Tanya Sousa's Blog - Posts Tagged "environment"

I am fascinated and alarmed by the way my species attempts to control the world. When I was a child, I would catch frogs or snakes or other small living things and release them again after I, a scientist as I fancied myself, had watched them awhile. What I noticed about them most was the look in their eyes – the fear when I caught them, and the relief when I let them go. There was mutual curiosity sometimes. This made it clear to me then that we are somehow all the same. I decided later that I needed to make others understand that too.
To do this, I realized I had much work ahead of me. I’ve written essays and article and short stories, but I felt my next project couldn’t be a quick essay that people read and forget in an instant like a lighter flashing on and off. It had to be long and meaningful enough to ignite people’s brains and to send ideas in many different ways until permanent neurological paths are formed. I felt my words couldn’t be a straight lecture or many people will tune it out and never give the words the oxygen of their interest. It had to be a story because everyone of every age loves stories, and it will hopefully guide them in with less judgment. It can’t be from the human point of view because, as our existing frame of reference, it may not show people that other living things have eyes too; it must be from the point of view of creatures we control. It must be about a species that we generally admire, as well, because sadly, we do count some creatures more lovable than others, and lovable means somehow worth more. To get people to listen, they’ll have to first take the baby step of admiring my characters.
As a literary scientist, I realized I had to take the leap from fact to fiction, and from fiction to fantasy to create such a project. Some scientists might scoff at my imaging how other creatures feel, but Einstein would not have. “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” He said. He knew that excavations of the imagination are often how facts are uncovered. It can be a flame that shines on what we were not able to see before in the dark.
Therefore, my next project is a novel, “The Starling God, fact blended with fantasy. It will be literally from a bird’s eye view. The story, I hope, will lead readers’ minds to fresh air and open doors and realizations, to empathy and understanding. Being the informal and literary scientist I am, I hope my findings and the retelling of them laced with imagination will alter readers forever as the story will surely continue to alter me in ways I’m not expecting.

I always have a number of people read through my manuscripts before I deem them "finished" (which is a laugh, because any author knows it feels like a book is never EVER truly finished even when it goes to print!).

I respectfully ask different people to do this for a wide variety of reasons. When I had a fairly solid draft of my upcoming novel, "The Starling God", I had a bird expert read through for accuracy of bird information, and a woman who is a shaman to offer insight on the rather Universal idea of connectedness the book describes. I also wanted someone to read the book who was a more science-oriented type -- one who wasn't already a fantasy reader. Would such a person be able to find the story compelling?

To my surprise, that person wrote a review (preview?) of the book that expressed what I was trying to get across in the story so well, I knew I wanted to post it in the blog. So without further adieu, here it is. Thank you Darryl Duffe for the time you took with this -- and thank you to the other wonderful readers who gave me such excellent feedback.
T.

Pre-Review:

"The Starling God", by Tanya Sousa, begins with an urgent dramatic scene in which the main character, a lone surviving starling nestling is rescued from repairmen fixing a hole in the eaves of a building and cast the nestlings out of the nest considering the species a nuisance. The young bird is saved and nurtured by a kind human female who has gained the status of a benevolent ' god' among the local 'Bird kind' as a result of providing food and habitat around her house. This pastoral area she's provided is deemed as 'The Sacred Space' by several species of birds who regularly gather around this lovely garden landscaped with grass, flowers, trees, bushes and a feeder. Humans in the story are all generally considered 'gods' by birds because of our attempts to control the environment in nearly every way. The lone surviving starling nestling is labeled a Starling God of bird prophecy when he is released as a fledgling and refers to his human rescuer as ‘Mother’.
As the author progresses with the story, she delicately establishes an anthropomorphic world mainly for the purpose of storytelling, which allows the reader to experience the world from an avian perspective. This alternate yet somewhat familiar, universe, creates a framework for the story that's at once natural and human-modified to greater and lesser degrees. The birds who don't understand human technology have different more bird-centric terms for human features, human clothing and human artifacts.
The story takes place over several months most involving several species of birds and their relationships to other species, predators, the 4 seasons, forests, fields, geographic features and human activities and human degradation of the earth's natural environment. The events make the reader consider what starlings and humans have in common, both as non-native 'invasive' species.
Once you become immersed in the avian vantage point, Ms. Sousa creates an adventurous tale where there is travel, danger and encounters with multiple sub-cultures (developed in separate geographic populations) of birds based on their resource base and adaptations to their local environment. Crucial environmental and philosophical issues (including aspects of sustainability and biodiversity) are played out in the plot.
The challenges and plot twists take the reader through many experiences, from joyful to tragic, through the eyes of other species – feathered and sometimes even furred. The surprising tale is woven with deceit, treachery, some violence, a lot of curiosity, honest discussion and debate, romantic partnership, individual friendships, family relationships and social structures.The differing roles are sometimes assigned by species, like for instance, red wing blackbirds are "Watchers"(sentries providing early warning to birds in the "Sacred Space" for predators and any signs of danger) "Seekers" are like curious students. "Tellers" are usually older birds (sometimes doves) that pass down essential bird knowledge like the role of professors."Cleaners" are crows and vultures that remove dead carcasses. There are "Praisers" sometimes purple finches who kick off the mornings and close the evenings with songs of praise. and various other roles that have their own bird chosen names instead of using the terminology of everyday American English. There are power couples, female power groupies, The plot includes environmental degradation, human on human cruelty and sometimes even the milk of human kindness.
The purpose of the main character's quest is for meaning and understanding. The journey takes the young starling (and the reader) into a new, constantly changing mature realization that neither people nor any particular species are 'gods' but rather that all life on this planet, including human, has an inter-species connectedness. The story leads the ‘Starling God’ to the conclusion that each species is adapted with its own valid talents and abilities and there is folly and injustice in not realizing the interconnectedness and importance of all life forms sharing the world. He get's a lot of this new perspective from all of his observations and is corroborated by his telepathic communication with a large cetacean. Darryl Duffe

I've done it. I've launched a KickStarter project plea so I may create a movie-grade book trailer for my novel, "The Starling God". I was so nervous about pressing that "Launch your Project" button -- what if I neglected some detail that would spoil my chances? This book and the messages it sends are so important to me.

Found a Publisher. Working toward that "in print" deadline. Now I need a trailer that will make people take notice.

If you want to help, here's the link to visit: I still haven't figured out how to add things to this blog very well, so hopefully it works. LOL

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/9..."

The funding from the Kickstarter campaign came through and work on the book trailer for my novel "The Starling God" has begun.

I always step off cliffs with faith that something will be there to step on even if it doesn't SEEM to show yet, so I already began work recording the bird (and whale) character voice-overs with John and Janet Heartson of Barnet, Vermont in John's recording studio before the funding was secured. Here's what I said about the recording experience on the Kickstarter update:

"Yesterday I worked with John and Janet Heartson of Barnet, Vermont, to create the character voice-overs for the book trailer. I can't describe how exciting this process was for me. I have lived intimately with these characters for more than five years now. I see them and hear them in my mind. I've written their thoughts and actions until they seemed to write themselves.

And then I wrote the script for the trailer.

Not every character could be represented there, but a number of key birds are -- and one very wise and joyful whale.

The process of sitting at the table over tea with the script -- the three of us hashing out what kind of beings each is and how they might sound, and then hearing John and Janet try different voices and tones until it was just right -- was nothing short of magical. Then when we were ready, we moved to the studio and I watched the husband and wife breathe life into the characters who had until now only existed in my head and on a flat piece of paper. They had VOICES so true to what I imagined!

I had shivers listening to it and was almost brought to tears at the end when I heard the whale song blend into understandable language as that wondrous whale's voice rang out for the first time. I wish I could bottle what I felt and give a sample to each one of you!"

Hello all!

My environmental novel, "The Starling God", is available now for preorder through Forestry Press. The book will be in print by late January.

Why preorder when you can wait for the book to be in print?

Publishers love preorders because they help assuage the hefty cost of production. Forestry Press is a brand new company with a noble purpose. Preorders will help them get off the ground.

Here's the link: Feel free to share!!!
http://www.forestrypressproducts.com/environmental-fiction-books/