Chester Barkingham Saves the Country!

out today, book trailer, origin story

First things first! Chester Barkingham Saves the Country is available now! You can get it wherever you get books. If you want a signed, personalized copy, order through Portland, Maine’s Print: A Bookstore.

What’s this book about, Julie?

I’m glad you asked! Chester Barkingham is about a rescue dog who gets adopted by the President’s¹ daughter, and who quickly sees that the Congresspeople would get more done if they’d try out some doglike habits, like playing, running around, eating snacks, and taking naps.

Chester, who is a very good dog, communicates this to them via presidential memo and sticky note. This is my second epistolary book.²

Where did you get the idea for this book?

For most of my books, the answer to this question is a half-hearted shrug. I work on a vague idea that comes to me as a tiny seed, and over time it grows into something real. But I do know exactly where I got the idea for this one!

In the days after Biden was elected, there was a flurry of excited happy hopeful energy on the internet (at least, on the parts of the internet I tend to frequent). One slice of that giddy energy coalesced into: there will be pets in the White House again!³ And as part of that energy, someone shared the memo from George H.W. Bush to all staff, formally requesting they stop giving snacks to his dog Ranger.

The concept of an All Points Bulletin about a presidential dog is so funny to me! And I could immediately see how a dog might decide to append the memo with some important directives of his own. Can’t you just imagine Ranger writing a memo that says, “HA HA that was a big joke, this is an all pork bulletin now! Give Ranger MORE snacks. Why would you feed him fewer snacks??? That makes no sense!”

My book is not a book about feeding the dog, but about Congress getting off track and bickering, and how, if they were the people their pets imagine them to be, they would get along and get more done. It’s silly and hopeful and “frolicsome” (according to Booklist) and does include the phrase “very, very bottom basement” because that phrase is objectively hilarious.

Will this book save the country?

You never know. Books are important, and seeing yourself in a book, or learning something new in a book, could make a difference.

You could help save the country, if you live in the U.S., by making sure you’re registered to vote, and then voting in the upcoming election, either in person or by mail.

Can we just see the book trailer where you interview dogs?

Sure!

(I also made an unboxing video featuring my own dog for Instagram. If you want to see Cosmo in action.)

Thanks for being here! I really appreciate you. I know it can feel weird when an author you follow suddenly turns into a giant marketing machine.⁴ Thanks for understanding. Now please buy some books!

1. The President of the United States of America, that is. The President in this book is a woman of color. Just saying.

2. My first was Yours in Books. I love an epistolary book.

3. And yeah, I know that Biden’s dogs sometimes got a little bitey. I don’t know what to say, other than maybe if they had been able to read Chester Barkingham Saves the Country they would have had a better idea of how to behave.

4. IT FEELS WEIRD FOR US TOO.