Dog Lovers at Audible.com: Hunting Elf

Dog lovers take note: My first novel, Hunting Elf, is now available from audiobook powerhouse Audible.com. Like its protagonist, Elf the Silkie Terrier, the book just won't quit.

Hunting Elf is based on a true story. We had bought a little Silkie Terrier puppy to give to my mother-in-law one Christmas. In a chain of ever-more-unbelievable events, the little dickens ran away the night we brought him home, only to return on Christmas Eve. I turned that tale into first a short story, then into a podcast that weaves many more of our experiences as dog owners into a comedic novel about dog shows and the wacky people whose lives revolve around them. The setting is Westchester County, the suburbs north of New York where the original real events took place.

One listener left this heart-warming comment at Podiobooks.com:

This is the funniest story I have had the good fortune to experience for a long time. I was at times forced to pull my car over to the side of the road for fear of loosing control at the side-splittingly hilarious scenes this story has in abundance. This really is a refreshing piece of work suitable for all ages. I enjoyed it from begining to end and found myself so completely abosrbed in in the story I was almost dismayed when it finally concluded. Dave Donelson is a master story teller and has done a fantastic job. I take my hat off to this exceptional piece of work.

The original serialized audio version drew a devoted audience of dog lovers who clamored for a print edition, so I self-published one in 2006. It also spawned a fan club of sorts among breeders and owners of Silkie Terriers who send me pictures and videos of their little darlings that I post on the book's website. Just like the little dogs themselves, Hunting Elf has been a lot of fun.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.