ROADRUNNER SETTLEMENT
_____Young-adult, Cozy and Humorous (Really!)____
So, it happened! The world, as we know it, came to an end in a world-wide ecological collapse!
All is not lost!
Thanks to a time portal preserved by the local native people, humanity has a second chance.
A group of Arizona residents establish an experimental settlement in the twelfth century near what will later become the city of Phoenix.
Can we work with the Hohokam, currently living there, to discover how to save the planet, nature, and each other?
Watch for upcoming excerpts…
A note from the author…
Set alongside the Gila River, west of Phoenix during the twelfth century. During this time, rivers rushed. Mesquite marshes, called bosques, ran miles wide following along the waterway. Tens-of-thousands of beaver inhabited the marshes.
“Why can’t we go back in time and change things?”
While researching my last book, BASKETS FOR BUTTERFLIES, I learned much about how the Tohono O’odham farmed with their heirloom seeds. They planted seasonally, using annual floods, which no longer exist.
Next, I stepped farther back in time, researching the Hohokam, and how they lived and farmed, digging and using thousands of irrigation ditches, some of which still exist and in use.
My dilemma: When I started this project, my goal was to write a book for young adults that was inspired by actual research about how the ecology has changed since the twelfth century and identify possible ecological issues without being dreary, accusing, or hopeless. How can this be done?
First, I drew out a plan. What would an experimental settlement look like, including land, buildings, and characters? How would these brave souls create the physical necessities of life including clothes, food, or a home? How would the settlers interact with the Hohokam living in their nearby villages? How did the native people live?
Then, I started writing and was amazed how easily the words came out on paper! Once I had the characters in my head, all I had to do was mentally touch them with a story line, and they animated.
The ROADRUNNER SETTLEMENT came to life!
The writing part is halfway finished. I will have excerpts anytime.
ROADRUNNER SETTLEMENT Excerpts
