Random Facts by the author:
These facts are here to answer any wonders you may've still had at the end of the novel ☺
1. Flare is 2 years old when she escapes The Yard
2. Mocha, alongside her puppies were sold by Robert to a backyard breeder to flip for more cash. However, Grey Dog finds Mocha and frees her. Then they search for their missing puppies together.
3. If a 2nd novel were ever to be made (which I'm considering) Jax or Crow would return. And Shadow would certainly make an appearance.
4. After Jax jumped the fence, he stayed with Grey Dog for awhile. But eventually he split off and took his own path. I like to believe he was eventually picked up by an animal rescue, then adopted into a loving family
5. Robert was arrested and Crow was saved, then put in quarantine for his reactivity to other dogs (especially males). He was afterwards rehabilitated by a federal dog-training program to become less agressive. Crow is currently in a pet shelter, but not the same one as Shadow and Flare's.
6. Flare's name was difficult to come up with. I wanted something unique but also less doggish than the other dog's names, since she is the main character.
7. Jax was named by Robert from a young puppy when he first arrived, so he was able to learn the name he was given after spending his whole life in The Yard.
8. Hours of research about male dog behaviors versus female dog behavior was done prior to writing this novel, as I always try to research a topic vastly before diving into writing about it. The way that some of the male dogs acted extremely selfish versus the females being more independent and aloof is real canine behaviors, Not just their personalities.
9. This novel took two years to write but I took a 9-month break in between that period. So technically it took about 1yr and 3 months to write.
10. Grey Dog and White Dog's names weren't chosen out of laziness or low inspiration, but because I wanted the novel to constantly remind us that we are in a dog's point of view.
11. White Dog died of a severe chest infection that was left untreated for too long.
12. Flare never becomes mates with Shadow. I'm sorry to disappoint some of you, but it was heavily implied that Flare wanted to break free of feeling forced to choose and have no pressure to choose at all. So, for now and at least a long while after this book's events Flare is not open to Shadow being her mate. However in a later novel I feel that some happenings ✨ may occur to change her mind.
13. On that note, I just finished writing this novel so a sequel has not been created. Definitely thought of, but not yet planned out, structured or even draft-written.
14. If a second novel were to release our setting would change, Flare would not be in a Yard but running free somewhere to find other dogs. Perhaps her lost family ect. But nothing's been set in stone. I may even change Flare//rewrite her into a whole different dog because the readers seemed to love other characters even more. Jax and Mocha had a lot of fans lol.
15. Crow was not part of the original cast. I realized that I wanted a longer novel and more conflict before Flare's character development so I decided to create him around chapters 10-15.
16. This novel has over 30,000 words
17. Keisha went on to adopt a rescue dog two years later, inspired by the three she had saved.
18. Jax was the easiest character to write
19. Shadow is based off of my real-life Childhood family dog.
Questions for Readers:
What was your favorite topic/moment/ideal of the novel?
Who was your favorite character?
What's next?
For now there's no novel in the works, nor ideas for a continuation of this one or it's characters. Flare and Shadow's purpose was to escape the Yard, and we've done just that. But Id like to believe they would both be good farm dogs, less of working ones and more as outside pets who can roam the country together if they pleased :)
If you are interested, I have one more dog novel in the works. It's titled Angel On Earth, similar and with a dog's point of view but much more tuned down on the natural behaviors of dogs; and a bit more plot-driven. I was more ambitious with the new one and move much faster there, and have changed everything from setting to characters. It's cover is shown below so you know what to look for
Authors Statement
Please don't be afraid to adopt dogs from the shelter. Dogs in the shelter may be fearful, shut down or emotional- but they only provide a much stronger and loyal connection to their owners in the long run. Shelter dogs are just so happy to be in a home after weeks, months or even years of being locked in kennels or previously neglected then abandoned by their families. Some shelter animals have spent their entire lives outside.
If you've made it to this point after genuinely reading the entire story, I applaud you. Not many people enjoy reading these days and I am so thankful to anyone out there reading my novels. It is, after all, the reason I write. And I wouldn't be here without you readers. ♥
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White Dog when he was a puppy
Shadow and Flare art by me, ik it's bad
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Another drawing of Shadow and Flare running free. As u can tell I'm not very good at digital drawing but u get the idea.
~Ai art of our Brown Dog in the forest, for the Shadow fans