Dog emerged after a more sombre novel had withered and died. It was the antidote, and three friends got behind it at once, offering ideas and encouragement. They were Rachel Nicholson, Jane Fisher and my trusted agent, Jane Turnbull.
The notion of a pet with an identity crisis came from a little boy attending a talk I was giving in a primary school.
Tired of the story I was telling, he put up his hand and said, “I’ve got a dog.”
“That must be nice,” I replied.
“It’s not,” said the boy. “He wants to be a cat.”
Everyone laughed, and on the train that evening I invented Spider.
The red and black school, by the way, is Portsmouth Grammar School—but it would never tolerate the kind of bullying Tom experiences, or employ anyone as foul as his history teacher. I hope no offence will be taken.
I would like to thank Sarah Odedina, of course, who has steered the book into port. My copy-editor, Madeleine Stevens, made countless suggestions, too, which proved invaluable. Mike Smith helped with detail at the proofreading stage.
Some books put up a fight, and some books go off the boil. It was a pleasure playing with Dog, and I hope you enjoy his company as much as I did.