'Feather of Hawk - Rebellion' took twelve years to write. An endless, uphill struggle to deliver a gripping story done to the best of my ability. Holding the reader's attention was my main goal - I hope I have achieved this as I tried to make the story as unpredictable as possible.

There are many complicated threads in the story. There is a mystical thread of the Feather of Hawk - a sacred gift of a warrior shaman called Hawk to Calach the Swordsman (the main protagonist ).

As the story progresses the sacred feather becomes a changing and deeply symbolic object - it was related to an event several years ago when I lost a dear friend. Some weeks after his loss I discovered a flower he had given me- faded and worn - I found it by the dashboard of my car. I can not explain it- but such a feeling of love and peace flooded my senses and put any fears and anxieties to rest. It was if my friend was telling me he was fine and he was near.

Something was lost long ago- this sixth sense, which I am sure we all had and still have, have been eroded and destroyed by rationality and science. We live in a strictly material world, a world in which status, money and power dominate over the sacred, mysterious and sublime. It really was that feeling I had when I found the faded flower as well as an extended road trip through Scotland that was the catalyst to write Feather of Hawk.

The novel tells story of the Celts and their bitter struggle against Roman invaders. The Celts were a superstitious and highly tuned in people- but these ancient people were not cardboard cut outs pictured in our history books or often portayed in mainstream culture as simple ‘savages’ - no, I believe they were a sophisticated people who were tuned into the energies of the earth, nature, and themselves. We need to follow our intuition; we need to follow our dreams and visions because they are important. In a world in which money is the God, maybe it is time to try and tune into who we really are and then we may discover new and exciting pathways.

Like the Celts, our lives should be a rich tapestry on this soulful journey for the duration of the little time we have. In adversity we find new bridges to cross and take up the challenges that this difficult life throws at us.

Dave Michael.