Returning to My Roots: From Childhood Tree Tales to the Legacy of ‘OLD GENT’
My writing journey began with trees, and I invented my very first character at six years old, creating picture books with a tree as the main protagonist. Many decades later, in OLD GENT: A Norway Spruce, I returned to the roots of my writing life, penning this semi-fictional biography about a beloved Norway Spruce tree, showing his long life, as only I can, from the tree’s point of view. This grand old tree meant much to us, and even after two decades, is missed.
Honoring Old Gent: A Decade-Long Journey to Uncover His Story
After we lost Old Gent in 2004, I grieved as if I put a pet to sleep. It took almost 10 years, but the desire to write his story erupted one day, and I set aside my current project to begin work. I found I needed to research the history of our property and area in general to get a glimmer into his life before we bought the house. Such resulted in a story as close to truth as possible.
Discover a New Appreciation for Trees: Gain Fresh Perspectives on the Green Giants in Your Life
Any reader who loves trees should enjoy this book. I hope readers gain a new perspective and understanding of trees in general, and perhaps, a different view of the trees gracing their yards and lives.
From Success to Sales: Celebrating the Heartfelt Impact of Trees Through ‘Old Gent’
My plan to publish the book succeeded, as I am an Independent Author, but the next level, high sales is still a goal. The purpose of the book tells the story of a special tree, and spreads the message of how special trees are. We all know the benefits of trees, such as shade and producing oxygen, but Old gent illustrates more subtle benefits we may otherwise never notice. They sometimes become like family, and when they leave the landscape, they create a big gaping hole—not just in the land, but in the hearts of those who loved and admired them.
Driven by Passion: Exploring Nature and Imagination Through Writing and Art
As for me, I have been driven by an insatiable love of writing, art, and the sciences since very early childhood. My love of animals and nature fuels my desire to write, always appearing as stories told, not from the ego-eccentric human point of view, but other earthly or out-worldly beings.
In college, I majored in Art and Earth Sciences, where inspiration fired my vivid imagination, planting the seeds for my Furlites of Aroriel novels, driving me into the unique and futuristic world of Fantasy/Science Fiction, and over the years, I developed THE FURLITES OF ARORIEL stories. I wrote during breaks at work, at night at home, in any bit of spare time I found, honing the complex world of this alien family saga.
Buying a home and marrying my High School beau never stopped the steady, but slow evolution of this epic trilogy. Other hobbies such as showing, collecting, gardening, photography, customizing model horses, integrated well with my drive to complete my books, spawning THE SECRET LIFE OF MODEL HORSES, and other projects.
Maine Coon cats are a big part of life here, and currently, three of them, blue smoke Darwin, black smoke Abby, and tortoiseshell Jaja, grace our home with their presence. They share our home with our 17 year old black Bombay lookalike, Orion. Owned by our four cats, my husband and I live in the rolling hills of northwestern Connecticut.
All nine finished projects are available on Amazon and other places, for anyone with similar eccentric reading tastes.
One can purchase Old Gent: A Norway Spruce on Amazon.com at this link.
Explore more about my writing journey and discover my work on my website: https://mariejsphillips.com.
