M. D. Eaton

A lot can happen during a man's life, and for Ezekiel Cottrell, a lot does happen.

The story of The Woodsman follows the life of a man who faces some difficult circumstances. As Ezekiel Cottrell tells his story, we hear his thoughts, personal reflections, regrets, admirations, grievances, frustrations, and tumults of the human experience. Most importantly, he tells his story having lived it; he tells of his hardships with the understanding of where it is he has ended up.

The story is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster covering numerous genres. These Genres include (but, of course, are not limited to) Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Man in a Hole, Lamentation, Coming of Age, Comedy, Tragedy, and even some Allegory.

I am excited to share more of my book with all of you! I am sure the editing process would go a lot quicker if my 'Backspace' key would stop getting stuck. ;)

"Thus says the Lord GOD: 'I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.'”

Ezekiel 17:22-24

"The Twisting Tree"

"Now I see the Twisting Tree;
It whirls, and it swirls, never being free.
On and around until eternity,
Budding blossoms, a springtime guarantee.

Up, up, up I grew,
Tied to a tree, I never knew,
Twisting around, the bird of blue
Left me to find a home someplace new.

All the trees I thought grew straight,
Were wound around as if it’s fate,
But they were met with saws of grate.
It would grow; I’d just have to wait.

Yet after time, the bird of blue
Would inevitably return too.
My twisting tree—up like a screw,
Budded, blossomed, and those blossoms flew,
Swifter than the swiftest shoe;
Farther than the bird of blue."

I call this piece "Couple of Seagulls on a Beach"

I think the title is fitting because there are a couple of seagulls on this beach.

I painted this piece a while back, but I thought it was worth sharing! A little art makes a great break from novel writing.

"Ol' Groucho" - E

"Somewhere along my sixty-mile-per-hour tear up the valley road, everything went wrong. Ol' Groucho's front, right tire slammed into the side of a squarish rock, and thanks to a lack of suspension, the impact shattered my front axle. I lost control of all steering, and the next thing I knew, I was flying headfirst into a sturdy oak tree. I crashed our beloved truck that day."

Tree — “As we came over the pass to the Woodsman’s Valley, I could see an endless forest of trees with chopped stumps speckled throughout like pimples under a patchy beard.”

The title of my book is The Woodsman, so you can imagine that trees might play an important role in the telling of the story. Steeped in symbolism, each tree that is called out by name throughout the story has been particularly placed to say something about the protagonist or the circumstances he faces.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more information regarding the upcoming release of The Woodsman!