Felix The Storyteller» Nick & Knobby

NICK MEETS KNOBBY – Book 1

Felix Mayerhofer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:36:41 +0000

In this first story of a series of eight called the “Adventures of Nick & Knobby,” Nick rescues a dog who used to be part of an animal act. Nick plays the bass drum in the school band, and Knobby, his new dog, has a tail with a knob at the end that looks like a drumstick, and he plays the bass drum, too. Knobby’s former owner causes serious problems after being released from jail.

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Inspiration

After I retired, I was painting the inside of my house, when I got an idea about a boy who played the bass drum in the school band. I thought he should have an animal as a pet. A talking mouse sounded good but a major movie studio had already done that. Maybe a dog, but every story had a dog. But this dog would be different. He’d have a tail that looked like a drumstick and he played the bass drum, too. His name would be Knobby. I got down from the ladder, went to my computer and wrote, “Breathing hard from riding against the wind, Nick heard a sound coming from the side of the road, and thought it must be the wind blowing through the trees.” I called the story Nick Meets Knobby. Thus my new life as a children’s author had begun

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NICK & KNOBBY GO DIGITAL – Book 2

Felix Mayerhofer — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:29:27 +0000

Nick builds his own bass drums and organizes a digital bass drum band with Knobby as an integral member. The story includes a French baker whose ultimate survival depends upon the band.

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Inspiration

One of the main characters in this story is based on my friend Mario Grossi, owner of MARIO’S MUSIC STORE in Lancaster, California. Mario is a jovial, loving, Italian-American, who expressively uses his hands. Besides being a fine professional drummer, he repairs and rebuilds all types of drums. Mario was also the foundation of our brass choir on tuba when we serenaded the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster with carols during Christmas season every year. It was wonderful hearing thousands of school children sing Jingle Bells and other carols. While at nursing homes, Silent Night brought back old memories and tears to the eyes of old folks.

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NICK & KNOBBY IN THE DARING ESCAPE – Book 3

Felix Mayerhofer — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:59:58 +0000

Nick and Knobby who have an act where they both play the bass drum, are kidnapped in the “Big City,” and escape just in time for their successful TV debut.

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Inspiration

As a former professional musician, I played for many animal acts on TV, theaters, clubs, and convention centers around the country. We accompanied dogs, seals, and elephants, but the most unpleasant experience was working with bears. In some instances, I didn’t know who was filthier, the bears or the trainers! This was a story I wrote from experience.

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NICK & KNOBBY GO TO HOLLYWOOD – Book 4

Felix Mayerhofer — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:34:44 +0000

Because of Knobby’s supposed cowardice, Nick and Knobby fail their Hollywood screen test. But Knobby proves the Hollywood director to be wrong as he regains his credibility through his eventual heroics.

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Inspiration

Having read many newspaper accounts about the heroics of dogs who had saved their masters lives during a fire gave me the idea for this story. I lifted the name of the dog trainer, Mr. Baskerville, from the Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Hound of Baskerville. Mr. Rene, from Nick & Knobby In The Daring Escape, reminded me of a nervous TV director I had worked with as a musician in New York City. So I decided to include him again as one of the characters, giving added humor to the story.

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NICK & KNOBBY GO TO MEXICO – Book 5

Felix Mayerhofer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:42:36 +0000

Nick and Knobby take their bass drum act to Mexico City, where Knobby accidentally gets involved with a bull in a bullring. This wonderful drum-playing dog becomes a national hero to accolades of “Oles” from the local aficionados.

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Inspiration

In 1945 when World War Two had ended, my mother, father, my sisters Helen, Mary, Adeline and I, traveled from Port Chester, N.Y to Mexico City to visit our mother’s family. During the journey the fan belt broke in our 1937 Chevrolet sedan high in the desolate mountains of Mexico about 11,000 feet in elevation. My mother’s unique idea, which I’ve described in this story, saved the day. Luckily, we found a service station with a replacement at about the 9,000 feet level. While in Mexico City we saw a bull fight in the main arena that I’ve also included in the story.

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NICK & KNOBBY GO CAMPING – Book 6

Felix Mayerhofer — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:21:26 +0000

Knobby and Nick have a variety of wildlife adventures in the mountains on their way to the East Coast in their family motorhome, then find additional excitement while fishing in the ocean.

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Inspiration

In 1974 we bought a new Jamboree motorhome. During our summer vacations the next 17 years, our son David, my wife Shirley and I, traveled from one end of the country to the other. It was a lot of fun and we had many exciting times. When I was ten years old in 1940, my father who loved the ocean, began taking me fishing on Long Island Sound in a rented rowboat. During one of those excursions we got caught in a life-threatening gale, dug for sand worms on a small island, and a slippery eel seriously entangled my line. All the above are included in this story.

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NICK & KNOBBY IN THE BIG DISCOVERY – Book 7

Felix Mayerhofer — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:50:54 +0000

Knobby saves Nick and a Navajo boy from an abandoned mine shaft in Southwestern New Mexico, and in the process unearths a dinosaur bone.

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Inspiration

When I worked as a professional trombonist with the internationally known vocal-instrumental group, Fred Waring and the Pennslyvanians, we played a concert for the Navajo Nation that was located within the states of New Mexico and Arizona. During the short period we were there, performances of a variety of tribal dances left a lasting impression.

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NICK & KNOBBY AND THE MYSTERIOUS GHOST – Book 8

Felix Mayerhofer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:14:05 +0000

Knobby not only gets “crowned” by a Baltimore Oriole baseball when the President of the United States tosses the first pitch of the season, but manages to sleep in the Lincoln Room and rescue the Queen of England in the White House.

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Inspiration

I was watching the President of the United States throw the first baseball of the season on TV and got the idea for this story. At that time I still had vivid memories of my group, the Juniper Intermediate School Band’s performance at Dodger Stadium, so I found it easy to get into the “swing” of things and began writing. Playing on the arena floor with its manicured grass, while looking up at a massive audience, was an awesome experience.

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Nick and Knobby Series