Anthony Yocolano aka the Neanderthal Mind interviews author Rebecca Wragg Sykes:
“Well Cave Dwellers, there you have it, and that’s just the first part of two with Rebecca Wragg Sykes. I am on the second round of Rebecca’s book, Kindred, Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art. I just love how Rebecca tells a story of a day in the life of a Neanderthal, as the opening to the next chapter, it really draws the reader/listener in, and gets you ready for the next chapter.”
Part One
Part Two
Podcast and logo shared with permission from The Neanderthal Mind. Header graphics by E. A. Meigs, cover photos by Paula Krugerud.
Venus figurines have been discovered throughout much of Eurasia, most dating between 11,000 to 40,000 BCE*. These saucy ladies have been the subject of much study and conjecture. Were they fertility symbols? Some sort of Mother Earth/Mother Nature goddesses? Or were they merely meant to depict womanhood in full flower (so to speak); a visual testimony to the artist’s admiration for the female form in all her glory? We can only guess, but it is fun to speculate on the motive(s) and mindset(s) of their creators.
The Eurasian Cave Lion(Panthera spelaea) is known to us mostly through its fossilized skeletal remains and the exquisitely detailed imagery left behind by early humans on cave walls. The fossils tell a tale of a large predator, somewhat bigger than today’s African lions. They may have been as much as 11 and a half feet in length from their nose to the tip of their tail, and reached weights of up to 880 pounds. Male cave lions are depicted without manes in cave art. Some of the ancient paintings seem to show faint striping on parts of the cave lion’s body.
These impressive animals are included in several of the Dreamer Book Series: An Ice Age Saga novels; as they surely would have been well known to Ice Age humans and been a source of awe and -at least occasionally- terror, to those who encountered them. This versatile and fearsome hunter was known to inhabit most of Eurasia and the very northwestern parts of the North American continent.
In 2015 two cave lion cubs were discovered where they had been buried in a landslide in Siberia, and were preserved in permafrost for tens of thousands of years. The approximately two week old kittens were were an astounding find and have done much to contribute to our understanding of these animals. A well-preserved third cub, about six to eight weeks old at time of death, was also found in permafrost in 2017. Lastly, a fourth cub was located in 2018. It was found near the 2017 cub; close enough to make scientists think that it might have been a sibling. There is speculation that future digs might reveal the existence of more siblings, or possibly even the remains of the cubs’ mother.
The most recent Eurasian cave lion remains have been dated to about 14,000 years *BCE. They are believed to have gone extinct by 10,000 years *BCE.
I’m pleased to announce that the first draft of the fourth book in the on-going ice age saga “The Dreamer IV ~ The Cave of Bones” is complete! Now comes the editing process! The Dreamer IV is due to be released in the summer of 2019. Read more about this and other books in the series at: https://dreamerliteraryproductions.com/
I am pleased to announce that my on-going saga has made the news! The Cape Cod Chronicle’s Debra Lawless has penned a nifty half-page article which appears in this week’s (Nov. 29, 2018) issue! I’m so excited!
I love to pack up my books and send them off into the world. There, I hope they will reach into the minds and hearts of others, and spur their imaginations to experience life in a distant past with all the drama and adventure, and perhaps most surprisingly, find that humans have struggled with many of the same problems throughout the millennia.
“The Dreamer III ~ The People of the Wolves” has been put to bed! It is available only in eBook format for now, but the hardcover and paperback versions have been ordered. Depending on how backed-up the printer is, I should have copies ready to send out in a week or two!
This is the first anniversary of the day I released the first book (The Dreamer ~ The Beginning) in The Dreamer Book Series! The second book (The Dreamer II ~ The Gathering) was already undergoing editing at that time and has since published in July of this year. The third (The Dreamer III ~ The People of the Wolves) has almost completed the 1st draft stage and will be available in 2018.
I’m excited to announce that the second book in The Dreamer series The Dreamer II ~ The Gathering is expected to be released on Sunday, July 23rd, 2017.
This novel continues the ice age saga which follows the life of a young Neanderthal man, as introduced in The Dreamer ~ The Beginning.
The book cover (and that of the first book as well) features the magnificent photography of Paula Krugerud.
The second novel in the ice age saga book series: The Dreamer II ~ THE GATHERING is now in the hands of the copyeditors!
The book’s cover, which features the magnificent imagery of Paula Krugerud Photography, is still in development, but will likely look something like the one shown here, above.
The Dreamer II ~ THE GATHERING is expected to be released in July 2017.
The Dreamer III ~ THE PEOPLE OF THE WOLVES is underway and will be released in 2018.
The Dreamer: Just before dawn on a cold spring morning, a young Neanderthal man awakens from a strange and frightening dream that will change his life forever…