In the Shadow of the Wolf
by
Book Details
About the Book
In the Shadow of the Wolf Except for three stories, Redcoat, Flight, and A Soldier’s Story, the remaining accounts explore adventures occurring during the nineteenth century, mainly the settling of the western frontier and the turbulence of the Civil War. As in the previous two volumes, Life at Stake and Ryley and Other Stories of Adventure, each story portrays how individuals confront and cope with extreme physical and emotional challenges during life-deciding moments. Any protagonist, whether in a movie, novel, short story, or TV episode, invites the viewer or reader to vicariously place himself or herself in that same situation, wondering what decision or action he or she might have taken under similar circumstances. On this premise, we, as readers and viewers, commonly develop an estimation of our own strength, will, courage, worth, and ability to survive. It is to be hoped that the characters in these stories will stimulate such interest and thought. But, primarily, it must be remembered that fiction is to be enjoyed. As a writer, it is my sincere hope that I have achieved this to some degree of satisfaction.
About the Author
The Author
Albert C. Dawson
Al Dawson was raised on a small farm in the Northern Neck of Virginia, a peninsula whose location, although somewhat remote, is marked by historical events and persons deep-rooted in the formation and growth of this great nation. Knowledge of these events and persons, stimulated by his grandma’s lively narrations about prominent events in history, occupied his imagination while sitting long hours on a tractor, picking tomatoes, shucking corn, and other farm activities.
Formal education by supportive, caring teachers at the small, local school was enhanced by similar positive experiences at both the undergraduate and graduate school levels. Al received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, after which he began a 34-year teaching career at the University of Richmond, where it was his singular goal to provide a challenging but stimulating and fun-filled education to his many students.
Marriage to his wife Laila, an extremely intelligent, gifted, and loving companion, was followed by the birth and upbringing of a son, Eric, and a daughter, Sheila, both of whom follow their parents’ professions as teachers and exponents of Spanish language and culture, and global education.
After retirement, Al and Laila moved to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where his deeply ingrained love for the rich history of western frontier life came to the fore.
His long lasting infatuation with the drama and tragic circumstances of the Civil War and World War II, plus the beauty, mystery, and lore of the mountains, deserts, and plains, continue to stimulate him to render in word something of the magic of the past, enhanced by the boundless resiliency of human nature itself.