Mastering Night
Some
Habits Of
A Sleepless
Writer
A completed novel, Ancestral, awaits publication. My third novel, it's
speculative fiction in many ways. But there's a hint of magical realism at its
core, an awareness that our world is undergoing great change very quickly,
making this story disturbingly realistic on a planet known for its mysterious
undertow of genetic possibilities. The story revolves around giants, in this
case, birds, and takes us toward a future that includes a great deal of our past.
It also takes us to Scotland, one of my favorite places in which to unfold an
ancient myth.
The most interesting aspect of this work is that it began as a simple idea. What would man do if one creature returned from his collective memories of sky monsters? Not dragons, not flying saucers. Something far more likely to have taken place in our prehistoric past, that lingers genetically--in raptors. Ancestral takes a look at man's long-felt fascination with the sky and at his own escape from earthly bonds. It conceives of a world left long ago by predator birds, still alive in the darker realms of human consciousness. Ancestral breathes life into one of man's most primordial obsessions--death from above.
The most interesting aspect of this work is that it began as a simple idea. What would man do if one creature returned from his collective memories of sky monsters? Not dragons, not flying saucers. Something far more likely to have taken place in our prehistoric past, that lingers genetically--in raptors. Ancestral takes a look at man's long-felt fascination with the sky and at his own escape from earthly bonds. It conceives of a world left long ago by predator birds, still alive in the darker realms of human consciousness. Ancestral breathes life into one of man's most primordial obsessions--death from above.
Shadow From The Sky: Following Traces of Amelia Earhart
A writer's choice of a long-term project is probably one of the hardest decisions
to make. It's taken me the better part of a summer to finally come to the
conclusion that I need change, a big one, writing wise. Amelia Earhart research
has preoccupied me for many years, much of it because she was the impetus
behind my learning to fly in the early 1970s. But it's deeper than that. Only time,
and a lot of it, could convince me to drop everything else and concentrate on
Earhart. The reason: She simply wouldn't go away.
Shadow From The Sky: Following Traces of Amelia Earhart (working title) began with two trips to Atchison, Kansas, where she was born. I re-visited much of the well-known Earhart--the flier, the feminist, the clothes designer, the publisher's dream girl. But the pilot in me has remained curious about this most gifted of all women aviators. Much of her life remains interwoven in legend and controversy. . and I'm okay with that. But there's more to her story, and I know it. That's what I hope to explore over the next few months of research and writing.
Shadow From The Sky: Following Traces of Amelia Earhart (working title) began with two trips to Atchison, Kansas, where she was born. I re-visited much of the well-known Earhart--the flier, the feminist, the clothes designer, the publisher's dream girl. But the pilot in me has remained curious about this most gifted of all women aviators. Much of her life remains interwoven in legend and controversy. . and I'm okay with that. But there's more to her story, and I know it. That's what I hope to explore over the next few months of research and writing.
Ancestral
If you've made A.E. your life's passion, there might be some little-known thing
you'd be willing to share. If you've suddenly found yourself interested in her
story, you could give me a clue worth pursuing. I'm a time-honored member of
the hunt for Amelia, the one we know little about. And I'm always up for
learning more. Please contact me at: woodannley@hotmail.com