With much of the world still undiscovered, a small band
of people live a peaceful life, until the dream vision of a young boy, Feather
Floating In Water, changes everything. Only nine winters old, Feather’s dreams
turn his seemingly ordinary childhood into the journey of a lifetime. He must
help his people face a terrifying destiny from which they cannot turn away. He
must find a way to make his people listen.
Bright Sun Flower, the boy’s grandmother, guides his
beginnings, teaching him about the Circle of Life, and how without it, no life
can exist. But he needs a bigger push, and gets it from a grey wolf and a Great
Elder. The boy’s journey leads him to discover that the Circle of Life involves
all people, all living things, and not just the world he knows.
In the end, an ancient People guide the boy in his
visions, toward an unexpected place hidden from outsiders.
This story is steeped in American Indian life, in their
beliefs and humor, and in their love of family. It shows how we might benefit
from the old ways today.
Where to buy: Amazon, Smashwords, Reader Store, iTunes
Read Chapter 1 here.
Excerpts
He watched as Feather tossed flat stones in the hopes they would skip across the river.
The boy stopped and turned to him. "Grandmother said she had too much to do this day to play with me, but that you had lots of time, and that I should take you out for a walk. She did not want you getting stiff. What does stiff mean?"
"Ah, stiff means bent over from too much work. I work so hard, she worries that I might get sore. Such a caring grandmother you have."
Feather's wide eyes and big smile stopped Hawk Soaring from telling his grandson he was not about to get stiff. He couldn't help but grin. He had spent so many winters with his woman that he couldn't remember them all.
She remains as beautiful as ever. Perhaps just a bit more opinionated. I could love no one else.
Feather grinned back. "Why are you smiling so much? Better be careful—you could lose some more teeth. They could fall out!"
Hawk Soaring bent over with laughter. His grandson had long been amused by his nearly toothless bottom jaw. "Little one, if I lose any more teeth, you will have to feed me, because it will be your fault!"
He stood up, reached out to Feather for support, and wiped happy tears from his eyes. "There, now none will fall out, because I am standing up. You are such a joy. You should walk me more. I would like that."
"Really? Grandmother says you sit around with your old friends because, at your age, you cannot do as much as you used to do, and she says you need lots of rest. I would not want to tire you out." He maintained his serious tone, tightened his lips, and squared his chin. "Will I wear you out? Because if I did, Grandmother would have no one to help her when she gets as old as you. I would have worn you all out and used you up."
She reached out and squeezed him to the basket of raspberries that sat across the front of her dress. "What a lucky mother I am to have such a son, so smart and so good to look at. Girls will fight over you like a dog fights over a bone."
"Um... Mother?"
She drifted into thoughts of how special her son would be to another woman someday. Another woman? How could my son ever leave me? She would have to be a very special woman to take my son! I would not allow just any woman to take his hand and lead him away from me. She would first need to prove herself worthy of such a fine man. Never—
"Mother? Mother, please listen to me!"
She shook her head to clear her mind, and focused on Feather. "What is it, my son?"
She gazed into his laughing eyes. Puzzled, she pushed him back, and gasped at her wet, sticky arms, red with tiny seeds stuck all over them—and her dress! The berries had oozed through the basket when she had squeezed him to her bosom.
"Hoohaaa-haaa! The only place you do not have berries on you is red too!" He pointed to her ever-warming face, laughed, and fell backwards off the boulder.
Good one—another story for the long winter. This will be real fun, walking back to camp with an empty basket and a red-seeded dress top. "Son, stop laughing and look at me!"
He obeyed and looked at her—for a split second—then roared with laughter and held his belly. He kicked up red dust that painted him the same color.
Makes Baskets slipped and wet rocks and started to lose her grip on her mother. The loud crash against the canyon walls drowned out her screams. She too felt the dangerous pull of the muddy water. She reached out for a small tree above the water, but it uprooted and washed away in the torrent.
