A clever dual-viewpoint story, Bigfoot Mountain follows the story of Minnie, who is coming to terms with the loss of her mother, and young Sasquatch, Kaayii, who is coming to terms with the relocation of his clan due to forest fires and modernisation/human encroachment of the mountain habitat they exist in.
Beautiful descriptions of the mountain and forest combine with engaging characters (headstrong humans and Sasquatch!) and an exciting plot to create this at times funny, at times scary, debut novel from Roderick O'Grady, with themes of family, friendship, bravery and adventure all key elements alongside environmental awareness throughout the book.
As the two main characters deal with their individual challenges, they are inevitably drawn together and their stories combine and move forward in a heart-warming nod to past, present and moving on after grief, leaving readers a message of hope and new beginnings as the story ends.
I am thrilled to be able to host a Q and A with author Roderick O'Grady here at whatiread.co.uk
What reading/writing influences your own writing?
Though I like humorous crime thrillers, such as those by Carl Hiassen, for their satire, colourful characters, and punchy dialogue, I seek out works describing nature such as Overstory by Richard Powers from which I learnt much about how trees, and the nautical dramas of Patrick O’Brian. No one describes the ever-changing moods of the oceans like O’Brian.
Why Bigfoot?
I fell down the rabbit hole of Bigfoot/Sasquatch when I unexpectedly found I had a lot of time on my hands. The more I study the subject the more extraordinary it seems to be. Utterly fascinating.
I loved the appreciation of nature in the book...was this a deliberate element caused by current raised awareness of environmental issues?
Thank you and yes, certainly. I feel that if young people are exposed to the wonders of the natural world the more they may be compelled to 'join the dots', in terms of environmental concerns. I love being amongst trees and have felt a deep yearning to visit some primeval forests as soon as I’m able to travel again.
Do you believe in Bigfoot/Nessie etc?
Have you had any experiences ypurself with anything mysterious like these creatures?
Though I’ve had no experiences myself, the evidence is staggeringly in favour of the existence of Sasquatch. There are now many books on the subject by well-regarded professional scientist-writers. Quite apart from the Native American long-standing acceptance of their existence, the witness statements from thousands, literally thousands, of hunters, trappers, forestry workers, hikers, and military personnel are hard to dismiss. And then there’s the dozens of DNA samples tested at multiple independent labs in the US which found the samples to be part human, part unknown relic hominid.
What's next for Roderick O'Grady? Can we hear about any forthcoming books on the horizon?
Next is the sequel, Bigfoot Island….
And I can't wait!
Thank you to Fritha for organising the Q and A with Roderick, and to Firefly Press ( @FireflyPress fireflypress.co.uk) for the review copy of the book.
Follow author Roderick O'Grady on Twitter as @roderickogrady1
Listen him read from the book here:
#BigfootMountain is out now...please support independent bookshops if considering buying a copy!
Review by Rich Simpson (@richreadalot ) May 2021
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