The Author Learning Center's guidance and support helped Margaret find the perseverance she needed to complete her book.

For as long as anyone can remember, the legend of the Kachinas has given hope to the people. These teachers from the stars shared their wisdom with the ancient humans—secrets that have helped the human race thrive against all the odds.

Present day Earth is in trouble. Stripped of her resilience by generations of reckless abuse of her natural resources, all signs point to an impending disaster beyond imagination that threatens all life on Earth. The fate of the planet may hang on the efforts of a few select humans.

Abigail, a New Zealand grandmother and writer, has been asked to make a record of what could be humanity’s last days. In Australia, a forest regeneration expert named Danny may be the key to rebuilding Earth’s ecosystem.

Hordea, a benevolent extra-terrestrial with the knowledge to save the planet, appears. He invites Abigail and a select group of humans to join him on the mother ship for an educational adventure to other worlds. But on the return journey, the mother ship hurtles out of control due to nuclear fallout. Admontwalia, the leader of the visitors, explains that they need the humans to harness their mental abilities to help them guide their ship back to Earth.

When they return, their worst fears are realized. The planet has shifted off its axis, the coastlines of the Earth are submerged, and new land has arisen from the oceans. Once again, humanity looks to the kachinas to save their world.

I grew up in a market gardening area on the outskirts of Melbourne. The farmers used their trucks to create tracks through the native bush to reach their properties. In the spring, I spent hours wandering through many acres of wildflowers. Not knowing the botanical names of endless varieties of blooms, I would name them. Even as a child, this delightful scene took my breath away. Although that place still holds the same name, neat rows of houses along straight tar-sealed roads cover the area.

Years later, as the movie Star Wars ended, I remained glued to my seat. Mentally transported to other worlds, my mind opened to the realization that life existed outside our planet. It made sense that the immense size of our galaxy would most likely have other planets capable of supporting sentient beings. There are billions of galaxies in the universe that would have life-supporting solar systems. How insular I had been.

I feel helpless to convince the world that our planet will likely reach a point that my granddaughters’ generation will find uninhabitable. In an attempt to bring my opinion to worldwide notice, I wrote Return of the Kachinas.

The Freedom Riders became book 2 of the Kachina series. Hordea, the main character, tells the story of how he and his friends met the hermit from the Argwisian mountains.