Welcome. Today I’m talking with Karen Kay, and her books revolve around the American Indian culture. What an interesting theme. Tell us why you wanted to write about this.
Well, historically, the American Indians have pretty much had a bad rap. I can say this now having mounds of historical documents in my library of their own writings and/or stories they told to friends that they had personally been a part of, and those friends wrote those stories down. History in movies, in texts and other means of communication has been pretty much written by the victors and, until more recently, lies about them and their ideas of government, culture, freedom, the spiritual nature of man, the institution of marriage, of honor, of truth and the willingness to come to the aid of a friend has been hidden or simply not taught. And it is this culture which is unparalleled in many ways than any other society I have studied. Later, after I had started writing about the American Indians, I found out through a neighbor and a family tree (now lost) that I had Choctaw heritage that was hidden from me. This alone has given me a reason to try in my own humble way to write it the way I have found it to be.
How is your approach different?
I’m not sure my work is entirely different from others who write in this genre. The only thing I try to add is to make (though I write in fiction) many of the happenings in my books based on or inspired by real people who lived through some of the events I write about.
In order to write about the American Indian Culture, you have to be knowledgeable. Where do you do your research?
Well, almost all of my research is done from reading historical accounts of true happenings told by the person who lived them. The writings of James Willard Schultz; Charles Eastman; Walter McClintrock; Jeffrey Prather; Frank B. Linderman; Frederick E. Hoxie; William Tomkins, George Catlin and many, many others. I have many, many books on the fur trade, the steamboats, the bull trains, the railroads, etc. And that’s just in the West. I have a whole other assortment of books on the Eastern Indian Iroquois Confederation.
Tell us a little about your sources — the people you’ve met, and how you contacted them.
When I first started writing these stories — all those years ago in 1994 — I was determined to learn as much as I could about what I was writing about and to write entertainment, it’s true, but to be as accurate as I could about the actual history of the American Indians. Besides books, I visited all the reservations in Montana and many of the reservations in South Dakota. I’ve been to reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. My husband and I have visited every reservation in Montana personally and have gone to pow-wows and we were instrumental in bringing a literacy project to the Blackfeet reservation in Montana that was open and was helping people with literacy for about five years. I have two almost-sisters on the Blackfeet reservation to this day. And, in 2007, I was adopted into the Blackfeet reservation.
You’ve written several books in your Medicine Man series. Tell us about the role of the medicine man in American Indian culture. Who were they?
Well, this is a subject I am still learning about, to tell you the truth. I had wanted to write about the medicine men for a while, but didn’t because I simply didn’t know enough about them. And, it’s a subject that doesn’t have a lot of information about who they were or what they did because these men did not necessarily tell others their secrets. But slowly, reading a lot of stories about them, I’ve come to know more about them through stories their children have told (Blackfeet), through Frank B. Linderman’s book Pretty Shield, Medicine Woman of the Crows (Crow), Jeffrey Prather’s book, INITIATION Boys are Born. Men are Trained (Apache), Thomas E. Malls book, Fools Crow (Lakota) and of course, Black Elk Speaks (Lakota) by John G. Neihardt. There are many more.
One thing I have learned is that the medicine man’s path was not an easy path to follow. There was a code of honor and a code of ethics they adhered to if they wished to be successful. And one the of biggest things I discovered is that the medicine man was very aware that he was doing the Creator’s work and his life consisted of prayer every day. The Creator or God was the one who was doing the healing through the medicine man. These medicine men were very aware of this and believed that the spirit of the Creator, alone, healed. He was a part of everything they did to help their people to heal.
There were/are those who use what might be called black magic to do deeds contrary to the Creator, but these men were not usually known as medicine men — often they were known as witches or a shaman and they were as different from a medicine man as day is to night.
I go into this in more detail in my book, SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD. I do try to share what I have learned with my readers.
What did they do to help people get well?
All medicine men and medicine women knew how to use herbs, teas, muds, the bark of trees and their leaves and other plants found in nature to heal. But, they had their own way of healing that was theirs alone. They used the rhythm of drums, a special song, dances, putting hands on the body of a person to discover their ailment to help heal. But, their main way to ensure the person they were asked to help was through prayer and the prayer was usually done in a very certain way.
A medicine man is a fascinating — and highly interesting — person. What started you on this quest to know more?
That came to me in an entirely American Indian fashion — through a dream, really. I used to talk a bit about this, but no longer do — having now the knowledge that one should not share the dream with anyone else except with a medicine man.
Are there still medicine men (or women) around today?
Yes, there are, although from the book, Fools Crow, I’ve learned that some medicine men do not fully follow the path of honor and/or ethics and so usually are not as successful as they might otherwise be. But yes, there are definitely medicine men who still follow this difficult path and who are dearly loved by their people.
What was the greatest challenge writing this series?
I think it would be learning about who these men and women truly were. It’s hard to discover who they were and what they accomplished and some of the things they used to heal when there is really not a lot written about them. But, over time I’ve learned enough to at least show what they could accomplish and a little of how they did what they did. And, again, the importance of the Creator or God was paramount in all they did to help another.
What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?
In my stories, the one culture and its ideas and ideals are pitted against the other, and their cultural ideals rarely match one with the other. It is the love and admiration they each have for one another, despite very real problems and differences they deeply hold, that cause them to be determined to be together despite what is going on around them and despite sometimes, even the characters, themselves.
Now a little about you, Karen Kay. What inspired you to become a writer?
It was during a very rough time in my life when my children were quite little (toddlers) that I began to really read a lot of romance. Those books became friends. Because I was raised in a household of music when I was young, I was used to being inspired by the aesthetics of music. And during this tough time in my life, when I really needed some aesthetics in my life, books and writing became my outlet and to this day, my characters become my friends.
How long have you been writing?
My first book was published in 1994 by AVON BOOKS. But I was writing this and that for about thirteen years before actually becoming published. When I discovered historical romance, I was thrilled and my very first historical romance, LAKOTA SURRENDER, was bought and published by AVON BOOKS.
Are you a disciplined writer with a strict schedule?
Mostly, I am. But, with four adopted new pets and helping out with grandchildren and all kinds of chores I have to do at home, my schedule has been disrupted and I am trying my best to get to a schedule that works for me now. But, mostly I am a disciplined writer.
What inspires you?
Gosh, a lot. I get inspired by the people around me, by my readers, by the research books I read and by happy every afters. My heroines are based usually upon people I know and the same could be said about the heroes. But, the main hero who inspires me is my husband.
Any other works in progress?
Yes. I’m at work on book #6 in the Medicine Man series. The working title for the book right now is IF SHE WERE MINE. I’m also writing a Young Adult series under the pen name of Genny Cothern and I’m at work on book #3 in the Untamed Frontier series. These Young Adult stories are novellas and they are a short, and I hope are easy to read, too. They are sweet historical romances of adventure and young love.
Do you have any final words you’d like to share with your readers or anything else you want to tell us about your books?
I love hearing from readers. Usually these emails I get from my readers are a bright spot in my day and so I would like to encourage readers to email me. My email address is: karenkay.author@startmail.com
Thank you, Karen Kay. And best of luck with your Medicine Man series.
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Black Friday – Cyber Monday with She Steals my Heart by Karen Kay
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