October 29, 2024 • 10 mins
Maria chats with author Bruce Cameron about his latest novel My Three Dogs, a heartwarming story about three dogs: Riggs, Archie and Luna, who find themselves out of their home when a tragedy happens...and how they find their way back! (Bruce's books A Dog's Purpose and A Dog's Way Home are also major motion pictures! I'm sure My Three Dogs will be a movie as well)
Give a listen, it'll make you smile just as the book does!
For more on Bruce CLICK HERE!
Give a listen, it'll make you smile just as the book does!
For more on Bruce CLICK HERE!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Maria's MutS and Stuff. What a great idea on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to Maria's Mutts and Stuff. And with me is
well New York Times bestseller. But he's an author, a columnist,
a humorist, a screenwriter. It is Bruce Cameron. So Bruce,
thank you so much for all that you do and
for taking some time out to chat today.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Thank you so much. I'm just I'm laughing because I
don't think my father would agree that I'm a humorous
He's never found me funny.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well, I think you're funny, especially reading the acknowledgment of
your book, My Three Dogs, when you said, like a
lot of people don't even read the acknowledgment, but I
thought it was pretty funny.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
So you are funny.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
You are funny.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Okay, so let's talk about this. So My Three Dogs,
this is your latest. I believe this is like your
it's in the thirties, like thirty sixth novel.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Is that correct?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
My thirty thirty seventh published novel?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Okay, thirty seventh Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Most of them have been dog books, all of them,
but yeah, most of them, most of them. This one,
this one is very much like my most famous dog
book is A Dog's Purpose.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Of course, yes, is uh, this is.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Written with the same the same sensibilities. I wanted to
give people another like really touching, heartwarming.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Story, and that's what it is.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I think. I think my Three Dogs really is is it?
The fans of A Dog's Purpose are going to like
this one? Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, And I don't want to give the whole story away,
So we could say that it's about three dogs who
live with their humans and then a tragedy happens, and
then the dogs based on I would say, I mean,
it's definitely love, but I think it's also determination on
the humans as well as the dogs intent.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Is that fair to say that, well, yeah, well meaning humans.
There's a there's a car accident plot spoiler. The person
who is their person, the dogs person is named Liam,
and Liam is not killed. He's in a coma.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
But but we don't know that.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
People think that we don't know that. Yes, some people
think he is dead. I did heard the wrong story, yeah, right,
and so I'm sorry to give that away. But a
lot of people, a lot I had people tell me no,
I had to skip to the end to see if
Liam was still alive, so uh well, meeting people. You know,
Liam is gone, he's been in an accident. The dogs
(02:34):
don't know there's three of them. They're home alone. All
they know is Liam doesn't come home. And then another
day goes by, and another day and it's a very
interesting dog pack. You've got Riggs, he is the alpha male.
He is an Australian Sheeper sheep dogs Australian Australian Shepherd
(02:54):
and Riggs wants order, wants discipline, wants to packed together.
Then there's Luna, and Luna is a Jack Russell Terrier
full of energy. And we always know about the energy,
but what we miss sometimes is how whip smart these
dogs are. Yes, and it is Luna. In their first
(03:14):
several days when they're drafted at the house with no
food and no water, it's Luna who figures out how
to get them both the save their bacon, if you will,
by literally finding ways for them to eat and drink.
And then there's Archie. Archie is the newest member of
the pack, a six month old labradoodle, which means he's
(03:35):
a complete puppy, happy, go lucky, kind of goofy and
you know, clumsy. Uh this these three dogs that are
separated by well meaning humans who are like, well, we
have to do something for the dogs, and the dogs
wind up going to a shelter and then being sent
to different families, and Rigs is determined that this can't stand.
(03:59):
That he is got to reunite the pack, even if
it means going out and living as a feral street dog,
which he does for a time. Meanwhile, Archie, Archie is
adopted out to a family that probably shouldn't have a
dog at this point in their life. Correct responsibilities. So
poor Archie is just on a rope in the backyard,
(04:20):
but accept that because the labradoodle would do that. The
labradoodle would say, well, you know, I've got a this
is my life then, right. And Luna's strategy because she's smart,
she's strategizing. She notices that the other dogs were adopted.
She's determined not to have that happen. So she's unfriendly
that every human. She means right, very clever, Well, yes.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yes, and I mean I love that she's the female
and she's the clever one and the smart one.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So thank you, Yeah, you're welcome. It's all about these
three dogs trying to figure out a way to reunite,
get the pack back to together. And then after they've
all gotten back together, of course they need to find
their person, who is kind of unfindable under these circumstances.
And people who have read a dog's purpose are pretty
(05:13):
familiar with this idea that dogs are devoted, are loyal dogs,
and that's what these dogs are. They're devoted to each
other and to their person.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Yeah, to their packs. It's the importance of the pack.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
So were these dogs that you created, were they based
on real dogs in your life? No, you know, I.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Don't really do that. I think that the reason I
like it starts with my human characters. I never base
a human character on someone I know, because then I'm
trapped in a you know, what would uncle Bob do
in the right I don't know. I can't call Uncle
Bob anymore, so I don't know what he would do.
So I really I need to make up people, and
(05:52):
then as long as I'm on, as long as I'm
doing that, I might as well make up the dogs,
because that way I can get into their minds much
better than if I'm looking at a dog and say, now,
what is this dog thing? Right? Right? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
And I love that because.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
We all feel like we are the dogs because you
talk from the dog's perspective as well as what the
humans are doing, which is interesting and it's a good
way to you know what I mean. And anyone who's
a dog lover and I assume that dogs are your
favorite four legged creatures.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh, let's go ahead and say.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yes, I knew it. Well mine too, so yeah, and
for most people.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I shouldn't say most, because people who are listening right
now they do love cats as much. But I am
definitely more towards dogs, and of course you are as well.
But there are cats in your story too, so just
so the cat lovers.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Now, I put cats in my stories. And I also
I've got a book about a cat coming out next year,
so it's not like I'm exclusively focused on dogs. That's true.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
So your book next year, which means we will talk again,
and then the cat lovers will be happy.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
So right now, with my three dogs, will it be
a movie?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Well, that's a great question, and of course the answer
is not really in my hands. But I will say
that I've written three screenplays that have become movies about dogs.
A Dog's Purpose, A Dog's Journey, and a Dog's Way Home,
and of those, I would say My Three Dogs is
even more cinematic. Really, yes, it is such an easy,
(07:24):
easy adaptation to the screen. So I hope the answer
is yes to that one.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
I kind of think it is too.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I mean I just got that vibe as I was
reading it, like, oh, this would make such a great movie,
you know, just in time for the holidays.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
That's what we need. We need Christmas dog books.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
As far as I'm doing, yes, happy books.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
And I mean, you know, we gave away most of
the story, but it's still good for my listeners to
read it. But it's a happy ending, and you know,
we all need a happy ending, especially lately with life.
I think it's a perfect ending of your book, and
I think it would be perfect as a movie too,
So I hope that does happen.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So I hope so. And you know, I'm really pretty
much known for a happy ending. It's a I would
I would take issue with somebody who says, oh, your
books are always so sad at the end, right, you
might be, you might be moved at the end. You
might you might be your heart might be touched at
the end. You'll have a few tears in your eyes.
But I guarantee you it's not tragic.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Correct, right, right, You're not going to be sad or
depressed when you finish one of your books, which is
a good thing because we need happy.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
I think it's great.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Absolutely, So you're you're going on a book tour. Correct?
Where can listeners find that information?
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Worries? Okay, So I've got a website w Bruce Cameron
dot com. I'm also really active on Facebook and you
can google me. I've been posting like crazy. Uh it's
hard to It's hard to keep it all going, but
sure I will. I will always. I will post a
Facebook whenever it is. I'm going to be somewhere that
feeds into Instagram. Uh you know, but you can tell
(08:58):
I'm sort of stumbling my way through. Will How does
all this stuff work? I don't know, I mean, especially
since my web person quit, I'm not sure how we
do it now.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
But we'll figure it out, right, But you're doing it,
and I'm sure you'll either figure it out more or
you'll get another web person because I think you'd be
a fun person to work for. So I think that
won't be a problem finding a web person for you.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah. So, definite.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
You said about your cat book, is that what's next
on the horizon for you.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
That's the next one coming out, that'll be in early
twenty five. Okay, I don't think I've got a publication
date yet, but we'll have one shoot soon. That's my
cat book. It's called Piper's Story. It's the story of
a kitten that grows to be a cat. Okay, and
I think people are going to say, oh, he got
the cat waste perfectly on this one.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Okay, all right, So then that will be that's our
next discussion when Piper's Story comes out. But in the meantime,
my Three Dogs by Bruce Cameron, and you can find
it wherever books are sold. And I think it it's
a it's a very enjoyable book, and it's uh, it's
very heartwarming, and I think it's the timing of it
(10:07):
is really good because we all need a feel good
story and and this, Bruce, was a very feel good story.