Teeth grabbed the back of her dress and hands pulled at her as she held onto her mother's slipping hand. Panic rose as her grip weakened.
She felt the furious kick of her unborn child. The pain caught her by surprise and she gasped. The water became alive to Makes Baskets. It tried to claim her and the innocent child, who had yet to see the outside world. She fought hard, screaming and praying for help. She was not going to lose her mother or the daughter who—she swore—cried inside her.
She struggled to tighten her grip on her mother's hand. Her legs cramped and she stretched them in hopes of relieving the pain, but the action made her slip more. Two hearts now beat in rapid unison inside her. Fear made it impossible to swallow. Her throat tightened.
Feather's scream brought another concern to her dwindling strength.
About Author
Where to buy: Amazon, Smashwords, Reader Store, iTunes
Read Chapter 1 here.
Excerpts
He watched as Feather tossed flat stones in the hopes they would skip across the river.
The boy stopped and turned to him. "Grandmother said she had too much to do this day to play with me, but that you had lots of time, and that I should take you out for a walk. She did not want you getting stiff. What does stiff mean?"
"Ah, stiff means bent over from too much work. I work so hard, she worries that I might get sore. Such a caring grandmother you have."
Feather's wide eyes and big smile stopped Hawk Soaring from telling his grandson he was not about to get stiff. He couldn't help but grin. He had spent so many winters with his woman that he couldn't remember them all.
She remains as beautiful as ever. Perhaps just a bit more opinionated. I could love no one else.
Feather grinned back. "Why are you smiling so much? Better be careful—you could lose some more teeth. They could fall out!"
Hawk Soaring bent over with laughter. His grandson had long been amused by his nearly toothless bottom jaw. "Little one, if I lose any more teeth, you will have to feed me, because it will be your fault!"
He stood up, reached out to Feather for support, and wiped happy tears from his eyes. "There, now none will fall out, because I am standing up. You are such a joy. You should walk me more. I would like that."
"Really? Grandmother says you sit around with your old friends because, at your age, you cannot do as much as you used to do, and she says you need lots of rest. I would not want to tire you out." He maintained his serious tone, tightened his lips, and squared his chin. "Will I wear you out? Because if I did, Grandmother would have no one to help her when she gets as old as you. I would have worn you all out and used you up."
***
She reached out and squeezed him to the basket of raspberries that sat across the front of her dress. "What a lucky mother I am to have such a son, so smart and so good to look at. Girls will fight over you like a dog fights over a bone."
"Um... Mother?"
She drifted into thoughts of how special her son would be to another woman someday. Another woman? How could my son ever leave me? She would have to be a very special woman to take my son! I would not allow just any woman to take his hand and lead him away from me. She would first need to prove herself worthy of such a fine man. Never—
"Mother? Mother, please listen to me!"
She shook her head to clear her mind, and focused on Feather. "What is it, my son?"
She gazed into his laughing eyes. Puzzled, she pushed him back, and gasped at her wet, sticky arms, red with tiny seeds stuck all over them—and her dress! The berries had oozed through the basket when she had squeezed him to her bosom.
"Hoohaaa-haaa! The only place you do not have berries on you is red too!" He pointed to her ever-warming face, laughed, and fell backwards off the boulder.
Good one—another story for the long winter. This will be real fun, walking back to camp with an empty basket and a red-seeded dress top. "Son, stop laughing and look at me!"
He obeyed and looked at her—for a split second—then roared with laughter and held his belly. He kicked up red dust that painted him the same color.
***
Makes Baskets slipped and wet rocks and started to lose her grip on her mother. The loud crash against the canyon walls drowned out her screams. She too felt the dangerous pull of the muddy water. She reached out for a small tree above the water, but it uprooted and washed away in the torrent.
Teeth grabbed the back of her dress and hands pulled at her as she held onto her mother's slipping hand. Panic rose as her grip weakened.
