A. L. Kaplan

Tag: wolves

  • My Trip to Scotland: Part 2

    My Trip to Scotland: Part 2

    August 2nd began our five-day tour through the Highlands and up to Orkney Island. If you’ve ever tried to drive on a narrow winding one lane road over hills in a foreign country, you know why we chose to do a tour instead of renting a car. It was well worth it!

    Along the way we learned a lot about Scottish history and saw some beautiful sights.

    The drive took us through Glencoe in the Highlands, site of the Glencoe massacre. In 1692, men, women, and children of the MacDonald Clan were murdered in their sleep by troops of the Clan Campbell. It was ordered by the government but violated clan hospitality that Clan Campbell had requested because of a winter storm.

    We drove past Ben Nevis Mountain, the highest point in Scotland.

    And through Loch Lomond National Park.

    Of course we stopped at Loch Ness. Nessie didn’t make an appearance, but we did see some brave swimmers in the icy water.

    Inverness is on Scotland’s northeast coast, where the River Ness meets the Moray Firth. It’s the largest city and the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands.

    We got to spend the evening there.

    I even found some wolves on a church along with some other critters.

    Dinner was a MacGregor’s Bar which had this lovely quote from Sir Walter Scott.

  • WOLF DAWN Is Coming!

    Great News!

    My short story, WOLF DAWN will soon be available on Amazon. Here’s a sneak peak of the cover.

    Wolf Dawn 13

    Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers. But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.

  • WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Nancy Alexander

    081

    Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

     

    nancyNancy Alexander devoted her professional life to helping those in need. As a psychotherapist, she provided intensive, reconstructive psychotherapy to those recovering from childhood trauma; as a mental health educator, she developed and delivered comprehensive mental health staff training programs; as the chair of the Maryland Social Work Coalition, she advocated for healthcare, mental health and social justice reforms in Maryland.

    In 2017, she and her colleague, Linda Ciotola developed, recorded and launched a comprehensive online training series in Psychodrama, a reparative, expressive treatment modality. The training program can be found at www.ac-ts.com.

    Nancy launched her career as an author in 2015. Five of her short stories have been selected for publication in Literary Magazines; three of her novels are available online and she has recorded seven audiobooks. Her most recent novel, Twisted Realms is available in paperback and kindle version, that audiobook will be released shortly.

    She is currently working on her 4th novel, Sun Runner. Nancy has been publishing independently and has formed her own production company, NJA Productions.

    Her blogs and her novella, entitled Elisabeth, can be found on her website at www.nancyjalexander.com

     

    Wolf: Wow. You’ve been very busy the past few years. If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?

    Nancy: A wolf. Wolves are smart, confident and loyal pack animals. Wolf packs coordinate well with each other, care for their cubs collectively and have a high level of respect for pack hierarchy.

    Wolf: Thank you. I’m a big fan of wolves myself, for obvious reasons. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

    Nancy: I’d pick my body as a weapon… skilled in the martial arts. I’d always have my weapon with me and be strong enough, well trained enough to fight most foes. The advantage would be surprise, because no attacker would ever suspect I have these many skills.

    Wolf: Remind me not to startle you in a dark alley. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

    Nancy: Let them be themselves. I work to create characters who are authentic and internally valid. Once they are created I let them take the lead in the story and support their needs, instincts, conflicts and emotional complexity.

    Wolf: Super. I’ve always said people should be who they are. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

    Nancy: Superimpose my will on them or misunderstand them. My writing works better if, once characters are created, I respect who they are and let them do the things that each particular individual would actually do.

    Wolf: You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

    Nancy: I am amazing, full of color, movement, beauty and grace. My flower blossoms are like the hibiscus plant but they cluster around one another forming complex patterns of splashing orange, yellow and red. I am tall and willowy; I stretch high into the sky like Jack’s beanstalk, moving past the clouds, flowing with the breeze; I reach toward the sun.

