Interview with Samsun and Luna, proud owners of editor & publicist Carol Upton

Say hello to my guests, Samsun and Luna!

Samsun is a 16-year-old Russian Blue, who still catches mice, enjoys fresh catnip and roams his territory at will.

Luna is an 11-year-old Akita-Husky-Lab cross, who is alpha female at the doggie park and enjoys guarding her yard.

They share their home with writer-editor, publicist, and dream-chaser Carol Upton. Carol keeps pretty busy (oo busy to take care of her pets, I'm guessing!) and her work has appeared in numerous publications, both print and online. She helps authors and healing artists link their dreams to the world through Dreams Aloud Promotions. When not in front of the computer, she can be found playing with horses, cuddling Samsun-cat, or following Luna-dog down the beach.

No more blah blah blah... Tell us, Samsun and Luna, how did you come to live with Carol?

Samsun: I was a wee feral kitten and something happened to my mom and brothers and sisters. It was almost Christmas and very cold outside. Somehow, I broke one of my hind legs. One of Carol's other cats (Auntie Mouser) showed me the spot to hide under the house. When I got hungry I started to cry. Auntie Mouser told Carol and Kerri about me and that's when I was found.

Luna: Carol's friend owned my mom, Koko, and I was born, along with my sisters. Carol came over to visit one day and there I was, all warm and sleepy from lying by the wood stove. Carol picked me up to hold me and it was love at first sight. She visited me a few more times and after a couple of weeks, I came to live in a nice backyard with lots of spots to dig, toys to chew and a doghouse built especially for me.


Is Carol easy to live with? What type of mommy is she?

Samsun: My mom cuddles me and tells me how beautiful I am all the time. Sometimes, when she is working on her computer, I bug her to play with me and she shoos me away. I know I'll get to play another time, but it's the most fun to scratch her legs when she is trying to work! My favorite time of day is bedtime, when Carol reads books in bed and I get a nice warm spot next to her on the duvet.

Luna: My parents both take me for nice long walks every single day. It is most often Carol who takes me, since she works from home. She works in the mornings and takes me out to the beach, the woods or the doggie park for runs in the afternoons. I like the doggie park best because I have a lot of friends there and that's the place where Carol takes out the ball to throw for me! My favorite time of day is walk time, but I also like the evenings, when Carol is working, the fire is on and I can lie on my back in my bed with my toes in the air.

I hear Carol is a publicist who specializes in authors who have written animal-related books. I didn't even know publicists like this existed! How did she come up with the idea?

Samsun and Luna: Our mom used to be away from the house all day, working at other jobs while writing and teaching writing in the evenings. She said lots of people were asking her how to sell their books once they were published. She decided to take some marketing courses and start offering the service part-time. She said she put up a thing called a website and suddenly lots of authors were coming who needed help. Now she helps animal-related authors all over North America and works from home all the time, which is the part we like the best!

Sounds neat! So what does she offer authors? Tell us all about it!

Samsun and Luna: Carol works only with animal-related authors now. She will visit (either on the phone or in person) with the author once their book is published and she will write up a marketing plan for them. Then, she sends out news announcements about the book all over the world. She reviews the book and gets the review published in print and online everywhere you can imagine. If the author has written articles, she can get those published. She belongs to journalist request groups and will find radio, newspaper and blog interviews for the author, so that lots of people can hear about the book. When the author has a book-signing or a workshop coming up, Carol will spread the news far and wide. She also does something called Social Networking and Blogging on behalf of the author, if they don't have time to do it themselves.

Wow, that sounds like something my mom would be interested in. Does Carol have a newsletter or something?

Samsun and Luna: Not yet, but people can go to her website and find out more by clicking on 'Services'. They are also welcome to email her from the site and ask questions. Their initial consultation does not cost them anything and then they can figure out what to do next.

What else would you like to say about Carol?

Samsun and Luna: Carol is studying animal communication, so she takes time every day to ask us how we are feeling and what we would like to do that day. Not all humans stop their busy lives long enough to do that, so when she talks to us, we make the most of it by having lots to say! We also get combed and brushed when we need it, treats most of the time when we ask, and daily playtimes. Carol likes wild animals, too, so we have learned to respect the deer, bear, squirrels and racoons that pass through our yard in the early morning. Carol says she is thinking about rescuing another dog and we are having discussions about that right now. We really like having her all to ourselves, but we also know we have a great life and think maybe we could share our cozy home with the right someone else!

Another dog? Hmmm... I wouldn't mind a new little brother to boss around...