Stickler for Accuracy by Paty Jager
There are times I wish I didn’t have this need to
make sure people learn something from my fiction books. But growing up, books
were how I learned about the world. People and places that I didn’t hear about
in school or see that much on television. I believe all books whether they are
non-fiction of fiction should take the reader to a place they’ve never been or
show them a place they’ve been in a different way.
Because of that need to teach, I always try to bring
something I didn’t know about into my books so I learn about it and then add it
to the story.
My Shandra Higheagle Mystery is such a series. I had
to learn about finding clay and making it “pure” so it could be used in making
pottery. I’ve learned different pottery techniques from magazines and online.
I’ve had to research Idaho county law enforcement and the state law
enforcement. And most of all, I’ve had to learn about the Colville Indian
Reservation in Washington state.
I made my main character in the series half Nez
Perce. Her family ancestors fled with Chief Joseph to Canada when the army
tried to put them on a reservation. Their punishment for outwitting the army
for so long was to be shipped to Oklahoma for seven years and when they were
finally allowed to come back to the Pacific Northwest, they weren’t allowed to
go the Nez Perce reservation in Idaho where their people had lived for
centuries. They were placed on the Colville reservation. And that is how
Shandra Higheagle has relatives at that particular reservation. You can find
out more about how I shaped this character here.
Lucky for me, after I’d decided to make this her
family’s home, I met Carmen Peone, an author, who lives on the reservation. She’s
not Native American but her husband is and she’s taught in the schools and is
friends with nearly everyone on the reservation. She’s learned some of the
language of the Arrow Lakes and her young adult books are about the culture.
For my latest release, Reservation Revenge, I had to call upon Carmen many times when I’d
write something and then wanted to make sure it was correct and not something
that would upset the people living on the reservation. When I’d started the
series, she took me on a tour of the reservation. One of the places she took me
was Buffalo Lake. I immediately tagged it as a place for a murder to
happen. She told me it was a place the
young people liked to go to party.
When I needed photos for the cover, Carmen, came
through with the background photo. She has been my lifesaver with this series
and a true friend.
Through her knowledge, I was able to bring the
reservation life to others and build a mystery that I hope gives people a
moment of contemplation and takes them on a journey they would not have had
before.
Reservation
Revenge
Book six of the Shandra Higheagle Native American
Mystery Series
Feuds…Jealousy…Murder
Upon learning a cousin is suspected
of murder, potter Shandra Higheagle travels to the Colville Reservation to support
her family in any way she can, including the insight she receives from her Nez
Perce grandmother in dreams. When the tribal police and FBI refuse to look for
additional clues or suspects, Shandra becomes even more determined to uncover
the truth.
Detective Ryan Greer knows Shandra’s
snooping could cause more harm than good. He joins her at the Reservation and
in her pursuit for justice. However, he soon discovers his own hidden secrets
could be as dangerous as century old feuds, jealousy, and the drug running that
is connected to the murder.
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Comments
Hi Rain! Yes, I wouldn't even try to write this type of book if I didn't have someone who was willing to help me keep things correct and not upset anyone. Thanks for stopping in!