    Wolf: Don’t go too close to the sun. You could get burned. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

    Nancy: I am both. I love all creatures domesticated, wild, farm, aquatic. I have had the pleasure of having many different species through the years of my long life and recognize the gifts each species has brought into my life.nancy and cat.jpg

    I see cats as living sculptures who bring beauty, warmth and love into my world. Their cuddling warmth, calming purr and soft touchable fur, make them unique family members. They can also bring a sprinkling of chaos. Cats are to be loved, respected, admired and appreciated.

    Dogs bring their pack mentality into my world, they are responsive, joyful, and intelligent; dogs move in concert with me bridging the gap between the inside and outside of the home.

    My dogs wanted to be with me, listen to me and be one with me. They have loved me as I have loved them. They were my dearest friends.

    Wolf: There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

    Nancy: First I’d hide so I could evaluate the sound. Once I knew what it was I would decide whether to run away, stay hidden, call for help or fight. Hopefully by the time I was in this corridor, I’d have my ‘weaponized body’ ready to deal with whatever opened that door!

    Wolf: Which of your characters is your favorite?

    Nancy: The title character in my Elisabeth Reinhardt series is a fav in that series. She and I are a lot alike, especially when in our therapist role.

    As to bad guys in that series, I’d have to say it’s Jake. He’s sociopathy to its core.

    In my Olive Grove Series, my fav is Rafi… though he and Ari were identical, I like Rafi’s personality. Their twin-ship is always a pleasure.

    Wolf: What story are you working on now?

    Nancy: I’m working on my 4th novel, the 2nd in the Olive Grove series called Sun Runner. It’s action-packed, fast-paced, complicated and filled with exciting ‘spy’ things.

    Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

    Nancy: I have a small private psychotherapy practice and provide consultation services to other therapists. A colleague and I have developed an online training series in a reparative, expressive treatment modality called Psychodrama. Our training series is available online at www.ac-ts.com.

    I maintain a blog that leans toward social/political commentary on my website @ www.nancyjalexander.com

    I am the president of the Maryland Writers Association, Howard County Chapter; I go to the gym and I see my children and grandchildren as often as possible.

    Wolf: Thanks for stopping by. You can learn more about Nancy Alexander by visiting these links.

    www.nancyjalexander.com

    www.ac-ts.com

    https://www.facebook.com/NJAProductions

    https://twitter.com/njaproduction

     

     

     

     

  • Young Adventurers: Heroes, Explorers & Swashbucklers Available on Amazon

    Young Adventurers

    WELCOME TO A WORLD OF ADVENTURE Enter here for cool stories of action, adventure and intrigue, featuring heroes and heroines who prove you don’t have to be a grownup to save the day. Inside you’ll find: A teenage spy trapped on a train with men who want to kill her. A young man earning his pay hunting dragons in a hot air balloon. A girl who talks to wolves in a frightening dystopian future. And Young Jack solves a mystery years before he grows up to be F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack. PLUS 14 more thrilling tales set in the past, the present, the future, and in worlds of fantasy, written by Jeffrey Westhoff, Jeff Ayers, Kevin Lauderdale, Victoria Pitts Caine, Kevin Singer, C.A. Verstraete, David Perlmutter, M.M. rumberg, A. L. Kaplan, Deborah Walker, Anne E. Johnson, Chantal Boudreau, David Turnbull, Milo James Fowler, Jack Mulcahy, Nathan Hystad, and H.L. Pauff.

    Order now on Amazon

    Don’t forget to check out the Facebook page for contest information.

  • YOUNG ADVENTURERS: Heroes, Explorers & Swashbucklers

    Available in book stores on December 1.

    Young Adventurers

    A wonderful collection of stories by eighteen talented authors.

    Living in a post-pandemic world isn’t easy, especially if you can’t remember your past. Sixteen year old Kara returns to the human world after living with wolves for eight years, in A. L. Kaplan’s “Wolf Dawn.”

  • For the Love of Canines: Praeses Part 2

    Praeses 10After growing up with an untrained dog, I was determined to teach my puppy. The hopes were for a cross between Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. A friendly stranger introduced me to the Dog Owners Training Club of Maryland, and so began our education. Note the name says dog owners training, and not dog training. I had as much to learn about teaching a dog as Praeses had to learn about good behavior.

