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Non-Fiction Proposal
For comment/critique:
I am seeking representation for SONORA SYMPHONY (The Facts and Legends of the Sonora Desert) a work of creative/narrative non-fiction that reveals the beauties and secrets of the Sonora Desert. It is a compilation of my experiences living in the Southwest.
The Sonora desert may seem like an empty wilderness, but it is filled with plants and animals in bewildering varieties. In SONORA SYMPHONY, I debunk the belief that Barrel Cacti provide juices to relieve thirst, reveal which plant invader that is very poisonous also eases the pain of severe arthritis, how to tell the difference between a Raven and a Crow and why the feared tarantula is actually a docile creature that never attacks humans.
Rich and often humorous folklore that has been passed down from generation to generation is threaded throughout this account. SONORA SYMPHONY is also a collection of myths and legends that tell such things as how a squirrel became a bat, why a rabbit’s tail is short and he has to hop instead of run, how the cricket bested the puma and many stories of the world’s creation to include many Native American descriptions of a Great Flood.
The characters and locale are based on fact. I present this as my meeting with a member of the Tohono O’odham tribe on the reservation in southern Arizona amid the Sonora Desert National Preserve. This individual is a retired professor of Native American Anthropology who seeks to pass on his knowledge to others, especially his half-blood grandson and the grandson’s full-blooded girlfriend. As an aside, the tribe is commonly known as Papago from Spanish for Bean Eater because of their dependency on the tepary bean along with corn as a source of nourishment. The reader will learn the benefits of these as well as many other plants with nutritional and medical value.
SONORA SYMPHONY is a work in progress, and I have completed 65,500 words to date. I have enough research material to finalize whatever is necessary for this to be marketable. I am also working on illustrations to enhance viability.
This work is aimed at all who savor nature’s richness, balance and beauty and will draw many to the wonders of the Sonora and other North American deserts. After reading SONORA SYMPHONY, a traveler will pass the many miles with a different outlook.
I grew up in Southern California, haunted the county museum. lived on a ranch, studied Vocational Agriculture and Native American subjects and moved bee colonies throughout the San Bernardino mountains and the Mojave Desert. I conducted guided tours at Lake Mead, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, and the Grand Canyon. And, having spoken before large groups, I look forward to tour with SONORA SYMPHONY.
Thank you for your time. I will gladly provide whatever information you wish to see.
Sincerely,
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