May 19, 2011

Welcome Guest Blogger Paty Jager


Thank you Sarah for having me here today!

Growing up in an area rich in Native American history has made me curious and empathetic to the band of Nez Perce who summered in Wallowa County many generations before Lewis and Clark entered their lives.

The Wallowa, or Lake Nimiipuu as they call themselves, are a band of the Nez Perce(Nimiipuu) who moved like nomads across the Pacific NW and into the plains with the seasons. They wintered along the Imnaha River in the lower warmer regions of Wallowa County, spent the early spring in the camas meadows of Idaho, and summered at Wallowa Lake, fishing the Columbia in the fall and returning to their winter home before the snows became too treacherous. The warriors and some of the women went out on hunting expeditions to the plains for buffalo.

They were nomadic, but they had a fierce love of the land in their hearts.

Spirit of the Mountain
, the first book of the trilogy, showed their love of the lake area and how they came to carry it so deeply within them. The heroine, in this book, carries the mountain in her heart and when she falls for the spirit who looks after the mountain and its occupants, she loses her heart to him as well. You can find a full review for this book HERE

My May release, Spirit of the Lake, is the second book in the trilogy. This book deals with the Whiteman encroaching on their land and the way they are willing to look the other way to avoid being forcefully taken from their home.

The spirit entity in these books is all a figment of my imagination, but it felt real to me. My fascination with the Native American culture, their healing herbs, chants, legends, myths, and vision quest all primed my imagination when I came up with the spirit siblings who are the main characters in the books.

In the first book, I use the vision quest as the means to bring the chief's daughter to talk with a white wolf, the hero and spirit of the mountain. In her vision quest, her weyakin(the spirit who visits her) is a white wolf. So when her life is thrown upside down by her believing her vision quest means she must marry a warrior from the enemy Blackfeet tribe, she feels talking to the wounded white wolf she encounters is natural. When he turns into a handsome warrior, doing her duty becomes harder as she must leave the mountain and spirit of her heart.

The second book has Wewukiye (Bull Elk) as the hero. He is the white wolf's younger brother and a spirit as well. He lives in the lake as the antlered legend who comes out of the lake and takes bad children. Yet he is the fun loving practical joker of the three sibling spirits. In his book, he befriends a Nimiipuu maiden who has been raped by a Whiteman and becomes pregnant, but the band believes she is not telling the truth to avoid trouble and perhaps being tossed from their land because the treaty of '68 was not signed by Old Joseph, yet the government believes the other chiefs who signed spoke for all the Nez Perce.

Sa-qan (Bald Eagle) is the youngest of the three. She soars in the sky above all the Nimiipuu land watching over them. In the third book, she is desperately trying to keep the Nimiipuu from annihilation as the U.S. Army chases them from their homes on a four month, 1400 mile trek where they fall short of freedom and end up on reservations far from home. During the campaign she falls in love with a cavalry officer and together they try to save the Nimiipuu.

This spirit trilogy is my proverbial book of my heart. I spent countless hours on research to make sure the Nez Perce culture is correct in the books and the historical information is accurate.



Two generations after his brother became mortal, Wewukiye, the lake spirit, prevents a Nimiipuu maiden from drowning and becomes caught up in her sorrow and her heart. Her tribe ignores Dove's shameful accusations—a White man took her body, leaving her pregnant, and he plans to take their land.Wewukiye vows to care for her until she gives birth, to help her prove the White man is deceitful and restore her place in her tribe.


As they travel on their quest for justice, Dove reveals spiritual abilities yet unknown in her people, ensnaring Wewukiye’s respect and awe. But can love between a mortal and a spirit grow without consequences?

Excerpt:

Wewukiye tugged her hand, drawing her closer. His warm breath puffed against her ear.

"You need only think of me and you will have strength."

His soft silky voice floated through her body like a hot drink.

Dove swallowed the lump in her throat and asked, "When will I see you again?" The thought of sleeping on the hard ground next to the fire in Crazy One's dwelling didn't sound near as inviting as using his lap to rest her head.

The days and nights grew colder; to be wrapped in his arms would warm her through and through.

"You will find me at the meadow every day when the sun is directly overhead." He brushed his lips against her ear.

She closed her eyes, relishing the silky feel of his lips and the heat of his touch.

"Think of me," whispered through her head.

Dove opened her eyes. She stood alone. Her palm still warm from their clasped hands, her ear ringing with his whisper.


Readers: This post is part of my blog tour. Leave a comment on as many of my guest blogs at you can and the person who travels with me the most will receive an autographed copy of Spirit of the Lake, a sweatshirt, and cowboy chocolate. To find all the places I’m visiting go to my blog: www.patyjager.blogspot.com The contest runs from May 18th – May 29th covering thirteen blogs. I'll notify the winner on May 30th. In the event of a tie I will draw a name.

