Nothing is quite what it seems at Lake McDowell where large numbers of loons congregate. The mystical bird, revered by the local Cherokee, maintains a bizarre, nearly supernatural hold on the resort community. Cal Blevins is starting his life over at 62 years young. Newly divorced after 40 years of marriage and laid off from his job of 22 years, he heads to his fishing lodge on scenic Lake McDowell in the North Georgia mountains to contemplate his future. There he finds a quirky, mysterious woman renting the cabin next door; Lauren Talbot, a history teacher from Tennessee, vacationing with her stroke-addled father, Edgar. Cal, against his better judgment, becomes infatuated with Lauren's odd charms, and ends up falling head-over-heels for her. Cal is then shocked when Lauren reveals she has deep feelings for him as well, telling Cal that she fell for him the first time she heard him playing his guitar. Cal and Lauren become inseparable. Early on in their newly-spun relationship, Cal begins experiencing what can only be described as supernatural events. Lauren also experiences happenings she cannot explain. To complicate matters, Edgar's behavior becomes increasingly erratic.Cal learns of Edgar's strange obsession with the loons that populate the lake. Could it be that Lauren's handicapped father has a special connection with these nocturnal birds? Events continue to spiral out of control as Edgar pulls Cal and Lauren into the ways of the loon. Near the end of Cal's and Lauren's torrid two-week affair, Edgar Talbot commits one final act of desperation that changes all of their lives. The shocking twist ending is sure to stay with you long after you read the final word. The Wisdom of Loons is a tale of offbeat romance between two star-crossed lovers. It is also about love and loss, life and death, comedy and tragedy. It is a story that peeks into the furthest corners of the human heart—both the light, whimsical corners where music and laughter reside, and the dark, shadowy places where our assorted demons run amok. Mostly it is a tale of eternal hope and the power of the mind. After reading The Wisdom of Loons, you will never again question the possibility of anything.
