Bonham, Margaret H. 1963–

(M.H. Bonham)

PERSONAL:

Born February 5, 1963.

ADDRESSES:

Home—CO.

CAREER:

Writer and animal trainer. Works as dog trainer in sledding, agility, packing, obedience, weight pulling, and conformation; also taught dog training packing classes at Colorado Free University, Denver.

MEMBER:

Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Dog Writers Association of America, Cat Writers Association, and the Pikes Peak Writers Association.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Maxwell Award for writing excellence (three); Pet Sitters International's First Canine Award, for most humorous story told in first-person by a dog; Muse award, Cat Writers Association, for best health and care book; IAMS Responsible Cat Ownership Award for Bring Me Home! Cats Make Great Pets.

WRITINGS:

Introduction to Dog Agility, illustrations by Michele Earle-Bridges, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 2000.

Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers: Everything about Purchase, Care, Feeding, and Housing, illustrations by Michele Earle-Bridges, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 2000.

Northern Breeds, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 2001.

Your Siberian Husky's Life, Prima Publishing (New York, NY), 2001.

The Simple Guide to Getting Active with Your Dog, TFH (Neptune, NJ), 2002.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Labrador Retrievers, Alpha (Indianapolis, IN), 2003.

(With James M. Wingert) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dog Health and Nutrition, Alpha (Indianapolis, IN), 2003.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Golden Retrievers, Alpha (New York, NY), 2004.

The Complete Guide to Mutts: Selection, Care, and Celebration from Puppyhood to Senior, Howell Book House (Hoboken, NJ), 2004.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Labrador Retrievers, Alpha (New York, N.Y), 2005.

Bring Me Home! Cats Make Great Pets, Howell Book House (Hoboken, NJ), 2005.

Bring Me Home! Dogs Make Great Pets, Wiley Publishing (Hoboken, NJ), 2005.

A Dog's Wisdom: A Heartwarming View of Life, Howell Book House (Hoboken, NJ), 2005.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Designer Dogs, Alpha (New York, NY), 2005.

Having Fun with Agility, Howell Book House (Hoboken, NJ), 2005.

(With Debra M. Eldredge) Cancer and Your Pet: The Complete Guide to the Latest Research, Treatment, and Options, foreword by Amy D. Shojai, Capital Books (Sterling, VA), 2005.

Dog Grooming for Dummies, Wiley Publishing (Hoboken, NJ), 2006.

The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Homemade Dog Food, Alpha (New York, NY), 2007.

Labradoodles: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, and Training, illustrations by Pam Tanzey, Barron's Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 2007.

Cat Problem Solving, TFH (Neptune, NJ), 2007.

(With D. Caroline Coile) Why Do Dogs like Balls? More than 200 Canine Quirks, Curiosities, and Conundrums Revealed, Sterling (New York, NY), 2008.

(With D. Caroline Coile) Why Do Cats Bury Their Poop? More than 200 Feline Facts, Fallacies, and Foibles Revealed, Sterling (New York, NY), 2008.

The Cat Owner's Problem Solver: How to Manage Common Behavior Problems by Thinking like Your Cat, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2008.

SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY NOVELS

Prophecy of Swords, Yard Dog Press (Alma, AR), 2005.

Runestone of Teiwas, Yard Dog Press (Alma, AR), 2007.

Lachlei, Dragoon Moon Press, 2007.

Contributor of short fiction to anthologies, including Four Bubbas of the Apocalypse, Tales of the Talisman and Small Bites, Kidvisions, Lorelei Signal, Tales of the Talisman and More Sonic Fiction. Contributor to periodicals, including the Daily Cat, Catnip, Dog Fancy, Dog World, Dog and Kennel, Pet Life, Pet View, Dog Daily, Your Dog, Natural Pet, Contract Professional, and Mushing magazine. Has been a columnist and contributing editor for Dog and Kennel and PetView magazines; frequent contributor to Pets. com and Vetmedcenter.com Web sites; editor of Merial PawPrints newsletter.

ADAPTATIONS:

Prophecy of Swords has been adapted for audio as a podcast novel.

SIDELIGHTS:

Margaret H. Bonham is a professional animal trainer who has written extensively about dogs and cats. In addition, she has turned her writing talents to science fiction and fantasy stories and novels. Although she began writing at fifteen, the author received numerous rejections for her fiction stories and turned her attention to dog sledding. "About the same time, I was subscribed to a number of dog magazines," the author told Amanda Divine in an interview for the Adventures Underground Web site. "I read them voraciously but after one particular article, I got so mad because I knew I could write better than that. So, I wrote an article."

The author then went on to write more than seventeen pet books, including several books in the "Complete Idiot" series of books. In The Complete Idiot's Guideto Designer Dogs, for example, the author addresses what to look for in buying a designer dog—that is, a dog that is a deliberate cross between two breeds. Bonham discusses how to choose a breeder along with the pros and cons of specific designer dogs. She also explains the necessity for understanding a designer dog's genetic limitations and details the best place to buy such a dog. Diane C. Donovan, a contributor to MBR Bookwatch, noted that prospective dog buyers "have lots of facts at their fingertips, here." The author has also won numerous awards for her writing about dogs and cats, including sharing the Muse Award with coauthor Debra M. Eldredge for their book Cancer and Your Pet: The Complete Guide to the Latest Research, Treatment, and Options and the IAMS Responsible Cat Ownership Awards for Bring Me Home! Cats Make Great Pets, which provides a wealth of information for first-time cat owners.

Bonham's first science fiction and fantasy novel, Prophecy of Swords, was published in 2005. It was followed by the sequel Runestone of Teiwas. "I really have written a fair amount of fiction, it's just it really takes longer to get them accepted," the author told Amanda Divine in the interview in Adventures Underground.

Prophecy of Swords is the story of a betrayed king, Lachlan, whose ancestors seek to wreak vengeance on Allarun, who was Lachlan's friend but who ultimately turned on him. Allarun has sought to destroy Lachlan's people to thwart Lachlan's dying prophecy that vengeance would be his. Ultimately, Romain, who may be a reincarnation of Lachlan, and a mercenary named Shadowhelm—who turns out to be Romain's half brother and may be Lachlan himself—team up to overthrow Allarun. "The story, filled with politics and intrigue, is well paced, never flagging or feeling forced, and while the ending is never really in doubt, the story keeps you fully involved as it unfolds," wrote a contributor to the Sci-Fi London Web site.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

MBR Bookwatch, September 1, 2005, Diane C. Donovan, review of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Designer Dogs.

ONLINE

Adventures Underground,http://www.advunderground.com/ (June 23, 2008), Amanda Divine, "Margaret H. Bonham: Mushing and Swords," interview with author.

Margaret H. Bonham Home Page,http://www.shadowhelm.net (June 23, 2008).

Sci-Fi London,http://www.sci-fi-london.com/ (June 23, 2008), review of Prophecy of Swords.