Old Gent: A Norway Spruce

The Furlites of Aroriel

by Marie J.S. Phillips

Full color Coffee table style Hardcover edition! Sprouting in an old abandoned field around 1895, Old Gent, a Norway Spruce, grew into a majestic towering specimen of his species, protective of the old home he saw built on his lands as a stout sapling. Human activity amused, startled, frightened and sometimes hurt him, thus he never found trust in the beaverlike species, until the fifth owner in nine decades moved into the old house he sheltered. The woman and her spouse proved reverent, changing his attitudes towards humans. The old tree experienced a new emotions, and gained the name of Old Gent. When terror from the skies threatened the lands, he stood strong, determined to shield the home and owners he now loved, and paid a price. As decades weakened his ancient body with internal decay from injuries, he fought to regrow lost limbs, racing to once again tower into the skies. He spiraled a few seeds against the foundation of the old house, where his offspring sprouted. On his fateful felling day,one stood poised to continue his sire's legacy.

70 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2011

About the author

Marie J. Spinella-Phillips
Born in 1957, in Huntington, on Long Island, I've been driven by an insatiable love of writing, art, and the sciences since very early childhood. My love of animal tales fueled my desire to write, always manifesting in stories from the non-human point of view. I invented my very first character at six years old, creating picture books with a tree as the main protagonist. I included, on the inside covers, my very own publishing logo, complete with rainbow and shining sun!
In my senior year of High School, one of my teachers, Mr. O'Connor, lent me a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring, which changed my reading and writing life forever, driving me into the unique and futuristic world of Fantasy/Science Fiction.
In college, I majored in Art and Earth Sciences, where inspiration fired my vivid and eccentric imagination, planting the seeds for my Furlites of Aroriel novels, Over the years, I honed the complex world of this alien family saga. My husband's love and support over the decades proved invaluable, since his scientific knowledge and expertise quickly surpassed my own, once we graduated high school, went off to college, and entered the working world. With his help, and that of my mentor, David Ayscue, who passed away in 2010, I completed the first two of these books, On Matissia Wings, and, Earth-bred Matissia-born,which are now available. Other tales are in the works!
I dabbled with another tale many years ago, using my Khan as a character, when my big Maine Coon became seriously ill. While battling Khan's insidious disease, I completed the story, which took on deeper impact far beyond my intended feline fantasy yarn. KHAN: A Maine Coon is the result, a biography of his life, with fictional elements, written from his point of view.
Owned by three cats, two of which are Maine Coon cats, I live with my husband in the rolling hills of northwestern Connecticut.

Reviews

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written short story.
Moving yet never pathetic, the author managed to give feeling, words and thoughts to the trees in a masterfully crafted tale. The trees may talk, but it's not fantasy, yet it's not complete reality either. It's another plane of existence, one whish sounds as real as our own even if not easily understood.
Definitely an unique story which made my eyes fill with tears and look at my garden in a completely different way.