Rescue Matters was the winner in the ENTERTAINING category of the 2023 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author C.J. English.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Rescue Matters, Dec 2018
What’s the book’s first line?
Snow crunched under his heavy boots as Keith Benning walked toward the abandoned trailer.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
A Deputy takes a job in an isolated part of the country, expecting rustic wilderness and solitude, only to face the greatest challenge of his life. Four years and four thousand dogs later, he lost his marriage, a fellow officer, and nearly his own life. By rescuing seventy starving and unwanted animals out of his garage each month, Keith and a small team of volunteers have changed the world for thousands of dogs and the landscape of animal rescue forever.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
In 2012 I wrote with a sharpie on a paper towel “I just want to write books, rescue dogs and drink wine.” I was only doing the latter of the three at the time. Six years, four books and four thousand dogs later, my Sharpie dream came true and what I realized was that I didn’t dream big enough. I didn’t want to write books, I wanted to write life-changing books. I didn’t just want to rescue dogs, I wanted to solve a problem and alleviate suffering for millions of dogs, forever. And I didn’t just want to drink wine, I like brandy manhattans with extra cherries too.
I’d stumbled on a problem, and a few people crazy enough to think they could fix it, who thought I might be crazy enough too. Together we’ve created something bigger than any one of us. Our little rescue that could has inspired the nation. Our story deserved to be told. That is the story in Rescue Matters.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The protagonist in this story is a real man, Keith Benning. A deputy, judge, protector and friend. Hero to the 7,000 animals that have passed through his hands. But animal rescue of this magnitude can never be done with just one person. A hero always finds his squad.
From the book, “We were thrown together by fate and bonded by a common goal. We were “The Breakfast Club” of dog rescue—each from a different background, each a little damaged in their own way.”
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I have spent my entire life reading books, hoping they would teach me, inspire me, seduce me, amaze me, hold me captive from first to last page and never let me forget. That is the book I tried to write. A book I want to read. A story so unforgettable it showed up in my dreams. I expect nothing less of myself as a writer than what I expect as a reader. Anyone who is looking for something with soul and tears and blood on the pages can take a chance on me.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I have always dreamed of writing. It wasn’t until I had something useful enough to say that I got serious. Now I can never go back, and I can never do anything else. Except rescuing dogs. And drinking wine. I do those things too.
Is this the first you’ve written?
My first book was a memoir about extra-marital affairs released in 2012. I’ve currently taken it out of circulation and re-writing it as fiction.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
Think about writing. Mope because I’m not writing. When I’m not doing that, I’m entrenched in the world of animal rescue which has taken over my life and writing time. I struggle every day between saving lives and doing the thing I was born to do. I also have three children, am married to my soul mate, and hold down a part-time job doing consulting for hormone replacement therapy. Which is life-changing, yes you should do it, if you are thirty-five or older, look into it, yesterday.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I write most days of the week for at least 3-8 hours. Some of those hours are productive, others are more painful than natural childbirth. For a 90K word manuscript, I will re-write it 10-12 times before having a final draft ready for copy editing and proof-readers.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
Gloria Steinem said. “Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don’t feel like I should be doing something else.” That is how I feel. I can’t not write.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
All the ones I have yet to write. I’ve got 4 in the pipeline and my ideas have ideas. It’s going to be a spectacular long life of writing for me and I am loving every minute of it.