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WORK TITLE: The Dog Walker’s Diary
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Batavia
STATE: NY
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn05/batavia-author-publishes-first-novel-the-dog-walkers-diary-20171111
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2017148967 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017148967 |
| HEADING: | Donahue, Kathryn |
| 000 | 00908nz a2200193n 450 |
| 001 | 10606468 |
| 005 | 20171115073031.0 |
| 008 | 171114n| azannaabn |n aaa c |
| 010 | __ |a no2017148967 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca11064978 |
| 040 | __ |a UOr |b eng |e rda |c UOr |
| 100 | 1_ |a Donahue, Kathryn |
| 370 | __ |e Batavia (N.Y.) |2 naf |
| 372 | __ |a Fiction |a Essays |a Drama |2 lcsh |
| 374 | __ |a Novelists |a Essayists |a Dramatists |a Journalists |2 lcsh |
| 375 | __ |a females |2 lcdgt |
| 377 | __ |a eng |
| 670 | __ |a The dog walker’s diary, 2017: |b title page (Kathryn Donahue) |
| 670 | __ |a google.com, 14 November 2017: |b (Kathryn Donahue is a freelance writer and former canine advice columnist for The Deepwell Press. Her humor essays have been published in First Sunday, and she won the Spotlight Award for her one act play, The sty. She lives with her husband and welsh corgi in Batavia, New York. The dog walker’s diary is her first novel.) |
PERSONAL
Married.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Journalist. Deepwell Press, former canine advice columnist.
AWARDS:Spotlight Award, for The Sty (one-act play).
WRITINGS
Also, author of the one-act play, The Sty. Contributor of essays to publications, including First Sunday.
SIDELIGHTS
Kathryn Donahue is a journalist based in Batavia, NY. Previously, she worked for the Deepwell Press as a canine advice columnist. Donahue has written essays that have appeared in publications, including First Sunday. She is also the author of plays, including The Sty, a one-act work that won the Spotlight Award.
In 2017, Donahue released a novel called The Dog Walker’s Diary. The titular dog walker is Annie Doherty, a redheaded resident of Los Angeles. One of her clients is Daniel Ashe, a literary agent. Annie is able to understand the stories of dogs she meets and dictates them for Daniel. Daniel is charmed by Annie’s abilities and her bubbly personality, but he is reluctant to date a redhead after a past heartbreak. Eventually, he surrenders to his love for Annie. In an interview with Matt Krueger, contributor to the online version of the Daily News, a publication that serves counties in upstate New York. Donahue told Krueger that a conversation she had while socializing at a wedding inspired her to write the book. She stated: “I met a professional pet sitter, who told me that she liked to write as well. … I asked her what she was writing, and she said that she liked to leave her clients little stories about their dogs. And I knew right away when I got home that I was going to … write a book full of dog stories.”
A Publishers Weekly critic described The Dog Walker’s Diary as “a diverting delight.” The same critic added: “Donahue packs a ton of refreshing fun into this clever take on modern romance.” Robin Farrell Edmunds, reviewer in ForeWord, commented: “Kathryn Donahue’s The Dog Walker’s Diary is a smart and complex take on modern-day relationship dynamics.” Edmunds concluded: “Though unusually framed, The Dog Walker’s Diary captures and retains attention with its multilayered, modern themes and very likable protagonists.” Writing on the RT Book Reviews website, Susannah Balch offered suggestions for readers of the book. Balch commented: “The best advice is to stick with it as it all comes together and makes an interesting and well-written read with some hilarious moments and witty repertoire between the main characters.” “The book is divided into two vastly different sections, but if you hang in there for the journey, the ending is divine,” asserted a contributor to the That’s Normal website. A critic on the Romance Junkies website remarked: “To say this is an unusual novel is an understatement.” However, the critic noted that he or she was “enthralled with the form of writing used.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
ForeWord, September 27, 2017, Robin Farrell Edmunds, review of The Dog Walker’s Diary.
Publishers Weekly, September 11, 2017, review of The Dog Walker’s Diary, p. 49.
ONLINE
Daily News Online (upstate NY), http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/ (November 11, 2017), Matt Krueger, author interview and review of The Dog Walker’s Diary.
