T.J. Laverne
author of supernatural historical fiction
Hairy Jack, the Ghost Dog
There's a definite dog theme going on in Hairy Jack. There's the personal one, in which many of the characters are based on real-life dogs that I know. And then there's the actual dog who has a part in the story, after which the novel is named: Hairy Jack.
So, who is Hairy Jack? In short, he's a ghost dog, or black dog. More specifically, he's a symbol of death, and depending on how you view death this can be a very bad thing or an okay thing. In British folklore, the black dog is considered an omen of death when he is spotted. He goes by other names, too: Barghest, Black Shuck, Bogey Beast, Church Grim, Gytrash, Padfoot, and, of course, Hairy Jack.
You may have heard this before: Do you remember in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when everyone thought Sirius was a Grim, an omen of death, kind of like the Grim Reaper?
Depending on where you are in Britain, the black dog can be hellish and evil, or he can be a spiritual protector who comforts the dying. But the link between the dog and death is present in each case.
This link is not just a British thing, either. Ever heard of Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the Greek underworld? Hellhounds, too, are widespread myths across the world as "The Bearers of Death." Just looking at a hellhound is said to bring about death.
How dogs came to be linked with death, I cannot tell you. Yet somehow the connection exists independently in myths and legends across the world. And so, in a murder mystery with a dog theme, I thought it only fitting to include him.
I personally believe dogs to be man's best friend: a comfort in every way whether in life or in death. Whether this is true in Hairy Jack, though, I will leave you to find out.