doghat
03-03-2004, 07:49 PM
Artist Strikes Back at Slow Employment Opportunities by Diversifying with Squirrely New Novel, Silver Squirrel
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Santa Clarita, Calif. – Dan Ritchie, A professional computer graphics animator and FX artist, moved to California to work on the series Mystic Knights. He has since worked on projects such as Starship Troopers Chronicles, Dan Dare and Star Trek Voyager as well as the large format Borg Invasion. He is also the author of the *award winning paint and animation software Project Dogwaffle which can be found at www.squirreldome.com Silver Squirrel, his first novel, began as an idea for a short animated film, but soon blossomed into an outline for a 40-episode series before reaching its present form as the first of a two part novelization – Silver Squirrel to be followed by Silver Squirrel in Uneasy Pieces.
Silver Squirrel isn’t the typical bushy-tailed rodent. He feels like an outsider, hangs out with crows and is weary of hawks, but all of that may change. Daniel Ritchie takes readers on a journey into the forest for an adventure in nature in his new novel, Silver Squirrel (now available through 1stBooks).
Silver Squirrel is a common animal living amid a world of other animals. However, Silver is a little different. After his mother is killed, he is raised by Jacob in the Lodge. Taught writing and a monastic lifestyle, he is sent out to the migration community where he was born, but he feels out of place amongst the other squirrels, except when he is around Sandy Brown, a quirky, adventuresome, little female, and Barti-mouse, a young, hot-blooded male. He also finds companions in Crackle and Morning, two crows that reside nearby.
Silver is a logical, but whimsical, squirrel who has good intentions in everything he does. He doesn’t harbor any ill-will for anyone, except the hawk, who has an eye for Silver. The hawk rests on the highest point of the forest, surveying her prey with menacing eyes. However, the sharp-taloned creature doesn’t wish to make him a meal. She has something far worse brewing. Now, Silver must take his place among the colony or risk losing Sandy. Unfortunately, his plans may lead the entire colony to disaster.
Silver Squirrel is a celebration of nature, a thoughtful exploration of courage and love and examination of the inner workings of society.
“Silver Squirrel is a little different in that it depicts real life animals with real life animal problems . . . It’s the story of one small animal striving for hope in the face of constant danger and societal changes and as a result, transforming himself, his tribe, his friends the crows and even his enemy, the hawk,” Ritchie says.
Reviewed by: Kathie Berry
At first glance, I assumed that Silver Squirrel was a children’s book which is always a fun read. However, upon beginning the book I came to realize that its depth and storyline are far more reaching and its subject matter is targeted for readers of all ages. I quickly became engrossed in the struggles and the coming of age of Silver Squirrel and his companions as well as the hierarchy of the community and their problems.
The book opens on a misty shrouded night in the forest. We find Jacob, the main Elder squirrel, seated in his writing nook inside of the intricately built and stately albeit timeworn squirrel lodge. Being the Elder squirrel, Jacob’s history is tied to virtually all of the inhabitants of the Community as the records in his journal show. A fire is waning and the icy chill of the night permeates the room as Jacob makes a new entry into his timeworn journal. From this point on, the story grabbed me and kept me hooked as I followed the intriguing paths that the storyline took. Silver Squirrel’s own story filled with the challenges of growing and maturing, his surprising connections to the Community, his coming of age and his friends (some of which are surprising) keep the reader turning the pages to see what lies ahead for this young squirrel and the sometimes perilous adventures that await him.
Silver’s first encounter with Sandy, his soon to be friend as well as love interest is charming. As Silver and his friends wildly cavort through the trees by the pond throwing a nut back and forth as easily as a group of boys challenging each other with a soccer ball, he dives for the catch of a wild throw and tumbles off the branch into the icy pond below. Sandy, who had been looking at her reflection in the pond and musing as all young girls, at life and the fragrant flower she had just tucked in her hair, heard the splash and came running to see if the commotion was a threat. As the drenched Silver actually swam to the bank and shook the water from his ears, Sandy questioned, “Are you hurt? That was a pretty good fall!” “I’m fine” he said, “I do this sort of thing all the time.” Sandy looked at him and had to giggle. It was rude, but she couldn’t help herself. She looked into his face, then into his dark eyes for a moment before he looked away. The author’s ability to give the squirrels personality and feeling is wonderful. He includes personality traits in some that are dubious at best and in others traits that are inspiring and show a surprising depth of character and feeling as well as faith and fortitude.
The story produces a fine mix of human feelings and actions as well as teaching the reader about the nuances of animal life in the forest and what it holds for the young squirrel as well as the Community as a whole. It encompasses life, laughter and alliances as well as horrible catastrophes that threaten the entire Community and death. Throughout it all we see Silver’s struggle to grow and problem solve when faced with awesome circumstances.
It’s my feeling that the author not only gave us a wonderful and entertaining story, but he has an underlying theme of faith, forgiveness and truth throughout the book which applies not only to the squirrel Community and others living in the forest but to mankind in general. I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages.
