Introduction to BATHING THE LION

I’ve been writing for over thirty years and discovered something interesting along the way: some books you like to write, some you don’t. Some become really good friends who you’re happy to see every day because they’re great company — funny, smart, generous (they always pay for drinks), insightful…

In contrast, some quickly become enemies, villains, miscreants, pains in the ass, brats, girlfriends from hell… you name it. Writing them is like having a bug constantly flying up your nose. Or eye surgery on a helicopter.

It took five years to write BATHING THE LION, the longest it has ever taken me to tell a story. After a while I started thinking and calling it my fiery lover because when it was in a good mood, I liked nothing better than to spend hours with it and do its thing. Yet there were just as many times when I wanted to throw the hopeless story out the nearest window, wring its neck, or simply walk away because I’d had it with its impossible moods and often irrational demands. Passion turned into a wrestling match to the point of exhaustion. It was about a 50–50 split as to who would win the battle each day. After a while it got so bad and frustrating that I really DID walk away from the book for long periods and did other stuff. But in the end either because I’m stubborn or unfinished things need finishing or I just had to discover what happened to all these various characters, I went back into the wrestling ring or the bedroom (depending on the day and the story’s mood) and finished. Reviews say it’s a story that works pretty well.

Truth be told, I’m just glad the damned thing is in your hands now and out of mine. I hope it becomes your good friend. Tell it hello from me but don’t be at all surprised if it starts muttering as soon as you mention my name…