Smoke On The Wind by Doug Deats

I first came across Doug Deats through a Facebook group called Bird Dogs and Fly Fishing.  Doug stood out among some of the members of the group as a man that had been there done that, but did not exude the arrogance that sometimes accompanies men that have a lot time and experience in their field. As a matter of fact Doug is quite the opposite of arrogant and is always more than willing to share his years of experience in a way that doesn't make doesn't make you feel stupid or inadequate.  Not to long ago Doug had shared a few stories that he said was going to accompany a book that he was putting out later this year, and after reading a few of those stories I knew I had to read the book and that those that did would be in for a real treat.

Smoke on The Wind is a collection of short stories and essays that mostly take place along brookie filled trout streams and the grouse woods of central Virginia, and a few other special places.  There are a few recurring characters in the book that will find their way into your heart and with rumors of a second book coming I hope we continue to see them.  My favorites are the brown dog and a young boy who's excursions into the wilderness remind me of my own adventures as a boy.  Their story runs the gamut from slingshotting nightcrawlers from the edge of the bank to the waiting mouths of eager trout to enduring the loss of the family farm that they both love so much.  There is a realness to the book that if you are an avid outdoorsman you will recognize right away.  Doug does a phenomenal job of relaying the sights, the sounds and the smells of mornings on the water or in the woods and after reading a few of these stories you will feel as though you are almost right there along the side of the brown dog and the young boy.  And frankly not enough writers do that any more in my mind.  My personal favorite essay from the book is entitled Whippoorwills and Wood Piles and it contains a lovely passage that I will share below that in my mind speaks volumes about what lays in store for you should you purchase this book.  

"An old-timer once told me "You can tell a lot about a man by the way he stacks his wood."  Ever since then I have told a lie about who I am by the pains I take in the task." Doug Deats

If I was forced to say anything negative about the book it would only be that it is too short at 91 pages and contains a few spelling and grammatical errors that escaped the editor.  But seriously who among us cannot say that we haven't done the same.  I mean come on have you read this blog!!

The bottom line is that this book is a great read and it gives you a wonderful insight into the mind of a man that is clearly pouring out his soul to the reader in those 91 pages.  If you are interested in purchasing Smoke on The Wind you can do so by following the link below.  Also keep in mind that Doug is currently working on a second book please stay tuned in here for another review for when that book comes to market.

http://www.dougdeats.com/mission.html