Here at Parnassus, the Shop Dogs operate as a pack. The new dog comes in and we’re there to show him the ropes. I tell them Rae Ann is always good for a biscuit first thing in the morning. Even though her biscuits are ridiculously small, they’ll tide a dog over until Pete or Sissy show up with the good stuff. You can sleep in the back room all you want but when a customer comes in to pet a Shop Dog, you get on your paws and go out there. Studies show that people who pet dogs are more likely to buy books, and selling books means money for biscuits. That’s how the world works.
Barnabus came here as a puppy, a little guy. You could almost say he was born a Shop Dog. I’d known Lindsay Lynch through many dogless years and I was happy for her, for both of them, when they found each other. I also knew where this whole thing was headed. Lindsay’s a writer, same as my Ann, which meant that Barnabus was going to be a writer’s dog. That’s two big things Barnabus and I have in common: We’re Shop Dogs, but we’re also writers’ dogs. I’m not complaining, but I’m telling you, it’s a lot of responsibility.
So now that Lindsay’s first novel, Do Tell, is coming out from Doubleday on July 11th, I thought it was time for Barnabus and me to sit down and talk about our work.
— Sparky VanDevender, Parnassus Books assistant owner and Ann Patchett’s muse
Sparky: So is it true that you weren’t there for Lindsay during the actual writing of Do Tell?
Barnabus: I was there for the revisions.
Sparky: But not the actual writing.
Barnabus: I hadn’t been born yet when she started this novel. It’s no one’s fault. I will say, the revision process was no small thing. It’s a lot to take on as a puppy.
Sparky: So what did you see as your role in the revisions?
Barnabus: At first it was cheering her up, you know, standard puppy stuff, being adorable and distracting even when you don’t feel like it. Nobody wants to do revisions. Everybody wants to believe they’re going to type the words “The End” and the whole thing will magically be finished. But Lindsay got notes back from her agent and then her editor. She might have slipped into a funk but I was right there saying, “Throw me the ball! Throw me the ball!” I would distract her just enough that the pages felt fresh again once we went back to them. Then she was able to solve whatever problem she’d gotten stuck on.
Sparky: That’s a pro move. Very impressive for a puppy. Anything else?
Barnabus: I’d nag her for treats. I was always trying to get her up and moving.
Sparky: Did you bark?
Barnabus: Sure. If you bark long enough you can knock them out of a rut. Lindsay thinks too much, if you ask me. She wants every character to be compelling. She expects her sentences to be lyrical, grammatical, the whole shebang. The kid puts too much pressure on herself.
Sparky: When Ann gets to a point where I can see she’s concentrating too hard I tell her I need to go to the bathroom.
Barnabus: What’s your method?
Sparky: First, I sit up like a squirrel, which takes some serious core muscles. If she pretends not to notice, I throw in a quiet whine with a slightly panicked look on my face. It’s the panicked look that gets her. No matter what she’s writing, she’ll stop and take me out.
Barnabus: Walking a novelist is more complicated than dogs like to think.
Sparky: Tell us about walking Lindsay.
Barnabus: You know she’s my person and I love her, but her understanding of the walk is remedial at best. She thinks it’s about exercise.
Sparky: So many of them make that mistake.
Barnabus: I’m detail oriented. The way I see it, the walk is about reflection. It’s about observation. She could find enough information for a second novel in a single bush if she just took the time to slow down and sniff. Do Tell is about a gossip columnist, and what is a bush except gossip?
Sparky: Exactly. Sometimes I wish I could leave Ann at home, go for a walk without her.
Barnabus: I know, but we have to get them outside. That’s our job.
Sparky: So let’s talk about after the walk. Once you’ve distracted Lindsay, how do you get her to settle down again?
Barnabus: I sleep on her feet.
Sparky: That’s old school! Does it still work?
Barnabus: She’s very sentimental about me when I’m sleeping. Plus I’m warm. I can pin her feet under her desk and she’s not going anywhere. After I tell her she has to go out, I tell her she can’t go anywhere. Emotional manipulation is a big part of our job. Lindsay’s a Taurus and I’m a Capricorn. We’re earth signs. We like being home. The consistent environment is good for work.
Sparky: So are you doing publicity now?
Barnabus: I am. The Laydown Diaries has shown me the importance of a dog in social media. I have to say, you’ve been a real leader in that field.
Sparky: Thank you.
Barnabus: She was doing a video for Doubleday recently and I could see she was flailing a little bit, losing her audience, so I jumped in her lap.
Sparky: Then everyone watching is suddenly really watching.
Barnabus: That’s right. They’re all saying, cute dog! cute dog! Then I fall asleep, which is just next level.
Sparky: So will you be touring together?
Barnabus: It’s not how I want to use my vacation days. I’ll be staying with Aly and coming into the store same as usual. Lindsay will be fine, and she’ll be on tour with Ann for part of the time.
Sparky: Two human novelists out on the road without their dogs.
Barnabus: (laughing) Good luck with that!
Sparky: Where do you want to vacation this year?
Barnabus: I’m thinking about Coney Island, or maybe Dollywood. One of those places where people eat so many hotdogs they just start dropping them on the ground.
Sparky: Sounds like paradise.
Barnabus: Maybe we could go together.
Do Tell will be released on July 11. Pre-order a signed/personalized copy now!
See Lindsay on tour!
July 11 in Nashville, TN: Launch party for Do Tell at Parnassus Books, in conversation with Ann Patchett! In store, 6:30 PM. (This event is FULL but you can sign up for the waitlist!)
July 12 in Washington, DC: Do Tell at Politics and Prose, in conversation with Lily Meyer. In store, 7:00 PM.
July 13 in Brooklyn, NY: Do Tell at Books Are Magic, in conversation with Anthony Marra. In store, 7:00 PM.
July 19 in Chattanooga, TN: Do Tell at The Book & Cover, in conversation with Blaes Green. In store, 7:00 PM.
August 17 in Atlanta, GA: In conversation with Ann Patchett for Tom Lake & Do Tell, hosted by A Cappella Books. The Carter Center, 7:00 PM.
August 18 in Memphis, TN: In conversation with Ann Patchett for Tom Lake & Do Tell at novel. In store, ticketed, 6:00 PM.
August 19 in Jackson, MS: Mississippi Book Festival, in conversation with Ann Patchett for Tom Lake & Do Tell.
August 20 in Oxford, MS: In conversation with Ann Patchett for Tom Lake & Do Tell at Square Books. In store, 4:00 PM.
Musing 