Story of Renee Peek
My husband and I have always wanted to live in a place in the woods. It took us a long time, but we finally did it. We are both ancient, wise to the ways of the city, and experienced at outdoor activities, but new to making a home in the north woods. We have given our neighbors and the locals here a great deal to laugh about. But it’s only fair as they have been incredibly generous, kind, and most important of all, patient with our ”unique” way of doing things. We have had amazing adventures and challenging exploits and more often than not comical escapades. We have fortunately been able to keep our sense of humor. It sometimes takes a bit of time before we can laugh at our own idiocy, but we have become experts on our voluminous shortcomings. We have learned a great deal on our journey—most importantly, that you need to find the joy, or you will throw in the towel.
It will be easier to understand us if you know a little more about us and our relationship. We are both avid fisherfolk and extreme defenders of the natural world. Each activity tends to lead us into trouble. My husband is the quintessential boy scout. That organization needs to know their audience better when they preach the need to be prepared. He has taken that axiom to the extreme.
Our first fight as husband and wife was caused by this obsession. It was on our honeymoon in Alaska. Most women pack a bathing suit and sunscreen for their honeymoon. I was packing chest waders and sewing bear spray holsters. Anyway, Allen made sure we were prepared for any eventuality. Our first Alaska adventure was a hike along a glacier. We started up the path in rubber boots, belts with knives and bear spray. Our backpacks had water, compasses, very tightly contained food, emergency blankets, ropes and the like. It was a bit on the balmy side for Alaska at 70 degrees, so the pack and boot were warm to say the least. We were passed on the path by people wearing shorts and flip-flops.
Halfway up I was drenched in sweat and feeling more than a bit frustrated as the shorts and flip-flop group seemed to be having a much better time. As I “expressed” this feeling to my husband, we had a, well, discussion in Alaska, on the side of a mountain. He held firm to his belief that we were in the right and they were just being foolish. I couldn’t help wanting to be the fool and have more fun at that moment.
As we continued our climb, we ran into a trail guide leading a mob of shorts and flip-flops. The guide was outfitted exactly as Allen and I were. My husband literally glowed with vindication. I have come to embrace his insanity the longer we are married. And he has kindly allowed me my own obsessions. Writing being the greatest of those.
I love to tell stories and now I write them down. I hope you enjoy reading them. If not, thanks for giving it a try.
May all your hikes be in shorts and flip-flops.
Authors Note
Thank you for your interest in this book. The Hope series is about saving the planet and beyond. You will notice many of my characters are indiginous people. I believe you shouldn’t, no wait that’s not right, let me say it better, you absolutely can’t write a book about saving the planet without indiginous people. It is their knowledge and their leadership that is essential in any meaningful efforts to do better by Gaia, the earth, and her survival. I should point out, I am an old white woman. I am not native nor do I have any claims to native heritage, nor would I ever pretend to have any native knowledge of religion, the spiritual or ritual.
That being said, my characters are precious to me. They are not only the heart of my writing. They are the story. I endeavor to do them justice and in no way want to usurp or misrepresent them. I hope I have not fallen short in that regard. I want to do them proud. I sometimes feel as if I ever had the chance, I would not feel worthy to meet them. I do however love writing their stories.
I have couched my tales in not just fiction, but science fiction fantasy. I think it gives me the luxury of creating an environment that is open to interpretation. For me, I write the stories as I see them play out in my head. They are driven by the people, so most of what is written is dialogue. It may take some time to get into the style and it will certainly take some time to know all my people. I recommend you keep the character list open while you read the book. I believe the effort will be worth it moving forward. As it stands there are 14 books in the series with more to come.
Please enjoy the first book. If it isn’t for you, thanks for giving it a try.