Stopping in mid-sentence so quills could be removed from a dog’s mouth was just one of the misadventures that awaited Ann Hauprich when she left the city to begin writing from a rustic office in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Having three chicken-loving children under the rafters simply made the plucky rural writer more determined than ever to produce a manuscript that was worthy of a Pullet Surprise. With a wood stove as her sole heating source in the winter, Ann also perfected the art of keeping the home fires burning while literally waiting for the smoke to clear in between deadlines for national publications, and later for a regional magazine she founded in a spare bedroom of her abode.

     Readers of Ann's new book "Deadlines, Headlines & Porcupines: The Laugh Lines Behind the Bylines" (Peckhaven Publishing, $14.95) are sure to be uplifted by the stories behind the stories that led to -- and, in some cases, followed -- Ann's interviews with such fascinating celebrities as Andy Rooney, David Hyde Pierce, Marylou Whitney, Mary Ann Mobley and Maestro Charles Dutoit as well as such playful souls as HUMOResilience expert Margie Ingram and "Laugh Doctor" Joel Goodman of The HUMOR Project, Inc.

     Discover how encounters with a bear-hunting grandmother, an udderly humorous dairy farmer, a sweet Saratoga candy maker, a bubbly bottle museum curator, a baker who is wild about wildlife, a photographer and his picture perfect dog named Tudd, a meteorologist who’s almost never under the weather, a jolly good British actor who’s a big hit on American battlefields, and other personalities resulted in additional "laugh lines behind the bylines." Other ticklish topics penned by the seasoned journalist whose byline has accompanied scores of articles in a variety of periodicals across the USA and Canada. range from the sublime to the ridiculous. These include lessons not taught in journalism classes about what to do when a stork goes on strike, etiquette for entertaining stranded country couriers . . . and why you can't win a spraying match with a skunk.

     The 148-page book sports a full-color illustration and many inside drawings by award-winning Canadian cartoonist Steve Nease with whom Ann once worked in Canada. A recipient of multiple Canadian Community Newspaper Association awards, the illustrator's creations are syndicated across Canada. A favorite is the family comic strip, Pud, for which Steve draws endless inspiration from his wife Dian and their four animated sons: Robert, Ben, Sam and Max. Other samples of the artist’s work can be found in Father Knows Zilch: A Guide for Dumbfounded Dads, Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul and other periodicals. Steve also works and plays hard at his full-time job job as art director of The Oakville Beaver in Southern Ontario. Before writing "Deadlines, Headlines & Porcupines: The Laugh Lines Behind the Bylines", Ann was the founding editor and publisher of Saratoga Living -- originally “The magazine that showcases the faces behind the places."

     While at the periodical's helm, Ann enjoyed sharing the stories of individuals from every hop, skip, jump and walk of life with readers while simultaneously juggling the roles of advertising director and circulation manager. Since selling the periodical so it could truly blossom and grow a few years ago, Ann has been busier than ever writing stories that warm hearts, lift spirits and tickle funny bones. The proud mother of three daughters (Tara, Marietje and Kiersten) is also an active Rotarian who has arranged for a portion of the book’s proceeds to be donated to Rotary-sponsored literacy programs at home and abroad. Her next book (Ballston Spa: The Way We Were, The Way We Are) will roll off the presses in 2007.

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