Wild Heart

This is a fast paced wilderness survival novel, like Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, but for an older audience. It’s filled with bushcraft skills, authentic Native American lore and a touch of romance.John Greystone is a twenty year old who lands a summer job as a wildfire spotter in Sequoia National Park. A helicopter pilot drops him off on a remote mountain top with a promise to return an hour later with supplies. The next day the pilot has not returned and John is getting thirsty. He’s often wondered if he could survive in the wild like his Cherokee ancestors or had the wild heart been bred out of him? His ordeal becomes a journey of self discovery. Oh yeah, he also has plenty time to think about a young woman named Stephanie who seems to be the only one that notices he's missing.Meet the CharactersJohn GreystoneOrphaned at 16 he's a tall athletic 20 year old with strength and agility that’s off the chart.On his mother’s side he’s descended from Cherokee warriors.On his father’s side he’s part of a highly respected family in the intelligence community.He has coming of age questions that need answers. Right now he has no commitments and he's not sure if he ever wants any.He’s about to be stranded in the remote wilderness of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where his main question will become, “Can I survive?”Stephanie SageShe’s the 18 year old sister of John’s college roommate and she has designs on John Greystone.She’s become a skilled horse rancher and winegrower working on her parent’s ranch and vineyard in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.She’s beautiful, smart, inquisitive, tough, fun loving and just the kind of woman who could make John rethink his life as a loner.She’s the one person who notices when John’s contact with the outside world is broken.