Interview With Children's Book Author Margot Bennett

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? I chose to write the story about the therapy dog I worked with for 10 years because he made such an impact on so many in the community. I wanted to share how many ways a therapy dog can help and thought telling it from the view point of the dog would make it so much fun for kids to read. At the same time I published his book, I finished raising my 8th service dog and looked back at the various dogs I had been a part of forming-therapy dog, service dog and guide dog. So, I decided to make it a series! Soon after I raised a service dog that graduated as a Facility Dog so that became book #4 and then I looked at our own rescue dog, Aspen, and realized she had been there not only for Brisco's journey, but also for SEVEN service dogs that came through our family and thought, wow, she deserves her own story too. 

 

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? My books are chapter books written for children ages 5-12 but they are so informative and engaging that I really think adults would enjoy them and learn as well. They tell the stories from the very beginning of the puppy's journey with me at 8 weeks of age, their time with me learning and being socialized for 18 months, professional training and then ultimately to their perfect match with a partner. 

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? They will understand the entire process of how a dog who helps finds their way to what they are meant to be. In addition, there are photos from their time with me throughout the books, interactive questions and educational back matter about the schools where they are trained, the differences between the various types of service dogs and more.

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? Once I decided on the title for Brisco to be Brisco, Life as a Therapy Dog, the others just fell into place! All the covers include the actual dog in the story and follow the same design.

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Take your time and enjoy the journey! Writing isz a creative process that should be embraced and developed over time. Make friends with other authors where you can share work and help each other. 

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I am disappointed at the way AI is intervening with both authors and illustrators and how challenging it can be for readers to learn the differences. I feel that is very important to understand. I do think alot of authors are taking on the roles of both self publishing and marketing but it is a challenge and they need help.  

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Yes, my first grade teacher told me years ago that there is no such word as "can't" and I will always remember that. You CAN do anything. Also my background is in finance which helps immensely with the spreadsheets I need to keep track of everything!

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I feel my writing style is traditional with a repetitive structure. It's similar to some of W. Bruce Cameron's books about dogs because of the animals helping humans concept. 

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Editing, editing and editing. Many, many redo's! That was just the actual writing part. Alot of cutting and rearranging as well once the book was set up in publishing format. 

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? My goal is to share about how dogs can help and I am a huge proponent for service dogs and their partners. When a reader chooses one of my books, they will understand their love, heart and passion that is poured into EVERY service dog working out there and there can be more respect and understanding of the importance of the dogs role. If children can begin to learn this at an early age, maybe their generation will grow up to be the ones who don't take fake service dogs out in public. 

 

About The Author: Tails of Dogs Who Help is a children's book series that tells the stories of the various service dogs Margot Bennett has worked with over the years. Her purpose in writing these stories is to share all the ways that dogs can help. Children will learn through the eyes of real dogs what it takes to become a service animal. Margot has five books in her children's book series Tails Of Dogs Who Help:  Brisco, Life as a Therapy Dog; Ely, Life as a Service Dog Puppy; Rocky, Life as a Guide Dog Puppy; Barley, Life as a Facility Dog Puppy; and Aspen, Life After Rescue. Tails of Puppies Who Help will be released in 2026 as her first picture book! For more information, please see: https://dogswhohelp.com/.   

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 6,400,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum