Talon is soaring

Press Release for the first 3 novels in the Talon series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                   

For More Information, Contact:  Gigi Sedlmayer

Email:  gigi-pp@sedweb.net

Website: www.writersportal.org/Gigi

 

Teaching Children Self-Confidence Through Service to Others

 

(Nov, 2011) – Children today face immense pressure to fit in with their peers. This pressure is leading to record rates of depression among preteens and teenagers. Parents look for ways to build their children’s self-esteem; however, teens look to their peers and popular culture for acceptance rather than their parents. This puts parents in a challenging situation.

 

Luckily, there is something parents can do to help steer their child toward self-acceptance: give them Talon- Come Fly With Me, the first book of a series from author Gigi Sedlmayer.

 

“Most children of this age group have issues with acceptance and this is explored and resolved in a positive manner within the story line of the Talon series,” Sedlmayer said. “Matica shows children and teens that they can overcome great obstacles with love, patience and a selfless attitude toward helping others and experience exciting adventure on the way.”

 

Talon- Come Fly With Me, the first book in the series is about the life of nine-year-old blond Matica and her condor friends Tamo and Tima in a remote village on a dry plateau in the Andes of Peru. She moved here with her Australian missionary and schoolteacher parents when she was five years old. Ever since she could remember she faced cruel rejection because of the growth handicap that traps her in a body the size of a two-year-old. Because of that, the local Indians wouldn’t accept her into their community or allowed her to play with their children.

 

But raising Tamo and Tima’s chick, Talon, and letting him grow into the majestic flyer after the fight with the poachers, Matica soon becomes very popular.

 

Two months later the most unbelievably amazing thing Matica had dreamed of ever since she first befriended the condors, actually unfolds. That changes her life so completely that she can now see a positive side to her handicap. The Indians then fully accept the new Matica into their community.

 

Talon, on the wing, the second book in the Talon series describes her incredible time with her beloved condors. Matica is now happy that she is small and doesn’t want to have it any other way. She is accepted, she is loved and she can have the incredible adventure with her beloved condors. What more could she have? All her rejection, all her hardship is over.

 

Talon, flight for life, the third book in the Talon series, describes her walk with her father to the next big city of Cajamarca to purchase some food, medication and the tickets for their six months holiday in Australia. On the way she misses her condors terrible, but still has an adventurous open mind walking with her father through rain forests, plateaus and other parts of the beautiful county of Peru, seeing macaws, toucans, even making friend with a monkey and a puma. And still the condors visiting them on the way to and from Cajamarca.

 

On the way back they visit an old Incan dwelling. And there a nasty, huge spider bit her father on his ankle. Affright and disgusted, she kills it. But not only the one, she had to kill several and Tamo as well. Her father had a very bad reaction of the bite. His leg swells to double its size. He becomes very ill and delirious with fever. Devastated and shocked, Matica doesn’t know what to do and calls for her condors. Soon after they come and even save her father’s life.

 

Adventure never stops.

 

Proud Talon

Tamo and Tima, proud parents of Talon

Extract from the second novel in the Talon series:

Extract from the second novel in the Talon series:

Aikon, robust, strong and the right size for his four years; and Matica, smaller than he, delicate and frail in her stature, ran to their parents’ bedroom and both flopped, laughing, onto their bed. Matica embraced her mother then sat in the middle of their bed, grinning brightly. Aikon sat beside her after he had cuddled his father.
‘Wow, look ...

at you, Mat,’ her father said, watching the two of them. Next he snatched her from the middle of their bed and cuddled her. Mira looked at them and grinned. Aikon leaned over to his mother to cuddle her but looked at his sister. ‘To judge by your bright, shining eyes and your grin,’ Crayn said, ‘you must have dreamed about flying on Talon as Aikon had suggested last night. Am I right?’
She nodded with flashing eyes. ‘Oh yes, I did,’ she said but at the same time thought, seeing her father’s grin, he likes it, but I’m not sure about Mum. She looks worried. Matica hugged her mother again. ‘Don’t worry, Mum, it was a dream – for now.’
Next Matica burst out laughing then jumped out of their bed and flew with outstretched, flapping arms around the room. Her eyes sparkled like fireworks.

Extract from the second novel in the Talon series:

Extract from the second novel in the Talon series:

Aikon jumped out of bed and hugged her then lay down again, pulling his blanket over his head. Slowly, ever so slowly he pulled down his blanket until his black, mussed up hair appeared, then his forehead, then his wide-open brown and grinning eyes emerged. Matica watched his act until he stopped pulling.
Propping up on one elbow, he said, ‘Did y...

ou dream about flying on Talon? Real flying? Like flying high over the trees and over the mountains?’
Matica nodded.
‘Really, really flying, then?’
‘Oh, yeah!’ Her face lit up like a hundred watt light bulb. ‘Oh, yeah!’
Excited now, he sat up, his feet touching the ground. ‘Didn’t I tell you last night: sweet flying dreams?’
‘Yes, you did,’ she said, rolling her eyes joyfully, then she bent over and kissed his cheek. ‘Thanks for telling me that. It worked.’
As Aikon waited for her to tell him about her dream, she threw herself with spread-out arms on her bed. A triumphant grin played around her lips. ‘Humph.’
‘Is that all I’m getting? Humph? No more?’ Aikon was visibly disappointed.

Talon is flying high up the Andean mountains

Quote in amazon.com on my author page

I found this on my author page in amazon. I quote:

"Read this outstanding YA novel and go up in the sky with Talon and Matica and see the wonders of the world along with them when you fly on his wings too. ”

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series, the last chapter:

Aikon shrugged. Matica looked from one to the other. ‘But don’t you see?’
Everybody shook their heads. ‘No,’ Mira said, ‘we don’t see, and we don’t know what you mean. What’s this all about?’
‘My advantage, of course!’ Matica paused, let-ting it sink into their heads.
Mira’s eyes went wide then she knocked at her forehead. ‘Of co...

urse.’
‘Finally,’ Matica went on, ‘finally I know and understand why I’m so small. It all has a purpose, right? You told me that, and you also told me that I would find an advantage in being so small. Now I have found it. Even a b-i-i-i-g one, the biggest ever. If I had been as tall as I should be for my age, I could never have flown on Talon, right?’
Mira put her hands on both of Matica’s shoul-ders then hugged her. ‘I didn’t realise that,’ she said. ‘Yes, I always said there would be a good reason for you being so small. It wasn’t even that long ago that I said it to you again.’
‘Thank you, Lord,’ Matica said. ‘The Indians can’t tease me any longer. They have to see that I’m special, because no one else can fly on a condor.’
Lifting her chin, Matica showed two rows of white teeth and her eyes sparkled like green fire.
‘But Matica,’ her mother said, ‘I thought the Indians weren’t teasing you any more because of Talon. You even talk to them now.’
‘Yeah, that’s true. Since Talon, they have accepted me, but now they will think I’m special too, right?’

 

Talon, the biggest land flying bird

Remember, a condor like Talon is the biggest land flying bird. And Talon knows it and is proud of himself

And where to find my Talon novels: Easy, it's right here:

And where to find my Talon novels: Easy, it's right here:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigi-Sedlmayer/e/B003U8G4WC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 

Extract from the 2. novel in the Talon series:

Extract from the 2. novel in the Talon series:

Matica stood up and ran into her room on the verge of tears and threw herself on her bed, burrowing her face into her pillow so as not to cry out loud. Why doesn’t Mum like it? She must see that it is for me. She punched her pillow. But when she heard loud murmuring from next door, she turned her head to the door, pricking up her ears to see if she c...

ould make out what was being talked about. It was her father’s voice, presumable talking to her mother. Could he convince her? Was there a small change that could make her mother give up her defensive-ness and would she let her daughter fly? But they talked too quietly. She couldn’t understand what they were talking about, but she was sure it was about her flying on Talon.
Matica sat up and wiped her face with the back of her hand when Aikon slipped into the room to dress. Matica dressed as well and whispered to her brother, pointing with her chin, ‘What’s happening over there?’
He shrugged his shoulders, then rolled his eyes and whispered, ‘Mum.’
‘What do you mean by that? She doesn’t want me to fly on Talon. Is that it?’

 

Update for the novels

Just finished with the fifthe revision of the fourth novel in the Talon series. TALON, CONNECTED. It has now 90 137 words.
And now i am starting with the fifth novel in the Talon series, TALON, HUNTING THE HUNTER

I just sent the finished manuscript of the fourth novel in the Talon series to my Editor. Will see how long she needs, then next year, hopefully, it will be published. Yeah. then i have 4 books out. Yeah-ha. Now to the fifth book: HUNTING THE HUNTER

Talon is soaring high above the Andean mountains

Talon

Extract from the 2. novel in the Talon series:

A few seconds later, they broke through the top of the cloud and the sun shone on them once more, warming them since she realised how cold and damp it was in there. Dewdrops were glistening and sparkling all over Talon’s wing feathers and herself. Before they could vaporise, she licked some drops off her hands but in doing so, her gaze fell on the to...

p of the clouds. ‘Whoa!’ she cheered. ‘Look at the beautiful looking clouds under us. They look like puffed-up cotton wool, or like snow-covered mountains.’
Gazing at the wonders of the clouds from above, she was aware that Talon was riding on the clouds, riding them out smoothly and bouncing gently from cloud to cloud. Up and down, right and left he went as the clouds were formed.
Presently, directly in front of them, a dark and dirty-looking cloud puffed up high in an invisible and undetectable current. To Matica it looked like a solid mountain peak but a mountain peak that increasingly moved, twirled and twisted. In one stage it fell together, nearly disappearing, then it puffed up again, even higher than it was before.
‘Talon, don’t enter it —’ But it was too late. Talon didn’t hesitate for a second. He flew right into it.

Talon is showing off

Extract from the 2. novel in the Talon series:

Extract from the 2. novel in the Talon series:

Simeon, leaning against the open doorframe and looking in, was still talking with her mother Mira when Matica joined them. Simeon pressed his tummy in to let Matica pass. Inside, Matica pulled a chair out from under the table and sat opposite her mother. ‘How was it?’ Mira asked her. ‘Did the Indians believe you?’
‘But Mum,’ Matica said, surprised, ‘...

you know. I saw you there. You heard it all.’
‘I went home earlier, so I don’t know the rest.’
Matica nodded. ‘Yes, true. Well,’ she said lazily, ‘the rest was that the Indians believed me, and Pajaro went through a type of prayer to accept me into their community again.’
‘Mat, that’s wonderful!’ Mira called out but then asked, ‘But why did he do it again?’
‘Obviously the first time wasn’t enough. Some didn’t accept me when he did it the first time, but they do now. It was also for the Bambamarcans. Were you still there when Alexander yelled his disbelief?’
‘Yes.’ Mira nodded. ‘No wonder he wouldn’t believe you. He just couldn’t, I would say. He’s just rejecting you. After that outburst from him, I went home.

Animaton Clip for the first 3 novels in the Talon series

Animation clip by Martina Mayjee Berger for the first 3 novels about Talon the condor and challenged Matica.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXdNgy7Fw18&feature=autoshare

Extract from the second novel in the Talon series:

Distressed and with big eyes, she said, ‘That can’t be. Parents don’t do something like that. You lost me totally. Or... ’ she looked up, ‘his parents didn’t love him?’ She looked inquiringly at him.
‘Remember I said that Alexander cared for his brother, not his parents?’
Matica nodded. ‘Yes. Why? I don’t get that part.’ But suddenly her eyes wide...

ned and understanding crept into her expression. Amos said earlier: so young, so small. Can it be? ‘Amos, was he disabled, challenged in any way?’ she whispered.
‘Yes, challenged, yes.’
‘Amos?’ He wouldn’t answer; he just looked at her now. Matica, jumping up and standing before him, yelled, disturbed, ‘No, Amos! That can’t be!’
He nodded, looking fondly into her big and round eyes. He guessed what was going through her mind, so he took her hands and pulled her to sit beside him again.
Not letting go of his hands, for her support, she sat down and, staring first in front of her then looking up at him, she whispered, ‘Amos, he was like - me?’ She let go of his hands and pointed at herself with both of her hands. Amos nodded. ‘Really? Ooooh.’ She shook her head and sat up straight. ‘That explains it.’

 

Extract from the second novel in the Talon series, TALON, ON THE WING

Panic gripped her heart as Matica fell like a rock, tumbling over and over. She tried to think what had happened, but the shock of falling overpowered her mind and let her heart sink into a black, hollow emptiness. She wrapped her hands around her knees, wanting to curl up as the wind rushed past her, becoming louder every secon...

d as she went faster and faster down.
I fell off Talon, was all she could think of as her mind was shrieking that sentence over and over and over.
Feeling the panic even more, bubbling up inside her like the frothy waves of the sea rising over her head to drown her, her head began to spin. She uncurled and looked out for Talon but couldn’t see him anywhere in that darkness. Her mind started to work, but what it told her wasn’t very encouraging. She wanted to stop it, but the thoughts kept assaulting her. What am I going to do now? He’s not coming after me.

Proud Talon, and Soaring over the Andeans

Some quotes

I want to make a difference in my life, touch hearts. Check out my Talon books. You will be surprised how they can change you

Talon can help you with it. He is the unique condor everyone will love, if you know him. TALON, COME FLY WITH ME.

And TALON, ON THE WING

And TALON, FLIGHT FOR LIFE

My first 3 novels about Talon the condor and challenged Matica are available. for kindle as well
http://www.amazon.com/Gigi-Sedlmayer/e/B003U8G4WC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Talon is soaring

Extract from the second novel in the Talon series

A few seconds later, they broke through the top of the cloud and the sun shone on them once more, warming them since she realised how cold and damp it was in there. Dewdrops were glistening and sparkling all over Talon’s wing feathers and herself. Before they could vaporise, she licked some drops off her hands but in doing so, her gaze fell on the...

top of the clouds. ‘Whoa!’ she cheered. ‘Look at t
he beautiful looking clouds under us. They look like puffed-up cotton wool, or like snow-covered mountains.’
Gazing at the wonders of the clouds from above, she was aware that Talon was riding on the clouds, riding them out smoothly and bouncing gently from cloud to cloud. Up and down, right and left he went as the clouds were formed.

Extract from the secon novel in the Talon series:

She pushed the anxiety out of her brain, thinking
of Talon, and swallowed. Slowly the lump in her
throat shrank until it was gone. She wiped her
forehead with the back of her hand then wiped her
hands on her jeans. Her heart slowed down.

Slowly she walked to Pajaro’s side and looked at
him. He nodded at her, encouraging, and grinned.

  Her boldness was back. She combed her hair
with her fingers.

Andean Condor in Australia Zoo

Australia Zoo, thay have now an Andean Condor

Talon's measurments

Talon is soaring over the great Andes

Extract from the first novel: TALON, COME FLY WITH ME

 It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning. After breakfast, Matica and her father went outside. He took his books with him to teach her mathematics and physics. She enjoyed this learning time with her father, but after a while, they needed a break, so Matica walked away into the bush while her father went to Mira.
Looking over a maize field, ...

she saw Amos and his dog Dusty coming towards her. ‘What are you doing?’ Amos asked her. Dusty sniffed at her hand and she patted his wet, cold nose.
‘Nothing much. Dad just taught me mathematics and I needed a break. I had to walk away and look at something green, not a book with all the numbers.’
They both laughed, but suddenly Amos looked ashamed, staring at the ground and playing in the sand with his bare feet.
‘Is something wrong?’ she encouraged him.
‘Well, no. I just thought of something, but I don’t know how to tell you without embarrassing you,’ said Amos.
‘Just say it. I’m not easily embarrassed. I’ve had too many embarrassments already in my life.’

See More

 

Extracty from the first Novel in the Talon series. TALON, COME FLY WITH ME

Matica looked at the high cliff and the landing where she knew the condors had their nest, which had one small tree growing on one side and a bush on the other. It didn’t look big, but right there beside the bush, she saw Tima sitting on the ridge, looking down. Tamo was screeching and circling continu-ously above Tima.
Mat...

ica couldn’t see the poachers. ‘They must be close by,’ she murmured, ‘because Tamo is too upset. And that means as well, they don’t have their egg as yet < if they have one.’
Observing the scene for a while, she finally made out two climbing, dark figures. She growled, ‘Long, black hair and black overalls. Yes, they’re the same ones, but I can’t see the beige bag they had last year in which to carry the egg. That would mean – yes!’ she shouted. ‘I was right! They have only come for a look. In that case, we have time to help my birds.’ She gritted her teeth angrily. ‘So, they were shooting at other animals before. Which animals? I guess we will never find out.’
She watched the poachers climbing higher and higher. They had nearly reached Tima.
‘Tima, do something!’ Matica said in a harsh whisper.

