The excerpt below is for discussion amongst readers or readers and author ☺ feel free to ask any questions you don't see any addressed below ♥

Random Facts about characters

🐾 Bronx died from a nasal infection, after he grew old in the home of an elderly couple's apartment. He was well taken care of, but the vet could not prevent the infection due to Bronx's elderly state. He got to live long, but with the festering open scar of a deformed and ripped muzzle. An oopsie on Ace's part

🐾 Bronx also takes like 1000 years to ever be able to reincarnate

🐾 Gypsy did not need Wings with her halo in the novel, because some angels choose Fur not wings :) yes that is both symbolic and literate

🐾 it was very difficult to create dialogue for someone depicted as God. I never wanted him to say the word I, and instead be such a loving and caring figure or harmony that he always makes it about his children's problems. Rather than ever saying anything directly about himself.

🐾 in the first draft of this novel there was going to be an added pack member named Grace or Doe. She was going to be the opposite of North and more like Gypsy; easily manipulated and influenced but a lot more docile, shy, reserved, calm, and introverted. She was removed when it was determined that she added nothing to the story.

🐾 Gypsy's name was originally going to be Angel, but it felt too on the nose- and sort of like an answer to the plot.

🐾 Bronx and North CANNOT see each other in heaven because Bronx manipulated her into murderous sins. Same with all of Bronx's children as well as obelisk basically he can't see anyone he knows 🤷‍♀️ Ever. bcz he murdered or tortured them. And for this place, that is Heaven's Law.

🐾 Copper and Finn, or Lavender and the rest of Ace's pack, I have a few more facts on them below. But over all them arriving in heaven was not written into the book because it would be a never ending cycle and Ace+her dead puppies was most important for her being able to accept heaven :)

🐾 Copper and Finn lived out their days as loyal house dogs. They lived in a large two story house with a giant backyard and grew up with the children into their late teens/early adulthood, until they joined Gypsy and the others in heaven.

🐾 Ace did indeed form and lead a strong pack in Bronx's former territory after Obelisk died. He appointed a new leader before his death, so that the pack could thrive and live on. However, he'd never stopped thinking about Gypsy, until the day he reached her again. I think a spinoff about Ace's new pack would be cool, based around the lake and in the woods territory. But it feels too close to Survivors Dogs, without enough unique aspects of its own. Maybe I'll think of something?

🐾 Eventually, after a LONG time lol, after Finn Copper Obelisk Star and even Kiwi decide to reincarnate, Gypsy and Ace Cross Over to begin new lives as well. I like to think that they'd meet again in their second lives.

🐾 Ginger is based off of a real dog from my life, same name and all

Random facts about Story crafting

🐾 As we now know, Gypsy's past is revealed about halfway through the novel; and Just exactly why her and Ace were sent to be euthanized. (Because she bit a child for killing her pups.) However, it is all connected by the end, when Instead of ignoring the little boy that's crossing the road into the path of a car, she blocks and then saves him. Gypsy saves Kenny's little boy, (she did not know he was Ghosts child at first but that isn't the point here) although another little boy also once threw her puppies out of the RV window. This is a theme against Bias. Do not hurt others as they have hurt you. Do not bias a person/place or thing against one negative action.

🐾 In this book, there is no Hell for Dogs. It's the rule of All dogs go to heaven. Whether you agree or disagree with that, there is no "torture and banishment" punishments. Only isolation, as shown to be inflicted onto Bronx. Sure, he can make new memories. But he completely destroyed all ties to his old ones, forever.

🐾 This novel took (excluding breaks) around 7 months to create including novel idea crafting, sewing each plot-line together, and figuring out a good end and personality for every single character, etc.- Then actually writing and editing as well. (I have a job I drive and have pets to take care of so that's why my books take awhile)

🐾 this book also brings insight to loving people before we die, not material objects :) love people, not things. As you might've noticed, Gypsy never cared for a place or object very much. Only other souls and the interactions she gained with them.

🐾 the last 5 chapters were never planned to be written in the original Draft (Ex; Gypsy was never meant to be shown in Heaven and there was originally no Finn's Adoption POV.)

🐾 though it wasn't stated in the novel, the dogs return as Dogs. And a person who were to be reincarnated in this universe would return to Earth as a human. :) so no lol 😂 they couldn't return as frogs or deer or cats or whatever

🐾 A Pitbull was chosen as a main character because I had a female Pitbull growing up. Also because they're misunderstood and often there's a LOT of them in shelters

🐾 the different dimensions of heaven were mentioned several times but that does not mean they're necessarily separate. Meaning yes, there is dimensions where the dogs r allowed to transport to, to be able to see/and spend time with their old passed humans, if they were pets. Animals and humans are not completely separated in every aspect. For example, if Bronx wouldn't have been such a vile dog, he would've gotten to see the humans that took care of him before his afterlife :)

🐾 this book was so fun to write at the beginning, I remember writing and editing the first 11 chapters in a week :') which is a stretch for me

Q And A

Comment with questions of your own in this area please, if you have any

Q1: What moved you to write about a religious aspect in this book/and take your own craft upon it?

A1: Just wanted to make a new kind of world. I knew I wanted a religious aspect because I was going to involve ghosts, and I needed a way to explain that. And, obviously, since I grew up closest to Catholic Religion, I took some aspects of that and twisted it into a dog afterlife universe with its own rules.

Q2: Why did you choose the name Gypsy for the main character?

A2: I just like that name. I think it's cute for a dog!!! For a person, not so much tbh. I just like it as a pet name. (Like I said before it was originally going to be Angel)

Q3: What happened to North in heaven?

A3: She was reunited with Lavender after her pup eventually died, and stayed with her for years afterwards in heaven. I'm not sure whether they decided to cross the Hills or not, but probably so after a while

Q5: Will you Write another Dog Book?

I plan to write another in the future after other book genres are finished; but here's another already finished several years ago:

More Info about Into The Yard

"Into The Yard", or "The Yard," has more TW's because it is a realism dog-fighting novel with aspects of human control. So, if you are sensitive to animal cruelty, detailed violence, and animalistic nature, just avoid that book. However, if a character-driven female-dog pov high-stakes novel with a Drawn-Out Character Arc sounds fun to you? Go ahead and try it out!

Unused Photos for this novel;
Finn grown up

Our Angel Dog Gypsy🐾🪽😇

The dogs forest in heaven

The lagoon in heaven (deep in the forest)

The dogs in heaven

Our Loyal Boi Ace