for Dummies, which I authored from scratch, and Fodor’s Arizona, which I edited and updated for many years. I’ll be reading the sections of GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY that deal with the writing and editing of those books, and also the story of how I got arrested in nearby Flagstaff (if you are actually reading this post, this phrase should have grabbed your attention).

Peregrine Book Company, where that reading will take place at 5pm on June 13, is the largest independent bookstore in Prescott. I just finished Further Out Than You Thought  by Michaela Carter, one of the bookstore’s owners, and was blown away by it. That makes getting a reading at Peregrine doubly exciting for me — whether or not she shows up.

The Barley Hound

A few of my favorite things in life along with good books: good food, craft beer, craft cocktails, and, of course, dogs. I was thrilled to discover a place in Prescott that combines all four — and, yes, I mean food for dogs too — and that gets rave reviews. Marrow burgers, duck fat fries, bread pudding…Madeleine and I will be going there after the reading to continue the conversation. With our mouths full.

As for that picture of the pup with the frisbee at the top of the page, two things:

• First, there is a small menu for dogs — steak and rice, chicken and rice — and the food is served on a frisbee with the Barley Hound logo which you get to take home.
• Second: Whenever people ask me if Madeleine has been in a fight because of her black eye, I say, “You should see the other guy.” That dog IS the other guy.

Not that I have a limited supply.

I am not in any way suggesting that securing your pet safely in a car isn’t an issue to be concerned about; here’s just one post of several on this blog that is dedicated to the topic. It’s just that, having come up with a perfectly good method of ensuring Madeleine’s safety, I decided to devote more time to the issue.

Frankie the Fearful

In my previous experience — based on a small sample of one — dogs and cars have not been a good match. Indeed, it was Frankie’s fear and loathing of riding in automobiles that hastened the demise of my full-time travel writing career; his diabetes was just the coup de gras.

Looking back, I am grateful. There’s a good chance I wouldn’t have written Am I Boring My Dog or created this blog had Frankie been a good traveler. I might have written articles about pet travel and…well, it’s useless to speculate.  I adored Frankie and it was he who brought me to the great community of pet lovers.

Madeleine Has Moxie

Madeleine is an entirely different animal. She is brave and scrappy and, if food is involved, pretty much fearless. I have seen her try to approach people with far larger dogs if she thinks they might give her a treat.

At first, however, I didn’t know if she would be a good traveler.

The day that I brought Madeleine home from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, I didn’t have a tether for her and she refused to stay in the back, repeatedly wriggling over the shifting gears to the front to sit in my lap. She continued to be anxious and strain against the harness I used to keep her secured behind me, whimpering and crying at the restraint.  Oh crap, I thought, this is a repeat of Frankie, just a different version.

But on the way back from our first wellness visit to a vet, Madeleine was eerily quiet. It wasn’t until I tried to pick up the bag of prescription dog food that I’d bought and stashed near her that I discovered why: Madeleine had eaten her way through the packaging. I still don’t know how much of the bag’s contents, which came pouring out, she’d consumed.

A combination of giving her treats while she was tethered and her increased sense of security with me had her riding contentedly — and securely — within a month or so.

Car Seat Stress

My Hyundai’s back seat is oddly configured so that it’s difficult to attach anything to a seat belt. I had to rig up something complicated to get the anchor secure. But I am renting a car for the book tour, one that I hope will have normal back seat belts. It thus occurred to me to get Madeleine a car seat.

Because I didn’t have enough to worry about.

I started doing research. The car seat that came out best in crash tests starts at $140.

Have I mentioned this book tour is going to cost me a lot of money because I have to pay for several hotels along the way? Maybe not. But I know I mentioned that Madeleine is now doing fine in the back seat with a harness and tether. I bought her a spiffy new crash-tested one from Kurgo. She’s modeling it in the picture at the top of this page.

So. This concludes the obsessing-over-buying-a-car-seat portion of the Author and Her Dog Book Tour. On to other things, like worrying about what I will wear for my readings. Because — just to reiterate — for the GETTING NAKED road trip, I will be dressed and Madeleine will be naked.

Book Tour Dates

Here’s the schedule of our appearances again, in case you missed it.

June

Tuesday, June 13: Prescott, Arizona, Peregrine Book Company, 5pm-6:30pm

Thursday, June 15: Albuquerque, New Mexico: BookWorks, 6pm

Friday, June 16: Las Cruces, New Mexico: Barnes & Noble UNM, 2-4pm

Tuesday June 20: Austin, Texas: BookWoman, 7-8:30pm

Thursday, June 22: San Antonio, Texas: The Twig, 5-7pm

July

Friday, July 7: St. Paul, Minnesota, Subtext Books, 7pm

Thursday, July 13, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 7pm

What does that have to do with a dog blog, you might ask?

Quite a bit, as it happens.

For one thing, as I explain here, the book itself is kind of a prequel to Am I Boring My Dog. 

For another, many people who were regular readers of this blog were inspired to support the memoir on Kickstarter and/or to buy it afterwards. Not a single one asked for her money back.