A brilliant review by Jacqueline Driggers about TALON, COME FLY WITH ME

http://jdslzone.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/ebook-review-talon-by-gigi-sedlmayer.html?showComment=1351422520534

Change about the fourth novel in the Talon series

Well, now i have done it. I have devided the fourth novel in the Talon series. Both will have around 90 000 words or more. It still is not only an adult novel, it is for YA and even for children as well.

Now I will begin the fifth revision with the fourth novel in the Talon series, and I call it:
TALON, WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.

Talon is soaring

Extract from the first book in the Talon series

When Crayn returned from his journey to Cajamarca, he could easily see how much Talon had grown. Talon was now over three months old and was the size of a standard dog. Since he had never seen his parents fly, he never tried out his wings though sometimes he would spread them wide and would even flap them when he was annoyed or irritated. Sometimes...

he would watch a chicken flapping its wings and then he would stretch out his wings as well, copying the chicken.
Today, something fantastic happened to change that.
Matica had just come home from school. As Talon greeted her outside, like always, she grabbed his wings on an impulse and spread them wide. ‘Talon, I think it’s time that we have a little talk about your wings.’
He tilted his head, holding his wings spread out, looking at them. Matica interpreted this to mean, ‘What about them? I don’t know what to do with them.’
‘These are wings, Talon, and with these you fly.’ She moved them up and down. ‘You are never outside when your father comes to visit, so you never see him fly. That’s not good. He’s a bird, and so are you, and birds do fly in the sky. But to do that, you
have to train your wings and make them strong.’ She helped him flap them up and down. ‘Even though you live with me and not with your bird parents, you’re not a human. I hope you know that.’

 

Proud Talon is watching Matica

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series. TALON, COME FLY WITH ME.

After a few minutes of watching the chick with Tamo, Matica’s face began to shine like the morning sun. ‘I know his name, Mum!’ she yelled. She picked him up and looked at his claws. ‘Talon. I’ll call you Talon. Oh, Talon, you are just beautiful.’

As if to confirm his name and to give himself a good reputation, the little...

bird pushed one of his talons right onto Matica’s nose. Giggles were all around her and everyone said, ‘Isn’t he cute!’

Matica then heard a familiar voice saying, ‘He’s so tiny.’ It was her father standing with Amos amongst the Indians. She held her breath. Does Amos have his dog with him? She searched for the dog but couldn’t find him. Good, he left him at home, she thought. Talon would have just been a little breakfast for him.

Without hesitation, she put Talon down again. By now, the chick was able to stand and ran quite steadily on his little legs. ‘Aikon,’ Matica said, looking for her brother. She saw that Emelio was with him. ‘Did you find a worm?’
‘No, not yet,’ came the reply from under a bush. ‘Correction, I have one now.’

 

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series:

 At school one day a few weeks later, Simeon said, ‘Can I tell you something about the poachers I have heard recently in Cajamarca?’
Crayn nodded. ‘You have news? I must say, I didn’t hear anything when I was in Cajamarca. So, tell us.’
‘I was there last week to visit my brother Ben and his family. They live close to the hospital there and he told me a very strange story about the poachers,’ said Simeon.
‘Ben is a policeman, right?’ Crayn intervened. ‘Along with your brother, isn’t he, Mito?’
‘Pito is,’ Mito said proudly. ‘Work together, they do not. Ben in other branch. Not talked to him for a while, I have not.’
‘Yes, that is right,’ Simeon went on, ‘but I still told Ben earlier about Matica and her condors. They, Pito and the others, now have an eye and an ear open for them. Ben said that four months ago, two people came to the clinic. One of them was bleeding from a deep wound in his shoulder and a wound to his head. He was in really bad shape and very weak be-cause he had lost so much blood. They told the nurse that a killer condor did that to him, but he did not tell her why.
‘My brother said that condors never attack people unless they are desperate, so I told him that Tamo was just defending his egg and that Matica had helped to incubate the egg and Talon was hatched. Ben said it is illegal to plunder, but the police have to catch the poachers in the act. Even though the police knew what had happened, their hands are tied because the man’s wound could have been caused by anything. There was not enough proof, unfortu-nately.
‘Well, the doctor could not do much for that man, so he gave him an injection for the pain and to prevent any infection and patched him up to stop the bleeding. He was then transported to Lima for cosmetic surgery. My brother never saw them again.’

 

Talon, when he was a baby chick

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series:

By the time Talon was over five months old and nearly the size of his mother, he had lost all of his down. His feathery coat was brown and Matica thought he looked just beautiful, but her father thought the opposite. For him, he had grown to be an ugly bird since he lost the down and had conse-quently ended up looking like Tamo’s half-boiled neck.
 

The relationship between Crayn and Talon then became quite strange. Crayn just tolerated him and kept out of his way, only it was difficult to do so because they all lived together in one small house and Talon loved to be inside. Crayn couldn’t wait until Talon could fly and would finally stay away. Well, that was his hope, but Talon had a different idea.

 Matica felt the tension between them, but she never said a word about it. Sometimes it was really amusing to see them together and how they tried to avoid each other. Crayn would look at Matica then would turn up his nose and leave. Talon tried to be polite and nice to him but didn’t have much success. Even so, Talon would never give up.

Interview about my first 3 novels in the Talon series

Interview with Morgen Bailey about my first 3 Talon novels:
http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/daily-interview-no-511-with-writer-gigi-sedlmayer/

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series, Talon, come fly with me

‘Good. Are you ready to tell the Indians your story from the beginning?’
‘Yes, I guess.’
When they arrived at the community hall, there were many unfamiliar faces there. ‘Where do they come from?’ Matica asked.
‘They probably come from Bambamarca. Yes, there is Miguel and his wife, Alma. He is the spokesman of Bambamarca. Th...

e news of your egg must have travelled quickly and far, Matica.’
Matica smiled a beaming smile. When she looked around, she noticed a boy about her age. He sat in front of class and kept on smiling at her. I hope he doesn’t like me, she thought, giggling. Well, he looks handsome.
Indeed he was. He had black, short hair and was dressed in a blue shirt with grey shorts and had beautiful, dark golden skin. His grin was bright and honest. I never saw him before, she thought. Hang on, I might have seen him around. Yes, with that dog.