So thank you, thank you for writing it, thanks for
talking about it, and good luck. I'm looking forward to
seeing it in theaters at some point.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I really hope that happens. Thank you so much for
those words. That's great.
It's Maria's MutS and Stuff. What a great idea on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to Maria's Mutts and Stuff. And with me is
well New York Times bestseller. But he's an author, a columnist,
a humorist, a screenwriter. It is Bruce Cameron. So Bruce,
thank you so much for all that you do and
for taking some time out to chat today.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Thank you so much. I'm just I'm laughing because I
don't think my father would agree that I'm a humorous
He's never found me funny.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well, I think you're funny, especially reading the acknowledgment of
your book, My Three Dogs, when you said, like a
lot of people don't even read the acknowledgment, but I
thought it was pretty funny.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
So you are funny.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
You are funny.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Okay, so let's talk about this. So My Three Dogs,
this is your latest. I believe this is like your
it's in the thirties, like thirty sixth novel.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Is that correct?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
My thirty thirty seventh published novel?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Okay, thirty seventh Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Most of them have been dog books, all of them,
but yeah, most of them, most of them. This one,
this one is very much like my most famous dog
book is A Dog's Purpose.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Of course, yes, is uh, this is.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Written with the same the same sensibilities. I wanted to
give people another like really touching, heartwarming.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Story, and that's what it is.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I think. I think my Three Dogs really is is it?
The fans of A Dog's Purpose are going to like
this one? Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, And I don't want to give the whole story away,
So we could say that it's about three dogs who
live with their humans and then a tragedy happens, and
then the dogs based on I would say, I mean,
it's definitely love, but I think it's also determination on
the humans as well as the dogs intent.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Is that fair to say that, well, yeah, well meaning humans.
There's a there's a car accident plot spoiler. The person
who is their person, the dogs person is named Liam,
and Liam is not killed. He's in a coma.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
But but we don't know that.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
People think that we don't know that. Yes, some people
think he is dead. I did heard the wrong story, yeah, right,
and so I'm sorry to give that away. But a
lot of people, a lot I had people tell me no,
I had to skip to the end to see if
Liam was still alive, so uh well, meeting people. You know,
Liam is gone, he's been in an accident. The dogs
(02:34):
don't know there's three of them. They're home alone. All
they know is Liam doesn't come home. And then another
day goes by, and another day and it's a very
interesting dog pack. You've got Riggs, he is the alpha male.
He is an Australian Sheeper sheep dogs Australian Australian Shepherd
(02:54):
and Riggs wants order, wants discipline, wants to packed together.
Then there's Luna, and Luna is a Jack Russell Terrier
full of energy. And we always know about the energy,
but what we miss sometimes is how whip smart these
dogs are. Yes, and it is Luna. In their first
(03:14):
several days when they're drafted at the house with no
food and no water, it's Luna who figures out how
to get them both the save their bacon, if you will,
by literally finding ways for them to eat and drink.
And then there's Archie. Archie is the newest member of
the pack, a six month old labradoodle, which means he's
(03:35):
a complete puppy, happy, go lucky, kind of goofy and
you know, clumsy. Uh this these three dogs that are
separated by well meaning humans who are like, well, we
have to do something for the dogs, and the dogs
wind up going to a shelter and then being sent
to different families, and Rigs is determined that this can't stand.
(03:59):
That he is got to reunite the pack, even if
it means going out and living as a feral street dog,
which he does for a time. Meanwhile, Archie, Archie is
adopted out to a family that probably shouldn't have a
dog at this point in their life. Correct responsibilities. So
poor Archie is just on a rope in the backyard,
(04:20):
but accept that because the labradoodle would do that. The
labradoodle would say, well, you know, I've got a this
is my life then, right. And Luna's strategy because she's smart,
she's strategizing. She notices that the other dogs were adopted.
She's determined not to have that happen. So she's unfriendly
that every human. She means right, very clever, Well, yes.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yes, and I mean I love that she's the female
and she's the clever one and the smart one.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So thank you, Yeah, you're welcome. It's all about these
three dogs trying to figure out a way to reunite,
get the pack back to together. And then after they've
all gotten back together, of course they need to find
their person, who is kind of unfindable under these circumstances.
