My grandfather had a Rin Tin Tin figurine sitting on his desk, and I wanted desperately to play with it -- he didn't allow that -- and even more desperately to have a German shepherd dog of my own, inspired by the television show starring Rin Tin Tin. I knew nothing more than he was a dog on television -- so when I discovered that he was a real dog, not just a television character, with a real life that was extraordinary, I decided it was a great subject for a book. I started working on it a few years ago -- digging through hundreds of pages of archives and files and photographs, all of them quite amazing. I've just transferred all my notes to index cards (764 cards, to be exact!) which is the last step for me before writing. (I suppose I could just have the cards bound and publish them, but it might read a little better if I write whole sentences...) The book will be published in October 2011 by Simon and Schuster and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
About the book
"Born on a battlefield in World War I, Rin Tin Tin went on to be an American movie star and icon. His story is the story of American popular culture, spanning nearly a century and many human lives."