 Not only did this beautiful creature stop and pose very thoughtfully and long enough for me to run for my camera, but she then caught and ate a mouse right then and there! Way to go! Look at that bushy tail, all ready for the cold winds about to blow in snow (according to the forecast).
I am delighted to report that my book has gained recognition and momentum from readers who post reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you so much, reviewers! Your work has encouraged over 14,000 to add my books to their want-to-read lists. That is really encouraging. Today I want to offer a little teaser for those of you who might be on the fence on whether to start this book. How about an excerpt that tells the Netah origin story? Since the books take place in north America, and I decided that the Netahs predate the humans. I imagined a kind of fable they would tell their children. Many native American stories include people who could transform into animals. In fact, cultures around the world have such stories, so it seemed only natural. Finally, Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, showed how her people care for their world. I highly recommend her book. In addition, I have some experience taking fables, fairy tales, poems, and short stories, and turning them into something else. In my book, Literary Ideas and Scripts for Young Playwrights, I turned those things into short plays for the classroom, demonstrating how to take an old, familiar story and make it new again. This is also not a new idea. Did you know that the Disney's Lion King is based on Shakespeare's Hamlet? Those were my thoughts when writing this fictional origin story. I placed it in book 2, when Hesta, the elk Netah chief, is leading Josh "Down in the Valley," hence the title of the book. They stop for the night and Hesta tells Josh a story about their people. In the beginning, there were people and animals, and they all got along very well. The people took care of the animals when they were injured or sick. The animals taught the people where to find good foods like berries, nuts and fish. The people were grateful to their older brothers for teaching them how to live in the world. The makers were very proud of the people and animals and decided to give them a gift. If they wanted, they could transform from an animal into a human or from a human into an animal. Some people liked the idea, some didn’t. The animals had the same reaction. Two separate societies formed on that day. The ones who didn’t chose to change in the beginning were never able to do it later, and they became angry and jealous. This led to wars. Animals attacked people, and people killed animals. The makers were very upset that their gift had created such problems but were unable to make things right again. The Netahs found their own solution. They separated themselves from the others and made their own societies and villages. Wars still happened when the Netah villages were discovered. The makers gave the Netahs another gift to help them. They took away the Netah’s scent so they could hide more easily. Hesta stopped talking. He noticed that Josh was very still. “Josh?” “Hmm?” “Good night.” So there you have it. This is what happens when writers read other authors, as I mentioned last month, when I read J.K. Rowling's From the Wizarding Archive. If you are also a writer, consider reading this, and particularly the foreword by Evanna Lynch. It is inspiring as well as loads of fun for Potter fans.
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