The LoneDogs of Scrabble (A Canine TreeLeg Chorus) flaunts a kaleidoscopic diversity of style that immediately captivates its reader through a gamut of emotions. In an annual contest for first-time novelists, it garnered a testimonial from one of the judges: "one of a kind ... an art piece! Sculptural, pictorial, and filigreed..." Its creative singularity was further commended by one major publisher for its readability and originality, while intriguingly dubbing it "uncategorizable." .
While the cover of the book is eye-catching, the uniqueness of LoneDogs is especially noticeable in the subtitle, A Canine TreeLeg Chorus, where "TreeLeg" might appear something of a curiosity. This is from the a dogs' perspective: a human is a "TreeLeg." In the rear of the book there is a "Dog Dictionary," where the canine vernacular lists alternate designations for humans: " 'FlatFaces', and, more derogatorily - 'Stinkies' " Reading the dog narrative becomes quickly understandable in context. Throughout the book, a human and dog narrative interweave in two distinct voices where the dogs are sentient beings and protagonists. An excerpt of the dog voice is below:
The cement floors of the cage were cold, but he, the young stray pup, was tired of the hunger and continuous fights to protect his territory. He had earned his own name by being the best scavenger of scraps...
The fact that he would have to fight the other two dogs who shared his cage was no matter. They were just a bunch of dumb leg-biters, anyway. He would be top dog there. Fights over territory were everywhere, anyway. It was a joyless life for the BROOG
So many FlatFaces gaping into his cage. What did they want him to do? The Stinkies sure were strange and powerful creatures! They had no bite or bark, yet they always had food for him, and he'd never seen them hunt it. They seemed to mark out the largest of territories with their smell, even though he'd never seen them mark.
The human relationships in LoneDogs are far-reaching and dynamic. They center around three culturally dissimilar families who interrelate through a gamut of emotions in a continuum of events.Quick-paced dialogue, likeable characters and multilayered relationships keep the pages turning.

Roy touched his hat brim in affected friendliness and turned his back on Fred. Feeling the fool, Fred knew he had to make his move.
"Oh, YEH?" he shouted, intending to distract from his moving into Roy so he could push him down from behind.
Expecting and easily anticipating the cowardly movement from the corner of his eye, Roy stepped abruptly sideways. His tall bony frame stood still and firm. Then, in a single fluid movement, he caught Fred's wrist as if he were snatching a Frisbee. Then somehow, he had Fred's thumb in his other hand, and was leading him around like a dog on a leash.
"Hey, Scudder! Mebbe yer lookin' ta git yer brains beat out, caus'n from whit I can see, you ain't got nothin' t' lose!" Roy, to everyone's amazement, was slowly guiding Fred's captive thumb toward theground, while Fred, cursing and hollering threats, helplessly followed
his thumb in humiliation.

Beyond the interpersonal interactions are various other threads: journals, stories-within-stories, and a mystical/ fantasy sequence which hints at prophetic dreams as a vehicle. The overall elegance of Redwood's writing style is illuminated by a "shifting viewpoint narrative," where the voice of the human narrative changes with the character.
Pre-publication, it has already reached a wide appreciative audience including young adults, seniors, and dog /animal people. It is a worthy and adventurous read for multi-generational audiences!