About the Author:

Doug worked for four different airlines starting with Braniff in Dallas, Texas. He began writing The Adventures of Blondie Magoo and Puddles Pinkerton while commuting between Seattle and Minneapolis for Northwest Airlines. The characters evolved from bedtime stories told to his daughter Whitnie with inspiration also provided by Bucky the Great Dane that Whitnie grew up with. Story ideas also came from his experiences at The Bates Bar J Ranch in Alberta Canada, living in Woodinville, Washington, the Twin Cities and Duluth in Minnesota. Doug says, "This story was always with me.Sometimes it sat for long periods of time waiting for me, but we never forgot each other." Doug now resides in Keller, Texas.

Doug dedicated his book about Blondie and Puddles to his family, saying, "From the moment we were first married my wife Marie said that someday she wanted a Great Dane. Bucky, my inspiration for Noble was born in Irving, Texas and grew up in Woodinville, Washington. A little girl named Whitnie always wanted a big brother. She just didn´t know it was going to be a Great Dane. He was her gentle giant and constant companion. The three of them were my inspiration for this story and the source of many adventures!"

Letter From Hodge Elementary School Principal, Denton, Texas:

"Doug, Can´t express how much we appreciate your visit and talk. You would be thrilled to see ALL of our 5th graders toting around your book with pride at school. Our teachers are providing students with the opportunity to respond to the text with a variety of responses. We will forward those to you upon completion. Call it happenstance or alignment of the stars, but I think we are on to something fabulous because of your visit. We are hoping to make it a tradition at HODGE to send off our future 5th graders to middle school with a book in hand, and our best wishes and belief that literature can serve as a gateway to a bright and exciting future. Again, thank you for being part of something special for our students and staff." Sincerely, Sam Kelley, Principal at Hodge Elementary