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  • Author to Author: Sharing Books and Inspiration

    By J. Daniel Reed

    Congratulations to the Arlington Heights Memorial Library program team and volunteers for the Lit Stoll, Saturday June 25th held in four downtown Arlington Heights establishments. It was an extremely well-organized event, featuring four Illinois authors—all of whom were wonderful to meet and listen to. I enjoyed the event author to author, sharing books and inspiration.

    Jon Seidel, federal courts reporter for the Chicago Sun Times and true crime author of Second City Sinners

    Mia P. Manansala, award winning mystery/thriller author and her Tita Rose Kitchen Mystery series

    Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author, and her latest release Woman on Fire

    Elizabeth Berg, New York Times bestselling author, reviewing her beloved Mason series and more of her work

    On a personal note, while impressed with all of the authors, I want to express what a thrill it was to meet Elizabeth Berg and to hear her thoughts on the importance of reading, on her experience writing books, and on how she came to be an author. IMHO, she is an incredibly talented and lovely soul. While there is no doubt, she inspired many in attendance with her presentation, she especially inspired me to continue my effort to write stories that have personally and socially redeeming messages.

    She reassuringly confirmed that while writing, character’s personalities often surprise her as they are developed, and they can lead her storytelling in unexpected ways. This reality of writing is expressed by current and past authors, including two of my favorites, Ernest Hemingway and Dean Koontz. Having experienced this myself writing The First Wolf Pack and again with my pending novel (coming this fall) it was big-time supportive of my new author experience. Thank you, Elizabeth Berg!

  • Chicago Writers’ Association

    Book Review: The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable

     

    The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable. J. Daniel Reed, Terra 3 Communications LLC, November 15, 2021. Paperback and eBook, 220 pages.

     

    Reviewed by Lisa Lickel.

    J. Daniel Reed’s fantasy tale of The First Wolf Pack draws the reader into an imaginary world of two mighty predators who must decide to survive together or fight to the death.

    When an accidental hunting convergence brings two of the greatest ancient wolves into mortal combat, they realize they are so equally matched that they must use their great intelligence to seek a common goal: survival. Versa and Arn begin to care for each other. Together, they derive an ethic called the Wolf Ways.

    Told in the manner of the great sagas, the narrator, a contemporary dog named Bingley, reveals the secret of contemporary dog heritage through Versa and Arn’s story. Bingley’s tale is filled with lofty wisdom and bits of advice on how to be a family; not just any family but the best at parenting, the best at sharing the role of an alpha couple in a pack, the best at finding nutritious food and cooperation—the first Wolf Way.

    Versa and Arn are notably the first at many things, including digging an inground den to raise their first litter. As the family grows into the First Pack, Versa and Arn form the first wolf council, the Magnificent Ones, and establish the first Wolf Utterance. Soon the offspring grow toward maturity and ponder their parents’ ways. Why do they prosper and live in a pack and work together and not fight like the lone wolves?

    When an intruder assimilates into the alpha family, they teach him their ways, leading to harsh consequences. Eventually, other lone wolves outside the First Pack hatch a plot to attack, and the scattered family packs reunite, hoping initially to make peace and teach the others the Wolf Ways.

    The story occasionally lapses into buzzable page-turning moments, such as when Versa turns to Arn and asks, “Are you as amazed at this crazy, unique life we created? There are no lone wolves who live like we or that know what we know.”

    When Tria is suffering from her turmoil, it takes her father to remind her of her greatness and uniqueness and why she’s driven: “Only you, daughter, share our genes, strength, and cleverness,” he tells her, “and only you can teach the wolf ways.” The advice changes his daughter’s heart, much like taking a Dale Carnegie class, the narrator explains.

    The author has created an epic saga of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, or other Norse legends of old, even faintly reminiscent of Eden and the first humans. We learn how humans and wolves intertwine. Those who love poring over those tales will thoroughly enjoy The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable.