Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff

Please welcome guest Paty Jager, whose Shandra Higheagle series features a most unusual and engaging protagonist. And read through to see how to win an autographed copy of her first book in the series!

Mystery and Mysticism

My brother is an artist who creates his own bronze statues and patinas bronze work for other artists. When he told me about a specific piece he’d put the patina on and how it had a unique configuration, he had my attention. His words: “This would make a great murder weapon.”

That sentence stayed with me for several years. The first two novels I wrote way back when I decided to try to write novels were mysteries. But when I couldn’t find the resources I needed to hone my craft, I jumped ship and started writing romance, where I’d found an abundance of support.

But my brother’s sentence kept playing in my head. And finally last year, I decided to write the murder using that weapon. Only, I had to come up with a plausible amateur sleuth and give her a profession. That is how Shandra Higheagle, potter and half Nez Perce Indian heritage, came to be. I wanted her to have the Native American background to keep with my tag line: “Tales of intrigue and romance starring cowboys and Indians.”

And I wanted Shandra to use her heritage to help solve the murders. That is where her Nez Perce grandmother came onto the scene. Shandra’s Nez Perce father was a rodeo bronc rider who died in a rodeo accident when Shandra was four. Her Caucasian mother and step-father kept her from her father’s family until Shandra rebelled as a teenager and spent a summer with her grandmother. While Shandra still wasn’t allowed to let people know of her Indian heritage, she kept in touch with her grandmother.

The first book opens with Shandra returning from her grandmother’s funeral and seven drum ceremony. Where is this all going you ask? When Shandra is suspected of killing a gallery owner and then the county sheriff’s detective turns his interest to her best friend, Shandra’s grandmother comes to Shandra in her dreams, guiding her to the evidence that will help them find the murderer.

Shandra has a hard time believing in these dreams, yet the detective believes. Here are the blurbs for the first three books in the Shandra Higheagle Mystery Series.
Leave a comment and we’ll draw a name for an autographed copy of the first book in the series.

Double Duplicity: On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever but just as determined to discover the truth. Detective Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes and refuses to ignore a single clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in her. Can the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?
Available: Windtree Press http://windtreepress.com/portfolio/double-duplicity/ Amazon http://authl.it/2ng Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=Double+Duplicity Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/double-duplicity-paty-jager/1120790322 Apple https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id942249867

Tarnished Remains: Shandra Higheagle is digging up clay for her renowned pottery when she scoops up a boot attached to a skeleton. She calls in Weippe County detective Ryan Greer. The body is decades old and discovered to be Shandra’s employee’s old flame. Ryan immediately pegs Shandra’s employee for the murderer, but Shandra knows in her heart that the woman everyone calls Crazy Lil couldn’t have killed anyone, let alone a man she loved. Digging up the woman’s past takes them down a road of greed, miscommunication, and deceit. Will they be able to prove Crazy Lil innocent before the true murderer strikes again?
Links: Windtree Press: http://windtreepress.com/portfolio/double-duplicity/ Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T83F3XE iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id964586740 Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940149953493 Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/tarnished-remains

Deadly Aim: The dead body of an illicit neighbor and an old necklace send potter Shandra Higheagle on a chase to find a murderer. Along with visions from her dead grandmother, Shandra knows she’s on the right path, but the woods are full of obstacles—deadly ones. Detective Ryan Greer believes Shandra’s dreams will help solve the mystery, but he also knows the curious potter could get herself killed. He’s determined that won’t happen, until he’s blind-sided. Are Shandra’s powers strong enough to save them both, or will the murderer strike again? Coming Soon!

Award-winning author Paty Jager and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. On her road to publication she wrote freelance articles for two local newspapers and enjoyed her job with the County Extension service as a 4-H Program Assistant. Raising hay and cattle, riding horses, and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it. She has published twenty novels, three anthologies, and seven novellas. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them, along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Her penchant for research takes her on side trips that eventually turn into yet another story. You can learn more about Paty at her blog: Writing into the Sunset; her website: http://www.patyjager.net; or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/paty.jager
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1005334.Paty_Jager and twitter; @patyjag.