The LoneDogs of Scrabble (A Canine TreeLeg Chorus)   flaunts a kaleidoscopic diversity of style that immediately captivates its reader.  In an annual contest for first-time novelists, it garnered a testimonial from one of the judges:  “one of a kind … an art piece!  Sculptural, pictorial, and filigreed…” Its creative singularity was further commended by one major publisher for its readability and originality, while intriguingly dubbing it “uncategorizable.” 

 The cover’s originality is amplified by the subtitle,  where the use of the word “TreeLeg” may seem something of a curiosity. It presages the unique canine voice, which deftly expresses a dog’s perspective on life with humans. The dogs are sentient beings and protagonists in LoneDogs, and their narrative is threaded and woven throughout the book. While the canine-coined words are mostly understandable in context, a “Dog Dictionary,” is available in the rear of the book. Looking up  “TreeLeg, ” for example, would proffer   “humans” as the definition.  

Likewise, the human relationships in LoneDogs are far-reaching with quick-paced dialogue, likeable characters and multilayered relationships. They center around three culturally dissimilar families who interrelate through a gamut of emotions in a continuum of events. Openly Defying categorization, LoneDogs transits from dog tales and psychological interactions to the mystical, at times with prophetic dreams as a vehicle.

The LoneDogs of Scrabble has already reached a wide appreciative audience of young adults, seniors, and dog /animal lovers. Indeed, it is a tour de force of creativity, and decidedly an upbeat and adventurous page turner for multi-generational audiences!

The LoneDogs of Scrabble focuses on friendship and family, individuality, diversity, and dogs. Uniquely the book’s two distinct voices – human and canine, both continuously evolve. The human voice spotlights three young teens, loners by choice,  who  gravitate to each other’s creativity and bond in friendship.   The plot intertwines three exceptional  teens with their families and the canine world that interconnects early on in the book.

The human story begins with Jonas, a highly creative thirteen-year-old, who aspires to be a writer and overtly asserts his own style.  In school he meets Roy, a sharp-tongued teen  from Oklahoma with an acerbic disdain for the immaturity of his classmates.  The quick-paced dialogue excerpted below showcases the likeable characters that keep the pages turning:

Fred knew he had pushed it a little further than he wanted and that he didn’t want to chance fighting the turd. But then when Roy turned his back on him it goaded a call-out.

“Where ya goin’, smart ass! Afraid?” Fred shouted .

“ Ah’d ruther t’ be a smart ass then a dumb dick,” Roy answered in his trademark monotone. The audience became Roy’s. Even Fred’s friends had to laugh. Jonas was fully focused on the confrontation. The cowboy was a whip.

“Let’s see your fists talk so damn smart!” Fred Scudder’s face was bright red now. Why? Yer brain on vay-cation, huh, Toadsucker?Roy had his secret weapons and felt confident.

WUSS!” Fred shouted. Roy screwed his face up and held his nose. “I think yer breath’s yer bes weapon! PHEW! Smells like a five-hole outhouse!“

Roy touched his hat brim in affected friendliness and turned his back on Fred. Feeling the fool, Fred knew he had to make his move.

Fred’s hate glare was lost on Roy, who went rolling right along. Roy horse-laughed openly at him.

 Jonas and his aunt are looking to rescue a dog from a kill shelter. The dog narrative picks up whether the new humans, will give them a name and refuge, hunt their food, and in the best of worlds, become their Alpha protectors.   The canine voice interprets human realities entirely through the dogs’ eyes (and nose), absent of all human constructs. This is exemplified in the first of the dog narratives, excerpted below

  The cement floors of the cage were cold, but he, the young stray pup, was tired of the hunger and continuous fights to protect his territory. He had earned his own name by being the best scavenger of scraps… The fact that he would have to fight the other two dogs who shared his cage was no matter. They were just a bunch of dumb leg-biters, anyway.

 He would be top dog there. Fights over territory were everywhere, anyway. It was a joyless life for the BROOG, So many FlatFaces gaping into his cage. What did they want him to do? The Stinkies sure were strange and powerful creatures! They had no bite or bark, yet they always had food for him, and he'd never seen them hunt it. They seemed to mark out the largest of territories with their smell, even though he'd never seen them mark.

The overall elegance of Redwood's writing style is ingeniously illuminated by a "shifting viewpoint narrative," where the voice of the human and canine narratives change with the character in focus.

Erick Redwood (M.Ed., Counseling Psychology) demonstrates considerable versatility in his writing style and experience. Additional to being commissioned to write numerous computer software reviews for two nationally distributed magazines (PC Novice /PC Today), he has authored multiple articles on teaching dogs through trust, freedom of movement and voice tones (The Shuttle). As a ghost writer, he penned numerous letters ranging from personally gridlocked relationships to business and consumer advocacy. In Education, he has worked as a secondary school teacher of English and computer literacy. Also, he has done relationship counseling and facilitated numerous growth/sensitivity groups. Currently he is retired with his three-pack of dogs.