November letter to friends and readers from Author Heidi Skarie:

Newsletter Fall 2001

Dear Friends,

Fall is upon us in Minnesota and Halloween is almost here . As I pull my sweaters out of the closets it's like seeing old friends that I haven't seen in months. Already the trees have lost their color and it's snowing! As a writer I rather look forward to curling up in my cave by a warm fire to write. The children are off at school (college) and the world is quiet.

My big news is that my book Red Willow's Quest was reviewed in the Mpls. St. Paul Magazine in the September issue in the teen section. "Real Twin Cities students tell you about the books that have changed their lives (so far)." It was written by Hannah Olson who is 13 and lives next door. She is in a mother daughter book club and my book was picked for the book of the month several months ago.

Here is a few lines from her review:

"I would highly recommend the book Red Willow's Quest by Heidi Skarie…As the story unfolds, Red Willow faces many problems before she comes to realize what matters most in life." For the whole review go to: http://www.bluestarvisions.com/books/heidi_skarie/rwq_reviews_1.htm#mspmag

I also got a good review in the Fall Colorado Library Journal.

My web site www.bluestarvisions.com has had more than 5,000 hits this year. Be sure to check it out. The Native American Screen savers and greeting card sites continue to be the most popular areas.

In the story of Red Willow's Quest animals play an important role, from the wolf-dog that is her devoted companion and protector to animals that give her spiritual messages like the eagle that flies overhead. I believe animals play an important part in people's lives, and that we can learn a lot from them.

Recently I heard a couple of unusual animal stories I'd like to share.

My brother-in-law was out in the woods one day when he came to a stream where he noticed a duck going zipping down the rapids. The duck was shooting down the rapids much as a rubber raft would, using his wing feathers to steer around the rocks. When he got to the end of the rapids, he flew back upstream and shot them again. He repeated this over and over again apparently just for fun.

The second story is about some buffaloes. This man was in a sled dog race up north in the wilderness during the early winter. The lakes were frozen over, but there hadn't been much snow and the lakes were like a sheet of glass. The man heard the bellowing and went over to investigate. When he got there he saw a buffalo run to the lake, drop onto its butt and slide as far as he could go, bellowing loudly as he went. When he finished another in the herd would do the same thing. The further the buffaloes would slide the louder the bellows. One after another the buffaloes went sliding across the lake. They were having so much fun that this went on for hours. The man forgot about the contest and just enjoyed watching buffaloes at play.

When I think of buffaloes I think of large dignified animals contentedly grazing or I think of the large herds in Red Willow's Quest. Somehow hearing of these animals at play makes them more like us. I used to raise canaries. When the chicks cracked out of their eggs they look like worms in that they were completely bald. The mother and father canary spent their time taking turns feeding and sitting on their young chicks. The babies grew amazingly fast. I felt like if I watched them long enough I could actually see the feathers grow. The parent's love and devotion equaled any human parent. Yet when it's time for the young canaries to leave their parents let them go with no expectations of reward. We can learn from animals: to play, to work, and to love unconditionally.

We have all been saddened by the events of the last few weeks. I saw an article in the newspaper today called "Nightmarish images haunt many even in sleep". People across the country have had nightmares because of the terrorist attack. The article told about a web site that I found helpful www.asdreams.org. That site led to another site on dreams that I also thought was good. www.dreams.ca. If you've been having nightmares or are interested in dreams you'll find these sites interesting.

There have been many stories of courage and love that I have heard recently. I'd like to share one. A friend of mine was driving to work after watching the Twin Tower collapse on TV and thinking about what it all meant. As he crossed the Mississippi River two eagles flew by overhead. He realized they were a sign telling him to take the higher path, the path of love.

This whole experience has caused people to take a look at what matters most in life. Take time to do the things that are important to you. Is there a dream or quest that you haven't yet fulfilled? Spent time with your family and loved ones. Follow your spiritual path with love.

Blessings,

- Heidi Skarie
Heidi@bluestarvisons.com