FOREWORD, by the author, Benjamin Seitz

When Hoofton Mifflin approached me about doing a biography about Shane Rufus, I initially balked at the idea. "Shane Rufus?" I said. "You want me to sit in a bar with him and spend night after night listening to him yammer about girls he had sex with and how great he is?" They insisted, though, and I agreed, on the condition that I be only obligated to one week with the notorious FBA troublemaker. If I felt it was a failed venture, they were to let me walk away.

The first day went just as I figured. We met at one of his usual hangouts and he spent most of the time weaving grandiose stories of dubious veracity. My fears that this "biography" would become little more than a compilation of Shane Rufus's boasts began to look more and more prescient, made only worse by the publisher informing me that I was not allowed to conduct outside interviews. Part of Shane's agreement was that the full project be in his own words only.

For the next, I asked if we might meet at his home, away from the noises and distractions of fans, friends, and females. It took some convincing, but he agreed and invited me to his home where I hoped we could discuss his past more openly.

At first, Shane was hesitant. He seemed out of his element, and told me the new arrangement felt more like a therapist appointment than working on a book. After a few drinks, however, he began to open up, and so began a journey into the mind of a wolf whom I believe few of us saw as little more than tattoos and bruised knuckles. I immediately called Hoofton and let them know I would happily finish with him.

As far as I know, many of the stories contained herein have never been told before. Some are violent, some heavily sexual, and some just plain silly, but they all piece together to make the wolf we know today as Shane Rufus. Much is lost in translating Shane's exuberant storytelling into text, and I frequently had to make revisions later to make sense of them, but I dearly hope that reading these stories proves as fascinating and enjoyable as it was to transcribe them.

For Shane's fans, within these pages you'll find many more reasons to love him. For his detractors, I'm sure you'll find just as many to hate him. For those unfamiliar with him at all, no doubt you will learn all you could ever want to, and then some, about one of the more colorful characters in the Furry Basketball Association's roster. If others are anything like Mr Rufus, I eagerly look forward to getting the opportunity to work with them.

Enough stalling, though. You came to hear from him, not me. So brace yourself, because here comes the bad guy.

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I asked  Foxena to create a "cover" image for the "autobiography" of Shane, the earliest pieces of which you can find in my gallery. After discussing a few ideas ranging from an example from a story to an actual cover of the book, we decided that a bare look at the process would be best. Out came this incredible image, which I think really captures the mood that was likely in the room during some of those nights.