    I took everything in stride, even when she talked back during class. And she really did talk back, even as she followed every command I gave her. Our education went so wonderfully, that I decided to enter her in an obedience trial. It wasn’t until we had earned the second leg of our Companion Dog degree that someone mentioned that Alaskan Malamutes were supposed to be difficult to train. She came in first place and was even the highest scoring novice at the show. The very next week at what should havPraeses 7e been our last novice trial, she sat across the ring during the sit stay and turned it into a sit say. I wanted nothing better than to crawl under the mats and hide I was so embarrassed. Needless to say, we were disqualified.

    Praeses did earn her degree a few weeks later. In fact, she was the highest scoring novice Alaskan Malamute in the country for 1990. Her picture is published in the Alaskan Malamute Praeses 8Annual for 1991 on page 8. She’s listed as Heljwins Praeses Kaplan CD with a score of 197 out of 200. We hit our obedience wall with retrieving. Wooden dumbbells just weren’t her thing. Neither was bringing things back to me. While we didn’t compete at the higher levels, we did continue going to class for fun.

    People always asked me if Praeses knew any tricks.  Well, I only taught her two stupid pet tricks. She could balance a cookie on the end of her nose and catch it on command. A friend of mine needed a wolf for a movie he was making, so I also taught her to play dead. Praeses was a bit of a ham and did a stumble-stumble fall while doing it, complete with convincing death vocalizations. She was billed as Praeses the Wonder Dog. Ah, the joys of life at an art school. Did I mention she wore costumes? I still have her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtledog costume in the basement. She was Michelangelo, complete with numb chucks and pizza.Praeses 9

    Down the street from my apartment was an empty lot which was used as an unofficial off Lead Park. Every morning and evening the local pack would meet up and play. Even as a puppy Praeses knew she would be big and tried to throw her shoulder at the larger dogs. It was rather amusing to watch. Remember that smart little pup who sought out the shade? Well, every time the dog tag/chase game ran its wide circle around the park, Praeses cut across the center to catch the leader. Worked every time. Overall, Praeses was very smart, except when it came to tennis balls. She absolutely loved them…as snacks. In a matter of twenty minutes, while visiting a friend’s house, Praeses consumed three and a half balls. Luckily she was fine, but didn’t feel well for a few days. She also learned to wake me by bouncing her head on my bed. As a rule, Praeses wasn’t allowed on the furniture, but one day when I was sick, she looked at me with those big brown eyes. I could see the question in her eyes asking “can I?” All I did was nod my head slightly and say ok. She was on the bed in a flash and quickly curled up at my feet.

    Praeses was more than a dog. She was a companion and friend, the anchor that kept me grounded in reality, never allowing my mind to drift careless when I needed to be focused. We moved out of the city when I got married and started a pack of our own. Praeses passed away in her sleep one month before my second daughter was born.

  • For the Love of Canines: Praeses Part 1

    Praeses 3Several years after Tiger passed on I found myself living in downtown Baltimore. Grad school at MICA was fine, but city life just isn’t my thing. I missed the outdoors and going for walks in the park without fear. Walks at night were out of the question unless I had an escort. More importantly, I missed the kind of companionship only a dog can give. No strings, no demands, just unconditional love. Unfortunately, without a MD drivers license, adopting from the local animal shelter was out.

    I’ve always felt it important to do research before adopting any pet. After all, a bad personality mix is worse than no pet at all. The needs of the pet have to be met. A stray cocker spaniel followed me home one day. It was cute, but grabbed my ankles when I tried to play, which I found annoying. Besides, she was way too small for me. I wanted a dog I could pet without having to bend over, one I wouldn’t be afraid of stepping on by accident. It wasn’t hard to find her a good home, but that left me still dogless.

    While perusing a book in the library, I discovered the perfect breed of dog for me. The first line on the description read “don’t let the wolf like characteristics for this breed deter you.” I was hooked.  The Alaskan malamute is a working dog and like most of the northern breeds, highly independent.

    I found a local breeder through an ad, and after several interviews, was allowed to pick a dog from her litter. Half a dozen puppies ran and greeted me enthusiastically on that 95 degree humid day. One small fur ball said hello, then separate from the frenzied pack and crawled under the shade of a lawn chair. She was different, with shorter fur, and in my eyes smarter for getting out of the sun. I knew then, that she was the dog for me. As luck would have it, she was also ‘improperly coated’, which meant she wasn’t a show dog. That was fine. I wanted a companion, not a beauty pageant queen. So, for 200 dollars and a barter deal for a few sculptures, my new best friend came home with me.

    Praeses 4

    Praeses is Latin for guardian or protector or in her case, protectoress. She more than lived up to her name, protecting me from every squirrel and dog in the neighborhood. Her very appearance, even as a puppy inspired some people in the city to cross the road, rather than walk past her on the sidewalk. If they only knew. Praeses, like wolves in the wild, lived by the hierarchy of the pack.  I was her alpha, but most people were betas in her eyes, putting her one level below. I kept that secret safe.Praeses 5

    Praeses 6

    Funds were tight as a student, and I gulped at our first vet visit when the receptionist handed us our bill and politely said, “That will be 150 dollars this time” It was the ‘this time’ that got me. Owning a dog is expense but worth it.

    Our first night, I was so afraid she would have an accident in the house, that I didn’t sleep a wink. Every time she stirred, I would scoop her up and take her to the curb. We finally got our rhythms in sync after a week or so, and my roommate told me how to make a station chain in the kitchen to keep her out of mischief until she was house trained. Even if I could have afforded a crate, my research had mentioned that malamutes preferred tie outs to the confinement of a crate.

  • The Rendezvous

    There was no moon tonight, which suited Kara just fine. She preferred to stay in the shadows. Out in the woods she felt safe, but this close to people made her nervous. Kara had promised Ethan she would wait here under the streetlamp while he gathered supplies, but she longed for the comfortable feel of her pack mates. Only her overriding need to be with Ethan kept her here.

    Until she had found him, bleeding and near death, Kara hadn’t realized she needed human companionship. Maybe it was the eyes, or the soft way he spoke to her as she nursed him back to health, but something awoke in her. Perhaps it was the way he accepted the wolves that had been her only companions these last eight years. Could he hear them the way she could?

    Footsteps approached and Kara ducked into the shadows, as skittish as a young wolf, ready to bolt. Relief flooded her as she recognized Ethan, and her heart began to flutter with something more.

    “Ethan.” she said, a wolfish whimper slipping into her voice.

    “I’m here, Kara,” he said, “now and forever.”

    She stepped back into the lamp light and looked up into his brown eyes, longing for his touch.  Shivers ran up her spine as he brushed a hand across her cheek. Kara nuzzled into Ethan’s chest and felt his love telegraphed through his beating heart.

    He was hers, and she his…for life.

    It’s the way of the pack.

  • Twilight Hunt

    Kara tightened the cord holding her parka hood closed and retrieved the knives lying on the hardened snow. Cramps gnawed at her legs as she crouched, but she kept her vigil, carefully scanning the icy landscape, as still as stone. The sound of drumming feet reached her ears, growing louder as the elk ran over the rise, pursued by three silver furred wolves. Mist exploded from the elk’s mouth with each step, sides heaving with fatigue and eyes wide with terror. The elk tried to turn, but the lone female of the pack charged and snapped until the elk returned to its original path.

    Heart hammering with nervous excitement, Kara remained frozen in place as the five hundred pound cow drew near. One strike from its massive feet could kill her or the wolves. It was risky for their small pack to hunt an animal this large, especially with an untried pup that had dull fangs and only two legs. But they needed meat and this was the only game for miles.

    The two lead wolves struck the elk simultaneously, causing it to rear up almost on top of Kara. Flush with the fervor of the hunt, Kara sprang from her hiding place and sunk her blades into the elk’s neck, only barely missing the thrashing animal’s deadly feet. She leaped back in triumph as the elk sank to the ground. Finally, she had proved herself more than a mere puppy.