(photo provided)

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Though many imagine life after retirement to be quiet and work free, for Darla McCammon, life after retirement meant more time for work she was passionate about.

McCammon spends the majority of her time working as the Director of the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko. Utilizing her prior business knowledge garnered while working for AT&T, McCammon has watched the shelter grow in terms of funding, community engagement and quality of care — so much so, that she will soon see the building of a new shelter just across the street.

In addition, McCammon was recently honored with the Warsaw Rotary’s Pete Thorn Award. The award is given to those who meet many standards including the Rotary criteria of “Service Above Self.”

When she is not spending her time helping rescue homeless dogs and cats in Kosciusko, delivering meals on wheels or working with Lakeland Art Association, McCammon spends the rest of her time with her other two hobbies: travel and writing. Though she has been writing for some time, McCammon just recently released her first novel, “Diamond Bait.”

The book is the first in a series written with the backdrop that McCammon loves to describe from her own personal experiences in the North Woods. McCammon, who spent her youth in southern Indiana, lived in the southern California area for 15 years. A lover of the wonders that lay in the outdoors, McCammon combines her love for writing and travel with her Christian values to weave a narrative both those of faith and those who are not can enjoy.

Combining her love for the Animal Welfare League with her novel, McCammon will utilize a portion of the sales from “Diamond Bait” for the new shelter fund.

Below is an excerpt of “Diamond Bait”:

“A dark shadow moved across the water like some primeval pterodactyl shrouding things below in darkness. It first reached long, gloomy tentacles across the end of the logs, then my legs and then moved on to completely envelop me. The shadow brought with it a chill that caused goose bumps to rise on my arms. A threatening storm cloud encroached upon my craft by moving across the sky, where it obliterated the sun.

The accompanying wind was stronger now, and I could see whitecaps dancing all over the lake. The shoreline was coming closer, perhaps a mile away, as my raft made its clumsy way across the long expanse of water, but the storm behind me was gaining speed and momentum. I could no longer see the island behind me.

I looked back to see in terror that it had disappeared in a gray mist of descending rain. The rain showered down behind me like a curtain of cold gray metallic drops. I could see how that curtain was moving across the water; how it reached out to envelop my world, and how it was heading on a path that would soon intersect with me!

I could do nothing now but hang on, keep the blanket full with my frozen, cramped fingers, and hope I arrived on shore where I could find some shelter before the rains reached me and I became more drenched than I now was from the overspray. I watched in great anxiety as the storm continued to grow in intensity. I could see it—feel it—become more ominous with each passing moment.”

“Diamond Bait” is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s websites. An e-book version is also available for those wanting to read the story without waiting for the book to ship. You can also order directly from West Bow/Zondervan/Thomas Nelson Publishing.