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:

Desertion…Wrath…Murder

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 / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest