"The Meg" (Warner Bros, Aug. 10 release) is an adaptation from thriller author Steve Alten's bestselling MEG series – MEG being short for megalodon, the most fearsome predator ever to inhabit the planet.
The sixth novel in the series, "MEG: Generations" is being pre-sold at SteveAlten.com, but the novel that has garnered the author's best reviews to date involves another animal.
"Dog Training the American Male" is a laugh-out-loud rom-com, written by Alten several years ago under the pen name L.A. Knight.
"Dog Training the American Male" is a laugh-out-loud rom-com, written by Alten several years ago under the pen name L.A. Knight.
The story centers on Nancy Beach, a relationship guru and radio talk show host whose relationships and ratings are in the toilet – until she discovers the dog training lessons used on her live-in boyfriend's German shepherd actually work just as well on men.
Alten said the concept for the story came to him during a heated discussion with his wife, who accused him of never listening.
Alten said the concept for the story came to him during a heated discussion with his wife, who accused him of never listening.
When his German shepherd wandered across the battlefront with her shoe in its mouth, Alten's spouse yelled several commands at the dog, who immediately dropped the shoe and went into its crate.
How had the dog understood his wife's commands while Alten always seemed to misinterpret everything his spouse said? The author realized the dog understood because it had been trained.
"Women are far more complex thinkers. They don't want their problems fixed; they want the emotional satisfaction of knowing that we know what they are dealing with. Conversely, Man and Dog are best friends for a reason – we're simple-minded creatures who prefer the reward system. Give us food, sex and a couch to nap on and sure, we'll go shopping and faux paint the bathroom, no problem," Alten said.Thus began a social experiment that led to one of the funniest books you'll ever read.
With the MEG movie fast approaching, Alten and his publisher decided to release a new e-book edition of "Dog Training the American Male" under his real name (no one had heard of L.A. Knight – those who read the book thought L.A. was actually a woman).
For more information, please visit SteveAlten.com.
For more information, please visit SteveAlten.com.
Dog Training the American Male
A&M Publishing
Kindle version under Steve Alten's name available from Amazon.com
MEG: Generations
A&M Publishing
Pre-sales available from SteveAlten.com