And people who have read a dog's purpose are pretty
(05:13):
familiar with this idea that dogs are devoted, are loyal dogs,
and that's what these dogs are. They're devoted to each
other and to their person.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Yeah, to their packs. It's the importance of the pack.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
So were these dogs that you created, were they based
on real dogs in your life? No, you know, I.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Don't really do that. I think that the reason I
like it starts with my human characters. I never base
a human character on someone I know, because then I'm
trapped in a you know, what would uncle Bob do
in the right I don't know. I can't call Uncle
Bob anymore, so I don't know what he would do.
So I really I need to make up people, and
(05:52):
then as long as I'm on, as long as I'm
doing that, I might as well make up the dogs,
because that way I can get into their minds much
better than if I'm looking at a dog and say, now,
what is this dog thing? Right? Right? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
And I love that because.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
We all feel like we are the dogs because you
talk from the dog's perspective as well as what the
humans are doing, which is interesting and it's a good
way to you know what I mean. And anyone who's
a dog lover and I assume that dogs are your
favorite four legged creatures.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh, let's go ahead and say.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yes, I knew it. Well mine too, so yeah, and
for most people.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I shouldn't say most, because people who are listening right
now they do love cats as much. But I am
definitely more towards dogs, and of course you are as well.
But there are cats in your story too, so just
so the cat lovers.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Now, I put cats in my stories. And I also
I've got a book about a cat coming out next year,
so it's not like I'm exclusively focused on dogs. That's true.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
So your book next year, which means we will talk again,
and then the cat lovers will be happy.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
So right now, with my three dogs, will it be
a movie?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Well, that's a great question, and of course the answer
is not really in my hands. But I will say
that I've written three screenplays that have become movies about dogs.
A Dog's Purpose, A Dog's Journey, and a Dog's Way Home,
and of those, I would say My Three Dogs is
even more cinematic. Really, yes, it is such an easy,
(07:24):
easy adaptation to the screen. So I hope the answer
is yes to that one.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
I kind of think it is too.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I mean I just got that vibe as I was
reading it, like, oh, this would make such a great movie,
you know, just in time for the holidays.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
That's what we need. We need Christmas dog books.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
As far as I'm doing, yes, happy books.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
And I mean, you know, we gave away most of
the story, but it's still good for my listeners to
read it. But it's a happy ending, and you know,
we all need a happy ending, especially lately with life.
I think it's a perfect ending of your book, and
I think it would be perfect as a movie too,
So I hope that does happen.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So I hope so. And you know, I'm really pretty
much known for a happy ending. It's a I would
I would take issue with somebody who says, oh, your
books are always so sad at the end, right, you
might be, you might be moved at the end. You
might you might be your heart might be touched at
the end. You'll have a few tears in your eyes.
But I guarantee you it's not tragic.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Correct, right, right, You're not going to be sad or
depressed when you finish one of your books, which is
a good thing because we need happy.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
I think it's great.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Absolutely, So you're you're going on a book tour. Correct?
Where can listeners find that information?
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Worries? Okay, So I've got a website w Bruce Cameron
dot com. I'm also really active on Facebook and you
can google me. I've been posting like crazy. Uh it's
hard to It's hard to keep it all going, but
sure I will. I will always. I will post a
Facebook whenever it is. I'm going to be somewhere that
feeds into Instagram. Uh you know, but you can tell
(08:58):
I'm sort of stumbling my way through. Will How does
all this stuff work? I don't know, I mean, especially
since my web person quit, I'm not sure how we
do it now.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
But we'll figure it out, right, But you're doing it,
and I'm sure you'll either figure it out more or
you'll get another web person because I think you'd be
a fun person to work for. So I think that
won't be a problem finding a web person for you.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah. So, definite.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
You said about your cat book, is that what's next
on the horizon for you.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
That's the next one coming out, that'll be in early
twenty five. Okay, I don't think I've got a publication
date yet, but we'll have one shoot soon. That's my
cat book. It's called Piper's Story. It's the story of
a kitten that grows to be a cat. Okay, and
I think people are going to say, oh, he got
the cat waste perfectly on this one.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Okay, all right, So then that will be that's our
next discussion when Piper's Story comes out. But in the meantime,
my Three Dogs by Bruce Cameron, and you can find
it wherever books are sold. And I think it it's
a it's a very enjoyable book, and it's uh, it's
very heartwarming, and I think it's the timing of it
(10:07):
is really good because we all need a feel good
story and and this, Bruce, was a very feel good story.
So thank you, thank you for writing it, thanks for
talking about it, and good luck. I'm looking forward to
seeing it in theaters at some point.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I really hope that happens. Thank you so much for
those words. That's great.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!