Dr. Bo Brock, Modern Day James Herriot

Right after I signed with Darkstroke, I was asked if I knew any authors that might write an endorsement for my novel, Inside Voices.

Hmmm. The only author I knew was my youngest daughter...and family didn't count.

So.

Last fall, I attended a veterinary meeting, and Dr. Bo Brock was a guest speaker on an equine topic (I attend all lectures equine). He told a hilarious story about being a newbie vet that I had ever heard! And he had a published book. I was in awe and a bit insecure, so I ended up not walking up to him to introduce myself even though he seemed very approachable.

Would he be interested in my story?

I pulled a few strings, and within a few days, I spoke with Dr. Brock on the phone. *starstruck*

He really is as awesome as his stories. And I felt that more people should know of him and his book, Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere, Tales of Humor and Healing from Rural America. It is "an extraordinarily written collection of stories about life as a veterinarian in a West Texas town."

Luckily, he agreed to an interview with questions that my daughters and I concocted.

1. What is the first story you remember telling (not necessarily writing)?

I have always told stories. There is no beginning or end. They flow from me without my intent or forethought.

2. What was your favorite game to play as a child? If you could play it now with anyone alive, deceased, or fictional, who would be your top picks for opponents??

There was this strange peg game called "King Oil" that I got for Christmas when I was about 12-years old. No one would play it with me, but my father's dad. It was a blast for me. And he was a patient man that I realize now really loved me, or he would not have done it. I would bring him to life again and play it one more time with him.

3. Which is your favorite story in Crowded?

Leonard. The last story. It will always be my favorite, no matter how many the Lord lets me write. It is the essence.

4. You are asked what your least favorite color is, knowing that it will forever be erased from existence. Would you give your answer?

Turquoise. For sure

5. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Sheesh. Never saw either

6. If you were to be gifted a superpower that you had to use continuously for 8 hours every day, what would it be?

Feeling other people's sadness and being able to make them laugh and forget the problem does 8 hours a day.

7. What are your hobbies?

I collect guitars even though I am a grade B player.

8. What is your favorite animal to work on?

Horse by far.

9. What is your favorite surgery, and why?

Navicular bone osteostixus. Because we invented it and are writing a scientific paper.

10. What is your favorite author/book?

Vince Flynn as a favorite author and Scot Harvath books by Brad Thor

11. The zombie apocalypse will happen in two days. You are fully stocked with food, water, and toilet paper. What is the one thing you will have stocked up on as your guilty pleasure?

Guitars

12. If you could have authored a book, which one, and why?

The Great Gatsby. I hate entitlement.

13. What movie sequel would you erase from history, and why?

Caddy Shack 2. It sucked

14. You won the mythical lottery and are granted the use of a magical creature for one week. What creature would you pick, and why?

Hope from Pandora's box

I’ll admit, I had to look this one up, too. So opening Pandora’s box today means something akin to releasing misfortune, open a can of worms. In the myths, Pandora shuts the lid after many harms like grief, sadness, sickness, and death escape, but hope remains. Hope resides within us, urging us daily to live life and have confidence things will be better. Good pick, Dr. Brock.

15. What is one food you could never bring yourself to eat?

Any insect

16. Tell us your favorite "dad joke."

Where do cousins come from?

Ant holes

Hahahahaha (that is so funny/not funny and, well, true). 🙃🤣

17. Cake or pie?

Mamaw's apple pie

18. Tell us about Crowded…

Crowded is precious to me because it depicts nothing dramatic or imagined. It is simply common life that is moral and every day. Anyone could have written it if they just understood that we all have a story within us that we believe no one else wants to hear, but we forget that common is always supernatural.

19. Ford, Chevy, or Dodge?

I was always a Chevy guy until I purchased a Ford Raptor.

Dr. Brock, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. You are an amazing person and author and veterinarian. Bless you!

U rock sunshine. Go change the world for the better.

Dr. Bo Brock bio:

Dr. Bo Brock, DVM, owns a thriving, multi-species veterinary clinic in Lamesa, Texas (population 9,207 and sometimes referred to as "the middle of nowhere"). He graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University and was voted equine practitioner of the year for the state of Texas in 2007. In addition to his thriving veterinary practice and moonlighting as an author, Bo is an active public speaker and adjunct professor at Texas Tech University.

Pictured is Dr. Brock with his daughter, Dr. Abbi Basset.

Find Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere, Tales of Humor and Healing from Rural America

on Amazon and Barne's and Noble.