I’ve always called myself a gestalt writer. When I get the idea for a novel, the entire book arrives at once. I see the first couple of chapters, some parts of the middle, and the ending. I have no idea how to get from one part to the other—that’s the fun for me, figuring out the journey from point A to point Z.
While I was writing The Raven and the Dancing Tiger, about two-thirds of the way through, I sat down for my evening writing session and wrote two sentences. Suddenly, the entire novel of The Guardian Hound appeared, from Lukas’ first nightmare to the final battle. There were many things I had to figure out, and the final path is slightly skewed from the original idea. However, it’s very close to the original vision, complete, and now, in your hands. I hope you enjoy it!
Although this novel is a sequel to The Raven and the Dancing Tiger, it can be read on its own, without reading the first book, as will be the third (and last) novel in the Shadow Wars Trilogy, War Among the Crocodiles, which is planned for fall, 2014.
Leah Cutter
July 2013