Crow Magic, is about a Native American shape shifter. I was asked how I attained my interest and knowledge of Native American legend and lore. My response became a story.
After the Civil War, my great-great grandfather, Gardner Avery, left his New York regiment to settle with his wife, Helen Greenleaf Kern, in a rural area near Grand Rapids, Michigan, named Jamestown. He kept a diary, which remains in the family, of his daily activities and expenses. On the land he purchased to farm, a tribe of Native Americans resided. The couple let the Potawatomi continue to live and hunt on the land.
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| Potawatomi Warrior |
Over time they developed close friendships with many of the tribal folk. My great-great-grandmother became very close to the medicine woman of the tribe who taught her the use of herbs in food and healing. The Avery’s interest in the art of the tribe eventually led to them learning how to make the Native American pottery. Through stories shared around meals, they learned the spirituality of the Native Americans.
At the time, Grand Rapids was one of the first large scale trading posts used by the Ottawa, Potawatomi and the Chippewa. My ancestors learned valuable information from their relationships with these tribes, which lead them to have a successful farm and healthy family. Despite the Avery’s wishes, the government forced the tribe off the land and into a reservation. According to family legend, Helen and her dearest friend spent the last days together. After hugs and many tears, she stood in a field and watched the tribe travel until they were out of sight.
The information, stories, and traditions my ancestors learned have been passed down through the
generations. I grew up listening to the stories my grandmother told of visiting the farm and her grandparents. She also shared aspects of the Native American spirituality and showed us how similar it is to Christianity.
In the 1950s, my grandparents purchased property and build a cottage on Coldwater Lake, not far from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. We spent many summers at the cottage, where we collected arrowheads we found in the local sand pits. A Chippewa family owned a cottage near ours and “Indian Dave” would share their stories, dances, and traditions with us while we sat around a bonfire.
I could say the knowledge of herbals and spirituality lives in me because of the ties of my family with the tribes of Michigan and beginning embraced by each generation of my family.
To add to my family history, my cousin’s father was from a Seminole tribe and my brother-in-law is a descendant of a French Trader and Blackfoot Indian woman. Funny, how a person with the Welch/Swedish/German heritage I have, can be neatly blended with Native American legend and lore. Grandmother used to tell us that our legacy isn’t only family blood but also the land we live in.
I am currently working on another Native American hawk shifter from a Chippewa tribe in Michigan who is secretly in love with his commanding officer. But before he returns to his unit after recovering from an injury, he learns he has one shot to capture her heart without losing his honor.
Lucy Richards is tired of being timid around men. Hoping to overcome her fears and feel like a real woman, she turns to Madame Eve to find a man who will fulfill that goal. Eve arranges a one-night stand with a handsome Shawnee shaman who will teach Lucy to use her womanly power and take her to unimaginable heights.
Shape shifter Seth Crowe is a Keeper of the Spiritual Law who carries souls from darkness to light, and enjoys using his body to accomplish his magic.
Tucked away in the Castillo Poconos Resort, Seth helps Lucy find spiritual and sexual freedom, never dreaming he might find his own mate in the bargain.
