The Wisdom of Loons

A love story like no other. Things are not what they seem at the lake resort where Cal meets Lauren. She is caring for her stroke-addled father. Cal is getting over his failed marriage. As they fall for each other, supernatural events occur involving the loons that populate the lake. Cal and Lauren have entered the Twilight Zone. The bizarre twist ending is sure to shake your soul.

"A lovely and involving book about very real people with ordinary but universal human concerns . . . love, loss, regrets, hopes, the relationship between the past and present. Think On Golden Pond with ghosts. The Wisdom of Loons is understated fantasy, is intensely but gently real, and I hope it receives the attention it deserves."

— Jeffrey Thomas, author of Punktown and more than 30 novels and collections

"Jeff Dennis' The Wisdom of Loons is a lot like Serling—very Twilight Zone-ish. The tale is a foray into a surrealist universe peopled by some very down-to-earth types,  A love story with supernatural elements, it's just great storytelling. The Wisdom of Loons is a unique literary experience and I highly recommend it."

— Toby Tate, author of Diablero, Lilith, God Particle, The Black Church, and the Lilitu trilogy

Nothing is quite what it seems at Lake McDowell where large numbers of loons congregate. The mystical bird, revered by the local Cherokee, maintains a bizarre, nearly supernatural hold on the resort community.

Cal Blevins is starting his life over at 62 years young. Newly divorced after 40 years of marriage and laid off from his job of 22 years, he heads to his fishing lodge on scenic Lake McDowell in the North Georgia mountains to contemplate his future. There he finds a quirky, mysterious woman renting the cabin next door; Lauren Talbot, a history teacher from Tennessee, vacationing with her stroke-addled father, Edgar. Cal, against his better judgment, becomes infatuated with Lauren's odd charms, and ends up falling head-over-heels for her. Cal is then shocked when Lauren reveals she has deep feelings for him as well, telling Cal that she fell for him the first time she heard him playing his guitar.

Cal and Lauren become inseparable. Early on in their newly-spun relationship, Cal begins experiencing what can only be described as supernatural events. Lauren also experiences happenings she cannot explain. To complicate matters, Edgar's behavior becomes increasingly erratic.

Cal learns of Edgar's strange obsession with the loons that populate the lake. Could it be that Lauren's handicapped father has a special connection with these nocturnal birds? Events continue to spiral out of control as Edgar pulls Cal and Lauren into the ways of the loon. Near the end of Cal's and Lauren's torrid two-week affair, Edgar Talbot commits one final act of desperation that changes all of their lives in profound ways. The shocking twist ending is sure to stay with you long after you read the final word.

The Wisdom of Loons is a tale of offbeat romance between two star-crossed lovers. It is also about love and loss, life and death, comedy and tragedy. It is a story that peeks into the furthest corners of the human heart—both the light, whimsical corners where music and laughter reside, and the dark, shadowy places where our assorted demons run amok. Mostly it is a tale of eternal hope and the power of the mind. After reading The Wisdom of Loons, you will never again question the possibility of anything.