Dorothy Hearst | Running With the Wolves

I really never thought I’d write a book about talking wolves.  I was going to
write Very Serious Literature That Wins Prizes.  I had it all planned out, and
had been trying for many years to write this Very Serious Literature.   Then one
day, when I was sitting in my recliner recovering from a sore neck and minding
my own business, the wolves barged into my apartment insisting that I was the
one to tell their story.  They wouldn’t leave me alone. They sat under my desk
at work, followed me as I walked around San Francisco, crawled onto the bed when
I was trying to sleep. Soon I found myself immersed in the Wide Valley and in
the life of Kaala, a young wolf living 14,000 years ago.  The wolves took over
more and more of my life until I eventually quit my job to play with them.

SECRETS OF THE WOLVES is the second book in The Wolf Chronicles trilogy, which tells the story of how the wolf became the dog from the wolf’s point of view.  It’s based on the theory of wolf-human coevolution (the idea that wolves, and later dogs, helped make us the dominant species on the planet).  Young Kaala is the narrator.  In the first book, Promise of the Wolves, Kaala is fighting to stay alive and earn her place in the Swift River pack when she saves the life of a human child, breaking the rules of the Wide Valley that prohibit contact with humans.  Adventures ensue. In SECRETS OF THE WOLVES, Kaala is dealing with the consequences of her actions.  She must ensure that the wolves and humans of the Wide Valley live together without fighting.  In the process, she takes the first steps on her road to becoming a leader.  Her companions are her packmates, her human girl, and a very obnoxious raven.  Kaala also has her first taste in romance in SECRETS OF THE WOLVES, as two suitors–her best friend and a wolf from a rival pack–vie for her affections.

But what I wanted to share with you here on Fresh Fiction is how the wolves have
changed me. It would have been easy to say no to the wolves–I had a good
job and a busy life, and writing a whole novel seemed like an incredibly
difficult task.  But the wolves were persistent, so I agreed to enter their
world.  And in order to run with the wolves, I had to let go of the serious,
dutiful side of myself that always did what it was supposed to do.   Don’t get
me wrong. I worked as hard on writing as I’d worked on anything in my life, but
I had to find a different way.  I found myself traveling to Yellowstone to watch
wolves in the wild, going to France to look at ancient cave paintings,
wrestling babysitting huskies in the Alps, getting my picture taken with
wolves and wolfdogs–all things I never would have allowed myself to do and
experience if not for the wolves.

I found new ways of working, too.  My list-making and previously effective corporate work habits took me only so far.  My lists turned into index cards and scraps of paper strewn around my apartment (on the walls, on the table, on the futon, on the floor being napped upon by visiting dogs) and giant pieces of paper covered with flowcharts and squiggly lines. 

As my work habits opened up, so did the rest of my life. I see the world in a
different way now.  I go forward into things I used to fear and say "yes," when
I would have previously said "no."   The wolves did that for me.

In SECRETS OF THE WOLVES, Kaala finds herself challenged by enemies that are stronger than she is, a world that is dangerous and unforgiving, and her own self-doubt.  She also finds herself  supported by her sturdy companions and own feisty nature.  Part of my own journey in running with Kaala and her pack is finding Kaala’s indomitable nature in myself.  As she continues her journey, I hope to continue mine.

Thanks so much to Fresh Fiction for allowing me to share the wolves!

Dorothy Hearst

Comments

9 comments posted.

Re: Dorothy Hearst | Running With the Wolves

Dorothy - I don't know where to begin with my comments!! First I want to thank you for coming and sharing your story today. I love the picture of you with the wolves. They're beautiful creatures, and I'd love to wrap my arms around them!! I absolutely loved reading your story, and can't wait to read your books. I'm sure that I'm going to really enjoy reading them - first because I'm an animal lover, and second, because I'm more of a dog person than I am a cat person. Thank you for doing all of the extra research that you did to make the books possible. I'm sure they will have an impact on my life as they did on yours.
(Peggy Roberson 6:19pm September 24, 2011)

Dorothy - love Kaala's story. Is there a release date for the final book in The Wolf Chronicles trilogy?
(Mary C 6:22pm September 24, 2011)

Can't wait to read your new book. Thanks for writing the story of Kaala.
(Robin McKay 7:48pm September 24, 2011)

Wow! What a truly fascinating concept! I suppose that others may have written books about the beginnings of life on earth--at least I think that the People of...series by the Gears, which I have somewhere in storage, goes back several 100s or 1000s of years--but I still haven't read them. So your books will take historical fiction to a whole other level for me. I didn't know about your first book, so I shall be looking for it in the library first.

Thanks for letting us know how much your writing of the wolves' stories also changed you. And that you went to France to see the cave paintings. Were those the Lascaux paintings? If so, a friend and I tried to see those 35 years ago, but weren't able to because of preservation issues. Lucky you.
(Sigrun Schulz 1:37am September 25, 2011)

Thanks so much for your comments! Peggy, wolves are truly amazing animals, and I feel so privileged to write about them, and so fortunate that my writing has given me the opportunity to meet some! Mary, I'm so glad you've enjoyed Kaala's books. Book Three is under construction, and I'll keep everyone updated as to its progress. Robin, I hope you enjoy! Sigrun, thank you for reading the post! I was not able to see the paintings at Lascaux (there's a wonderful reproduction, though). The paintings I saw were at Les Eyzies in the Dordogne Valley.
(Dorothy Hearst 2:07am September 25, 2011)

I like reading about wolves, their heirarchy or order in packs and the way they manage their territory.
(Alyson Widen 3:33pm September 25, 2011)

Wolves are such beautiful creatures. I love the ones they had on the show True Blood. The white ones are my favorite. I love wolves in books also. This is a new author for me and am always looking for new books and authors to read.
(Chris Bails 1:38pm September 26, 2011)

Ever since being a little girl, I have loved wolves. As I look around my living room, I am looking at wolf pictures- always two together (they mate for life). When I am down, in my dreams, my wolves are there. If there might be danger, my wolves warn me. They are my Spirit animal. Oddly though, I have never read about any! I love this pic of you with the wolves...I would love to do that, and just once pet some & just look one in the eye (bucket list item). I hope to win your book and begin a new adventure!
(Patti DelValle 1:17am September 29, 2011)

cant wait to read your books
(Cindy Vinzant 10:56am October 2, 2011)

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