Hawkwind's Tale

The Northnest Saga #1

by Katherine A. Smith

Hawkwind was born a Feathyr: descendant of the wild griffins who ended a war by swearing a pact with the humans of Northnest. From birth she was raised to protect and defend the human royal family with her life, but she never expected she’d have to. For generations the tiny kingdom of Northnest, with its unique alliance with griffins, had been ignored or avoided by conquerors and villains, until now.

The only griffin to escape the slaughter at the castle, with only four tiny human children, Hawkwind must flee for her life and theirs, but a lone griffin cannot raise helpless human children on her own. She turns her path the only direction she can, into the wilds, to seek others who descended from her ancestors: the griffins who did not join the Northnest pact but instead retreated into the deepest mountains—somewhere. With nothing but a lullaby and a legend to guide her, she must take the last of the Northnest children and find a way to keep them alive, to make a new home, until she can someday help them take back their kingdom.

This is the first book in the Northnest Saga. The author rates it "PG-13" for fantasy violence, sexuality, and some scary moments, but there is no profanity.

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 27, 2015

About the author

I aim for the following in my stories:
--a grand adventure
--nonhuman characters
--female lead characters with agency
--a variety of healthy relationship types
--diversity of genders, ages, species, races, and abilities
--at least a nod to scientific accuracy whenever possible
--mixing in of other genres, including drama, thriller, mystery, horror, and romance
--something bizarre, something unusual, something surprising, something funny

I do not aim for the following:
--graphically described sex scenes or gore
--abuse in relationships presented as healthy, normal, or sexy
--killing off characters or doing horrible things to them just to upset the reader

I grew up in Northern California, learning to read early and starting to write stories around age 6. I was soon writing and illustrating my own stories as my favorite hobby. In my late 20s I started self-publishing my stories.

I believe that reading and writing a lot makes you a better author, and I want to keep pushing myself to write better and better stories. I'm also exploring new and different ways to publish and market my work.

I hope you enjoy some of my writing and share it with others. Thanks for reading! Please rate and review!