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The Watching Mountain

by Dave A. Smith

87 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); contains black and white illustrations; catalogue #06-1979; ISBN 1-4251-0222-0; US$12.99, C$14.94, EUR10.67, £7.47

A remote desert village. A mountain with an ancient secret. A boy gifted with rare insight. A REMARKABLE DESTINY.

About the Book

A remote desert village is in decline. The environment is harsh, the crops are dying and water is scarce. Aaron, a thirteen-year-old boy lives in this tough land. He leads a simple existence where he searches the nearby mountain for fresh springs and helps to tend the crops. For his age, Aaron is highly attunded to the cycles of life and death he observes around him. His close attention to the details of everyday life separates him from the others. Something about the mountain draws Aaron to it. His intuition leads him to see visions, but he cannot make sense of these.

He slowly learns about ancient stories once told about the mountain. He also discovers that his dying grandfather may know something about it. As Aaron's visions take a supernatural turn, he begins to realise what he is part of, somtehing much bigger than himself, the village or the mountain. This realisation leads to a remarkable destiny.

This story, aimed at teenagers through to adults, explores themes of spirituality, destiny and the supernatural. Illustrated with many drawings and ink paintings, the text and images contain a flavour of Zen. It is a tale of a young boy's discovery of his purpose and the connections that bind things together.

About the Author

Dave Smith, 29, comes from Castlebar, country Mayo in the west of Ireland. He graduated in 2003 with a Masters degree in Fine Art, from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. He has participated in many exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, and has lectured in the Fine Art departments of two third level institutes in Ireland. He currently live in Hong Kong where he teaches visual and language arts to children while writing and illustrating in his studio.

Excerpts