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series

Dashing through the village, Matica saw Mito in his potato field. Aware that the Indians didn’t like her, because of her small stature, she wasn’t sure if Mito would tell her father, but she asked him anyway if he had heard the shots. He had. He answered me, she thought. That’s a first. He might tell father then. ‘Please tell my father that I’m on the way to Ramah to see what’s going on. And please tell him that he should follow me as soon as possible.’
‘Tell Crayn, I will,’ he said and went towards the community hall.
He is telling him, Matica rejoiced and raced off, grinning. She loved the funny way Mito spoke.
Every day she walked for fifty minutes to meet Tamo at this place she had named ‘Ramah’. Beyond the village and the fields of the Indians, her path first went slightly up through bushes and shrubs then down through a little valley and up again. Next she would go through a little rainforest – not much to see in there; it was too small – then through open space again.
Her Ramah was a big, oval clearing and was enclosed by a few bushes and big conifer trees. In the middle lay a huge boulder where she would often sit and talk to her friend Tamo who would lay his head in her lap and listen to her.

Youtube animation clips for the first 3 novels in the Talon series

First Novel: TALON, COME FLY WITH ME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ontac7S20

Second Novel: TALON, ON THE WING
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqayANo77x0&feature=youtu.be

Third Novel: TALON, FLIGHT FOR LIFE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXdNgy7Fw18&feature=autoshare

Talon is soaring in the current of the wind

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series:

Halfway home, it became extremely dark. There was no moon yet, so Matica and her father had to take extra time to watch out for trees and bushes they could hardly see, but when the silvery half moon rose and cast its pale light over the dark plateau, the bushes and trees and the grass weren’t phantoms any longer; they became grabbing ghosts to Matica. The soft wind rustled the leaves of the trees, playing more and more tricks on her by showing her weird, ghostly shadows. Matica grabbed her father’s hand. She was frightened.

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series

‘Your tummy feels soft. I thought feathers were rough.’ She touched him again. He grunted. ‘You look as if you have come directly from God’s design, but why do your neck and head have no feathers? They look naked.’ She shrugged. ‘Never mind that. You look majestic to me, naked neck or not. Now I’ll stroke you properly, not only your claws or your beak as I have done up to now. Would you like that? I don’t think anyone has ever stroked you before, or even touched you.’
Even though Matica’s lips trembled, she stretched her arm to reach his wing. He let it happen and looked at her hand, grunting as if to say, ‘Come on, you can stroke me.’
‘You’re wonderful,’ she said. ‘Your feathers look < well, as if they were made from black, glossy

velvet. You feel warm and soft.’
Suddenly he unfolded one of his huge wings and and stretched it out.

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series: Talon, come fly with me

Curious as he was, the condor dropped down to Matica as usual, but he wouldn’t catch the food. Instead he passed her with an elegant swoop. It was as if a hurricane went over her. It also appeared to her as if the whole sky parted and let him through and that she was blown on the wind of the universe, that he was the wind. Such thoughts went through her mind in seconds, too fast for her to really grasp what was happening.
She missed several heartbeats as she watched the huge bird. Is this really happening? she thought. Then her heart started to thud as if a fist was banging against her chest from the inside.

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series

Because she had plenty of spare time, Matica would roam around the plateau for hours after school to investigate it, and yet she didn’t need to leave the plateau as it was huge and there was a lot to see. She loved birds, so she looked for the hummingbirds, the colourful and loud macaws, the toucans with their enormous beaks and all sorts of different colours, and she even looked for the monitor lizards, but none of them gave her any peace of mind. Sometimes she looked for monkeys, but she could never find any of them.
After two years of hardship, it all started. She was then seven and a half years old. One late afternoon, she saw for the first time two mysterious, huge and dark birds circling high in the sky over the mountains. She wondered about how high they were and why they still looked so huge. She thought of the pterosaurs in her dinosaur book. The pterosaurs were huge, really huge, but they became extinct ages ago.

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series

Staring at the stars, the thought of flying on Tamo filled her mind for the hundredth time. She closed her eyes and flew with her hands, imagining lying on his back. I could escape all of my sufferings, she thought.
She let the dream wash over her where nobody could tease and mock her.
‘Well, I guess it will never happen,’ she said and sat up.
‘What will never happen?’
‘Oh, Mum, nothing. Well, ma...

ybe one day I might tell you.’ She grinned cunningly then sighed. ‘Why don’t the Indians understand that I’m normal? It’s just that my growth hormones don’t work properly. It’s nothing evil.’
‘They still tease you and it still bothers you?’
‘Hmm, kind of.’ Matica cast her eyes downwards then pursed her lips. One single tear escaped each of her eyes and slowly crawled down her cheeks.
Mira wiped them off then took her daughter into her arms, squeezed her then held her an arm’s length away.
‘Are you sure they still tease you? I haven’t heard anything for a while,’ said Mira.
‘Yes, pretty sure.’
‘Pretty sure, or kinda pretty sure, or maybe sort of kinda pretty sure?’ Her mum’s eyes lit up.
Matica laughed and wriggled free. ‘You’re talking silly, Mum.’
Mira laughed too. ‘Yeah, I’m silly today, but it worked, didn’t it?’
‘Yes, it worked, but it’s still their fault that I made friends with the condors.’
‘I know, Love. It will all change soon, I believe.'

 

My first 3 novels in the Talon series

A new listing of my first 3 novels in the Talon series:

http://nightwyn.com/indie-authors/1628/gigi-sedlmayer/

New listing of my first 3 novels TALON

New listing of my first 3 novels in the Talon series at LibraryThing

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?collection=1 

Look at the huge wings, 3 1/2 m wingspan

Extract from the firs novel in the Talon series, Talon, come fly with me:

Mira put dinner on the table. As they started to eat, Matica told them about their adventure. When she finished, Crayn said, ‘Mira, it was so brilliant to see Pajaro’s face and the faces of the others when they saw Tamo swooping over them. They called him a ‚monster‛.’ He shook his head.
‘Yes, I saw it. It’s about time the...

y
realise what they have,’ said Mira.
Matica had an excited look in her wide-open eyes. ‘Tomorrow we’ll get the egg, I’m sure of that,’ she said, ‘and we’ll see if Tamo will give it to me. And Mum,’ she pulled a face, ‘I didn’t like walking home in the dark. When the moon came out, he made so many terrible shadows. Brrrrrr.’ She shook herself. ‘It was awful.’
‘What did you see?’ Aikon’s eyes were two big, round dinner plates. ‘Scary shadows? Tell me.’
‘Hmpf. You want to know?’ said Matica.
‘I’m big.’ Aikon pounded his chest. ‘I can take it. Tell me.’

Extract from the first novel in the Talon series: Talon, come fly with me

The last rays of the dying sun threw enormously elongated shadows across their path, turning even the smallest rocks into dark phantoms, reaching out to scare and block their way.
Halfway home, it became extremely dark. There was no moon yet, so Matica and her father had to take extra time to watch out for trees and bushes they could hardly see, but when the silvery half moon rose and cast its pale light over the dark plateau, the bushes and trees and the grass weren’t phantoms any longer; they became grabbing ghosts to Matica. The soft wind rustled the leaves of the trees, playing more and more tricks on her by showing her weird, ghostly shadows. Matica grabbed her father’s hand. She was frightened.

Proud Talon

Extract from the firt book in the Talon series, Talon, come fly with me

Matica woke up early in the morning, sat up and, remembering her dream, she thought about it. Could it be true? Will Tamo do that to me? She shook her head and murmured, ‘I don’t believe that Tamo would do that to me. No, he wouldn’t do that.’
She got up and looked for cloths in which she could wrap the egg to protect it and t...

o incubate it. She found several old towels in a cupboard. Taking them, she tiptoed with a grim face to her dad and mum’s open bedroom and went in. She whispered into her mum’s sleepy face, ‘Mum, are you still asleep?’
‘Hmm, I am,’ came a sleepy, croaky voice from Mira’s mouth.
‘Sorry, Mum.’
Matica turned to tiptoe out of the room again when she felt a pull at her nightie. She turned. Her mum grinned and whispered, since Crayn was still asleep, ‘Why do you wear that long face? Come tell me what’s bothering you.’ She sat up.
Matica sat cross-legged on her bed and twisted the cloth around her fingers. Mira stroked her cheek. ‘Are these cloths for the egg? So you do believe —’ said Mira.

Handsome Talon

Extract from the fourth novel in the Talon series

In the next split second before they would collide with the poachers, or whatever Tamo, Tima and Talon plant to do, Matica remembered something her mother had told her a while ago after her mother had said a quick prayer that Jesus should always protect her and the condors: “We do not understand God’s way. Often when we pray it turns out to be com...

pletely different, as you have expected it to be. But God is there, no matter where we are, no matter how fare we travel in any one of billion directions, God is there. Even more astounding is that the God of heaven and earth revolves this universe around you! You are more valuable to Him than all the brilliance of His creation. You are the lost coin of great value, the reason for His love and affection.”

Extract from the fourth novel in the Talon series

Talon and Tima stood beside Tamo now, bending down to watch the blood dripping from Tamo’s right wing and slowly made a puddle in the dirt. But Matica, shocked, frozen and holding her mouth with her hand, could only look at the dripping blood with horrified, wide-open eyes.
Mira, with the first-aid kit in her hand, stood perplexed and so she was ...

rooted to the ground, didn’t move to help Tamo or could try to stop the bleeding.
Tamo looked from one to the other, wondering that no one was helping him, since he showed his wound to everyone. He closed his eyes and grunted softly to get his attention then he looked at Mira, knowing that she would be the one helping him. But Mira still didn’t move, stood stunned, or even gave a sign that she was still alive.

Review for the second book in the Talon series

http://thebumpyroadtopublishing.blogspot.com.au/

In Talon On The Wing, ten – year – old Matica is still very small even though she has grown just a little. Since she is still small, she can fly on Talon’s back!

In the second book of the Talon series, you can join Matica and Talon as they soar over the mountains with Matica. You can feel the wind blowing through your hair as well as the raindrops hitting your face. Get caught in a storm and crash into mountain with Matica and Talon.

I highly recommended Talon On The Wing. This book is a very entertaing story. The author does a wonderful job of showing how a disabled child can have his or her adventures.

To learn more about Gigi Sedelmayer and Talon On The Wing visit her website at: https://www.writerspotal.org/Gigi.

TALON, COME FLY WITH ME

Wow, my first novel in the Talon series, TALON, COME FLY WITH ME is listed here in Kindle Mojo. Check it out

http://www.kindlemojo.com/

Scoll down and you will find it.

The Talon series

The Talon series is about Talon, the condor and his best friend Matica. While she was rejected by the local Indians in Peru she befrieds a pair of condors. Talon is their offspring.
The stories are about her rejection, her hope, her courage, her inspiraton and her adventure.
How she is overcoming all obsticles. And she is winning. She will be loved where she was hated before. Matica is the star.

My Talon series

http://nexttopauthors.com/author-gigi-sedlmayer-the-talon-series/

Synopsis of TALON, COME FLY WITH ME

Nine-year-old blond Matica, trapped in a body the size of a two year old, lives in a remote village on a dry plateau in the Andes of Peru. She moved here with her Australian missionary and schoolteacher parents when she was five years old. From the beginning she faced cruel rejection from the local Indians so wouldn’t accept her into their community or allow her...

to play with their children. Lonely Matica explores the plateau for entertainment.

With patience and a sense of adventure she befriends a pair of condors and names them Tamo and Tima. A strong bond and love develops between them.

Having an egg, Tamo and Tima try to fight off a couple of poachers but they succeed in stealing their egg from its ledge. Tamo, hurting one badly drives them away and the poachers had to leave the egg laying on a rock when they flee. Being unable to bring it back to the ledge, Tamo and Tima make it clear to Matica to take care of the egg.

On Matica’s tenth birthday, the condor fledgling ‘Talon’ hatches. The book then describes in detail how Matica helps Talon grow into the majestic bird he was meant to be.

Two months after confidently flying, the unbelievable amazing thing happens. What Matica had dreamed of ever since she first befriended the condors, actually unfolds. That changes her life so completely that she can now see a positive side to her handicap. The Indians then fully accept the new Matica into their community.

This is the beginning of a time of incredible adventures with Talon and Matica, which is carried on in subsequent Talon books.

Review by Karen Vaughan

TALON, COME FLY WITH ME-GISELA SIDLEMAYER

An amazing story of a little girl with a disability who befriended and trained condors and raised their baby. Matica has a growth impediment. She and her family live in Peru. The Indians don’t understand her disability and either tease her or shun her altogether. This keeps up until she saves the condors egg from poachers. She is deemed a hero and suddenly accepted by the villagers. Matika raises the baby condor to the amazement of the Peruvian Indians and her parents.

Gisela Sidlemayer weaves a tale so compelling that it is hard to put down. TALON, COME FLY WITH ME will appeal to children and adults alike. I enjoyed the story immensely and await a sequel. She personifies the large birds so that the other characters can communicate with them. It is brilliant writing and give this story

5 condor talons.

At the fourth novel in the Talon series

I had a very great, wonderful, amazing writing day yesterday of the fourth Novel in the Talon series. More twists and challenges for Matica and Talon. I cried writing it.
And today it will go on. More twists

Extract from the fourth novel in the Talon series

Extract from the fourth novel in the Talon series:

 Next Aikon stepped away and said to the condors, ‘Thanks for congratulating me on my sixth birthday with that wonderful present, the embrace.’ They listen to him with tilted heads. Aikon spoke again, ‘Talon taught us a lot, particular about friendship and love. Thank you.’

First Chapter of the second novel: TALON, ON THE WING

Chapter One

We Are Flying

‘Yay, we are flying!’ Matica yelled breathlessly, utterly thrilled. ‘We really made it. Yee-hah!’ Were you afraid you would chicken out? a voice asked her in her mind. She had to grin. Yes, I was but not anymore. We did it.

        For long minutes, with her cheek pressed to Talon’s right shoulder, her arms around his neck, she just enjoyed the impression and sensation of his feathers on her cheek. Lying on his back, she saw only his outstretched, locked-in, never ending wing of brown feathers with grey patches.

        In the distance, looking further and beyond his wing, she could see mountains rising up high; however, in the next minute her head snapped up. Wondering where they were, she looked down past his shoulder. And seeing the village under them, she watched the activity of the Indians for a while until she said, amused, ‘Our village looks like an ant hill from up here. Well, Talon, you always see our village like that, don’t you, but it’s new for me.’

        Matica felt Talon nodding but wondered why he wouldn’t say anything. A few seconds later, as she looked down again, they flew over high, snow-powdered peaks of the magnificent Andes. That was fast, she wondered. We were just over the village and now we are over the Andes. Well, I guess Talon is a fast flyer.

        Looking down at the fast moving peaks as Talon flew over them, she felt dizzy and looked quickly ahead at the vast Andes. In the far distance, she saw a wall of dark and gloomy looking clouds with a huge rainbow stretching over the horizon.

        A few minutes later she looked down again. What? she wondered. How is that possible! The scenery is changing way too fast. Everything seemed flat now but colourful. There were several shades of greens and browns, greys, even yellow with specks of blues and reds. ‘How can the vast Andes vanish so quickly?’ Matica said.

        Matica turned her head to look backwards past Talon’s wing but couldn’t see any better. Then she lifted her upper body to look past Talon’s neck and down again. ‘It’s an optical illusion. Must be. Or …’ her voice was high-pitched with agitation as another thought wormed itself into her mind. ‘Talon, did you spiral up this high so that the mountains vanished from sight? I mean, I can’t see the differences any more, if there are mountains down there, or if there is flat land down there. And now I can see only the colours of the ground.’

        She looked up. A white fluffy and puffed-up cloud seemed to hang directly over her. Instinctively she tried to cuddle deeper into Talon’s body and cried out, agitated, turning her head to look in fear at the white cloud. ‘Talon, what are you doing? You are that high! I know that much now. Talon, do you …’ she gulped as her tone of voice changed to a low mumble, ‘want to go through that cloud and bring me to heaven?’ As I thought so often before, she then thought. She buried her face into his feathers. ‘That’s really nice of you,’ she then continued, speaking into his feathers, ‘but is it possible? Will the clouds let us through?’

        However, Talon wouldn’t change his course and wouldn’t say anything either.

        ‘Talon,’ Matica wondered, raising herself up with her hands on Talon’s shoulders, ‘what’s the matter? Why don’t you talk to me anymore? That isn’t like you.’

