Author’s Note To Hellhound
In 2005, two-thirds of this book was published in hardcover by Macmillan/Forge titled Perfect Killer. This edition – Hellhound: The Author’s Cut — incorporates the missing third, along with all of the words in the previously published version. I’ve also added several thousand words of supplemental material.
Please see “The accidental 3-book novel” (End Paper #3) for more details.
The previous drastic cuts dismayed me because they contained the essence of what I wanted to explore as the contrary offspring of long line of Faulknerian decadent Southern aristocracy. Specifically, I’m the disinherited scion of a Mississippi Delta plantation, and a direct descendant of a U.S. Senator who played a foundational role in creating Jim Crow segregation.
This expanded edition restores the heart of a personal exploration:
Why do good people do evil things? I was raised in a deeply Protestant religious family, and for a long time believed in the simplistic doctrine that good and evil were all about God and the Devil. Then my eyes were opened to the racial evil promoted by white churches. That has sent me on a lifetime exploration of how and why people make choices that determine the paths they take? My characters consider these questions as they struggle to survive evil and prevail over it.
They reflect my deep desire to explore the science of consciousness, free will, nature versus nurture and the genetic and physical brain injuries that can turn moral people evil. My protagonist – a neurosurgeon – also wrestles with current quantum theories underpinning consciousness.
Fundamentally this is also an exploration of my own personal choices and forces that made me different, and resulted in alienation from my family, and ancestry.
For more on why I wrote Hellhound: Please see End Paper #1: Personal Decisions, Choices & Consequences.
For details on how I created a fictional thriller based on fact, please see End Paper #2: Write what you know.
Some Relevant Links To Supplemental Material
- Hellhound: A multi-generational saga of racial injustice & redemption wrapped around a thriller.
- Author’s Note
- Why Did I Write Hellhound? (End Paper #1)
- Write what you know (End Paper #2)
- The accidental 3-book novel (End Paper #3)
Hellhound on Amazon
Both versions contain the 1/3 of Perfect Killer that was deleted by the original publisher. Plus thousands of supplemental material.
Kindle Unlimited – Free for Kindle users … with hardware device or free app.
Softcover – 455 pages
