BLAST, BLITZ, PROMOS, REVEALS, & TOURS . . . : SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - HISTORICAL FICTION

Wanders Far
by David Fitz-Gerald

Publication Date: May 11th 2019

Outskirts Press

eBook, Paperback, AudioBook; 197 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

BLURB
Wanders Far lived in dangerous times and was faced with one difficult challenge after another. He was a skinny, quiet boy who was raised on the banks of a tributary of New York State’s Mohawk River, hundreds of years before colonists arrived. One lifetime was not enough for Wanders Far’s old soul. From a very young age, his wanderlust compelled him down one path after another. No village could contain him. He was happy living a simple life in the physical world during challenging times. The spirit world had other plans. A wise, enigmatic shaman mentored Wanders Far and helped him cultivate the supernatural visions that haunted him. His guide could only help him so far. He set out to become a runner, carrying important messages across the lands of his people and their enemies. He ended up fulfilling a much greater destiny than he ever imagined.

"This engrossing, well-written novel tells the story of a pivotal moment in Iroquois history through a well-traveled protagonist." - Kirkus Reviews

Watch the Book Trailer HERE

EXCERPT

Follows Stars had constructed a small, temporary encampment right on the bank of the wide river, just above the waterfall. He had been there several days, and had become quite comfortable, passing time by whittling warriors, scouts, and hunters four inches tall. He had carved one runner. He smiled when he saw Wanders Far approach his camp. He knew that Wanders Far would get there first. Follows Stars had visualized Wanders Far’s arrival, and his smile broadened as the boy got closer.

Follows Stars gave Wanders Far a small rock with a turtle painted on the top and one hashmark painted on the bottom. They talked for a couple minutes and the seer congratulated the boy. Then he asked Wanders Far if he had encountered any difficulty finding the checkpoint.

Wanders Far told him, “No, I just imagined where you would be, and there you were!” The seer gave him a bowl of buffalo meat with a thick gravy. Then the seer handed him some cornbread with sunflower seeds and dried blueberries baked into it. It was a heavy meal. Wanders Far ate a few bites and thanked him, passing the bowl back. Buffalo was a rare treat, since most of their villages were just outside of the Buffalo’s normal range.

Follows Stars could have predicted the boy would only eat a little. He closed his eyes and reached for Wanders Far’s hands. After a silent minute, the seer completed his reading. Follows Stars thought, This is the boy I always knew would come. The old man opened his eyes. Wanders Far had been gazing at the lids of the eyes of the old seer. Wanders Far felt a strong energy pass through his torso, not from the hands of the seer, but rather through the very air. It was a happy, comforting feeling of connectedness, not just to the current time and place, the man standing in front of him and the task at hand, but to humanity throughout the ages past, and those yet to come.

The seer asked the boy, “Did you see anything?”

Wanders Far said, “No, I felt it. You have a glorious spirit.”

Follows Stars whispered, “That was exactly what I was going to say to you!” A couple of silent moments passed, and the seer released the boy’s hands. “I want you to have this,” he said, giving Wanders Far the runner he had carved. It looked just like the boy, only a year or two older.

The whole visit lasted ten minutes. After he said goodbye to the seer, Wanders Far stood facing the Great Roaring Waterfalls. For ninety seconds, he soaked it in. Wanders Far felt that he had stayed too long as it was. He was only halfway finished. He took a quick drink of water and was back on the trail, again passing the boys who had stopped to rest at the river, without them even knowing he had been there. Wanders Far wondered what they would think when they discovered that rock number 1 had already been taken. He chuckled at the thought, and walked well past dark, again reaching the abandoned lean-to that he had slept in the night before, only that night it wasn’t abandoned. It was full of sleeping racers. Wanders Far quietly found an unoccupied corner and quickly fell asleep.

All of the racers were up early on the seventh morning. A good night’s sleep had done them all a lot of good, and they were in high spirits, expecting to reach the Great Roaring Waterfalls later that day. They noticed that Wanders Far had caught up to them and congratulated him on his persistence. They hadn’t expected him to make it that far, figuring he would have turned around for home way before that point. When everyone was ready to continue, they all started down the path toward the checkpoint. Wanders Far headed the opposite way.

“Giving up this close to the checkpoint,” one of the younger men chided. Wanders Far just shrugged, hung his head, and gave a sad, weak, defeated wave in parting.

Author Info
After a chaotic day as a business person, Dave enjoys getting lost in the settings he imagines and spending time with the characters he creates. Writing historical fiction is like making paintings of the past. He loves to weave fact and fiction together, stirring in action, adventure, romance, and a heavy dose of the supernatural with the hope of transporting the reader to another time and place. He is an Adirondack 46-er, which means he has hiked all of the highest peaks in New York State, so it should not be surprising when Dave attempts to glorify hikers as swashbuckling superheroes in his writing. Wanders Far—An Unlikely Hero’s Journey is the first in a series of books in the Adirondack Spirit Series.

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Giveaway
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