David Bell's Blog - Posts Tagged "dogs"
What I said to the NZ book Council part 1
"You describe The Dog Hunters as ‘the epic retelling of the legend of Gelert the Wolfhound’. Tell us about this legendary dog and why he captured your imagination..."
When I was 6, I read the legend of Gelert the faithful wolfhound on his gravestone in Beddgelert, North Wales, and bawled my eyes out. Gelert’s master, the King, had slewn his old dog thinking he’d killed and eaten his baby, Prince Llewelyn, only to discover that Gelert had killed a ravenous wolf, saving the toddler, who belatedly crawled out safe and sound from under the bloody bedcloths. The legend has it that, having slaughtered his oldest and most loyal friend, the King never smiled again, and the story certainly ruined the rest of my holiday. Years later, I’d been tinkering with a story about a Chinese Emperor who had dogs of different sizes and shapes bred ‘to order’, but I was looking for a more meaningful and personal hook to the story. That’s when it struck me that if the Emperor had heard of the Legend of Gelert, surely he’d want to get his hands on the world’s greatest dog’. It meant rewriting Gelert’s grisly end (yay! I saved Gelert!), but from then on, the story wrote itself and now Gelert has a human protagonist, Prince Llewelyn, now 14 years old, to play with.
When I was 6, I read the legend of Gelert the faithful wolfhound on his gravestone in Beddgelert, North Wales, and bawled my eyes out. Gelert’s master, the King, had slewn his old dog thinking he’d killed and eaten his baby, Prince Llewelyn, only to discover that Gelert had killed a ravenous wolf, saving the toddler, who belatedly crawled out safe and sound from under the bloody bedcloths. The legend has it that, having slaughtered his oldest and most loyal friend, the King never smiled again, and the story certainly ruined the rest of my holiday. Years later, I’d been tinkering with a story about a Chinese Emperor who had dogs of different sizes and shapes bred ‘to order’, but I was looking for a more meaningful and personal hook to the story. That’s when it struck me that if the Emperor had heard of the Legend of Gelert, surely he’d want to get his hands on the world’s greatest dog’. It meant rewriting Gelert’s grisly end (yay! I saved Gelert!), but from then on, the story wrote itself and now Gelert has a human protagonist, Prince Llewelyn, now 14 years old, to play with.
Book Two (about bloody time!)
I know I know I know- two years is an awfully long time between books, but it's the drawings that take the time! Plus, Book Three is pretty much finished as far as the writing's concerned. So I'll probably get that out sharpish and then crack on with the pics. Meanwhile, here's the blurb:
The Dog Assassins
The Adventures of Llewelyn and Gelert book Two By David Bell
The Emperor’s finally got his dog:
Rescued from their Jiang kidnappers, Gelert the legendary Wolfhound and Llewelyn Prince of Wales are rushed across the Chinese Empire to witness first hand what absolute power really means: a fearful nation bending to the erratic whim of a reclusive tyrant. The dark corridors of the Emperor’s palace are soon awash with blood, but who’s really in charge, the eunuchs or the generals? And with plans already in place for the invasion of Jiang, will Llewelyn help Feiyan pull off her outrageous plan to assassinate the Emperor? Join our two friends as they meet astonishing new dog breeds, unearth fresh mysteries, and brave the terrors of Gelert’s increasingly rancid farts in this, the second book of the epic adventures of Llewelyn & Gelert.
The Dog Assassins
The Adventures of Llewelyn and Gelert book Two By David Bell
The Emperor’s finally got his dog:
Rescued from their Jiang kidnappers, Gelert the legendary Wolfhound and Llewelyn Prince of Wales are rushed across the Chinese Empire to witness first hand what absolute power really means: a fearful nation bending to the erratic whim of a reclusive tyrant. The dark corridors of the Emperor’s palace are soon awash with blood, but who’s really in charge, the eunuchs or the generals? And with plans already in place for the invasion of Jiang, will Llewelyn help Feiyan pull off her outrageous plan to assassinate the Emperor? Join our two friends as they meet astonishing new dog breeds, unearth fresh mysteries, and brave the terrors of Gelert’s increasingly rancid farts in this, the second book of the epic adventures of Llewelyn & Gelert.