Romance Junkies, http://romancejunkies.com/ (April 23, 2018), review of The Dog Walker’s Diary.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (April 23, 2018), Susannah Balch, review of The Dog Walker’s Diary.
That’s Normal, https://thats-normal.com/ (November 7, 2017), review of The Dog Walker’s Diary.
Kathryn Donahue is a freelance writer and former canine advice columnist for The Deepwell Press. Her humor essays have been published inFirst Sunday, and she won The Spotlight Award for her one act play, The Sty. She lives with her husband and welsh corgi in Batavia, New York. The Dog Walker's Diary is her first novel.
QUOTED: "Kathryn Donahue's The Dog Walker's Diary is a smart and complex take on modern-day relationship dynamics."
"Though unusually framed, The Dog Walker's Diary captures and retains attention with its multilayered, modern themes and very likable protagonists."
The Dog Walker's Diary
Robin Farrell Edmunds
ForeWord.
(Sept. 27, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 ForeWord http://www.forewordmagazine.com
Full Text:
Kathryn Donahue; THE DOG WALKER'S DIARY; North Star Editions (Fiction: Romance) 14.99 ISBN: 9781635839029
Byline: Robin Farrell Edmunds
Fanciful stories within the story are enjoyable all on their own.
Kathryn Donahue's The Dog Walker's Diary is a smart and complex take on modern-day relationship dynamics that utilizes a story-within-a-story framework.
When busy Los Angeles literary agent Daniel hires Annie Doherty to walk his dogs, it's the start of a lively connection. It's also a much-needed distraction for him in the midst of his midlife issues.
Daniel, still single at forty-two, believes he's finally discovered the next big author -- a talented and sullen millennial, Oliver. He also thinks he's landed the woman of his dreams: Victoria, a lawyer who is the ideal California woman. When she asks Daniel if he'd like to have dinner at her place, he is surprised: "You cook?" "No," she says, "but I'm very good at ordering in."
Annie is a fascinating character -- a fresh-faced, uncomplicated Irish lass, though her motives come to be questioned. She weaves fabulous tales around the true lives of Daniel's dogs, Eddie and Sparks, intriguing Daniel with their adventures, which may or may not contain clues about Annie and Daniel's own growing relationship. These fanciful stories within the story are enjoyable all on their own.
At first, Daniel and Annie connect solely through the notebook in which she writes those stories. Their back-and-forth written conversations are layered and revealing. The pace of this
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correspondence between the couple is laconic and easygoing, and the stories themselves are far removed from Daniel's stressful day to day.
Writing elsewhere is brisk, intelligent, and poignant, with realistic and droll dialogue. Annie speaks with an authentic Irish lilt. Characters are made believable with a narrative peppering of insightful personal details.
When the real world dramatically intercedes in Annie and Daniel's burgeoning relationship about three-fourths of the way in, it is jarring and disconcerting. The tone of the book turns suspenseful, and the realism becomes uncomfortable when Daniel's life is turned completely upside down in the worst way imaginable.
Though unusually framed, The Dog Walker's Diary captures and retains attention with its multilayered, modern themes and very likable protagonists.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Edmunds, Robin Farrell. "The Dog Walker's Diary." ForeWord, 27 Sept. 2017. Book Review
Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A507691835/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=b0d2d2c7. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A507691835
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QUOTED: "a diverting delight."
"Donahue packs a ton of refreshing fun into this clever take on modern romance."
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
The Dog Walker's Diary
Publishers Weekly.
