Dream
your dreams with your eyes closed…
But
live your Dreams with your eyes open—
~Cherokee~
The amateur sleuth in my Shandra Higheagle Mystery
Series is half Nez Perce. She was raised to hide her Native American heritage
when her Nez Perce father died and her mother remarried. However, her paternal
grandmother kept in touch, and Shandra spent a summer during her teen-age years
with her grandmother on the reservation. Her grandmother said Shandra had
powers. When Shandra announced that at home her mother and step-father quickly
made her see it was an old woman’s way to making an awkward teenaged girl feel
special, nothing more.
As an adult, Shandra visits her grandmother more and
is interested in discovering more about her roots. But her grandmother dies,
leaving Shandra a note requesting she attend the Seven Drum Ceremony after the
funeral.
While in the midst of murders and mystery, Shandra’s
grandmother comes to her in dreams showing her clues to the true murderer.
While Shandra investigates the dreams and discovers helpful information, she
has a hard time believing the dreams and her grandmother’s presence.
This is the information I came up with when I was
brainstorming who my amateur sleuth would be in the mystery series I wanted to
write. I started with the niggling that I wanted a Native American character.
But not being Native American myself, I didn’t know the first thing about being
from that heritage. That’s when I came up with the idea of her being kept from
those roots. It allowed me to discover Shandra’s heritage as she is discovering
it, a piece at a time.
To add a bit more of the “mysticism” or “dreamer”
qualities to the Native American element I have her deceased grandmother come
to her in dreams. Visions and dreams are instrumental in Native American
culture. This was my way of drawing on elements that could be intrinsic to
Shandra.
And all amateur sleuths need a person in law
enforcement to keep them safe. I gave Shandra handsome Weippe County Detective
Ryan Greer. He believes in Shandra’s dreams more than her in the beginning
thanks to his Irish mother who taught him to believe in things you can’t see.
I’m enjoying getting to know Shandra and Ryan better
with each book I write and having them meet the locals of Huckleberry, Idaho
and the unique murders that draw Shandra into the investigations. And I can use
the backdrop of the ski resort and the art communities because Shandra is a
potter whose works are considered art.
You can now download the first Shandra Higheagle Mystery, Double Duplicity for FREE.
Double Duplicity
Book one of the Shandra Higheagle Native American Mystery
Series
Dreams…Visions…Murder
On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry
Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder
investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove
the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from
her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than
ever but just as determined to discover the truth.
Detective Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes
and refuses to ignore a single clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While
Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in
her.
Can
the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an
arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?
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