Like A Hawk

There is a hawk nest somewhere way back at the border of the woods and the high fields behind my house.  It's been there for years. I don't know exactly where it is but the hawks have always been there, raising their families.  Sometimes they come to visit me and treat me to occasional fly-overs.  One winter solstice, a hawk came and sat in the lilac tree right outside my sliding door and stayed there when I went out and admired him/her.  This summer the hawks have been very active back there, screaming and yelling at their kids and in general doing hawk things.

A few weeks ago a single hawk came to visit.  I was out in my yard and it came in low over the tree line, right above my head.  I assume it was a juvenile, as it wasn't very big and it didn't seem to know quite what it was doing.  Possibly it was making its first solo flight.  It was a gusty day, not really the best choice for a first flight, if that's what it was.  

The little hawk was in trouble; that was immediately obvious.  It was just above and almost into the trees and its feet were dangling.  It was having a hard time staying level.

"Gear up, little hawk!"  I called.  "Wheels up!  Get your feet up!"

The hawk tried to circle above me, having a terrible time of it.  It was losing altitude it didn't have to spare and the dangling feet didn't help. As I watched, it dropped just a little lower.

I could see what was going to happen, and it wasn't good.

"Don't do it!"  I said. "Do not pull up!  You don't have the air speed!  Level out, level out; do not pull up! No!"

Apparently, inexperienced hawks and stressed human pilots think the same way and make the same mistakes.   The hawk pulled up.  And it didn't have the air speed to do it.  The hawk stalled.

It flipped to its left, starting to tumble.  I just had time to start to think about where to find the phone number of the wildlife rehabilitator I know and to wonder what I had that would work for transporting an injured hawk.

Fortunately, none of that was necessary.  Hawks have an advantage that human pilots don't have: they can flap their wings.  The little hawk flapped, managed to right itself, pulled its feet up (finally!), gained a little altitude, sort of squeaked at me in a rather un-hawk like way, and headed for home.  So that was that.  Phew.

And then, just a couple of weeks ago, there were hawks screaming and yelling  right over my yard.  They were making an incredible ruckus.  I ran outside saying something along the lines of "What the!"

There were three, no four hawks in the air right outside my door.  There two large ones and two slightly smaller. Was one of them my earlier visitor? I wanted to think so.  

When they saw me they flew in formation and dipped toward me.  Then they rose, split into two groups and began the most incredible maneuvers. They were joined by a fifth hawk.  They wheeled, passed one another almost touching, dove and rose.  It was an incredible show.  When it was over, they circled again above my head. I couldn't contain myself.

"Woo hoo!" I yelled.  "Way to go!  Great show!"

The hawks turned and headed away back toward their nest.

And now in print....

"A Changed World" is in print now, real print on paper.  This makes me happy because I still love print books.  I love books which let you turn their paper (!) pages.  Some of my friends call print books "real" books and others call them "dead tree books" or "dtb" for short and prefer e-readers solely.

I find myself on both sides of this digital  divide.  That isn't as painful as it sounds.  If it's a book that I want, I'll read it any way I can get it.  A possible exception to this is archeology books, the ones with lots of footnotes and illustrations that have you flipping back and forth and losing your place under the best of circumstances.  Those I much prefer in paper.  But that's another story.  And if you read in bed late at night, holding the book up above your face, it doesn't matter if you are reading a print and paper book or an e-reader.  If you fall asleep, you get whacked in the face by the falling book.  It's true.  I've been there.

So now there's a choice: you can get "A Changed World" for e-reader or in print.  Or both!  Just don't stay up late reading with the book held above your face.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Oh right.  Here's a link:
http://tinyurl.com/kr6gx92

Insane

That's how I feel.  Insane. Writing has its own kind of insanity but I can't blame my current insanity on writing,  because I'm not writing.  I should be writing.  Everyone says I should be writing now, since the semester is over.  I say I should be writing now.  So what's the problem?  Editing.  And more editing. That is real insanity.  And formatting.  That's worse insanity.  (Yes, I know, some of those are not complete sentences but I'm insane; remember?) The print version of "A Changed World" will be out soon.  "Soon" means after I address another issue with the format or some other problem.  Do I like how this looks; do I like the layout on that?  Insanity?  Okay, I'm done whining.  I need to get up earlier so I can write.

And yes, you did read that right: a print version of "A Changed World" will be out soon, whatever "soon" means.

I just realized....

...that I should blog.  An entry is overdue.  Why this is so hard, I don't know, but I usually think I have nothing to say.  I could babble sociological buzz theory about growing up a female of my generation and what that did to my self-confidence blather blather, but even I don't care.  There are much more important issues.

Spring has finally arrived.  I have a window and the screen door open.  The scent of lilacs floods in on the breeze.  My little cat is drowsing by the screen door, where she can keep an eye on the birds outside.  I need  to deal with some stuff for a print edition and I need to get to work on the sequel to "Tiger Lily".  And then there is the scent of lilacs and the purr of a cat.

Marathon

People from all over the world enter the Boston marathon.  They just want to run.  Yes, I'm sure they would all like to win, but mostly they just want to run.  That's why they are there.  I am trying to imagine why anyone would want to blow them up.  I can't.  I'm not accustomed to a failure of imagination but I'm stuck; I can't get my head around this.  Is it supposed to be a statement?  Of what?  I am sad and I am also angry.

Book launch!

It's out!  After a slight delay, it's finally out.  "It" is my new book, "A Changed World".  Right now it's available in e-formats only, through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  It has adventure, romance, suspense, and paranormal goings-on.  It also has an intelligent big cat (who is far more intelligent than a lot of humans).  Check it out:
http://tinyurl.com/coqr9nu (that's Amazon)  or http://tinyurl.com/c3qgvm9 (Barnes and Noble).



Oh and here's the cover!

New novel soon!

Just a quick post: a new novel is on the way, with the title "A Changed World".  It should be out in e-format within a couple of weeks.  Here's the blurb:

It is after the Change, a drastic alteration of climate and environment brought about by global warming and chemical buildup in the environment.  Sage has lived in the mountains and plains of North America all her life.  She grew up in a poor village family, and would have been given as a concubine to the sons of a wealthy family when she turned fourteen.  Rather than accept this fate, she ran away, and lived a hard a life on the plains until she was accepted by an all woman Wander Band.  When her apprentice is stolen she is drawn into a journey that takes her across a changed world.  In the process she saves a village girl, partners with a mountain lion and meets Thomas, a man from the eastern coast who has far too many secrets.  Together this odd group must brave dangers to right some terrible wrongs and to save the world from a threat it does not realize exists.