Vampires, werewolves, and Native Americans, oh my! Wait,
backtrack a moment. Native Americans have no place in paranormal literature—or
do they? This is something I
wondered while preparing to write a paranormal romance about a fifteen-year-old
Native American girl who can communicate with the wind spirits. Since writing The Wind Whisperer I’ve learned a lot
about Native American culture. It doesn’t matter how we would catalog a novel about Native Americans—the ancient natives
did believe in things we would
consider paranormal.
One thing that struck me in my pre-writing research was just
how superstitious the ancient Native Americans really were. Most tribes
believed in a variety of demi-gods that had the ability to either grant favors
or punish at will. The jealous and angry gods needed to be pacified on a
regular basis and required a regular tribute at the temple. The demi-gods were
also known to make an occasional hair-raising encounter among the humans.
I also learned that there were those individuals who were elevated
in status for their great magic. A tribal medicine man was revered for his
ability to heal the sick and appeal for help from the “Great Spirit”. A
priest’s job might be to create rain through prayer, drumming, and burning incense.
If the priest got tired of trying to capture the rain god’s attention, he might
recruit an apprentice to take over. Whichever man produced rain would be
forever celebrated for his great magic. The superstition goes on and on. A crow flying east in the morning might
mean good luck while a bone figurine would hold a powerful
protection against an enemy.
One of the most important Native American beliefs for my
novel, The Wind Whisperer, was the idea
that everything has a spirit. This includes: rocks, trees, squirrels, and even
the wind. It wouldn’t have been such a stretch for the natives to believe that
one of them might be able to hear what the wind spirits were saying. Anaii, my
teen protagonist has heard the wind spirits talking for as long as she can
remember. One moment she may learn that the raccoons are rooting through the
trash, the next moment she may learn that an enemy is preparing to attack. This gift makes Anaii the most valuable
member of her tribe—and the most unlikely.
You won’t find any werewolves or vampires in The Wind Whisperer but you will find a
Native American culture that’s packed full of mysticism and superstition. You
may disagree that Native Americans have a place in paranormal literature, but
there’s one dispute you will lose—Native American culture is absolutely magical.
Author Bio
Krista Holle is an award winning author who stepped up her writing after reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. It occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love—not just vampires. When Krista is not writing, she loves to collect seashells, watch movies, and eat obscene amounts of pizza. Krista currently resides in Montpelier, Virginia with her husband, four daughters and an eccentric cat with a weird attachment to the family’s socks.
***GIVEAWAY***
One lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of The Wind Whisperer and a beaded Native American bracelet. *Please note, bracelet may not be in one of the colors above.
US and Canada ONLY
Sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays
Sounds really good!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway
ReplyDeleteI would think the Native American culture would fit in great with the paranormal. Thanks for the great giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThe Native American culture is very interesting. I think I remember a movie called Skin Walkers that was kinda paranormal Native American and it worked, so I can totally see a Native American book fitting into the paranormal genre.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome giveaway. I can't wait to read this book. sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing book! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing... I look forward to the read. Thanks for the giveaway ladies.
ReplyDeleteHave a Happy Holiday season all!!
for some reason I can't comment @ work
ReplyDeletewould LOVE to win & read
IF I win - I'm going to read then pass on to my friend Carol
ReplyDeleteInteresting book! Thanks for a fun giveaway too!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very interesting story. I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDelete