Author Spotlight: Meet Karen Kay,

I’ve so loved getting to know “the fillies”–the authors who are a part of the Petticoats & Pistols blog that I have recently become a part of. They’ve all been so welcoming and they are all such amazing writers! One of the fillies is author Karen Kay.

Amazon #1 Newest Release author in American Historical Romance, KAREN KAY is a multi-published Author of romance and adventure in the Old West, American Indian. She has been praised by reviewers and fans alike for bringing insights into the everyday life of the American Indian culture of the past.

As Reviewer, Suzanne Tucker, once wrote, “Ms. Kay never fails to capture the pride, the passion and the spirit of the American Indian…”

KAREN KAY’s great grandmother was Choctaw Indian, and she is adopted Blackfeet. Ms. Kay is honored to be able to write about the American Indian culture.

“With the power of romance, I hope to bring about an awareness of the American Indian’s concept of honor, and what it meant to them to live as free men and free women. There are some things that should never be forgotten.”

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Howdy!

For those of you who don’t know me or are not familiar with my work, I am Karen Kay, a Historical Romance Author of Native American stories.  I’ve been writing professionally since 1996, when AVON Books picked up my first story.

Including my most recent story, which is in editing now, I’ve written 30 books (including novellas).  In my books, I try to do my best to present the American Indians as they are presented in historical documents written by people who were there and who knew them.  Note: in my books, I define the term “Indian” as being a term that is NOT derogatory in the least.  Russell Means (The Last of the Mohicans and AIM member) did some research on this word and discovered that the derivation of the word “Indian” does NOT come from India because at the time of Columbus, India was not know as India, but Hindustan.

And so, after much research, he discovered the term comes from the Spanish (or Italian) word in dios meaning In God, or children of God.  Also, because I write Historical Romance, the term Native American simply didn’t exist.  And even today, many of the Plains tribes prefer to be known as Indians, not Native Americans.

In this blog, I’ll post a blurb for the book, as well an excerpt from my most recent book, She Belongs in My World.

She Belongs in My World

Beauty, Treachery, and an Untamed Wild Love

Liliann Varga had been too young the first time she met and fell head-over-heels in love with the Blackfeet Medicine Man, First Rider, the man who saved her father’s life. Besides, he was newly married to a woman of his own tribe. But years later, when Liliann’s husband has committed a terrible aggression against her, it’s First Rider who once again is called upon to put his healing skills to use.

First Rider has come to heal Liliann, not to seduce her. But his reaction to the grown up Liliann, the little girl who used to be his shadow, is entirely masculine and sensual. Though he’d vowed to bring his first wife back after her capture by an enemy tribe, he’d failed and she had died, causing First Rider to nearly lose his mind. Could Liliann be his second chance at love?

Enacting a “scout’s revenge” against Liliann’s cruel husband would leave the man alive but broken, and it would also set Liliann free. But, just as their love deepens, a report emerges: First Rider’s wife is still alive. To discover the truth or lies of the rumor, they both embark on a dangerous journey through the Backbone-of-the-world Mountains.

But, with little more than a bow and a gun, can they survive the beautiful but treacherous snows to find a world where they both belong?

Excerpt

Setup: This scene occurs about halfway through the story.  Otahki (O-tah-ki) is Liliann’s Blackfeet name, meaning Ermine Woman.  The hero, First Rider, and two of his friends are intent on enacting a scout’s revenge upon the man, Ernest, (Liliann’s husband) who tried to kill her, but she managed to escape.  They have been following him as he is fleeing toward the gold fields of Montana and have been systematically working on him, taking little things from his camp that he needs to survive, but making it appear he left them in his last camp.  So, here we go.  Because it is dangerous to speak while one is scouting, the people here are using sign language, which was known and used by all the Plains Tribes.

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It happened after a week and a half out on the trail.  Ernest became dangerously careless, and while bathing in the river, he left his clothes on a large rock, his boots next to it.  He had also left his rifle behind, propped up next to the rock.  Also, the guns he usually wore about his waist were buried beneath the wad of his clothing.

It was an open-ended invitation to gain their next advantage over him.  Yet, to sneak into camp and take his guns and his rifle was risky at best because, as careless as Ernest was, if he discovered First Rider and his friends in the act of taking away his only means of defense, he could become a wild man…and there was the possibility he could kill one or more of them with his knives if he had retained them on his person as he bathed.

Also, though the light from the sunset was low in the western sky, there was still enough of it that could outline a scout.

But still, here was the chance they had been waiting for: the means to disarm Ernest.  The opportunity could not be dismissed.

Now they just needed to determine which one of the three scouts would be the one to accomplish the task.

“I will go,” signed First Rider at once, causing Liliann to gasp.  First Rider instantly placed a finger to his lips, asking for her silence.

Then, not being able to use words nor even to whisper, Liliann began to use her eyes to plead with her husband to reconsider and to remain safely here in camp.  But, when First Rider ignored her, she reverted to sign and said, “No, do not do it!  Do not take on such a duty!  It is too dangerous!  What will Ernest do to thee if he sees thee?”

First Rider frowned at her, then signed, “Do I appear to you to be a coward?”

“No!” she responded in sign.  “I just want thee to be safe and remain alive!”

“What is a life worth without some risk?” he countered in sign.  “Besides, this is my duty to perform.  You are my woman.  This man abused you and would have killed you had you not escaped.  I will allow no other to do what is mine alone to do.”

“But—”

“Come here,” he interrupted.

While she scooted around their small, smokeless fire toward him, both Stands Strong and Red Fox appeared to have suddenly found other chores to do in camp, and they silently crept away from the council.

Sitting down in front of First Rider, her knees once more touching his, he reached out to take her hand within one of his own while he signed his thoughts with his other and revealed, “This is my duty.  This I will do.  But, you might help me by praying to the Creator to guide my path.”

“Of course I will pray.  But—”

“It will go well, I think.”

Gazing up at him, she bit her lip before throwing herself into his arms, and she whispered in his ear, “If I cannot keep thee here with me, then I shall watch thee from this place where I sit.”

“Soka’pii.  And, you will do nothing to interfere,” he added in a murmur.  “Promise.”

“How can thou be tryin’ to force me to make such a promise?”

“If you do not give this vow to me,” he signed, “I will not allow you to watch.”

“Not allow?  Not possible.  I will sit here and look at thee.  Just try to stop me,” she said, back talking to him in sign.

“Then, you must promise you will not interfere.”

Leaning forward, she again whispered in his ear, “Well, I be not makin’ any other promise but this: I will watch thee.”

She heard his slight chuckle before he whispered, “A fireball…I have as…woman mine.  A fireball.”

She frowned at him.

“It…good…not bad.  Heap much good.”

Liliann shook her head, yet couldn’t help smiling because of his very bad English, knowing it was deliberately done.

“But,” he signed, setting her away from him, “if not promise, I will set one of my friends to watch you and put a gag over your mouth if you try to shout out a warning to me.”

“Thou would not dare to do it!” she whispered.

“I would,” he muttered softly.

“Oh!” she moaned softly.  “How be I to help thee if thou will not let me?”

“By praying,” he whispered.  Then he repeated, “By praying.”

“I will be doin’ it, no mistake, but don’t thou see?” she asked under her breath.  “Me own self needs to go with thee.  Does thou forget the very reason I be here?  My dream?”

He shook his head.

“Then thou must know this: where thou goes, I must be goin’, too.  What thou faces, then I shall face it with thee.  If I be needin’ to share thy life—and I do—then if thou dies in doin’ justice, then I will be with thee, dyin’ alongside of thee.”

As he sat before her, he appeared to be stunned and he did nothing more than stare at her.  At some length, he reached out to touch her face with the back of his fingers.  Then, at last, he signed, “My brave, brave woman.  I did not realize what sharing my life with you truly meant to you.  Come with me, then.  I shall not stop you from showing me and my friends, also, how courageous you truly are.”

Upon seeing his signs, she threw herself suddenly into his arms, almost knocking him backward.  And, her voice shook as she whispered, “Thou shall not regret this.  I promise I will be doin’ as thou say.  I promise.”

And, as he took her into his arms, she cried, there against his shoulder.

****

Slowly, slowly, she belly crawled behind First Rider, having been warned that she was not to let so much as the crunch of a leaf sound beneath her.  Therefore, she was committed to move forward, but very, very slowly.

More important it was, First Rider had said, to take the weapons without detection.  And, because any noise might alert Ernest to their plot, they each one carefully determined where to place their arms and legs as they slowly pushed forward, one elbow after another.  To her rear crawled Stands Strong and behind him, Red Fox, both of them slinking along on elbows and belly, also.  The plan was simple: First Rider was to take one weapon and would then pass it to her; she was to send it along to Stands Strong, and he would give it to Red Fox, who would later distribute the weapons to the three of them.

It had been going well until, as though he suspected he was being watched, Ernest looked over to where he had left his clothing and guns.  Immediately, all four scouts—including Liliann—froze in place, and she didn’t dare to even breathe.

Ernest’s scrutiny seemed to go on and on, and Liliann knew she had to take a breath without movement and without noise.  In doing so, she shut her eyes, forcing herself to think of nothing.

However, she found First Rider was gently nudging her, and, looking up, she saw he was passing Ernest’s rifle to her, the last of his weapons.  Glancing quickly toward the river, she was shocked to discover she could not see Ernest.

There was a tap on her leg, and, glancing over her shoulder using as little movement as possible, she discovered Stands Strong was slowly, but methodically, inching back.  Was something wrong?

Looking forward, she saw First Rider had crawled backward until he was almost parallel with her.  Oh dear.  Trouble.

She and First Rider had no more than slinked in behind a bush when he placed his arm around her waist, forcing her into a full-bodied position on the ground.  Imitating First Rider, she did nothing but smell the earthy scent of the ground beneath her.

Without lifting her head but a little, she looked up through the bushes and gazed at a completely nude Ernest as he approached the rock where he had left his clothing.  But, he didn’t seem to notice the ground around the rock, which was this moment devoid of his weapons.  Instead, he reached into a pocket of his pants and pulled out a tiny box, and upon opening it, he reached in, took a bit of powder, and placing some of the snuff into his nostrils, he inhaled deeply.

For a moment, he turned his back on the four scouts, and she watched his shoulders lift and sink as he took in several breaths.  Then, as if making a decision, he walked barefoot across the sand which slanted gradually down to the river, and, wading in waist deep, he took a dive into the gentle waves.

At once, First Rider signaled to her to back up, slowly, slowly, inch by careful inch, until at last they reached the shelter of the pines and the surrounding red and black willows lining the shore.  Then, rising up into a crouching position, they stepped as noiselessly as possible back to their own camp, protected as it was with the surrounding pines.

As soon as they entered their tiny shelter and sat down in a circle, Red Fox asked in sign, “Did you get all his guns?”

“Yes,” First Rider signed.  “Even his knives scattered there.”

Red Fox nodded.

“And, now what does thou do?” asked Liliann silently in sign.

“‘Thou will wait,” First Rider replied quietly, gesturing toward his friends and her.

“Does thou include thee in those who must wait?” she asked in sign.

First Rider shrugged, casually signing, “There is more I would like to take from this man.”

“Oh?” she asked, slanting him a frown.

Upon looking around their circle, Liliann noticed Stands Strong was smiling, though faintly.  However, he didn’t utter a sound.  But then, as he glanced at the three of them, Stands Strong reached around behind himself before bringing his hands back to the front to show his arms to be filled with…clothing—a white man’s shirt, pants and boots.  Stands Strong smiled as he murmured, “No need to go back, Almost-cousin.  I knew you would want these.  His disgrace would not be complete without him being properly….undressed.”  Stands Strong grinned.

First Rider smiled, then signed, “You are a better scout than I.  I did not even see you return there.”

As Stands Strong nodded his head, a masculine scream ripped through the air, followed by the heated words, “Who are you?  Where are you?  What do you want from me?  Bring me back my clothing…my weapons or I’ll…I’ll…”

No one answered.  No one even smiled.

“I’ll find you!” yelled Ernest.  “I swear I’ll find you, and when I do I’ll kill you!”

Still no one answered.

Then, gradually, First Rider came up to his knees and crawled toward the opening of their shelter, Liliann following at his heels.  Slowly, he turned back and signed, “No, you stay here.”

“But, I thought I be goin’ with thee.  Did we not already talk about this?”

“Too dangerous.”

“Thou will not be stoppin’ me.”

Shaking his head, First Rider nonetheless grinned at her and signed to her, “If you must come, stay behind me.”

“Good.  I will be doin’ it.”