by Collen Houck
The man sighed and made a visible effort to control himself, then sat behind his opulent desk.
“Enter.”
The assistant entered and bowed, showing his submissiveness, and yet there was a confident gleam in his
eye. He stood and said only three words…the words his employer had been longing to hear for months.
“We found her.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’d like to thank my early reading group. My family—Kathy, Bill, Wendy, Jerry, Heidi, Linda, Shara, Tonnie, Megan, Jared, and Suki. And my friends—Rachelle, Cindy, Josh, Nancy, and Linda.
Hand claps for Jared and Suki who helped me brainstorm cover designs for theTiger series books and for also organizing my author photos and the website.
Special thanks for my editor from India, Sudha Seshadri. Her enthusiasm and guidance in the language and culture of India was invaluable. She patiently and kindly advised me, going above and beyond the duties of an editor. I’m sure I would have offended many people without her. If there are any discrepancies, cultural or linguistic, they are entirely my own, and I apologize in advance for anything aberrant. Rest assured, it was not my intention. My hope is that I’ve shown India’s people and culture respect, and have depicted the beauty of their land and the rich mythology of their people in an appropriate way.
I am always appreciative of my husband, who went through countless edits. He waded through pages of meager novice scribbling and helped shape my first book into what it is today. His enthusiasm kept me writing. Even though he’s lived on sandwiches and leftovers for a year he’s never complained and brags about his author wife to anyone willing to lend an ear and even to some who won’t.
Thanks to my friend Linda who gave me great feedback on every chapter. Many of the paragraphs in Tiger’s Curse are thanks to her requests for more detailed information. Her tireless support and excitement kept me motivated to write every day and I always look forward to talking about my tigers with her.
Thanks to my sister Linda who is my confidant, hair stylist, personal chef, housekeeper, and cookie baker. Without her, there would be no double chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. She kept my household running so I could write my first book. When she moved away I was crushed and overwhelmed. There’s no replacement for her. Everyone should have such a sister…such a friend.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Tina Anderson, the Manager of the Polk County Fairgrounds and to my editors—Rhadamanthus and Gail Cato. Thank you to all the people at Booksurge who organized me and helped me share my story.
Extra special hugs for my nieces and nephews who lent me their names—Michael, Matthew, Sarah, Rebecca, Sammy, Joshua, Mitchell, M. Cathleen, D. Andrew, and Madison. I promise I’ll work the rest of you in later.
Table of Contents
Prologue The Curse
Chapter 3 The Tiger
Chapter 6 Mumbai
Chapter 9 A Friend
Chapter 13 Waterfall
Chapter 15 The Hunt
Chapter 17 A Beginning
Chapter 19 Hampi
Chapter 22 Escape
Epilogue Shadow
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
EPILOGUE
