Writing a novel, particularly a novel that is intended to become part of a larger story, is an organic exercise.  While some aspects are carefully planned, others evolve during the process: some elements are born, modified, or sacrificed upon the altar of the Editing Gods.  Here’s the Inside Scoop on The Hound of Rowan:

General Facts:

·      I began writing The Hound of Rowan in early 2003 during the winter holidays of my first teaching year.  Unlike more methodical writers, I worked in fits and starts and it took me approximately eighteen months to arrive at a first draft.

·   Because it was my first attempt at writing a book, The Hound of Rowan needed lots of love and tenderness during the editing process.  The first draft was 600 bloated pages and contained a number of characters, plotlines, and details that were ultimately scrapped or rewritten.  The published version is, essentially, the sixth draft.

·      I suggested the title, The Hound of Rowan, early on and liked it quite a bit.  To my mind, this title captured the essence of The Tapestry’s first book as it focused our attention on Max McDaniels, underscored his tie to Cúchulain (aka “The Hound of Ulster”), and placed the action at Rowan Academy.  In addition, I was drawn to the sound of it – it had an epic quality and pleasing phonics.  Unfortunately, my editors did not feel the same way and rejected it.  In the intervening months, we spent lots of time trying to brainstorm a slew of alternate titles until The Hound of Rowan resurfaced and one of them said, “Hey!  I kind of like this….” Ah, the trials and triumphs of creative collaboration.

·       I received the good news that The Tapestry had found a publisher on June 29, 2005.  As you might imagine, I became ecstatic, which was a serious problem given my socks and the slippery wood floor.  I jumped, slipped, and subsequently crashed against the dining room table.  It was a fitting introduction to the editing process.  Once I’d recovered, I began phoning family and friends.  I also put on shoes.

Character Tidbits:

·       Max McDaniels is named after “Max” from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are.  I always loved the idea that—even compared to monsters—a child could be the fiercest, wildest thing of all….

·       I decided to create a connection between Max and Cúchulain, because the Irish hero was my favorite from all the myths and legends I read as a boy.  Complex, stormy, fierce, and noble – what a great foundation for a character!

·      Scott McDaniels, Max’s father, is loosely based on the father of a childhood friend, who worked in advertising and spoke in a bewildering series of clichés.

·       David Menlo’s last name is a tip of the cap to Thomas Edison, who invented so many of the technologies that define the modern world and was known as “The Wizard of Menlo Park.”

·      Connor Lynch’s original name was Gregor, but I changed it as the former is more common in Ireland.

·       Vyes are the byproduct of nightmares I used to have as a little boy.  In one dream, wolfish creatures with squinty eyes and twisted snouts galloped up the stairs and into my bedroom.  I awoke – terrified, as you might imagine – and ran to my parents’ room.  They asked me what was the matter and I responded that the “vyes” were after me.  I have no idea why I called them that, but the name stuck….

·       The characters of Mum and Bob – two of my favorites – were inspired by a beloved elderly couple who were cooks that I got to know while in college.  Mum is possibly my favorite character to write for: a beastly, carnivorous thing that is simultaneously thick-skinned and emotionally vulnerable. A storyteller’s dream.

·       I always envision the actress Anjelica Huston when I write for Gabrielle Richter.  She has a great face, one that can be kind or imposing – just like the Director of Rowan Academy.

·      Tweedy, the Highlands Hare, and his tendency toward intellectual/cultural one-upmanship, is based on a few people I know.  And if you think I’m telling, you’re crazy.

 Settings and Scenes:

·      I chose The Art Institute of Chicago and its armor gallery for a variety of reasons.  My parents are art historians and I had spent a lot of time in museums, it’s a Chicago landmark, and I was particularly fond of the gallery in which Max discovers the tapestry.

·       I chose to situate Rowan Academy in New England because in my mind it made fundamental sense that a group of survivors and refugees would seek the New World to reestablish their school of magic away from the forces that were persecuting them.  Given that Solas fell in 1649, New England was a logical destination for the Kestrel as both Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colony had already been established.  There was a nice parallel between those settling the New World as refugees from political or religious persecution and those fleeing supernatural assailants.  As I’ve constructed The Tapestry, I’ve tried very hard to ground the story’s events, settings, and timeline in real history.

·       Rowan Academy’s campus is loosely based on my experience at Cornell University.  Old Tom and its clock tower are a nod to Uris Library, while many of the other buildings are reminiscent of the academic buildings located around the school’s arts quad.

·       My idea for Rowan’s unique bedrooms and the Configuration ceremony were inspired by a children’s book entitled The Fourteen Bears.  In that story, each of the bears has his or her own tree with its own theme and motif.  My siblings and I spent many hours debating which would tree would be our own and the experience taught me that a little personalization goes a long way.  Of course, Rowan’s rooms serve as more than intriguing decoration, as future books will reveal….

·      The Course and the training that occurs at Rowan were inspired by Frank Herbert’s Dune series.  I always enjoyed the scenes in which Paul Muad’Dib, Duncan Idaho, Alia, and others were honing their considerable abilities to a razor edge.  The Course also provided an opportunity to add some elements of science fiction to The Tapestry.

·      The scene in which Max reads his Course analysis and feedback was inspired by my experience in management consulting, where one’s performance was continually dissected and coupled with feedback that was bittersweet.  It will be fine if I never hear the phrase “development opportunity” again.

The Cutting Room Floor:

·      In the original draft, Max had friends in Chicago and visits with them over the winter holidays.  Unfortunately for Mark, Billy, and Rachel, they were scratched, as was Max’s trip home.  The chapter “Secret Prisons” is a vast improvement and, I believe, one of the better chapters in the book.

·      Rowan was described in painstaking detail in the first draft—to the point where it stifled the story’s progression.  My editors issued a gentle reminder that while it was important that I know these details, we might spare the readers every name, creature, and description.  It was excellent advice and the streamlined story focuses on those creatures and characters that we’ll really get to know, while providing a sense that Rowan is a big place with people, places, and activities that we might not get to see through Max’s eyes.

·       Originally, we were not going to meet Astaroth in Book I.  The plot focused on the missing Potentials while Astaroth’s return would be addressed in the next book.  During the editing process, I had an epiphany in which I decided to imprison Astaroth in a famous painting, link his fall with favorite artists and historic events, and refocus the plot on the Enemy’s attempt to find and recover him.  Gaining a glimpse of him – even just his eyes – adds a tremendous amount of tension to the book’s finish and sets the table nicely for The Second Siege.  This was a major change and, in my opinion, one of those pivotal decisions that shores up not only the foundation, but the edifice of the story.