An Exceptional Hound:
Book II of the Ryland Creek Saga
Book II of the Ryland Creek Saga
Winner, First Place New York State Outdoor Writers Association 2025 Excellence in Craft Awards (Audiobook)
The Ryland Creek Saga Continues!
An Exceptional Hound: Book II of the Ryland Creek Saga, is the story of the coonhound Seth, first introduced in The Last Coon Hunter.
This installment in the Ryland Creek series fills in part of the ~7-year gap between the last two chapters of The Last Coon Hunter and borrows from the Iroquoian legend of the Great Bear.
An Exceptional Hound: Book II of the Ryland Creek Saga, is the story of the coonhound Seth, first introduced in The Last Coon Hunter.
This installment in the Ryland Creek series fills in part of the ~7-year gap between the last two chapters of The Last Coon Hunter and borrows from the Iroquoian legend of the Great Bear.
Characters, Old and New
Several new characters are introduced in An Exceptional Hound--none the least of which is the Ernst family's eccentric Uncle Arthur McCutcheon. This bullwhip-wielding woodsman's persona is based largely on the concept of the mountain men of old.
Arthur goes by several nicknames earned while he was growing up under the tutelage of the Seneca Chieftain, Gray Eyes: The Ghost that Belongs to the Forest or the truncated version, The Forest Ghost.
Arthur has something of his own following amongst my readers. It was a conversation with a reader (who wanted 12 books in the Ryland Creek series!) that inspired the idea for a fifth novel (a prequel) called The Forest Ghost that was ultimately published in 2021.
Some trivia
There was a Seth! That said, the character Seth was written before the real Seth was born. Prior to The Last Coon Hunter going into publication, my mother asked me to change the character Seth from a walker coon hound to a black cur like the real Seth. So I did. (Always listen to your mother!)
Further, he was a ham in front of the camera, so he became a part of some of the book covers and many of the ads for the series.
But the strangest thing--something seemingly beyond belief--is that the real Seth has become the character Seth in many (and all the important) ways. It boggles the mind. But then again, it is Painted Post.
Sadly, Seth passed away in October 2024, but he left a legacy in his pups--particularly Blaze and Bella (who show up as characters in Return to Ryland Creek) as well as Tony, a gentle giant, who's so large I joke with folks saying I need a saddle not a leash for him.
Hearin' is Believin'!
The audio below captured the real Seth doing what he did best: trailing a raccoon during training season in 2022. This clip has a couple of surprises in it, too.
I'm pretty sure somewhere, in some language, Seth means, "One who can make the owls sing."
Several new characters are introduced in An Exceptional Hound--none the least of which is the Ernst family's eccentric Uncle Arthur McCutcheon. This bullwhip-wielding woodsman's persona is based largely on the concept of the mountain men of old.
Arthur goes by several nicknames earned while he was growing up under the tutelage of the Seneca Chieftain, Gray Eyes: The Ghost that Belongs to the Forest or the truncated version, The Forest Ghost.
Arthur has something of his own following amongst my readers. It was a conversation with a reader (who wanted 12 books in the Ryland Creek series!) that inspired the idea for a fifth novel (a prequel) called The Forest Ghost that was ultimately published in 2021.
Some trivia
There was a Seth! That said, the character Seth was written before the real Seth was born. Prior to The Last Coon Hunter going into publication, my mother asked me to change the character Seth from a walker coon hound to a black cur like the real Seth. So I did. (Always listen to your mother!)
Further, he was a ham in front of the camera, so he became a part of some of the book covers and many of the ads for the series.
But the strangest thing--something seemingly beyond belief--is that the real Seth has become the character Seth in many (and all the important) ways. It boggles the mind. But then again, it is Painted Post.
Sadly, Seth passed away in October 2024, but he left a legacy in his pups--particularly Blaze and Bella (who show up as characters in Return to Ryland Creek) as well as Tony, a gentle giant, who's so large I joke with folks saying I need a saddle not a leash for him.
Hearin' is Believin'!
The audio below captured the real Seth doing what he did best: trailing a raccoon during training season in 2022. This clip has a couple of surprises in it, too.
I'm pretty sure somewhere, in some language, Seth means, "One who can make the owls sing."