        As he still wouldn’t talk, she tried to press her body deeper into Talon’s back with her arms winding around his neck, her feet clamped around the beginning of his tail, awaiting the impact of the cloud on her back. Her heart seemed to stop beating as she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to experience that.

        But after a few seconds without feeling or having the sensation of colliding, crashing or bumping that she had imagined going through the cloud, she felt moisture on her face and hands. Surprised, she opened her eyes and lifted her head. A light greyish thick and murky substance surrounded them. She narrowed her eyes because she couldn’t see anything, staring into the murky substance. She wanted to push that away with her hand but dared not let go of Talon’s neck. What is it? I want to see, she thought. But then she understood what the substance was. She mumbled, overwhelmed, ‘We’re inside the cloud. It’s just like fog in here.’

        A few seconds later, they broke through the top of the cloud and the sun shone on them once more, warming them since she realised how cold and damp it was in there. Dewdrops were glistening and sparkling all over Talon’s wing feathers and herself. Before they could vaporise, she licked some drops off her hands but in doing so, her gaze fell on the top of the clouds. ‘Whoa!’ she cheered. ‘Look at the beautiful looking clouds under us. They look like puffed-up cotton wool, or like snow-covered mountains.’

        Gazing at the wonders of the clouds from above, she was aware that Talon was riding on the clouds, riding them out smoothly and bouncing gently from cloud to cloud. Up and down, right and left he went as the clouds were formed.

        Presently, directly in front of them, a dark and dirty-looking cloud puffed up high in an invisible and undetectable current. To Matica it looked like a solid mountain peak but a mountain peak that increasingly moved, twirled and twisted. In one stage it fell together, nearly disappearing, then it puffed up again, even higher than it was before.

        ‘Talon, don’t enter it —’ But it was too late. Talon didn’t hesitate for a second. He flew right into it.

        Nevertheless as the cloud swallowed them up, they were roughly pushed and pulled and hauled around. Matica grabbed Talon’s neck harder to avoid sliding off him and cried out, ‘Whoa!’

        Presently Matica thought, if that cloud is forming a storm and we’re still in it, what will happen to us, to me? Nothing will happen because Talon knows what to do and will not take me into danger. She gave herself up to Talon, trusting him completely. I don’t know anything about clouds. Do I have to study clouds when I fly with Talon now? But again, do I need to know? Talon knows the cloud formations. That’s all we need. Can’t tell him what to do anyway. He is flying where he wants to go.

        Blinded by the smoky dark cloud that surrounded them, both were thrown around by the unpredictable current, left, right, then up and down, then left again. For a few seconds of flying level once more, still in the smoky cloud, they suddenly dropped a metre down into a wind pocket. Never thinking something like that would happen, her legs lost the grip on the beginning of Talon’s tail and they were floating a few centimetres above him.

        Matica yelled out, ‘Whoa!’

        With her hands and arms clamping around his neck and trying not to give in to the gravitational pull that wanted to drag her away from Talon, Talon flapped his wings desperately to catch up with her legs, but, as gravity always has an effect, Matica’s legs fell back on his body again.

        Just as she wanted to clamp her feet around the beginning of his tail again, Talon’s wings were pushed down with such force that Matica’s legs were hauled off once more, even higher up this time. She flew alone in the air, above Talon, with the force pulling hard at her arms. Her poncho flew up and fluttered around her legs. Her hands started to ache as her knuckles went white holding on at Talon’s neck. I hope I’m not strangling Talon. Would he come after me and catch me if I tumbled away? I won’t try it, won’t let it happen.

        But as quickly as that happened, Talon rose up again through another updraft and caught her legs on his back once more. Quickly she wrapped her legs tightly around the beginning of his tail and rejoiced that she had managed so well under those conditions, whatever they were! She also eased off her grip on Talon’s neck.

        But the cheer was too early. They weren’t through yet.

        Unexpectedly again, Talon was hauled up and to the right. Matica was first pressed into Talon’s back then, as he was hurled to the right, one of her hands lost the grip on his neck but caught a few feather-tips with her fingers and thumb. Holding tight with her other hand, her fingers that had grabbed the few feathers walked slowly forward to take hold of more feathers and soon she wrapped both of her hands around his neck again. ‘Humph,’ she snorted, relieved, and thought, I nearly pulled out some of his feathers, but he didn’t complain. Why? What is with Talon?

        After another minute of being bashed and smashed around in that cloud, they broke through at the other end. The sun shone once more on their bodies, warming them up again as she just realised how cold it was in that strange, dark cloud, even colder than it was when they passed through the white cloud. But then a shadow passed them and shortly after Matica bumped with her back into something soft. Turning her head, she was surprised to see Tamo’s black tummy. But as suddenly as Tamo was there, so quickly he was gone again.

        But then, all of a sudden, she heard a very strange, odd noise, similar to a mechanical drone, resembling a motor’s deep humming. Could it be? She frowned, didn’t want to look at the noise, didn’t want to believe what she thought it was. But after all she listened carefully and knitted her brows. It really sounds like a motor, she thought. Yes, it is what I thought it is. And no, I don’t want to see it. But movement to her left and her own curiosity caused her to spin around.

        The overwhelming shock of seeing the thing she had thought about caused her to stop breathing.

She was looking at the white and shiny underbelly of an airplane!

        She jerked and trembled uncontrollably in real shock and could only think that they were that high up. She tried to squeeze her legs firmly around the beginning of his tail for not losing the grip on him, simultaneously she tightened the grip around his neck.

        But her legs enclosed emptiness. So did her hands. There was no Talon anymore. Talon was gone and she fell, faster and faster into the unknown black space under her.

        She screamed.