The Writer's View by Casey Dawes

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.Casey will be awarding a bottle of Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir (a wine served in California Homecoming)(US ONLY) OR a $25 Amazon gift certificate (winner's choice) to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her Virtual Reviews Tour, as well as donating $20.00 to Fisher House (http://www.fisherhouse.org/donate/) in honor or memory of a serviceperson of the winner's choice. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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After a great deal of pain and moving, my husband and I have managed to wind up in paradise. We've rented a house in Missoula, Montana, on the banks of the Clark Fork River. I have the entire upstairs of the house for my quilting, writing, and dreaming.

I've positioned my desk so I can look out directly at the river and watch the seasons change. The contrast between winter and spring is quite dramatic, but it can happen slowly. As spring turns to summer the subtle variations in green meld into the darker hues of summer.

I can watch the arrival of a dramatic thunderstorm or hide from the blistering heat of a summer's day.

Best of all, I can watch the parade of animals and birds. We have a fox that slips through, too fleet for picture-taking. The chickadees, goldfinches, and house flit through the branches of the tree outside on their way to the bird feeder. I can catch a glimpse of the pileated woodpecker, a bird my husband fondly refers to as a “pileated jackhammer.”

My favorite winter bird is the kingfisher. His jaunty perch in the frozen weather reminds me the weather will change, and the best fishing is to be had when conditions are difficult. On the other side of the river, the heron stalks to a spot, takes a stance, and seemingly doesn't move for hours. This might change if a deer decides to join him on the sand bar, each trying to determine what strange creature has wandered into their territory.

The large birds—hawks, ospreys, and eagles--scatter the smaller ones merely by flying overhead. Before summer's leaves cover its branches, I can often watch the stoic figure of a hawk or eagle competing with the kingfisher or heron for a meal.

These are distractions from my work, true, but they provide the rich fertilizer for my imagination and bless me with their presence.

When I'm heavily in a story, I'm immersed in that world, whether its the Central Coast of California or the barren nothingness of Nevada. When I need to take a break, all I need to do is look up and nature delights me with her ways.

About the Author:

Author Casey Dawes lives and writes on the bank of the Clark Fork River in Montana with the love of her life and two cats who think they own the joint. To learn more about Casey, visit her website: www.stories-about-love.com.




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