By Gwen Rollings
T. L. Stride, a Riverview resident, just released So Much at Stake, the first book in his young adult fantasy series, Shaman Tales – The Chronicles of Little Hawk. It was a long time coming according to Stride. Growing up in Southern Pennsylvania, he remembered it to be an area rich in American history.
It was there that he developed a love of books and admitted, “I would read just about anything I could get my hands on. From an early age, I wanted to be an author.” But life intervened.
Stride joined the United States Air Force for a 20-year career. Although he saw a great deal of the world and gained valuable life experiences, he never forgot his dream of becoming an author. He often wrote stories for himself and his family.
It was during a tour of duty in New Mexico that he fell in love with the beautiful desert landscape and the history of our Native Americans.
“A story started to develop in my mind, and I just had to share it with the world,” he said.
Native American characteristics strongly influence every page of So Much at Stake. David ‘Little Hawk’ Lightfoot is a 12-year-old boy traumatized by a vicious roadside attack which he believed left his parents dead. Only his grandfather, a powerful shaman, has the ability to pull him back from his paralyzing grief.
While recovering from the attack, David learns his parents have not died but have been turned into vampires by a monster. Little Hawk vows to hunt down the monster and rescue his parents.
Accompanied by two members of the Tribal Council, the journey points to New Orleans, where Little Hawk believes he will find his parents. Armed with only the protection of a ritual that was performed over the travelers by Little Hawk’s grandfather, a bag of stakes and holy water, they head to New Orleans. Can they find and destroy the monster that claimed David’s parents and find the strength to save them?
To discover the exciting climax of So Much at Stake, you can order your own copy, which is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
For more information on all the books in the Shaman Tales – The Chronicles of Little Hawk series, visit https://tlstride.wixsite.com/tlstride-stories or amazon.com/author/tlstride.
