Copyright © 2012 by American Artists, Inc.
Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Michael Gellatly
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group,a division of Random House, Inc. , New York.
BANTAM BOOKS and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Rita Mae.
Sneaky pie for president : a novel / by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-345-53354-8
1. Cats—Fiction. 2. Dogs—Fiction. 3. Political campaigns—Fiction. 4. Virginia—Fiction. I.
Title.PS3552. R698S59 2012
813′. 54—dc23 2012015893
Jacket design and illustrations: Beverly Leung
v3. 1
Contents
Chapter 1 - A United Front, with Tails
Chapter 2 - Give Peace a Chance
Chapter 3 - Of Mice and Men
Chapter 4 - Cowbirds and the Trickle-Down Theory
Chapter 5 - Back to the Land
Chapter 6 - Fish Tales
Chapter 7 - Training Humans
Chapter 8 - A Hoot
Chapter 9 - Cast Off Your Chains!
Chapter 10 - Choose Your Allies Wisely
Chapter 11 - Clever as a Fox
Chapter 12 - Horse Sense
Chapter 13 - Hanging Out
Chapter 14 - Woodpeckers for More Bugs, Less Chemicals
Chapter 15 - A Warrior’s Death
Chapter 16 - Literary Aspirations Revealed
Chapter 17 - One Moment in Time
Chapter 18 - Shots Are Fired
Chapter 19 - Saving for Tomorrow, One Bone at a Time
Chapter 20 - Welcome to America
Campaign Platform
Campaign Promises
Additional Campaign Information
A Note from Rita Mae Brown
—M
AHATMA
G
ANDHI
A Note from the Author
From a writer’s perspective, the line between fact and fiction is considerably less clear than most readers realize.
To illustrate my point, I’ll provide an example. Naturally, I am the star of the book you are about to read, but this very important tome also features (in much less important roles) the fat cat Pewter and the wise corgi Tucker—both of whom will be familiar to readers of my bestselling Mrs. Murphy mystery series showcasing the misadventures of a hapless human called Harry Haristeen. Neither Mrs. Murphy nor Harry show up here but, no big surprise, another human intrudes in these pages now and then.
You have never before met Tally, a Jack Russell featured herein, whom I live with in real life. I do not include her in the mysteries. She’s enough trouble as it is. The Human referred to throughout is my co-writer, Rita Mae Brown. In truth, her role as co-writer is a minor one, in that she merely writes down what I say—but it’s unlike me to denigrate her publicly, discretion being the better part of valor. (She gets cranky and then there are less treats for all. Also, she takes care of mailings so I must tread oh-so-carefully. )