The true story of a mangy Indian street dog who, with boundless humor, determination and high spirits, escaped the streets and went on to become "The Queen of Paris." This is the closest I will ever come to writing a memoir!   Kirkus Reviews on Zelda: A heartwarming tale of a street dog from India and her faithful human companions.
		Journalist Chutkow (VISA: The Power of an Idea, 2001, etc.) opens a door into his personal life as he narrates the charming story of Zelda, the Indian scavenger dog. Befriending a scruffy street dog was one of the last things on the author's mind while working as an AP journalist in India under Indira Gandhi's rule. However, this ragamuffin "monster" and "trollop" of a dog wheedled her way into the Chutkow's life. She became a steadfast companion to the author, his wife and newborn son through her "boundless courage, humor and high spirits." When Chutkow was reassigned to Paris, Zelda followed. Parisians turned their nose up at the little urchin, but the author leaned on Zelda's friendship when his son had several medical emergencies. Interspersed among trips to the hospital are amusing stories of Zelda growing addicted to Camembert cheese, warm croissants and homemade borscht. Eventually, Zelda gained renown in Paris when she helped police apprehend a burglar. Suddenly, she was the "Queen of Paris" and "the very picture of European refinement." And yet, writes the author, "she remained the high-spirited, impulsive Indian street girl, charming, capricious, and totally untamed, just as she had been born to be." After more than a decade in Paris with luxurious vacations in Sardinia, Chutkow returned to America with his family and Zelda. Chutkow weaves a tender, detail-rich story of how kindness and faith in the inherent goodness of an animal can turn a vagabond into a loving member of the family.           By Richard and Rob Sands. With Paul Chutkow. Published in 2008 by Val de Grâce Books. The inside story of an incredible business success: How a small, struggling family wine business in upstate New York grew into the largest wine company in the world.         The inside story of the credit card revolution and its impact on consumers, businesses, and international finance. Published by Harcourt and distributed worldwide.         The acclaimed memoirs of Robert Mondavi, the Napa Valley pioneer and American icon. Published by Harcourt. The book has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.         An intimate look at a great artist and how he works. Published by Alfred Knopf. The book was a bestseller in France and Kirkus Reviews here said it was "among the finest books ever written about film acting."         A fun large-format book tracing the fascinating history of France's popular bottled water and how it was launched in America. Striking in its design, the book is now considered a collector's item.         This is the story of MAP, a simple, proven system that can help you transform your business and your life. It features illuminating profiles of people from different walks of life who have used the MAP system to achieve professional success and personal fulfilment. Written with Lee Froschheiser. Published in 2006 by Jossey Bass.

	Zelda: A New Departure I'm a very private person. I live in an old farmhouse overlooking the Napa Valley, a perfect spot for a solitary writer. I can go days on end without going into town, or seeing anyone, and communicating with the outside world only by email and the occasional phone call. But Charlie, my English Springer Spaniel, is with me all the time, and I couldn't ask for better company. Dogs, for me, have always been ideal companions. That said, I never dreamed I would ever write a book about a dog. No way, no how. Recently, though, Sheela Karintikal, our beloved cook from India, passed away, and I got to thinking about what a special being she was. And that brought me back to the exciting time I spent in New Delhi as a foreign correspondent, at the height of a major political crisis, and those reflections led me straight back to Zelda, the crazy, adorable little street dog we adopted from the streets of India. I have often toyed with the idea of writing a memoir, but I'm too shy to do so. Still, thinking about Sheela and Zelda led me to sit down and write a remembrance of them both, and before I knew it I had a book in hand: Zelda, The Queen of Paris. On the surface, this is the story of Zelda, "The Luckiest Dog in the World," and how she charmed her way into our lives and became an international starlet, known throughout India, France and the island of Sardinia as "The Queen of Paris." Behind Zelda, though, is a form of personal memoir, the story of how I met a remarkable woman named Eda Cole in India, how we fell in love and had two wonderful sons, and how our adventures with Sheela and Zelda led us to spend twelve years in Paris and then brought us to California Wine Country. If you love dogs, if you are impressed by their intelligence and wisdom, and if you have some understanding of how they love us, guide us, and brighten our lives, I think you will be charmed and maybe even moved by reading the adventures of Zelda, who was surely "The Luckiest Dog in The World." Zelda the book has another endearing asset too: the delightful drawings of J.C. Suares. J.C. is a very special talent. He's an art director, book designer and illustrator of the very first order. His genius helped launch the art of the New York Times' Op-Ed page back in its formative years, and from there he went on to work as art director alongside Jacqueline Kennedy, Martha Stewart and many of America's finest editors and publishers. Where J.C.'s genius really comes rushing to the fore, though, is in his drawings of dogs, cats and horses. One of my favorite books of all times is his Mark Twain Bestiary, featuring many of the exotic beasts from Twain's writings, each of them animated by J.C.'s whimsical pen. And now J.C. has brought that same whimsy to Zelda. The result, my friends, is delicious. Check us out at Amazon.com. And Zelda will soon have her own website too. Stay tuned!