Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Horse Trader by Paty Jager

photo of my horses
A good friend of mine who lives on the Colville Reservation and helps me with my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series had a blog post up about her new release a YA Native American novel about a young woman riding in endurance races in the 1800s. It's titled Hannah's Journey.

In that blog post she talked about how the American Indian first used dogs to help pack their belongings until the Spanish Conquistadors lost horses in America in the 1500s. Those horses multiplied and soon the Indians learned how to control the animals and use them for not only hunting and riding, but also for transporting their belongings.

In a short time the horse became an integral part of the Native Americans lifestyle.
The Nez Perce, the tribe I most write about, were known among the other tribes for their horses. They were one of the few tribes who bred their horses to make their herds better.

In the early 1800s these are some of the items that were traded for a horse:
(This information is courtesy of Carmen Peone)
• 1 ordinary riding horse = 8 buffalo robes
• 1 fine racing horse = 10 guns
• 1 fine hunting horse = several pack animals
• OR 1 gun and 100 loads of ammunition
• OR 3 pounds of tobacco
• OR 15 eagle feathers
• OR 10 weasel skins
• OR 5 tipi poles
• OR 1 buffalo-hide tipi cover
• OR 1 skin shirt and leggings, decorated with human hair and quills

I have two new releases- one is a historical western romance, which I talked about the last time I was here. Savannah the first book of my Silver Dollar Saloon series.


Escaping a past full of deceit and larceny, Savannah Gentry goes in search of her only kin, a half-brother she discovered after her father’s death. She hopes Shady Gulch in the Dakota Territory can give her a future. However, she stumbles into the arms of Reverend Larkin Webster, finds herself working in the Silver Dollar Saloon, and soon fears she’s gone from the frying pan into the fire.
After dodging death and incarceration, the Topeka Kid decides to turn his life around and takes on a new identity. Reverend Larkin Webster. It works, until he finds a temptation he can’t resist and steals the heart of Savannah Gentry. When her past collides with his, he wonders if this theft could end up with him losing everything, including his life. 


Universal buy link - https://www.books2read.com/u/b5MkNp

Because I brought up the Shandra Higheagle Mystery and she is a Nez Perce potter who has become an amateur sleuth due to her deceased grandmother coming to her in dreams, I'd like to give you a glimpse of the October release with a bit of a Halloween theme. Here is the blurb for Haunting Corpse:


A runaway bride, murder, and arson has Shandra Higheagle sleuthing again. Sorting through the debris of her best friend’s childhood, Shandra believes she must solve the murder before her friend becomes the next victim. 
Stumbling upon a dead body, Detective Ryan Greer is determined to bring the killer to justice before Shandra becomes too entangled in her friend’s dysfunctional past. He hopes he’s not too late. Her deceased grandmother has already visited her dreams, putting Shandra in the middle of his investigation and danger.

Universal buy link - https://www.books2read.com/u/3J0ZWX

 
Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 32 novels, 6 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery, western romance, and action adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. This is what Mysteries Etc says about her Shandra Higheagle mystery series: “Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read.”


blog / websiteFacebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest
 




6 comments:

  1. How interesting to learn the value of horses for trade. Thank you for that, Paty. I look forward to the next Shandra Higheagle release--Grandmother's spirit makes it perfect for Halloween, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Caroline, Yes, Grandmother's spirit and the fact there is a Halloween party in the story, makes Haunting Corpse book 9 in the Shandra Higheagle series a perfect read this month. Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  2. I see from your post that the Nez Perce had a very specific bartering system--but that's good in my opinion because then everyone knew exactly what it took to trade for a certain type of horse.
    I particularly liked the HAUNTED CORPSE book because it's so unique in that a Nez Perce woman is a sleuth and it also has "visions."
    All the best to you, Paty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sarah, This is a bartering system for more tribes than the Nez Perce. It would have been the going rate for most of the western tribes. Thank you. I am enjoying writing the mystery series and exploring my main character and her roots.

      Delete
  3. As I'm sure most sweethearts would agree, the horse is, to me, the most beautiful animal on this earth. And we have the Spanish to thank for bringing them to our continent all those centuries ago. Also that the Native Americans realized their usefulness and value. Very interesting post, Paty, as well as reading about your new books. I envy those photos of your own beautiful horses. I understand how much you love them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HI Cheri, Horses were integral to the growth of the Native American tribes and the people moving across the continent. Thank you. I do enjoy my horses even when I'm not riding them.

      Delete

Thank you for visiting Sweethearts of the West! We are very sad to require comment moderation now due to the actions of a few spam comments. Thank you for your patience.