264.37 (Sept. 11, 2017): p49. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Dog Walker's Diary
Kathryn Donahue. North Star Editions, $14.99 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-63583-902-9
Donahue's debut is a diverting delight from beginning to end. Combining the best of two worlds, it blends little amuse-bouche fantastical tales of lion tamers and buccaneers--as told by dogs-- with sweet contemporary human romance. Irish redhead Annie Doherty is not so much a dog whisperer as a dog listener. When she takes the job of walking L.A. literary agent Daniel Ashe's dogs, she starts leaving him daily dictations of the stories that the precocious canines tell her about their other lives as circus performers or sea captains. By all tights Ashe should be falling in love with the sprightly Annie, but he was frightened by a redhead when he was a child, so now he's a confirmed gingerphobe; he pursues a tall, blond ice queen while awaiting his big professional break. By the time he realizes that he does indeed love Annie, the plot takes a surprising turn and a wicked mystery ensues. Donahue packs a ton of refreshing fun into this clever take on modern romance. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Dog Walker's Diary." Publishers Weekly, 11 Sept. 2017, p. 49. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A505634906/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=ffc93075. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A505634906
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QUOTED: "I met a professional pet sitter, who told me that she liked to write as well. ... I asked her what she was writing, and she said that she liked to leave her clients little stories about their dogs. And I knew right away when I got home that I was going to ... write a book full of dog stories."
Batavia author publishes first novel, ‘The Dog Walker’s Diary’
By MATT KRUEGER
MKRUEGER@BATAVIANEWS.COM
PUBLISHED: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017 AT 5:15 AM
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MARK GUTMAN/DAILY NEWS
Kathryn Donahue shows off her first novel, “The Dog Walker’s Diary,” which was released Nov. 7. She will participate in a pair of book signings at the end of the month in Batavia.
BATAVIA — Kathryn Donahue found the cure for her writer’s block in a most unusual place ... a destination wedding in Greece.
For years, she had been struggling with her story about a young woman, but the plot just wasn’t moving. Then a chance encounter with a fellow wedding guest provided the muse she desperately needed.
“I met a professional pet sitter, who told me that she liked to write as well,” said Donahue, a lifelong Batavia resident. “I asked her what she was writing, and she said that she liked to leave her clients little stories about their dogs. And I knew right away when I got home that I was going to put aside the book that I was writing and try to write a book full of dog stories.”
That was the genesis of “The Dog Walker’s Diary,” Donahue’s debut novel that was released Tuesday by North Star Editions.
The story follows Annie Doherty, an Irish dog walker, who gets hired by literary agent Daniel Ashe. Every day she leaves the house, she leaves a handwritten tale about the fantastical adventures of Ashe’s dogs with him as the hero. Naturally, a relationship ensues.
The love story between Annie and Daniel was the needed device to tie Donahue’s dog stories together. She also lifted Annie from the other story she had been writing, changing her from American to Irish, and giving her fiery red hair, a trait that runs in Donahue’s family.
“My husband is always joking that redhead’s have supernatural powers,’ said Donahue, who got her red hair from her mother. “We play a lot of cribbage, and I win a lot, so he thinks the outside universe is helping me.”
Annie, who was based in part on Donahue’s roommate at Nazareth College, is actually the focus of a planned trilogy. After finishing ‘The Dog Walker’s Diary,” Donahue revisited her original story and reworked it into a prequel. She is currently working on getting it published and has plans for a third book, which she recently began writing.
A medical speech pathologist by trade, Donahue spent more than five year’s working on ‘The Dog Walker’s Diary.” With little free time, she wrote bits and pieces when she could. After dropping down to part-time, she found the extra hours to seriously devote to her writing. And they’re usually early in the morning.
Donahue is a admitted insomniac, as is Daniel, and uses those times in the middle of the night to write.
“I have a very sweet setup,” she said. “There’s a conservatory at the back of my house. There are 2 acres of woods. Of course, I’m in the dark when I start out, which is good, because I tend to get distracted by the birds. I usually do the bulk of my writing when it’s still dark and most of my editing when the light comes out.”
Donahue will discuss and sign copies of her book during an author visit from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, Seymour Place, 201 East Main St. She will also participate in the Local Author Book Fair Nov. 30 at Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St.
“The Dog Walker’s Diary” is available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
QUOTED: "The best advice is to stick with it as it all comes together and makes an interesting and well-written read with some hilarious moments and witty repertoire between the main characters."
Image of The Dog Walker's Diary
RT Rating:
Genre:
Romance, Contemporary Romance, General Contemporary Romance
Sensuality:
Mild
Published:
November 7 2017
Publisher:
North Star Editions
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5 GOLD: Phenomenal. In a class by itself.
4 1/2: TOP PICK. Fantastic. A keeper.
4: Compelling. A page-turner.
3: Enjoyable. A pleasant read.
2: Problematic. May struggle to finish.
1: Severely Flawed. Pass on this one.
THE DOG WALKER’S DIARY
Author(s):
Kathryn Donahue
Donahue’s The Dog Walker’s Diary just might be one of the most remarkably unique contemporary romances this year. The story may be a bit confusing at the beginning as it moves steadily between the hero’s narration, a combination of diary, letter and email entries, and interjected fantasy stories about the hero’s dogs. The best advice is to stick with it as it all comes together and makes an interesting and well-written read with some hilarious moments and witty repertoire between the main characters. There is a mystery element in the story that shakes it up a bit and adds another layer and twist and makes the ending rather unpredictable. Donahue’s story proves that romance is not all rainbows and butterflies, but that sometimes there are major bumps in the road on the way to happy-ever-after. This is a book that will leave an impression on readers.
Los Angeles literary agent Daniel Ashe has just hired dog walker Annie Doherty to tend to his beloved dogs. Daniel finds out pretty quickly that there is more to his new red-headed Irish employee than meets the eye. What he finds out is that Annie is a writer and that she writes fantastical stories about Daniel’s dogs. Will Annie and her stories be just the thing to get his life and career back on track, or will his meeting Annie derail his life in ways that he could never imagine? (NORTH STAR, Nov., 360 pp., $14.99)
Reviewed by:
Susannah Balch
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Related Books
QUOTED: "The book is divided into two vastly different sections, but if you hang in there for the journey, the ending is divine."
#TNReads: Real Quick Reviews for Lazy Readers featuring new releases by Kathryn Donahue and Lauren Layne
in Book Reviews on 11/07/17 by Team Normal 0 Comments
Another Tuesday, another new release book day! This time on TNReads we have some real quick reviews for some brand new releases coming your way today!
TN Reads is our regular, real-quick review rundown, where we give you the what for on the latest books we’ve read, so you don’t waste your time searching review sites. You want to get to the reading part, so we get you there faster.
Here goes.
The Dog Walker’s Diary
Written by: Kathryn Donahue
Released on: 11/7/17
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
Reviewed by: Leanne*
Rating: 4 dashing dachshunds
Recommended for: Dog lovers, writers, gingers, ginger lovers
Daniel Ashe is an LA literary agent with a strange fear. Annie Doherty is a lively Irish red-head with an unusual past. He just needed a dog walker and what she needs is a bit more complicated.
Kathryn Donahue’s first novel is original if not a little schizophrenic. It begins with a meet cute, meanders through fanciful dog tales and eventually leads to legal drama. The canine adventures that Annie writes for Daniel are at first cute, then a little distracting, they are however, relevant. Whimsical at times, flirtatious and occasionally tragic, The Dog Walker’s Diary has a lot going on. The book is divided into two vastly different sections, but if you hang in there for the journey, the ending is divine. Buy it today.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
QUOTED: "To say this is an unusual novel is an understatement."
"enthralled with the form of writing used."
The Dog Walker's Diary
The Dog Walkers Diary
Author Kathryn Donahue
Release Date November 7, 2017
Publisher North Star Editions
ISBN/ASIN 9781635839029
Our Rating
Reviewed by Diana S
Buy the Book
Our Review
Daniel Ashe is an overworked and jaded literary agent who hires Annie Doherty, an Irish dog walker, to take care of his two dogs. His career isn’t going so well, so he needs to spend more time away from home trying to find his dream client.
Annie writes a diary every day about Daniel’s dogs and their secret lives. Not expecting this, Daniel becomes engrossed in the stories and looks forward to them every day. Daniel doesn’t believe in love, and is surprised to find he is a romantic hero in the diary.
I have never read a novel quite like this before. Part of it is told from the dog’s point of view and part from the view of Annie and Daniel. There are a lot of different tales and characters to keep up with. To say this is an unusual novel is an understatement, but after I got into it, I was enthralled with the form of writing used.
This is Kathryn Donahue’s first novel and it will be interesting to see what she comes up with next. I recommend you give THE DOG WALKER’S DIARY a try and see where it takes you.