Article: The genesis of a novel...

The genesis of a novel is always a tricky process. Often it begins with a vague idea, or in my case, a theme, and for this novel, I chose the theme of love and danger. In other words, I wanted to write a story in which two believable characters fall in love, but I wanted to add elements of suspense and peril that would ultimately put both characters in jeopardy. I can't remember where I was when I made the decision to attempt such a story, but I do remember thinking that I was going to enjoy the process of trying to write a type of novel that I hadn't written before.

Boy, was I ever wrong.

Well, let me rephrase that. While I did enjoy the process of writing the novel, the editing required was far and away the most difficult I've ever had to do. From first to final draft, the novel went through eight major revisions until my editor and I were finally satisfied that the novel accomplished what it set out to do; that is, be a love story first and foremost, and secondly—in a way that sneaks up on the reader—a compelling thriller.

In the course of my life, I've probably read a couple of thousand thrillers, and though many of them had characters fall in love within the story, I can't remember reading one where the thriller element was secondary to the relationship. The reason for this is simple—the scarier something is, the more it dominates the story. The challenge with The Guardian, then, was to find the right balance between the two elements and to pace the story accordingly, so that the reader never lost sight of what the novel really was—a love story between two regular people who find that they've crossed paths with the wrong sort of person. Though it sounds easy, on my end it made for many sleepless nights.

I've also always wanted to write a story that included a dog. Whether it was Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, To Dance with the White Dog by Terry Kay, or My Dog Skip by Willie Morris, I've always loved stories with dogs, and I thought that it might be nice to include a dog in this particular novel. I'm indebted to those authors for their work and the hours of enjoyment those books gave me. There was also a touching story entitled "Delayed Delivery" by Cathy Miller in Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul (edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marty Becker, and Carol Kline, HCI publishers) that inspired the prologue of The Guardian, and I'd like to thank her—and the editors—for bringing a tear to my eye.

Copyright © Nicholas Sparks