“This is high social satire and absurdist humor in the form of PG-13 rated comedy. I took a lot of inspiration from the humor on the TV show, “Family Guy.” There is much to be learned from Stewie Griffin.“
And now… fun facts about the author and this book. 😉 This is GREAT!!
I began my career managing a comedy team and writing comedy, and made a transition to being a TV talk show host. I’ve hosted 15 different shows, and served as executive producer of others. Won four Emmy’s, all the while writing to various extents. Creativity has been the basis of any success I’ve had in my life.
So when the idea struck me to create a dog that becomes a TV star with his master who is a TV talk show host like me, it was an idea within my powerbase. Spike The Wonder Dog narrates “Spike Unleashed” which is the second Spike book in what I hope will be a series.
Spike is like an observational comedian—think Seinfeld or Carlin or Amy Schumer, to whom his wit has been compared. He is outside of the human world looking in at us, and our crazy society, and our foibles. This is high social satire and absurdist humor in the form of PG-13 rated comedy. I took a lot of inspiration from the humor on the TV show, “Family Guy.” There is much to be learned from Stewie Griffin. Like that show, we hope to use the Spike books as basis for a streaming cartoon series, but the writers/actors strike has limited our ability to move forward.
As a writer, I have no idea what made “the voice” of Spike come to me. But on the first day of working on the first book, “The Adventures of Spike the Wonder Dog,” it was there, and I knew I had something special, and ran with it.
The material is set close to my life which roots it in reality—“Spike Unleashed” moves from settings in High Point, N.C. where Bud and Spike have a successful morning TV show, like I once did, to Palm Beach (where I spend time in the winter) to Manhattan (where I have an apartment) to East Hampton, (where I own a home).
All kinds of celebrities appear as themselves in the story, to name a few, A Kardashian and a baby Kardashian, Prince Harry, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Jim Carrey, Bill Maher, The Ghost of Anthony Bourdain, Bob Costas, Kate McKinnon, Brooke Shields and several more.
The plot swirls around Bud and his boss trying to buy the TV station where they work-this leads to all manner of adventures. Over-shadowing these hijinks is Spike’s nemesis, Ike “I Got Money” Piles, a crooked boxing champ and exotic services entrepreneur. He’s hired some mean Russians to seek revenge on Spike and Bud for an altercation they had in the first book. “Spike Unleashed” is far more plot-driven than the first book, to be sure.
My goal with “Spike Unleashed” is to entertain you, make you laugh out loud and have a good time.
Please let me know what you think after you read it. Please check me out at BillBoggs.com, @realbillboggs on instagram, or visit my channel BillBoggsTV on YouTube with hundreds of video clips of my interviews over the years.
Spike and I thank you—now, please, go forth and read.
Synopsis:
Our English Bull Terrier hero and his master Bud continue their hilarious antics in this latest installment of Spike the Wonder Dog’s adventures.
This laugh-out-loud novel, with its interwoven and inventive plotlines, could be called Game of Bones. In the midst of being ensnared in a devious revenge plot, Spike the Wonder Dog manages to unleash his celebrated brand of absurdist humor, shrewd social commentary, and certifiably funny grievances at human shortcomings, while romping through all manner of sexy scenarios in the rich and famous playgrounds of Palm Beach, Manhattan, and East Hampton.
Spike and the wacky but deeply developed characters he encounters will definitely tickle your funny bone as he and his talk show host owner Bud dig up some brilliant twists on popular culture scenarios, celebrities, and behind-the-scenes action in the world of entertainment.