Do not speak his name, by J.C. Kavanagh

Click here to order your copies of the award-winning
Twisted Climb series

https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/

Hiking to the top of Casson Peak, a 554 ft. granite- and tree-adorned mountain overlooking Frazer Bay, Baie Fine (Bay Fin) and McGregor Bay, was a physical feat that soothed the soul and gratified the spirit with its mind-blowing beauty. 

 

West view from Casson Peak: McGregor Bay

South west view from Casson Peak: Baie Fine

East view from top of Casson Peak: Frazer Bay

But what made this hike even more special was the woman I met at the top of the mountain. We exchanged small talk which led to serious talk. She pointed to the expansive bay to the west and proudly stated that she was a descendant of the man whose namesake graced the bay: McGregor. In 1850, Captain Alexander McGregor, a Scottish fisherman, settled in the area with an Indigenous woman. Centuries later, Ms McGregor, an accomplished assistant professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSMU), Sudbury location, revels in her native heritage. Naturally, I told her about my Twisted Climb series, and in particular, the final book of the trilogy, A Bright Darkness. The plot, for those who have yet to read it, revolves around the main characters - Jayden, Connor and Max - who are swept into the 'un-World,' a dark place inhabited by the mythological creatures and legends of the Anishinaabe people. 

Mishibeshu image from the National Museum of the American Indian

I spoke the name of the feared water monster, Mishibeshu, which plays an integral part of the book. 

"No," Ms McGregor said. "Do not speak his name."

I was puzzled.

"Why?" I asked my new friend.

"Speaking his name may call him out of hiding," she explained. "Only in the winter, when ice and snow blanket these lakes and rivers, can its name be spoken." She placed her fingers in a zipping motion over her lips. "Do not speak his name," she repeated. 

I did not repeat the feared water creature's name, but she did ask for my name, so hopefully, I have a new reader who will appreciate my rendering of the sea creature and how Thunderbird, the spirit creature that controls the upper world, subverts the resurrection of Mishibeshu, the spirit creature of the under world.

Roots of old cedar trees growing over rock, on the Casson Peak hike.
This root-on-rock imagery is in the walls of the 'un-World's' tunnel system.

Me at the top of Casson Peak.
Behind is Baie Fine and McGregor Bay.

Did this spark your interest in The Twisted Climb books? I sure hope so. Adventures, action and drama abound in this award-winning series. Here's the link: https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/

Enjoy! Don't forget to tell the ones you love that you love them :)

J.C. Kavanagh, author of
The Twisted Climb - A Bright Darkness (Book 3) Best YA Book FINALIST at Critters Readers Poll 2022
and
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
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