Pump Up Your Book Chats with Pet Memoir Author Charles Franklin Emery III

Charles Franklin Emery will be right in this very spot live on Tuesday, Jan. 19 from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m., answering any questions you may have about his book. Leave a question or comment (along with your email address) between now and 11 p.m. on Jan. 19 and you may win a free copy of his pet memoir, A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story (Bunkiedog Press).  One lucky winner will be announced on Jan. 20.  Thank you and good luck!

Charles Franklin Emery III was born in Los Angeles, California in 1956. He joined the US Navy Submarine force in 1977 and spent the following six years on Fast Attack and Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines as a Sonar Technician and Sonar Supervisor. He forged a career in commercial Nuclear Power and is now a Consulting Engineer to various electric utilities. He is an avid fisherman and hunter, enjoys working on his 1964 Plymouth Savoy and collecting colonial American coins. Drag Racing is also a passion and his 1964 Plymouth Savoy Nostalgia Super Stocker provides the needed outlet. He now resides with a Boston Terrier horde and his wife Sherry in Port Saint Lucie, Florida.

Charles’ early influences are Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes mysteries). Sprinkle in a liberal dose of Sports Afield, Popular Hot Rodding and Saltwater Fisherman magazines and that about wraps it up.

Charles always had an interest in dogs, as his father and he were avid hunters and nature lovers. Charles spent a large amount of his youth hunting and fishing the Coachella Valley in the Southern California desert. There he chased quail, dove and rabbits and fished the Salton Sea for Corvina, Sargo and Croakers.

Charles developed a love for muscle cars. He grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs in Bellflower surrounded by the raucous exhaust tones of the high horsepower years that defined the muscle car era. He is passionate about Mopars and thus his present ownership and obsession with his 1964 Plymouth Savoy.

Charles is also a mentor to various nuclear industry entities and enjoys teaching the next generation electrical power theory and relay testing techniques and regimen.

Charles owns and operates his own publishing imprint, Bunkiedog Press. The website address for Bunkiedog Press is http://www.bunkiedog.com.

Bunkiedog Press has published “Dad, Dog and Fish” & “A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story” and “A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story” – Second Edition”. He is currently working on the memoirs “Moondoggie and the Boston Terrier Horde”, “Gearhead” and “Bubblehead”.

Thank you for this interview, Charles.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?

Nope. I always intended to write but never knew it would take the form of a pet memoir. The Bunkie Story is my first published piece by my imprint Bunkiedog Press.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

I am not traditionally published; I publish using my own Bunkiedog Press imprint.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life?  Do you have support?

I’m married. My wife fully supports my writing habit.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

I fish and work on my 1964 Plymouth Savoy. I vacation here at home, it is Florida after all. The variety of fishing and the year round car cruise scene here lend itself well to my hobbies. I also coin collect early American colonial pieces.

A Man and His Maniac: The Bunkie Story by Charles Franklin Emery III (click on cover to purchase at Amazon)

If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?

Right here, because that’s where my wife, home and dogs are.

Who is your biggest fan?

My Boston Terrier, Moondoggie.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

In the garage where I work.

What’s your favorite library and why?

9241 Rosser Street, Bellflower CA. It’s not there anymore, it’s where I grew up at and was my Mom’s library. She had over 3000 books and I was free to read whatever I wanted. It was slanted heavily towards mystery and sci-fi.

What’s your favorite bookstore and why?

Barnes and Noble, they are the only local bookstore to me that has a wide selection.

Do you have any pets?

Funny you should ask. We have three Boston Terriers and a shaggy haired alien.

What are you reading right now?

Relay test manuals, fun huh?

Tell us a secret no one else knows.

Dogs are really alien life forms.

What’s the first thing you notice when you meet someone?

Their eyes.

Have you ever won anything?

Racing events, no literary honors. Yet.

What’s on your to do list today?

Start the “Moondoggie and the Boston Terrier Horde” book. This is gonna be fun.

I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in January via a virtual book tour.  Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?

I’ve done some research and as far as I’ve been able to discern, it seems to be the best way to get my work in front of the people in the manner that I want my work to be seen. In short, I guess the word I’m looking for is integrity.

Thank you for this interview, Charles. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

Thanks, been fun. Now I’ve got the Boston Horde to feed, so I’ll be off.

If you would like to visit Charles’ official tour page, click here.