Featured Interview With David Fitz-Gerald
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in the Rochester, New York area and spent parts of my summers in the Adirondacks, so many of the areas traveled by Wanders Far in my new book are very familiar to me. I like to joke that his story is kind of like the I Love NY advertising campaign, but for the fact that it was hundreds of years before New York got its name. I now live in Vermont, but if I stood on my roof, on my tippy toes, I think I could see into New York. Pets? We have a PUG named Dunkin, a black cat named Bosley, two guinea pigs, a tank of fish, and 21 chickens. You might be surprising how relaxing it is to watch chickens… be chickens.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It must have been pretty early. I can remember many great books from my childhood. I have to admit I still enjoy them all these years later. I loved The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White. I don’t know how many times I’ve read the trilogy by Mary O’Hara from the 1940s, including My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead, and Green Grass of Wyoming. I dabbled with writing in high school and college, but it wasn’t until my 50s that I became really passionate about writing books. Maybe by the time I’m in my 60s I’ll drop the “amateur” I combine with the word “author” when I speak of my writing.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like historical novels, westerns, and books about Native American history. I’m working on broadening my horizons, which means I’m reading historical novels from different time periods, and different parts of the world. I also like to read supernatural books. My favorite authors, from way back are Anna Lee Waldo (Sacajawea), Jean Auel (The Clan of the Cave Bear), James Michener, Louis L’Amour, and Larry McMurtry. More recently I’ve been reading more books by newer, indie authors. (In my last interview I forget to mention The Hobbit, which I would hope to be able to read again if I was stranded on a deserted island for any length of time.)
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Wanders Far is the title character of a book about the life of a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk tribe, his family and their people. He was born on the path between villages at a time of transformation.
He was raised along a tributary of New York State’s Mohawk River, hundreds of years before colonists arrived. He spent each summer in the Adirondack mountains with his family gathering resources to sustain his people through the winter.
His passion was distance-hiking and Wanders Far hoped to serve his people as a runner, carrying important messages between the villages of his people. During an epic, five-hundred mile foot race he met a powerful shaman who became his mentor. With the help of his guide, Wanders Far discovered his true calling and ended up playing a pivotal role in one of history’s most amazing stories: the legendary unification of the five tribes of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois.
The story follows an archetypal hero’s journey. It wasn’t just a physical path Wanders Far was meant to travel. The Great Spirit called him to follow a spiritual route and to make use of the supernatural powers he possessed.
Did Wanders Far answer the call, or give in to the temptation to live his life, wild and free? Did he find a way to overcome the powerful villain that stood in his way? Did he find the love of his life who waited for him to complete his quest? Spoiler alert: early readers are saying the book has a fantastic finish.
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