The Whispered Teachings of Grandmother Trout

Review\n"Fast-paced, filled with enough Southern coastal Texas lure, nature, fly fishing, humor, sex, drama, and clever surprises all the way to the last page to make it thoroughly entertaining. This is what GREAT movies are made of."\n~ Wanda Taylor, "The South's 1st Lady of Fly Fishing"\n"I had a hard time putting this book down. Kathy's words drew me in with her expressive writing style and alluring story line. She takes you on this in-depth journey through the lives of these wonderful characters and paints a beautiful inviting picture of South Texas and the Laguna Madre."\n~ Alex Ramirez, CEO of Outdoor Specialty Products\n"Only a woman who deeply knows the true anatomy and soul of fly fishing could so wisely reel us into this parallel world of the anatomy and very soul of human challenge, passion, and the call to surrender. Sparrow brings feminine divinity home to roost in the waters of South Texas. Brilliant."\n~ Molly Lord, TUNED-IN Productions\n"I have a stack of books next to my bed that I've been very gradually working my way through. They're all non-fiction, "personal growth" books, to help me gain a better grasp of that, ever elusive, inner peace or to learn something new to share with my clients, readers, and radio show listeners. But, as the warmer weather arrived, I was thinking more and more about playfulness and giving in to guilty pleasures. I began to crave a good piece of fiction, one where I could relate to the main character and get lost in the story. Kathy Sparrow's The Whispered Teachings of Grandmother Trout has fulfilled this craving. I became so wrapped up in the story that I stayed up late at night, unable to put the book down, emotionally wrapped up in the character and all of her personal ups and downs. In the end, I didn't feel so guilty about this pleasure because I could feel a subtle shift inside. Perhaps, I had achieved a bit of that 'personal growth' while enjoying the read, learning some of the lessons with Sparrow's protagonist, Ali, and from the whisperings of Grandmother Trout."\n~ Dr. Mara Karpel, psychologist, radio show host, and author of, The Passionate Life: Creating Vitality & Joy at Any Age\n"Kathy Sparrow's The Whispered Teachings of Grandmother Trout offered me a challenge. As I became engrossed in the lives of Ali and Jack, their thoughts felt like they became my own. My mind filled with their options and fought with the same emotions. The turning point for me was when the trout said, 'I'm over here.' I spend a fair amount of time outdoors as a sanctuary from daily life and a place to gather my thoughts. I wonder if I am really listening. Ali did not get it right away and had to let go of her fears to understand the whispers. Having made a significant career transition, I would say I have not let go of my fears. Perhaps if I listen more closely, I can learn from 'whispered teachings' and challenge the edge of comfort and fear."\n~ Mike McCleish, Army Veteran, and Media/Photographer Coordinator for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Colorado Springs\nOn the surface, Ali Stephenson has it all––a secure position at Southern Style Magazine, where she’s risen to the ranks of managing editor with all the trappings that a six-figure salary makes possible and a clear route to take over her mentor and friend’s role as publisher. She has good friends, practices yoga daily, and takes long strolls on the beach near her home on the Chesapeake Bay. Her life is set, predictable.\nBut something is missing…\nWhen Ali is sent off to deep South Texas to write about fly fishing on the Lower Laguna Madre, she has no idea that her life is about to change drastically––and that, by facing much of the past she has kept at bay, she will be given the opportunity to melt the fortress she has spent years building around her heart.\nWill she embrace the opportunity?\nLike many women, Ali has a history of choosing unavailable men, an inevitable consequence of her childhood wounding by