Books Make The Greatest Items

For the primary time in fairly some time, I’ve a brand new Harlequin launch (my thirty ninth) this morning and with excellent timing — it’s present shopping for season!

Think about this my shameless plug for my new ebook, Hazard In Massive Sky Nation, a romantic suspense set in Montana that includes a Native American heroine and her gruff retired navy hero as they chase down solutions to a ugly homicide in a small city.

I grew up in a small city (smaller than Oakdale), and whereas lots of people wish to think about small cities as quaint and cute, the place everybody is aware of your title, and the store keepers at all times have a heat welcoming smile — I consider secrets and techniques, homicide, and mayhem.

And, as they are saying, write what you understand, so there’s loads of darkness lurking behind each smile, secret lives, and corruption — what enjoyable! — on this ebook collection.

How about a little bit behind-the-scenes about this ebook?

Properly, my editor had talked about they had been actually all in favour of seeing extra inclusive characters within the upcoming proposals, together with that of indigenous individuals, and I knew this was my alternative to put in writing one other collection that includes Native characters.

I set the collection in Montana, then created a fictitious tribe, the Macawi, in order that I didn’t inadvertently painting tribal particulars incorrectly, however I researched the various points at the moment going through the fashionable indigenous individuals.

From abject poverty created by an absence of employment alternatives, poor well being companies, alcoholism and drug habit, to struggling to retain lecturers on the reservations, the problems are advanced and with out a straightforward resolution.

Nonetheless, there’s one problem specifically — the underreported and rampant abuse towards girls — that’s gaining well-overdue nationwide consideration

Based on a report issued by the U.S. Division of Justice, Native American girls are sexually assaulted 2.5 occasions greater than some other ethnicity. The identical examine exhibits that Native American girls had been victimized essentially the most out of all populations in the USA.

The difficulty has created a rising motion to attract extra consideration to the dearth of sources spent for these silent and marginalized victims.

In my ebook, Hazard In Massive Sky Nation, the heroine, Luna Proudfoot Griffin and her two sisters should study to navigate between two totally different worlds with out shedding components of themselves within the course of.

It was humbling to learn so many tales of ladies misplaced, and heartbreaking to see that even with new attitudes towards cultural safety, there are nonetheless many areas that desperately want enchancment.

All of us can do our half. That is my method of normalizing inclusion, opening up dialogue, and creating the wave towards change.

Hazard In Massive Sky Nation might be discovered at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and wherever books are bought on-line and in choose Wal-Mart shops in the course of the month of December.

Pleased studying and be at liberty to let me know what you suppose!

Kim Van Meter is a former full-time reporter for The Oakdale Chief, The Escalon Occasions and The Riverbank Information; she continues to supply a month-to-month column. She might be reached at kvanmeter@oakdaleleader.com.