See additional reviews at: http://www.squirreldome.com/silver.htm
For further information, see www.squirreldome.com
EDITORS: For review copies of the novel or interview requests, contact:
Promotional Services Department
Tel: 800-839-8640 ext.244
Fax: 812-339-6554
Email: pressreleases@1stbooks.com
(Please provide a street address)
or contact the Author directly at Dan_Ritchie@Hotmail.com
*Project Dogwaffle was the Recipient of 2 PC Plus Value Awards, Cybia Quality Software Award, CADalyst 3D Graphix Silver Award, and others.
http://www.squirreldome.com/clip03.gif
Santa Clarita, Calif. – Dan Ritchie, A professional computer graphics animator and FX artist, moved to California to work on the series Mystic Knights. He has since worked on projects such as Starship Troopers Chronicles, Dan Dare and Star Trek Voyager as well as the large format Borg Invasion. He is also the author of the *award winning paint and animation software Project Dogwaffle which can be found at www.squirreldome.com Silver Squirrel, his first novel, began as an idea for a short animated film, but soon blossomed into an outline for a 40-episode series before reaching its present form as the first of a two part novelization – Silver Squirrel to be followed by Silver Squirrel in Uneasy Pieces.
Silver Squirrel isn’t the typical bushy-tailed rodent. He feels like an outsider, hangs out with crows and is weary of hawks, but all of that may change. Daniel Ritchie takes readers on a journey into the forest for an adventure in nature in his new novel, Silver Squirrel (now available through 1stBooks).
Silver Squirrel is a common animal living amid a world of other animals. However, Silver is a little different. After his mother is killed, he is raised by Jacob in the Lodge. Taught writing and a monastic lifestyle, he is sent out to the migration community where he was born, but he feels out of place amongst the other squirrels, except when he is around Sandy Brown, a quirky, adventuresome, little female, and Barti-mouse, a young, hot-blooded male. He also finds companions in Crackle and Morning, two crows that reside nearby.
Silver is a logical, but whimsical, squirrel who has good intentions in everything he does. He doesn’t harbor any ill-will for anyone, except the hawk, who has an eye for Silver. The hawk rests on the highest point of the forest, surveying her prey with menacing eyes. However, the sharp-taloned creature doesn’t wish to make him a meal. She has something far worse brewing. Now, Silver must take his place among the colony or risk losing Sandy. Unfortunately, his plans may lead the entire colony to disaster.
Silver Squirrel is a celebration of nature, a thoughtful exploration of courage and love and examination of the inner workings of society.
“Silver Squirrel is a little different in that it depicts real life animals with real life animal problems . . . It’s the story of one small animal striving for hope in the face of constant danger and societal changes and as a result, transforming himself, his tribe, his friends the crows and even his enemy, the hawk,” Ritchie says.
Reviewed by: Kathie Berry
At first glance, I assumed that Silver Squirrel was a children’s book which is always a fun read. However, upon beginning the book I came to realize that its depth and storyline are far more reaching and its subject matter is targeted for readers of all ages. I quickly became engrossed in the struggles and the coming of age of Silver Squirrel and his companions as well as the hierarchy of the community and their problems.
The book opens on a misty shrouded night in the forest. We find Jacob, the main Elder squirrel, seated in his writing nook inside of the intricately built and stately albeit timeworn squirrel lodge. Being the Elder squirrel, Jacob’s history is tied to virtually all of the inhabitants of the Community as the records in his journal show. A fire is waning and the icy chill of the night permeates the room as Jacob makes a new entry into his timeworn journal. From this point on, the story grabbed me and kept me hooked as I followed the intriguing paths that the storyline took. Silver Squirrel’s own story filled with the challenges of growing and maturing, his surprising connections to the Community, his coming of age and his friends (some of which are surprising) keep the reader turning the pages to see what lies ahead for this young squirrel and the sometimes perilous adventures that await him.
Silver’s first encounter with Sandy, his soon to be friend as well as love interest is charming. As Silver and his friends wildly cavort through the trees by the pond throwing a nut back and forth as easily as a group of boys challenging each other with a soccer ball, he dives for the catch of a wild throw and tumbles off the branch into the icy pond below. Sandy, who had been looking at her reflection in the pond and musing as all young girls, at life and the fragrant flower she had just tucked in her hair, heard the splash and came running to see if the commotion was a threat. As the drenched Silver actually swam to the bank and shook the water from his ears, Sandy questioned, “Are you hurt? That was a pretty good fall!” “I’m fine” he said, “I do this sort of thing all the time.” Sandy looked at him and had to giggle. It was rude, but she couldn’t help herself. She looked into his face, then into his dark eyes for a moment before he looked away. The author’s ability to give the squirrels personality and feeling is wonderful. He includes personality traits in some that are dubious at best and in others traits that are inspiring and show a surprising depth of character and feeling as well as faith and fortitude.
The story produces a fine mix of human feelings and actions as well as teaching the reader about the nuances of animal life in the forest and what it holds for the young squirrel as well as the Community as a whole. It encompasses life, laughter and alliances as well as horrible catastrophes that threaten the entire Community and death. Throughout it all we see Silver’s struggle to grow and problem solve when faced with awesome circumstances.
It’s my feeling that the author not only gave us a wonderful and entertaining story, but he has an underlying theme of faith, forgiveness and truth throughout the book which applies not only to the squirrel Community and others living in the forest but to mankind in general. I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages.
See additional reviews at: http://www.squirreldome.com/silver.htm
For further information, see www.squirreldome.com
EDITORS: For review copies of the novel or interview requests, contact:
Promotional Services Department
Tel: 800-839-8640 ext.244
Fax: 812-339-6554
Email: pressreleases@1stbooks.com
(Please provide a street address)
or contact the Author directly at Dan_Ritchie@Hotmail.com
*Project Dogwaffle was the Recipient of 2 PC Plus Value Awards, Cybia Quality Software Award, CADalyst 3D Graphix Silver Award, and others.