The Wild Ways

Science Fiction & Fantasy

synopsis

Synopsis

I’ll bet you didn’t know that all animals communicate with each other. I know this because I learned it from a ten-year-old boy who was given the power to speak with them. ~Dale A. Swanson A loud-mouthed squirrel named Chatter, a fidgety Gopher, named Archie, a raccoon with special powers named Ring, and all the animals living on Enchanted Island select ten-year-old Oscar Johnson to receive the Wild Ways, the language that allows animals to communicate with each other. As development threatens their peaceful habitat, the animals need Oscar to help solve a thirty-year-old mystery to save their beloved Enchanted Island and the surrounding forest they call home. With his new power to talk to all creatures, Oscar receives a series of clues provided by the animals and helps FBI agent Jim Brandt solve a murder mystery and uncover a sinister plot to use Enchanted Island for nefarious purposes. Together, they race against the clock to discover the final piece of a puzzle that reaches into the highest seats of power within the US Government.

bio

Author Biography

SIGNED COPIES OF SWANSON'S BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ONLY AT, http://www.dale-swanson.com Swanson grew up in Mound, Minnesota. He is a published author, screenwriter, playwright, and poet. His poems have been performed in stage productions and appear in multiple anthologies. Two of his radio plays were recorded live and aired statewide in Minnesota. His historical novel, THE THIRTY-NINTH MAN, published by North Star Press, was released in June of 2013 and was listed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune reader survey for the best book read in 2013. In 2015 his middle-grade fantasy novella, The Wild Ways–Mystery of the Hanging Tower, was released. His screenplay developed for Native Strong-ARC debuted in July 2017, and his newly published, TEARS OF SORROW – A FREE NATION LOST, was released June 2018, Dale’s favorite pastimes include hunting, camping, and canoeing. He has three patents related to archery. He's bow hunted the big timber from California to New Hampshire and the croplands between; he's paddled the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area–BWCA, Michigan's Manistee River, and New Hampshire's Merrimac; snorkeled in the Sea of Marmara, tracked satellites in Madagascar, and he can start a campfire after five days of steady rain.

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Author Insight

Oscar acts to involve the FBI

In this excerpt, Oscar is home for dinner after receiving the Wild Ways from Ring. He knows he must somehow get the info given to him into the hands of the FBI, but he can't tell anyone about his ability to talk with the animals. To add to his problem, he must tell them the truth about going to the Tower House, the one place his mother told him to stay away from. This sets up the introduction to Jim Brandt, FBI agent, and the start to solving the mystery of the tower house.

Book Excerpt

The Wild Ways

“Oscar, do you know how far-fetched this story sounds?” His mother spoke when Oscar paused. “I hope you don’t expect us to believe this.”

Oscar looked toward his father, who was silent. “Dad, honest, I’m telling the truth. Here, look at what I have.” With that, Oscar took the folded map from his pocket and laid it on the table.

“Well, it looks like it’s been wet, and it does appear to be quite old.” His father unfolded the map as he spoke. Soon it was flat on the table in front of him. He looked closely at the hand-drawn sketch that seemed to show the location of the hanging tower and the ravine Oscar told them about. It also showed the water’s edge and another island far out in the open lake. “What’s the story with the other island?” he asked.

Oscar hadn’t even noticed the other island when he looked at the map before.

“I don’t know. I wonder why that’s on the map of the hanging tower?” It seemed to Oscar there must be some significance for it to be included in the map.

“Well, this is all very interesting, but it hardly calls for contacting the police, Oscar.”

“Look at this, Dad.” Oscar pulled the keys from his shirt pocket, his fingers grasping the broken one. “This one broke when I tried to open the door.”

Oscar’s mother wasted no time in reacting to that bit of news.

“When you tried to open the door? What door? Don’t tell us you were actually going to go into that unwelcoming house, Oscar. After all the times we told you to stay away from it, you were actually going to go inside?” She was beginning to get a bit worked up.

“Wait, Mom, look at this other key.” Oscar lifted it from the drooping chain. “This is the one I used to open the metal box hiding the map.”

“You’re in deep trouble, young man. First you go where you know you’re not supposed to go, and then you lie to us, and then you tell us you tried to go inside that awful house.” She was definitely getting worked up.

“Can I see that, Oscar?” His father was taking the news far better than his mother was. Oscar placed the chain with the keys in his father’s hand.

“I suppose you forgot the metal box.”

Oscar could feel his face turn red. He HAD forgotten the metal box. It was where he hid it before Larry woke up. He could tell that his father was not quite buying into the whole story. He was close, but still not there.

“Dad, if we go there, I can show you the box. I’m not lying. It’s there, and I can show it to you.”

“Well, even so, what makes you think we need to call the police? What can we possibly tell them as a reason for our call?” It was clear to Oscar that his father wanted to believe him.

“Dad, we need to call somebody besides the local police department.”

As he spoke, he stood and reached again into his shirt pocket. “This is why we need to contact someone.” With those words, he opened his hand, and the pin fell on the table in front of his father. With great care, his father picked it up and read the inscription: FBI. He turned it over, and in very small letters, it said:

“To David—Love, Dad.”

“Don’t know if this is the real thing or if it’s a hoax. Either way, I’ll see what I can find out.”