Photograph by Mary-Elizabeth Koch

McCall Hoyle has taught grades six through seven for twenty-one years and worked for a few years as a school librarian. She has written several doggie-narrated middle grade novels, including Millie, Stella, and Just Gus. Hoyle trains her own dogs, Apple and Edith, in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains. Her new German Shepherd-narrated book, Forever Ripley, ISBN 9781639934164, comes out in September 2025 from Shadow Mountain Publishing.

How do you select the breeds for your canine protagonists?

I’ve spent hundreds of hours in dog training classes, working with a variety of dogs, and have spent hundreds more hours reading books about dog training, dog cognition, and more. I also talk to veterinarians and breeders about the characteristics of the dog’s breed to ensure it will fit the story.

The American Kennel Club describes the German Shepherd dog as a “steadfast guardian,” which fits Ripley and her story to a T. I think teachers, librarians, and parents will relate to Ripley as much as kids because Ripley is such a maternal figure. Ripley has loved her girl well. She’s done the most important work a dog can do: she’s raised her girl and now she can trust her girl to take care of herself.

How have young readers responded to the recurring themes of grief and death in Forever Ripley?

Ripley’s story was inspired by my grief journey after losing my dad unexpectedly and working as a volunteer coordinator at my local hospice. My biggest takeaway was that we grieve different losses differently, and children grieve differently from adults. I think middle grade books like Forever Ripley are the safest place to practice and experience the big feelings we’re all destined to feel.

Full disclosure: If you’ve ever loved a dog, you’re probably going to cry at some point in this book. But this book is about so much more than loss and grief. It’s a love story between a girl and her dog. Forever Ripley is about healing at its core. It’s as hopeful and comforting as it is sad.

Your grandmother was the first female editor of an Associated Press newspaper. How did she influence your writing career?

My granny taught me that words matter. Books matter. Education matters. Her sister, my great aunt, became a research professor of mathematics at Auburn University in 1965. Their mother was a mountain climber. She ascended most of the major peaks in the Swiss Alps, including the Matterhorn. I don’t think I would have had the grit and determination to stick with writing toward publication without the women who modeled those traits and paved the way for me to believe in myself.
 

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