In this episode, I have the pleasure of getting to know pet author and certified animal behavior consultant Amy Shojai. We get started with Amy’s story of how she got inspired to get into writing about pets while working in a small vet clinic in Eastern Kentucky.

At the clinic, she witnessed first hand the wide variety of treatments and pets and need to convey important information to pet parents in a way that they could easily understand. That experience got her started writing about pets for publications like Cat Fancy and Dog Fancy.

She developed a signature writing style for articles that started with a story about a pet, transitioned into the featured medical information and wrapped up with an update on how the pet is doing after treatment. That structure of leading with a strong hook followed by education got people’s interest, especially when there was a happy ending to share!

Amy and I also talk about why we love to read fiction written by dog experts. Amy admits that she has thrown books across the room when the author clearly doesn’t know a thing about dogs and writes unrealistic or dangerous stories about them! Same, girl!

If you dream of writing about pets, or if you just want to promote your pet business through really great stories, you will enjoy this interview!

Writing About Pets for Entertainment + Education

Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant for cats and dogs, an award-winning author of 35+ pet care titles (and pet-centric Thrillers With Bite!). She channels her “inner pet” to provide actionable info-tainment on her Bling, Bitches & Blood Blog to empower pet lovers.

She lives in North Texas with Shadow-Pup, Karma-Kat, and the enduring memory of many other furry muses. Oh, and she loves bling!

OVERVIEW OF THIS EPISODE:

• How Amy got started in the pet industry working at a vet clinic
• Why Amy doesn’t let animal characters die in her writing
• Time management tricks for writers
• The process for updating content in published books
• Steps for turning novel ideas into a published book
• How to give pets a voice in writing

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• ThrillerFest
• Writing Like Cats & Dogs
• AVMA Convention
• Watchers by Dean Koontz

WHERE TO FIND AMY:

• Website: SHOJAI.com
• Instagram: @amyshojai
• Facebook: @amyshojai.cabc
• X: @amyshojai
• Pinterest: @amyshojai
• YouTube: @amyshojai-cabc

QUIZ TO GROW YOUR PET BUSINESS ONLINE

Have you ever considered making an online course? Maybe you already have a million ideas or this is a brand new thing to consider. Personally, my business totally changed when I started offering online courses.

How do you know if a course would be a good addition to your business? Take my brand new quiz to find out!