Allentown's newest author set to sign books on Dec. 3
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

Michael Kohlhepp, of Allentown, and his dog, Jack, who inspired him to write a series of children's books about adventure and a talking dog.

ALLENTOWN - Michael Kohlhepp made his own wish - that dogs could talk - come true.

Kohlhepp, of Allentown, is writing a series of children's adventure stories that star Jack, a highly intelligent Boston terrier who can speak.

The first book in the series, which was published earlier this year, is called "Within the Hearthstone: The Treasure of Seacove." The second book is currently being published by PublishAmerica, of Frederick, Md.

The books tell of the adventures of Jack and Timmy and Sarah Williams, children who embark on a fantastical journey through a secret tunnel at their great-grandfather's house, according to Kohlhepp.

When asked where the idea for the first book came from, Kohlhepp said, "It's a little bit of everything that I like - older, campy movies and cheesy dialogue."

Kohlhepp said he decided to feature a dog as one of the main characters in the novel because of his own dog, Jack, whom he always wished could speak.

"When my dog, Jack, was 6 months old, we went on vacation and left him with 'friends' of my wife's," Kohlhepp said. "He has a sensitive stomach so we would mix rice in with his food. We gave Minute Rice to the sitters and told them how to make it.

"Long story short," he continued, "we get home, pick him up, and we are handed the same plastic bag with one-quarter cup of uncooked rice. Do you see where this is going? Yes, my dog was fed raw rice for a week."

Following several veterinary visits, the dog was OK, but the incident "ruined Jack health wise for life," Kohlhepp said.

After the event with his dog, Kohlhepp said he started thinking, "Wouldn't it be great if he could tell me he is sick or [if he] got a hold of something he shouldn't have."

So, Kohlhepp gave Jack a voice in his novel.

For his first book, Kohlhepp said he decided to write a children's story because at the time he started writing it, "all of these famous people were writing children's stories that were basically crap."

He continued, "I figured, hey, what's one more. I have read worse, and I feel mine is better than some."

Kohlhepp said he looks at his first book like it's an episode of a current popular television show.

"I look at it like an episode of 'Lost,' " Kohlhepp said. "A million questions an episode, a few get answered, but you're left with a dozen more [questions] to keep you hooked until the next one."

Unlike a lot of material out there nowadays, Kohlhepp said his book doesn't "feed America's need for violence and controversy."

"I was tired of seeing in films and reading in books that children's or animals' parents are killed and they are left to fend for themselves," Kohlhepp said. "Can kids just read a fun story with minimal violence and without the main characters' parents dying in the first eight pages?

"I'm not knocking anything that is out there, and I even like some of it," he added, "but I wanted to have family in my stories."

Kohlhepp said he's proud of his first book and hopes that a movie will be made from it.

"I accomplished something and am continuing the story," he said.

His second book, which is a sequel to the first, is expected to come out later this year.

"Book two is one adventure of comedic proportions with lots more action," he said. "Even more humor and action await in book three. As a writer, I feel I am progressing."

Kohlhepp will hold a book signing for the series' first book from 1-3 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Down Home Country on Church Street in Allentown. The book will be available at the signing for $14.95. It is also available online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.