Interview with Rajah - He's the cutest dog = )

Welcome Rajah we are so delighted to have you visit the Printed Words blog today. Please come on in, pull up a comfortable rug, pillow or couch and settle in.

Rajah: Thank you for inviting me. I am delighted to be here.

I assume your name has a special meaning. What does Rajah mean ?

Rajah: Rajah means Prince. But my full name is Rajah LeBeau. It means The Beautiful Prince. Mommy always tells me how beautiful I am. But when mommy calls me and says "Rajah LeBeau Penick Phillips-Cermak," I come running as fast as I can.

Where did Mom (Mosetta M. Penick Phillips-Cermak) get you from?

Rajah: Mommy adopted me from the Cleveland Animal Protective League.
I was very young. I was one of six in a litter.
One day I actually met one of my litter-mates. His mommy took him to the dog park, and my mommy took me to the dog park, and we met. It was a wonderful surprise.

Do you help her write – are you sort of like her muse?

Rajah: Mommy says that I make her laugh with delight. She says that it is wonderful to watch me explore the world. So, she writes about the things that I do, and she hopes that it will help her students, and the other kids that read her books, learn a life lesson.

What kind of Dog are you?

Rajah: I am a Black Lab. I also have a touch of Blue Tick Hound, too, I think.

Tell us a bit about this book. Where did the inspiration come from?

Rajah: This story is about facing your fear and making friends with someone who frightens you. It is sort of like the bullies some children have to deal with in school.
Mommy got the idea one summer when two Blue Jays built a nest in one of our trees. They began to dive bomb me, and drop sticks and pinecones on me every time I would go outside. I didn't even want to go outside to go potty. But Mommy told me how brave I was. And, I was able to be brave.
Mommy always says that she wrote the story for one of her favorite second grade classes. But, this story can help anyone be brave.

What is a typical day of writing like for you?

Rajah: Mommy gets up at 4:45 a.m. every morning. We all go downstairs and go outside. Then, when we come back in, we have a wonderful breakfast. After breakfast, we go to the computer room.
If mommy doesn't have to teach children during the day, or adults at night, she writes until 2:30 in the afternoon. Then she takes a break and plays with us. Sometimes she throws the ball, or she takes us to McDonald's for a hamburger and fries. At 6:00 p.m. we come back upstairs and write until bedtime.

What do have coming up next?

Rajah: We are under contract for five (5) more books in this series.
Then, there is a middle-grade chapter book, that mommy calls a scientific fiction, and a young adult novel, also. She just completed a new children's book for little people. She will put it away for a month before she starts her rewrites.

Will you, Rajah, be a part of the next book?

Rajah: In the next book, I save the day. In fact, I think that is the title. There is Rajah saves the Day, Rajah Adopts a Brother, Rajah and Prince, Rajah and the Teensy, Tiny Kitten, and Rajah's Birthday Party. Of course mommy said that the title could change.

Is there anything you would especially like to tell our readers?

Rajah: Mommy is doing book signings.
She will be at Joseph-Beth Bookseller at Legacy Village
24519 Cedar Road, in Lyndhurst, Ohio, on Thursday, July 9, 2009 from 7-9 P.M.

On Saturday, July 18, 2009, she will be signing books at a Lunch with the Author event.
This will be held at Nela's Restaurant, 3553 West 117th Street in Cleveland, Ohio from 1:00 to 3:30 P.M. The APL will be there with their Adoption van. I hope lots and lots of people will come out and have lunch with my mommy. There will be good food and door prizes.

Mommy is donating $1.00 of the sale of each of my books to the Cleveland APL.
That is about 25% of her royalties!
We are trying to sponsor a cage for a dog or puppy at the APL. If we sponsor a cage, we guarantee that the puppy or dog will be able to live in the cage until they are adopted, for up to a full year.

Where can we reach you, send you an email? Where can we order your book?

Rajah: You can order my book at www.publishersgraphicsbookstore.com/Rajah-and-the-Big-Blue-Ball-by-Mosetta-Penick-Phillips-Cermak-40sw41_p_386.html, or on
http://www.google.com, as well as at http://www.alibris.com. You can also order on Barnes & Noble (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Rajah-and-the-Big-Blue-Ball/Mosetta-M-Penick-Phillips-Cermak/e/9780981777740 ), although they show the book as out of print. You may have to ask for it.
Mommy says that she cannot put her book on Amazon.com because they want a 55% discount, and that would stop her from giving money to the Cleveland APL, without the price of the book going up. Mommy insisted that the price of my book stay under twenty dollars.
I am on Facebook. I would love for your readers to become my fans. You can reach me on facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cleveland-OH/Rajah/189451395362?ref=ts .
I am also on twitter at www.twitter.com/RajahLeBeau .
My email address is rajahlebeau@yahoo.com . But, it is easier to reach me on Facebook.
Sometimes I forget to check my email.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Will you and your Mom be able to come back to answer questions during the day for those who would like to add comments to your interview?
Rajah: I would love to come back and answer questions. Thank you for asking.