Jonathan Miller takes you on a crafty 'Adventure'

Jonathan Miller's unusal illustration style started when a girlfriend's birthday arrived and Miller was broke. So he wouldn't show up empty-handed, Miller whipped out construction paper and scissors and created a handmade birthday card, which his girlfriend loved.

That was the day that Miller's construction-paper style was born. Without it, "The Adventures of Sammy the Wonder Dachshund" may never have existed.

Miller's books can be purchased online at www.sammydogbooks.com, Blue Bicycle Books, Barnes & Noble and more. Miller will have a limited number of copies of "Sammy on Safari" available 5-10 p.m. Dec. 19 above Midtown Grill, 559 King St.

Q: Where did the inspiration come for "The Adventures of Sammy the Wonder Dachshund"?

A: I was making cards out of construction paper for various people shortly after graduating from college. The cards were pretty simple designs at first but became more and more detailed with every one I did.

People really liked them a lot and encouraged me to make greeting cards, but they took five hours to make, so it wasn't very cost effective.

A good friend of mine started talking to me about illustrating a children's book he had planned to write, but then I started dating a girl that had a dachshund, who later became the main character in the series. I really liked that dog, probably a lot more than I liked her. He had this almost human quality about him that I loved, so I thought he'd be perfect to write about. He's a very comical dog, which is another reason I wanted to write about him working and going out on all these adventures. He is currently in law school.

Q: Tell me about your new book, "Sammy on Safari."

A: In the new book, Sammy travels for work to Africa to dispel an Internet rumor that kangaroos are from Africa.

He has some interesting adventures and meets some interesting animals along the way to discovering the truth about kangaroos. Also, he learns a valuable life lesson about helping others in need.

Q: How long have you been drawing and writing?

A: I started out drawing a lot when I was about 3. My parents would put the Sunday comics in front of me, and I would pretty much redraw all the comic strips I saw. I think this definitely influenced the way I draw the characters in my books. Later, I had a lot of formal art training but hung it all up and didn't do anything with art until after I had finished college.

The cards I made and using construction paper as my medium was kind of a rediscovery of my love for art. It was something new to me and has become my own style in a way.

As far as writing goes, I've always been good at telling stories. I pretty much use the two things together in my writing process. I think about some things that I want to be said, and I think some things that I want people to see. I basically play the two off of each other as I make a book.