Faces of the Forest

Faces of the Forest (alternatively titled "Fox & Friends", or "Fox & Co.", and "The Advenutres of Nathaniel Fox") was my first attempt at book writing. It began in the summer of 1989, with a kernel of thought thrown back and forth between Jon Whitney and me - a children's book based on creatures in a typical midwestern forest. We hadn't decided how anthropomorphic they were going to be, we didn't really decide on the cast list either, we just started writing "On Beginnings" on one afternoon in the air-conditioning of the computer room at Boy Scout Camp.

Jon worked at Brownsea Island - boyscout campcraft: knots and ropes, camping and cooking, and things necessary to be a Boy Scout. I worked in Steon Grove - the Nature/Ecology preserve. We started with a trio of friend: Nate Fox, Gus Gator, and Jeremy Squirrel.

Eventually, Jeremy Squirrel was changed to Nash Skunk. Naturally, using "Nate" and "Nash" was also confusing for children. Nate was changed to Booey...because I just couldn't reconcile with "how close in personality" Nate and Jeremy/Nash/Booey were.

I picked up and put down the script for a long, long time. I polished it once and then submitted it to "Ohio Arts Council." That was a dreadful experience. I realized that since none of my characters were gay, crippled, or minorities, the story lacked the luster that the Arts Community wanted. Also, it was a kid's book - what good could that be to the Arts Council?

That's my rant, anyway.

It's in the current form, with about 10 additional incomplete stories oon the computer. Eventually, they might come out of the woodwork, too.