The phone’s been ringing off the hook at FoxTale Book Shoppe, a 2,000-square-foot independent bookstore in downtown Woodstock.
Duane “Dog” Chapman is coming to town, and die-hard Dog fans from as far as Florida and South Carolina have been calling for directions.
“Woodstock is on fire about this event. This is huge, huge, huge for Woodstock,” said FoxTale Book Shoppe’s Ellen Ward, who shares ownership of the store with Karen Schwettman and Jackie Tanase. “It will be our biggest event to date.”
The cozy hometown bookstore has hosted some well-known personalities in the publishing world, including Fox News Channel co-anchor Steve Doocy, and former New York Times reporter Rick Bragg.
According to Ward, FoxTale outsold Books a Million and the next several venues that Doocy visited on his book tour after his Woodstock appearance.
With that experience under their belts, the ladies are prepared for Chapman. They’ve reserved the gazebo and town park in front of the store, where the crowd will gather to wait for Chapman’s 8 p.m. arrival. Then the fans will file into FoxTale, have their books signed and exit through the back of the store.
Ward expects at least 1,000 people will turn out to see Chapman, star of A&E’s “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and author of “Where Mercy is Shown, Mercy is Given.” It’s not clear how many family members will be with him besides his wife, Beth, but judging from the calls she has gotten, many will be thrilled if son Leland makes an appearance.
There’s a possibility Chapman’s entourage will include a camera crew, and fans will be notified that footage shot here may be part of a future television show. While Chapman won’t pose for pictures, photos can be taken from a designated area set up 10 feet away from his book-signing table.
Traffic will be directed by Woodstock police, who will guide cars into the parking lots of a few downtown churches and Chattahoochee Technical College.
FoxTale will have 1,000 copies available of Chapman’s latest release, which chronicles the success of the bounty hunter’s 30-year career apprehending more than 7,000 fugitives.
Chapman spoke to the AJC by phone from Los Angeles recently. His show, in its 7th season on A&E, shows his tenacity in tracking and capturing dangerous fugitives, and “the talk” he gives them on the trip to jail. Chapman rides in the backseat with the handcuffed criminals, often lighting a cigarette for them while gently trying to convince them to make a better life for themselves.
Chapman said he gets calls from the most wanted criminals in the country.
“We have criminals on the top ten FBI list calling me, saying ‘Dog, I need to see you.’ I caught this guy who was completely relieved … he said, ‘Thank God, Dog, you got me. I can’t do this no more, Dog. Thank you.”
He attributes his success as a bounty hunter to time spent on the other side of the law, which ended with an 18-month stint in a Huntsville prison.
“Do you remember the story about a little Indian boy who walked away from his parents, and the wolves found him and raised him till he was 14, when his parents came by again?” Chapman said. “Even though he didn’t live with the wolves anymore, he knew how to communicate with them.
“When Dog speaks, my people listen because they know I’ve been there, done that, and don’t want to do it again.”
Book signing
Duane “Dog” Chapman. 8 p.m. Saturday. $28.60 in advance, $30 day of event admission includes book. FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., #138, Woodstock, GA 30188. 770-516-9989. www.foxtalebookshoppe.com. www.dogthebountyhunter.com
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