Talent? Who me?

by Jude Mason

Well, I got to the 'by Jude Mason' then came to a shuddering halt. Talent. It's not something I'd ever associated with myself. Writing has always been what I thought of as a gift, something I do/am, and something I strive to improve. Isn't one 'gift' enough?

I teach well, but am terrified of public speaking. How's that for a conundrum?

I am a very good cook and love creating new dishes or trying recipes out.

I can hunt, shoot and butcher an animal. Ick! Yeah, I know, not really a talent seeing as how I had to learn all that stuff. But, that could be said of most talents. I wasn't born telling stories or cooking.

How about, I have patience with animals. Mix that with the hunting thing and you probably think I'm even crazier. LOL

What I mean by patience with animals is this--I've always been able to become friends with animals. And that's not exactly right. Be accepted by them perhaps. Not right off the bat, it takes time to win their approval, to allow them time to know I'm not going to do anything to them. I can sit and watch deer or raccoons by the hour until they realize it's all right to ignore me. LOL I find most animals fascinating. To live wild like they do, to depend on themselves for everything: food, shelter if they can find it, defense. It amazes me how they make it from one season to the next. In the winter, when we've got a meter of snow, and the deer come in, how can they possibly live through it?

Have you ever seen a doe give birth? It's utterly enchanting. There's so little noise you'd miss it if you walked a dozen feet away and didn't happen to see her. The fawn is silent too, and looks like a bag of wet rags when it's first born. It struggles to its feet within a few minutes. Their muscles are all a quiver when they do and they have to work at balance but catch on so fast it's completely awesome.

The changeling books I've written and co-authored with Jenna are dear to my heart because of the animal aspect. I've always thought that changelings would have to retain much of their animal heritage. Mixing the human and animal, complimenting both, that's what I've tried to do with the changelings. Cat's Claw was my first attempt at this and from the few comments I've gotten about it, I was at least partially successful. The relationship my couple had wasn't as kind as a human couple might need. Morgan and Joshua could take care of themselves, and that's fascinating.

I'm not sure this is even a good thing. I would never want the animals to be tame. That happens, and they get shot come hunting season.

But, is this a talent? A gift?

You be the judge.

What's your talent, I mean besides the one you think of having?

Do we get more than one?