She felt the furious kick of her unborn child. The pain caught her by surprise and she gasped. The water became alive to Makes Baskets. It tried to claim her and the innocent child, who had yet to see the outside world. She fought hard, screaming and praying for help. She was not going to lose her mother or the daughter who—she swore—cried inside her.
She struggled to tighten her grip on her mother's hand. Her legs cramped and she stretched them in hopes of relieving the pain, but the action made her slip more. Two hearts now beat in rapid unison inside her. Fear made it impossible to swallow. Her throat tightened.
Feather's scream brought another concern to her dwindling strength.
About Author
Author
of Circles, Spirals and Courage Through Fear, a short story in a book called
Evolution Book 1 Put out by my publishing Company, Evolved Publishing.
Life
is a wondrous mystery that I still explore. I spent my youth
"feeling" my way thought it. I traveled throughout the seventies,
standing on one highway ramp or another, exploring the many corridors of our
country, learning about life and what it had to offer.
In
1979, deep in winter, I settled down. I was lucky enough to become the first
woman journeyman pressman of a major newspaper in Colorado. After ten years of
working on printing presses, an injury forced me down another path.
I
made and sold jewelry, cared (still do) for abandoned animals, volunteered for
a horse rescue as well as a no kill shelter. I went to school for so many
different careers that ended up combining my credits to get a degree in
horticulture. Unfortunately, or so I thought back then, two car accidents
during my last semester, my last class, prevented my pursuing it as a living.
I
had no idea what my future held, but I was fortunate; my caring and
understanding husband allowed me to explore other paths and I found one I knew
I belong on--writing.
Back
then, I had no idea "someone" was pushing me to become a writer.
I
had taken creative writing classes off and on throughout my college years,
because I always felt the need to write. Nothing came of it, except satisfying
my own desires, until that special dream guided me to write my novel, Circles.
I
joined a couple writing groups to improve my skills. I met David Lane (aka Lane
Diamond), my editor, in a group. He taught me to keep going, not to get
discouraged, to write and never give up. He stuck with me and gave me the
confidence I needed in myself, to let go of doubt, to move forward.
My
animals taught me about myself through their own lives. They showed me that I
had the patience to push onward toward my destiny, that to give up meant the
end. They helped me learn that if I willed myself to wade through all the murky
waters, eventuality, I would see clearly enough to move forward.
I
am currently working on Stones, the third in this series and a book of short
stories of the paranormal that will have something for everyone even if you are
not sure you believe. I might just change your mind!
My
mixed bloodlines have shown me many things in life that I am truly grateful
for. Thank you, Great Mystery, for the dreams, for the guidance, for the
whispers in my mind.
ONLINE LINKS:
Web Site: www.rubystandingdeer.com
Author Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/9hs6wh8
Twitter: R_StandingDeer https://twitter.com/R_StandingDeer
Author Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/9hs6wh8
Twitter: R_StandingDeer https://twitter.com/R_StandingDeer
My Thoughts
Feather Floating In Water lives with his grandparents and his mother. Feather is a dreamer, he is a very special young boy. He is older than his age. He will be a very important person to his people. He sees things that will change his life and that of his people. His grandmother, Bright Sun Flower understands what he is going through because she has the same dreams.
Feather has a very special companion. It is a grey wolf that has chosen Feather. He is a very wise wolf.
Feather has the respect of his people's Holy Man. The Holy Man knows about Feather's dreams and wants to help train him to be the leader he is destine to become.
I really enjoy reading books like Circles. The history and lifestyle of the people are fascinating hearing the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.
The author kept my attention while reading this story. The character Feather had such a loving and supportive family. They encouraged him to be the person he was meant to be for his people. A true leader. The grandparents were depicted as most grandparents very proud and protective of their young grandson and his future.
Even though I had a situation going on that kept pulling me away from the book I was still drawn to get back to the book to learn more about Feather and his future.
I highly recommend this book.
I rated this book a 5 out of 5.
Disclosure
I received a free digital copy of this book from Evolved Publishing/Innovative Online Book Tours for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.
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