Most important, however, is that I am planning a book tour and bringing along the official spokesdog, Madeleine, who appeared in my Kickstarter promo video. It’s shameless, I know, taking along a cute dog to promote a book. But with a title like Getting Naked for Money, shameless is my middle name.

Also, I’m not taking her along only to promote my book. I’m taking her along because I adore her and — vixenish behavior notwithstanding — really enjoy having her with me. She likes to travel and she loves meeting new people because they have a tendency to give her treats.

Win-win.

Our schedule is as follows.

June

Tuesday, June 13: Prescott, Arizona, Peregrine Book Company, 5pm-6:30pm

Thursday, June 15: Albuquerque, New Mexico: BookWorks, 6pm

Friday, June 16: Las Cruces, New Mexico: Barnes & Noble UNM, 2-4pm

Tuesday June 20: Austin, Texas: BookWoman, 7-8:30pm

Thursday, June 22: San Antonio, Texas: The Twig, 5-7pm

July

Friday, July 7: St. Paul, Minnesota, Subtext Books, 7pm

Thursday, July 13, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 7pm

Time flies.

It’s been more than seven years since I started this blog to publicize AM  I BORING MY DOG? And 99 Other Things Every Dog Wishes You Knew. It was a reference for first-time dog owners that starred my first dog, a shy scruffy terrier-mix named Frankie. If this post has come to you via email, you know him well.

That book and this blog were the first introduction that many of you had to me and my writing. But BF — Before Frankie — I was a travel editor and writer. My new book, GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY: An Accidental Writer Reveals All  details those years.

A Few Frankie-Fan Reviews

Several people who came to know me through this blog and my earlier book took a chance on this new one–and posted reviews on Amazon.

From Carla T, who wrote a guest post for this blog:

I bought this book because of the author, and was wonderfully rewarded for it! I was thrilled to find that Edie Jarolim’s wit and humor, authoritative research, and engaging writing style translated from her last book (“Am I Boring My Dog”) to this one, even with very different subject matter of her own professional life: writing and editing on topics of regional and world travel as well as food around the globe.

As a firmly-planted home-body, and self-described plain eater, this book would not usually hit my radar—I’m so glad it did! The cheeky title—it is not just a tease and the lead is not buried—the imaginative turns of phrase that paint both interesting and comical experiences in rich detail, and the occasional words-of-wisdom, from someone who has clearly earned every bit of her wisdom, had me hooked instantly and kept me entertained to the very end. It offers quite a peek into the world view of a native New Yorker with an archeologist’s spirit and a wordsmith’s profession.

From Karen of AllDogBoots.com:

I admit, I’m not an avid reader but I’m definitely a dog person! So when I heard the author of one of my favorite dog books wrote another book, I figured what the heck, I’ll give this a go. It was incredible! I had no idea what occurs “behind the scenes” of the publishing/travel writing biz and i was surprised. I found myself giggling throughout the book and being a Jewish woman from NY, I really understood Edie’s witty humor. I even texted my mother in the middle of the night after reading to share some of the laughs. Some of her tale-telling was absolutely hilarious and the ironies will not be forgotten! I also admire Edie’s honesty, as gut wrenching as it was at times. But it was the perfect mix between the deep soulful feelings and fun that made this books such a smooth read. It wasn’t until halfway through the book that I thought what a great idea to grab my highlighter! Edie threw in little tidbits of “rules to live by” throughout the book and I found myself back peddling through pages to reread them.

I feel like I know Edie and am hopeful she will write a travel guide about upscale restaurants in Florida and take me with her!

Maybe you’d like to read it?

Naked Dogs, Naked People

This blog’s name is relevant to my new book. Will My Dog Hate Me is short for “Will My Dog Hate Me If I Dress Him?” one of the 99 other things every dog wishes you knew. The earliest posts here were devoted to dog dressing. I soon veered away from that but found I had my own feelings on that topic.

Frankie didn’t mind if I dressed him and he looked very cute in clothing.

My current pup, Madeleine? Not so much.

She’s good natured and probably wouldn’t mind if I chose to clothe her, but somehow I never feel like it; it’s not her style. Here’s my point: People have different takes on nudity, both when it comes to dogs and people. Some people would never dress their dogs. Some people would dress some dogs and not others. Some would never go to a nudist beach or resort; others feel right at home au naturel.

And some people would go to a nudist resort if you paid them, even though they are not nudists.

I fall into this last category. The title of my new book is based on the fact that, despite the fact that I am not a nudist, I went to a nudist resort — undercover and uncovered — on an assignment for More magazine.

Which category do you fall into? Are you one of the “Nevers”? The “Sures”? Or the “Under the Right Circumstances, Maybe”?

Entering the Book Contest

Which brings me to my contest. To enter, all you have to do is go over to this link, Contest: Would You Go on a Nudist Vacation,and comment. Subscribe to that blog and you’ll get an extra entry.

Good news: There are e-books available, so you don’t have to live in the U.S. to enter.

Added incentive to enter. The late, great Frankie puts in an appearance in the book — and not a cameo either. But you knew he was immortal, didn’t you?

So — go over there and enter, y’hear? That link again is Contest: Would You Go on a Nudist Vacation.