Red-tailed Inspiration

Whenever I see a Red-tailed Hawk, I'm reminded of my developing trilogy Of the Wing. You see, the stories of my trilogy (am now writing book 3) were inspired by red-tails, hawks that I often saw soaring over the pastures and woodlands of my property in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.

At that time I took daily walks through the woods with my dogs (among them, Sammy, a large and shaggy sheepdog who features largely in book 1, The Legend Awakes). So frequently did I see these hawks, red tails ablaze in the sun, that eventually I took a message from the sightings--that I should write a book about a girl and a Red-tailed Hawk.

Now, years later and living in Gettysburg, I still see meaning in sightings of red-tails. To me, they carry a message of encouragement to keep on writing. Just yesterday I saw two: one flew onto a tree branch where another waited, apparently a mated pair. I conceived of a comparable scene between hawks in the opening chapter of book 2, The Ivory-billed Obsession. How coincidental that I should live a scene once created in my fiction. And if you wonder why two red-tails open a book about a fabled woodpecker ... well, you'll have to read it to find out.

I posted this YouTube video because it contains lots of interesting information about the raptor that rules supreme throughout the books of my trilogy: The Red-tailed Hawk.

You can learn more at the trilogy web site: http://www.ofthewing.com

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne