Denis O'Connor – författare

Scarred by the rejection and humiliation which he suffers at the hands of his unloving father, the young Denis O''Connor finds solace in the woods and riverbanks of his native Northumberland.Nevertheless, his newly found happiness communing with nature and the local animals - a neighbour''s violent dog, an untamed horse, a wounded goose and a white cat called Brumas - is severely tested when he finds his pet dog has been put down. This tragic incident almost results in Denis''s own death but for the timely intervention of a stranger''s golden retriever which saves his life. As he grows older, Denis begins to unravel the dark secret of his own origins and uncovers the mystery as why he was so tormented.Paw Tracks is a searingly honest account of how the power of nature can lift the human spirit and overcome the most unloving of childhoods.

When Denis O''Connor rescues a three-week-old kitten from certain death during a snowstorm, little does he know how this tiny creature will change his life forever. Against all odds the kitten - who he names Toby Jug - survives and forms an unusually strong bond with his rescuer.Set against the rural splendour of Northumberland, Paw Tracks in the Moonlight charmingly chronicles the adventures of one man and his Maine Coone cat. From an invasion of bees at Owl Cottage to the case of the disappearing tomatoes, life with Toby Jug - who believes himself to be human - is never dull. Nevertheless, it is only when Denis and Toby Jug embark on a summer camping trip on horseback in the Cheviot Hills that a new world opens up for them both.