Author:
Alex McGilvery has been reading since before he can remember, and writing almost that long. He has published 18 books and is author and editor at his imprint Celticfrog Publishing. He lives in Kamloops with his dog and the stories clawing their way out of his head.

The Heronmaster includes the title story, which is the tale of Leaper who grows from a tadpole to become a legend. Murder in the Woods is a noir style mystery with animals rather than people. Nick, a young wolf, is forced to seek out the answer to Bob the moose's disappearance. Sammy is a the story of a young man on a cruise with his new car, the elderly man he takes with him and a red balloon. Madison's Meteor tells the story of Frank Madison, a farmer outside of the town of Madison which has fallen on hard times with the closing of the plant - the main employer for the town. Frank finds a meteor one night and changes start in both him and the town.

The Heronmaster

Leaper hadn't seen the flies this thick in all the weeks since he had gotten his legs. They thickened the air and his tongue darted everywhere. He planned to eat until he was as big as Old Bull who had swallowed Jumper whole yesterday - demonstrating the importance of keeping a respectful, and safe, distance from the huge frog who ruled the pond with an iron tongue. One day it would be him sitting in that hollow stump.


"Bird!" came the call from across the pond. Leaper splashed into the warm water and peered up. A shadow passed over but didn't feel the shudder of water which meant it had landed. After a brief time, Leaper climbed back up onto the lily pad and went back to the catching of flies. 


Chapter 30: The Heronmaster, Part 1