I’m still working on Harry’s (the English setter sidekick) story of supporting our young heroine, Nina. Hopefully, my first draft will be complete this month. Since I’m a newbie in writing novels, having only written hundreds of clinical reports in my previous life, I will need some beta readers to give me some feedback on the book. If you’re willing to be a volunteer, please contact me at drsuanne@4stepsconnect.com.
To give you a heads up on the story line it is a coming-of-age journey for a young teen moving from self-doubt through family disruption and peer bullying to self-respect and personal courage. Nina’s is a heroine’s journey, supported by Harry, her companion, and loyal English Setter; Alex, her childhood friend, neighbor, and ardent admirer; Meredith, Nina’s alter ego-cocky, outgoing, and adventurous; and Miguel, intelligent, happy, and kind. I’ll keep you updated on the progress.
As I was taking my own canine sidekick and support system for our morning walk, our area had continued heavy cold winds which seemed to have erupted after the midwestern tornados devastating Ohio and its environs. I’m always fascinated by watching hawks soaring on the breezes, and I also watch for large ones as my little Yorkie-chon, Calliope Jane, is afraid of birds and I suspect might have encountered a hungry one as a puppy in rural Pennsylvania. Anyway, I was watching a mid-sized adult bird soaring around a fairly small circuit only to see a smaller hawk start to soar, then seem to lose its juice and flap, flap, flap, wobble until it began to soar smoothly again. Eventually, I witnessed three smaller birds follow the same routine as the larger hawk kept watch in a bigger circle, expanding it as the “wobbles” smoothed out. It occurred to me that I was viewing a hawk soaring lesson for young birds. I’ve never seen that before, and if this seems a preposterous story or an impossible one, and if you know about hawks and how they learn to fly, please email me with your take on things and I’ll update with your feedback!
Be well my friends,
Suanne