We donโt like to think of ourselves as preyโit is a lessening thoughtโbut the truth is that in our arrogance and so-called knowledge we forget that we are not unique. We are part of nature as much as other animals, and some animalsโsharks, fever-bearing mosquitoes, wolves and bear, to name but a fewโperceive us as a food source, a meat supply, and simply did not get the memo about how humans are superior. It can be shocking, humbling, painful, very edifying and sometimes downright fatal to run into such an animal.
Gary PaulsenAnd the last thought he had that morning as he closed his eyes was: I hope the tornado hit the moose.
Gary PaulsenAdults are locked into car payments and divorces and work. They haven't got time to think fresh.
Gary PaulsenPersonal inspection at zero altitude. The stories come from my life - if not my own experiences, then about topics and subjects that interest me.
Gary PaulsenWhen he sat alone in the darkness and cried and was done, all done with it, nothing had changed. His leg still hurt, it was still dark, he was still alone and the self-pity had accomplished nothing.
Gary PaulsenWords are alive--when I've found a story that I love, I read it again and again, like playing a favorite song over and over. Reading isn't passive--I enter the story with the characters, breathe their air, feel their frustrations, scream at them to stop when they're about to do something stupid, cry with them, laugh with them. Reading for me, is spending time with a friend. A book is a friend. You can never have too many.
Gary Paulsen