Next year I have a novel, Gods & Monsters, being serialized, illustrated and narrated in segments by me, E.E. King
“The Miwok and Ohlone who inhabited California thought that the redwoods housed evil spirits,” a voice in the wind says. “They wouldn’t live beneath the towering giants that kept sun and stars from shining on them. They feared the perpetual twilight of the forest. The dampness crept into their dreams. The wind was trapped in the giant branches, sounding like unseen monstrosities. They preferred the rocky coasts full of sun and seafood, or the open oak lands where they could see approaching food or danger.”
But River is not afraid; he feels protected in the redwoods’ shadow. They are love without argument, relationship without compromise. They climb up toward heaven reaching the stars, straight and unafraid. Under their boughs, he is part of the earth. He likes the constant evening, feeling most comfortable at the vespertine hour when dawn kisses night. He loves the rich damp moss, the mushrooms lurking in shadows, stained with lurid colors, a warning to hungry mouths that they might be deadly.