You can learn more about me at; www.patyjager.blogspot.com website; http://www.patyjager.net or on Facebook.

28 comments:

Sarah Grimm said...

Paty-

Thanks for making me a stop on your blog tour! I just have to tell you, your cover is gorgeous.

I look forward to checking out all the other stops on your tour and hey, maybe I can win Spirit of the Lake. ;)

AJ Nuest said...

Paty, Spirit of the Lake sounds amazing. Really nicely done. Loved the excerpt. So beautiful. Sarah, your blog looks gorgeous! Great post, ladies!

Paty Jager said...

Sarah, Thank you for hosting me on my blog tour. The cover is nice.
That would be fun if you followed and won.

Paty Jager said...

Hi AJ,
Thank you. As I said these books are the book of my heart and I hope others enjoy them as much as I enjoyed bringing these characters to life.

Rachel Brimble said...

You are a very busy woman right now, Paty! Great post.

R x

JeanMP said...

Great post, these books sound amazing, such wonderful stories.
Sarah you have an wonderful blog.

Sarah Raplee said...

I've learned so much already about the Nez Perce and the shameful way they were treated through your writing, Paty. and your endings always leave me feeling hopeful for their future. Thank you.

Paty Jager said...

Hi Rachel! Busy keeps you young!
Thanks for stopping in.

Thanks Jean P.

Hey Sarah, I'm glad you're enjoying the blogs and the books.

Becky said...

I enjoyed reading this post. Paty, you have been refreshing my memory on the Nez Perce's and I am also learning new information about them. When I was a teenager I did a lot of research on the Native American history.
I loved the excerpt.

Paty Jager said...

Becky, I'm glad you're enjoying the posts. The Nez Perce are an interesting Native American groups. I"ve enjoyed getting to know them better through my research for the books.

D'Ann said...

I have always been fascinated with the Nez Perce.

I agree with Sarah Grimm, who said your cover is gorgeous! Beautiful.

Sarah Grimm said...

@Jean P Thanks Jean & AJ for the blog kudos! I 'tweak' it every now and then, but not much as I really like it. Good to know others do, too.

Paty Jager said...

Hi D'Ann! Thanks for stopping in and leaving a comment.

Mary Preston said...

It's not only the promise of a great story, but the history & culture that fascinates me.

marypres@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hi Paty,
Congrats on your new release! I love the cover of this book and I would love to read it. Sounds like a fantastic read.

lead[at]hotsheet[dot]com

Paty Jager said...

Thanks Marybelle. The history and culture is what attracted me to writing the story.

Hi Virginia. Thanks for commenting. Follow the tour and your name will be in the hat for the book.

J K Maze said...

Paty,

I've been anxiously waiting for this book eve since I read the first one, Spirit of the Mountain. Your writing arouses just about every emotion in me. Wonderful writing.

Joan K. Maze

Paty Jager said...

Joan, That's a wonderful compliment. Thank you!

Sandra Crowley said...

Paty, I loved learning more about the Nez Perce and the area. Thank you for sharing some of your extensive knowledge. I lived in Idaho many years ago and disliked leaving the beauty and rich culture.

Spirit of the Lake sounds fascinating. You must be thrilled with its outstanding cover.

Wishing you all the best.

Paty Jager said...

Hi Sandra,

Idaho and the NE part of Oregon are beautiful. Lush, green... Thank you for commenting!

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

I just wanted to stop by and say hi to everyone!

Paty,

I love the book cover. It's beautiful!! Enjoyed the excerpt, too. :)

Paty Jager said...

Karen, Thanks for stopping in. MY cover is gorgeous but I can't take any credit. Rae Monet did a great job on it. She used an actual photo of Wallowa Lake. I loved it the moment I saw it.

Connie said...

Reading of the Native Americans has always facinated me and I can hardly wait to add this series to my list.

Paty Jager said...

Connie, I'm glad I found another person who enjoys reading about the Native Americans. Let me know how you like the books.

Anonymous said...

I think of all the native tribes, the Wampanoag of New England, the Cherokee, and the Nez Perce lost the most. They all befriended the white settlers and to some degree helped them survive. The Cherokee even adopted the white way of life. All tried to live in peace with these invaders and discovered that no matter how well they played by the rules the whites gave them, it was never good enough. The whites never planned on keeping their part of the bargain. Ownership of land only counted it it was white ownership.

I am enjoying your Blog Tour.

Paty Jager said...

Pat, I agree. The greed of the Whiteman to control land was something the Native Americans couldn't fathom. Then when the Whiteman also didn't keep their word...it only caused more trouble.

I'm glad you're enjoying the blog tour.

SiNn said...

Paty I loveee your work and enjoying this tour lil late to teh party but hey least i made it lol

Paty Jager said...

Sinn, The party doesn't stop until the 30th so play catch up.