Category: Writing life

This, That, and Some Audiobook Specials.

Today snuck up on me! I just noticed it is the second Wednesday of the month when I pop on here and post about upcoming events, new releases, and sales.

I should, fingers crossed, be ensconced in our new home in NE Oregon by this time next week. We have one more load to bring over and a birthday party to attend, and then I’ll be living in Baker City permanently. We’ll see how long I last living in a galley kitchen with a quarter of my cooking/baking things. Hah! I love to cook and bake and told hubby that if we purchased this house a remodel was in the immediate future. I can’t cook with only four feet of counter space. And I can’t fit all my fun dishes or even the food, for that matter, in the small amount of cupboard space. There aren’t any cupboards on the walls, only under the counters.

Anyway, I will make do until we get the remodel done, hopefully this summer.

This month, I have the first 5 audiobooks in my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series on sale through my Direct website store and at Chirp.

The prices start at $0.99 and go up to $2.99.

https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/shandra-higheagle-audiobook/

https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/double-duplicity-by-paty-jager

Today is the last day to get Poker Face, book one in the Spotted Pony Casino Mystery series in Audiobook for $0.99 at Chirp and my website.

I’m currently working on book #15 in the Gabriel Hawke novels, Captured Hummingbird. I’ll be making a research trip for this book next week. I set it in and around the Lapwai Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho. I’ve been using maps and Google Earth to figure things out and write. Now I want to go see things in real time to make sure I have things correct and to check out the casino outside of Lewiston, ID that also plays a role in the story. And I want to check out an area that I’ve not seen before, where I want to have Hawke find the suspect.

It is a cold, gray day today. After such a nice, sunny winter so far, it’s kind of nice, but I definitely have to keep moving to stay warm.

I’m still working on getting my office in the new house like I want it. Working with a sliding door and three doors on another wall is making my arrangement a bit more difficult. When I finally get things in a spot that makes me happy, I’ll share photos here on the blog.

These are kind of random thoughts, but as I said I forgot to write something ahead of time to post earlier in the day. So you get my stream of thoughts. 😉

Oh! In case you haven’t seen my posts on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPatyJager) you need to follow my Author Paty Jager Facebook page. In May, I will be giving away a prize each day to people who comment on the question I ask. It is to mark my 20 anniversary as a published author.

This will be a fun event that will happen throughout the month. I’ve been collecting gifts to give away along with books. The mugs in this graphic are some of the mugs I’ll be giving away. I also have two travel mugs with MMIW on them, as well as some jewelry and notepads. So follow my Facebook page and join the fun!

That’s all for now. I’m hoping to get some good stuff for the end-of-month post during my research trip.

Bryce Canyon and other Adventures

While checking out Southern Utah for a winter get-a-way, Hubby, Mikey, Nia, and I did some exploring. One day, we drove to Bryce Canyon.

On the way, we had some beautiful views of snowy bluffs, freezing waterfalls, and snow.

snowy cliffs
freezing waterfalls
snow alongside the road

After the snowy drive, we came to Red Canyon. It’s on Highway 12 in Utah’s Dixie National Forest. It was a pretty drive with varying colors of red on the rocks and various types of rocks. It has hiking trails but we didn’t get off the road as we were focused on getting to Bryce Canyon. Here are some of the pretty sights of Red Canyon.

tunnel entering Red Canyon
The rock colors went from white to pink to red
The different textures of the rocks fascinated me.

At Bryce Canyon, we came in the north entrance and drove to the 1st/last? overlook. We were disappointed to see that dogs were only allowed on the upper concrete/asphalt walkways. We took photos and walked the dogs out to the point and back.

Viewpoint at the end

We drove to another viewpoint where you could actually walk down through the spires, but dogs weren’t allowed. We left them in the vehicle and walked along the edge, eyeballing the trail down into the canyon. I was willing to give it a try, but hubby wasn’t excited about the climb back out.

View at the top of the trail.

I decided to go partway down to get better photos. It only lasted three of the hairpin turns. I went around the third one looking in the distance at the spires and not watching where I placed my feet and the next thing I know, my right foot is sliding down the path on pebbles, making me do the splits, while my left foot is planted, and finally gives into the weight pulling on it and I skinned my left shin and bent the nail of my big toe backward.

View around one corner of the trail.

I pulled my extremities back together and slowly rose, brushing the dust off. I looked up and hubby waved at me. A quick look around, showed no one else had seen my splits. Making my way back up the trail, my toe throbbed, and my legs were wobbly. At the top, I asked if Hubby had seen me go down. He said, “No, only me standing there, brushing dirt off.”

As far as I got before doing the splits.

After Bryce Canyon we headed back a different way and came across a large field with Bison.

We also found a place that had a trail we could take the dogs when we were closer to Hurricane.

It was a fun trip, and we’re looking forward to going back next winter.

A new book, a sale, an audiobook, and “friends” I’ll miss.

I know after the last post I promised more pics of my trip to Southern Utah. Those will come on my normal end of the month, travel post.

Today I want to let you know that my latest book, Full House, book 8 in the Spotted Pony Casino Mystery series, is now available in ebook and print.

When the past knocks on their door, the future they planned begins to unravel.

On the brink of their wedding, Dela Alvaro and Heath Seaver’s plans shatter when a ten-year-old boy appears, claiming to be Heath’s son. The truth is even darker: the boy’s mother—the woman Heath thought died years ago at Pine Ridge—was an FBI informant hidden under a new identity, left to raise his child alone before dying of addiction.

As Heath wrestles with awe for the son he never knew and fury at the FBI’s deception, the past turns deadly. When the agent who lied to him is found murdered in Pendleton, the FBI shows up on Dela’s doorstep, bringing danger straight to their home.

With their future on the line, Dela and Heath must confront a web of secrets before it destroys the family they’re just beginning to build.

Unversal link: https://books2read.com/u/3LzAxJ or Direct from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/full-house-ebook/

By purchasing directly from the author, they receive more per book than when you purchase from an ebook vendor. Cutting out the middleman entices authors to keep writing because they can pay their expenses.

I have 2 audiobook sales going on right now.

You can purchase the audio box set of the first three Gabriel Hawke Novels for $4.99 at specific audiobook vendors by using this link: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com/ You will see other Indie author audiobooks for sale there. Or you can download it directly from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/gabriel-hawke-novels-box-set-1-3/ This sale only lasts until the 18th.

Join Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke as he performs his duties with the Fish and Wildlife Division while finding a body with a wolf collar, tracking a lost child, and hunting down a poacher in the wilderness of Wallowa County. He not only upholds the law but also protects the land of his ancestors.

Starting today, you can download the audiobook, Poker Face, book 1 in the Spotted Pony Casino Mysteries for $0.99! This is only at Chirp and my website.

A contemporary Native American amateur sleuth murder mystery series

As interim head of security at the Spotted Pony Casino, disabled veteran, Dela Alvaro, needs to find out who killed a casino accountant or lose her job.

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/poker-face-by-paty-jager

Direct: https://www.patyjager.net/product/poker-face-audiobook/

And the new audiobook!

Merry Merry Merry Murder is now in audiobook! You can find it for a reduced price on my website.

Where comfort and cheer meet scandalous secrets—A holiday mystery set in a small town.

In the close-knit town of Auburn, Oregon, Andi Clark’s therapy animals bring comfort to the community, especially during the holiday season. When a young girl seeks solace from Athena, Andi’s therapy dog, after witnessing an unsettling scene behind the sleigh, it marks the beginning of a much darker holiday.

As the town gathers for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a scream shatters the festive atmosphere. Cocoa, Andi’s loyal Border Collie, pulls her toward a chilling sight: a woman standing over the lifeless body of the girl’s mother, strangled with Christmas lights.

Determined to help the grieving girl and her town recover from the shock, Andi, her therapy animals, and her niece, a county deputy, take it upon themselves to investigate. As they uncover secrets and untangle clues, they stay one step ahead of the new sheriff and worry that the killer lurking in their midst could be someone they know.

Direct buy link: https://www.patyjager.net/product/merry-merry-merry-murder-audiobook/

My Friends

As I’ve mentioned, we are moving from our farm in SE Oregon to a house in a small town in NE Oregon. While I’m excited for this new change in my life, I will miss this property more than any place I’ve lived. My hubby always laughs and tells people that when we were looking for property here, this was the only place I got out of the car, and then I took off hiking up the hill.

I have loved this land for the vastness of heights, geology, animals, and birds. But I named rock formations and talk to some of them every day on my walks.

The first is Seal Rock. It looks like a seal to me. And while I don’t talk to it, I have watched over the years as the gap between the “seal” and the cliff has become wider.

Then there is Spirit Rock. I talk to this rock every time I go by. We discuss the weather, the creatures that may be sitting on him, and life. I even put my hands on him and give him a pat now and then. I believe it was ripped out of the cliff when there was a lake in this area. Because, beside it, there is an indentation in the cliff that resembles Spirit Rock’s form.

Then there is the “Woman in the Cave.” It is a pile of rocks under a rock and when looking at it, there seems to be a woman leaning over a rock or table working. I talk to her every time I go by as well. There are days when it’s gloomy and overcast when you can barely see the “woman” and others when the sun shines so bright it looks like she is smiling.

And the other rock I speak to each time I go by is “Head Rock.” It is a rock that sits alone on top of the cliff and looks like a head looking north. I had a signing with a Paiute man several years after we’d moved here. He had written a book all about the “head rocks.” They were put in places to show directions for Indigenous people.

These “friends” and the animals we’ve watched are what make moving a little harder than usual.

Walking Keeps Me Active

I can’t believe how mild the winter has been so far. It almost makes me wish we hadn’t made plans to spend a week in Hurricane, Utah the end of the month. It was our idea to try out getting out of the winter weather when hubby finally, actually retires from farming.

We sold our farm in SE Oregon and bought a house in NE Oregon. There are usually harsher winters in the NE than the SE. We thought we’d take a short trip this year to see if we would like spending time in southern Utah to hike the areas there and in Northern Arizona to stay fit. If someone knows of the best trails to walk/hike in the Hurricane area, I’m all ears.

But so far, the weather isn’t making us want to go anywhere. We’ve only been below freezing a few days at a time. There’s been rain, but not much snow. Maybe by the end of the month when we are ready to go, we’ll be ready to get out of here.

No snow in December at all and warm.

Along with getting away from the weather, we have been back and forth between NE and SE Oregon, hauling our things to the new place and slowly getting moved in. I still have a room, two walls, and three closets to paint. I won’t do any more painting than that until we get the remodel finished, which won’t happen until next Fall, most likely.

View from our new home.

But I have lots of stuff to put away, especially books! I ordered way too many this past year, thinking two of the events I attended would sell more than they did. So I have totes and boxes of books that will go on my new rolling bookcases when we get them finished. When they are finished, I’ll have photos of my new office on one of the posts.

Nia loves chasing the squirrels in our yard, the park, and the golf course.

I’m excited to have a huge window to set plants in front of. I might be able to keep some alive now that they will get some indirect lighting instead of shade.

I think the biggest thing I like about the move are the walking trails Nia and I can walk on every day, as well as the golf course nearby, and I’m going to take a yoga class. I feel like this move will keep me moving and fitter now that I no longer have to go down and feed horses and cattle every morning and break water for them in the cold winters.

I’ll have fun posting for you when we are in Hurricane, so stay tuned for that one. I’ll also be making a trip back to Deadwood, South Dakota in June. I’m attending the Wild Deadwood Reads event. I attended the first one in 2017 and then the second one. After that I didn’t make it back. This summer, since I’ll be in NE Oregon while hubby is still in SE Oregon helping the people who purchased our farm and staying on to show the person taking on his manager job for the farm next door, I will have a lot of free time on my hands and decided I wanted to do the Wild Deadwood Reads again. A friend is going with me, and we are going to have a blast! Here’s the info if you’re going to be in Deadwood July 13th for the PBR Rodeo.

It is a multi-author, multi-genre Book Fair in the The Lodge at Deadwood. It starts off at 8 am with breakfast with the authors. At 9:30 the ballroom opens and the authors are there visiting and selling books until 3 pm. Check it all out here: https://wilddeadwoodreads.com/

This is starting to look like a great year!

Always Moving Forward

This is the last week of October. Only two more months left in 2025. This year has whooshed by like a freight train. Fast and hauling all kinds of things.

I have been busy with book events, family events, and life events. All of those things have whisked the days by in a blur. And the rest of the year will be almost as fast and furious!

I have an event in Bruneau, Idaho, November 7th-9th. I’ll be selling my books in a booth with my daughter who will be selling fudge. It’s called Bruneau Cowboy Christmas. I love their tagline: Best shopping and day drinking in the West! Which is what we’re hoping will give us lots of sales. 🙂

My daughter and I taped out the size of the booth on my living room floor and we set up the booth so we will know what we need to do when we get there. I also have all my books in totes, marked “put out”, “under table” and “in vehicle.” I hope to sell so much that I’ll need more books that will be in my vehicle. 😉

After that, we’ll have a lovely family Thanksgiving, and then I have two events back-to-back in December. A 4-H Christmas Bazaar, December 5th & 6th in Baker City, Oregon, and then the 2025 Authors and Artists Fair in Eugene, Oregon, December 15th.

When those two weekends are over, then it’s hanging out with family through the holidays and gearing up to start a new year of writing.

We will also be moving to Baker City in the coming year. We have slowly been taking things to the house we purchased there. So there will always be something to do, whether it is writing, editing, publishing, marketing, or boxing things up.

At the moment, I have two Gabriel Hawke novels, one Spotted Pony Casino mystery, and one Cuddle Farm Mystery book scheduled to write and release in 2026. I’ve been thinking about the next three books I’ll be writing and doing some research. I always have a couple of books brewing in my head while I’m writing one.

So stay tuned to this blog to find out what the next book will be and what I might have learned to write it.

Today and tomorrow are the last two days you can get the first book in the Shandra Higheagle Mystery series, Double Duplicity for FREE as an audiobook. You can download it from my website. https://www.patyjager.net/product/double-duplicity-audiobook/

Check out my website while you’re there and see that the prices for the audiobooks on my website are more reasonable than those of other vendors, and once you download the free audiobook, it will make any audiobook you order later the same process you go through at other audiobook vendors. Same with the ebook sales on my website. And if you want a print book with an autograph, you can purchase it from my website. Check it all out here: https://www.patyjager.net/

October!

Three-quarters of 2025 is over! Where did the time go? I swear, as I get older, the days, weeks, and months go by faster and faster. I never have enough time in a day to do everything that I want to do.

I have been busy packing in events to attend through the rest of the year. I missed out on a few but I’m excited for the ones I have signed up to do.

  • October 6th – Harvest of Books – Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, Baker City, OR – 9 AM – 3 PM
  • Nov. 8th & 9th – Bruneau Cowboy Christmas – Bruneau, ID 10-5 & 10-4
  • Dec. 5th & 6th – 4-H Christmas Bazaar – Baker City, OR – 12- 5 PM & 9 AM -5 PM
  • Dec. 13th – 2025 Authors & Artists Fair – Atrium at Lane Events Center Eugene, OR – 10 AM – 5 PM

The 4-H Christmas Bazaar, I still have to sign up for. They aren’t taking applications until October 6th. But I plan to be at their door to sign up that day. These are all new events that I’ve not attended before. The Bruneau Cowboy Christmas is HUGE! My daughter is sharing the booth with me and selling her fudge, lip balm, and pork gift packs. We are also taking her oldest daughter and my oldest daughter to help with stocking and selling. They say they get 20,000 people to the event.

Then the other big event will be the Authors & Artists Fair. It’s in conjunction with a big Christmas Bazaar at the Lane County Fair. I was invited to this because of being at the State Fair book event. Happy! Happy!

Other good news on the writing front, Wolf Moon has been released, and so far, the reviews are good and people are purchasing the book! In case you are interested:

In the remote, snowbound wilderness of Oregon’s Eagle Cap Mountains, a sled dog race turns deadly.

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is teaching winter survival to Search and Rescue recruits when he’s called in to find a missing musher. Arriving at the race camp, he discovers the musher isn’t just a name on a list—she’s someone his friend Justine cares about deeply.

As Hawke searches rugged trails and icy backcountry, the case quickly shifts from a rescue to a murder investigation. Then a second body turns up, and it’s clear the killer is hiding among the racers, handlers, or volunteers. The deeper Hawke digs, the more he uncovers buried secrets and dangerous rivalries.

Now, with a killer on the loose and Justine possibly in the crosshairs, Hawke must navigate blizzards, betrayal, and bloodshed—before the race ends in even more tragedy.

Available in ebook and print. My narrator, Larry Gorman, is working on the audiobook.

Ebook from my website for $1 less https://www.patyjager.net/product/wolf-moon-ebook/ or the Universal buy link: https://books2read.com/u/bWO1dD

Print from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/wolf-moon/

And releasing on October 10th is my new cozy Cuddle Farm Mystery series, book 1, Merry Merry Merry Murder:

This book is doing a Blog Tour from Oct. 10th – 23rd. You can find out all about the tour here:

Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farm Mysteries) by Paty Jager – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Great Escapes Book Tours

If you would like to be one of the first to get an ebook copy of Merry Merry Merry Murder, you can purchase it now at my website. https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/cuddle-farm-mystery-ebook/

Where comfort and cheer meet scandalous secrets—A holiday mystery set in a small town.

In the close-knit town of Auburn, Oregon, Andi Clark’s therapy animals bring comfort to the community, especially during the holiday season. When a young girl seeks solace from Athena, Andi’s therapy dog, after witnessing an unsettling scene behind the sleigh, it marks the beginning of a much darker holiday.

As the town gathers for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a scream shatters the festive atmosphere. Cocoa, Andi’s loyal Border Collie, pulls her toward a chilling sight: a woman standing over the lifeless body of the girl’s mother, strangled with Christmas lights.

Determined to help the grieving girl and her town recover from the shock, Andi, her therapy animals, and her niece, a county deputy, take it upon themselves to investigate. As they uncover secrets and untangle clues, they stay one step ahead of the new sheriff and worry that the killer lurking in their midst could be someone they know.

Preorder here: https://books2read.com/u/mZ6qpJ

Two reads to keep you indoors as the weather turns colder. I am currently working on the next Spotted Pony Casino Mystery. Full House is turning out to be harder to write than I thought. When I came up with the plot, I knew it would complicate Dela and Heath’s wedding. What I didn’t realize was that by making Heath the suspect of a murder in a town an hour and a half away, it would make it difficult for Dela, Heath, and Quinn to investigate. Especially since Quinn was pulled from the investigation because of his past with Heath and Dela.

And that, my friends, is what I’m doing these days. Attending book-selling events and writing. Enjoy Fall!

September and a New Book!

I think I say this every month, but where has 2025 gone! We are headed into the fall months with holidays around the corner. This year has flown by for me. With so much going on with my writing and family life, I feel like some of the months are a blur.

Good news with my writing. Book 14 in the Gabriel Hawke Novels is releasing on September 19th. You can pre-order it from here: https://books2read.com/u/bWO1dD

In the remote, snowbound wilderness of Oregon’s Eagle Cap Mountains, a sled dog race turns deadly.

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is teaching winter survival to Search and Rescue recruits when he’s called in to find a missing musher. Arriving at the race camp, he discovers the musher isn’t just a name on a list—she’s someone his friend Justine cares about deeply.

As Hawke searches rugged trails and icy backcountry, the case quickly shifts from a rescue to a murder investigation. Then a second body turns up, and it’s clear the killer is hiding among the racers, handlers, or volunteers. The deeper Hawke digs, the more he uncovers buried secrets and dangerous rivalries.

Now, with a killer on the loose and Justine possibly in the crosshairs, Hawke must navigate blizzards, betrayal, and bloodshed—before the race ends in even more tragedy.

I’m proud of this book. I did a lot of research and interviewed people involved in the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race to make this book come alive for my readers.

Next month, you’ll be able to purchase the first book in my Cuddle Farm Mystery series. I’ll tell you all about it and have a link to purchase the book when I post on October 1st. This book had to be pushed out to October because when my beta readers say there is something off about the book, I listen and rework it. Now my beta readers like it.

I believe the reason they didn’t like my main character the first time was because I hadn’t had enough time with her in my head to get to know her before I started writing the book. All my other mystery series, I’ve thought about the main characters for over a year or more before I began their books. I’d only had Andi in my head about four months when I started writing Merry Merry Merry Murder.

When I started writing the book, I didn’t know her well enough to make her come alive. After writing the book, getting feedback, and thinking about the story, and Andi, I now know so much more about her and was able to show her on the page with more clarity.

Here’s a teaser from the book, Merry Merry Merry Murder:

“Good, you two made it,” Mom said, linking her arm through mine. It had been twenty-five years since I’d witnessed this event. I was excited and happy to be with my family.

“Wouldn’t miss the tree lighting,” I said, gazing up at the dark tree highlighted by the streetlamps behind it.

“I’m going to find Monica,” Rudy said and disappeared.

“When is he going to ask that woman to marry him?” Mom asked.

“Are you ready to get rid of your roommate?” I asked.

“He might as well get married. He’s not sleeping in his bed that much anyway.” Mom huffed and I giggled.

“I’d know that giggle anywhere,” said a voice behind me.

I spun around and stared into the unseeing eyes of my childhood friend. “Betty!” I shouted and pulled the slender, dark-skinned woman into a hug. There was no mistaking the short-cropped curls with a touch of gray, underneath a wide-brimmed hat with Christmas decorations around the crown. Even as a girl, she’d worn outlandish hats. Her mom would give her the hats, and Betty would decorate them.

Betty whispered in my ear, “I’ve missed you.”

Leaning back, I peered under the brim of the hat. Tears glistened in her eyes. “I’ve missed you, too. Tell me how to get a hold of you, and we’ll catch up.” I looped an arm in hers as Cocoa pressed against her legs.

“Who is this?” Betty asked, her hand touching the top of Cocoa’s head.

“One of my therapy dogs. Her name is Cocoa.”

Betty moved her hand down Cocoa’s forehead between her eyes and down her snout. “You are a beautiful creature. I can tell by how calm you are and the aura about you.”

I said quietly. “You see an aura? Have you had surgery on your eyes?”

Betty smiled. “No. But I have a lot to tell you.”

“Let’s meet tomorrow at Bow Wow Brew, say one?” I said, wanting to find out what was up with Betty and seeing auras. “It’s a date.” Betty stood beside me as the mayor appeared on the pavilion

Yes, there is a bit of a paranormal element in this series. It didn’t start out that way, but Betty showed up in Andi’s backstory, and I liked her. So I gave her the ability to see auras even though she is blind. Something unique to her and makes her a bit of a help when Andi is talking to people.

If you aren’t already signed up for my newsletter, you might want to do that. Not only do I give away a mug with my mystery logos on it to one person a month, but author friends give away free books and short stories in my newsletter each month. When they don’t have something, I have free short stories you can get. Go here to sign up: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

A New Book and an Audiobook Sale!

Well, I thought this post had been written and scheduled. Silly me! I must have forgotten to write it. The good news is that means you are able to purchase my new Spotted Pony Casino Mystery book! Crapshoot is book 7 in the series. It made me think and tugged at my emotions as I wrote it for many different reasons.

Here is the blurb, cover, and buy links:

 A Fentanyl death.

A missing woman.

Dela Alvaro, head of the Spotted Pony Casino security, and Heath Seaver, a Umatilla Tribal Detective, join forces with the FBI to find Dela’s missing basket-weaving instructor and put a stop to a lethal drug flowing onto the reservation.

The investigation turns deadly when an undercover FBI agent goes missing and the drug cartel’s girlfriend is out for Dela’s blood.

You can purchase the ebook of a dollar less at my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/crapshoot-ebook/

Or you can use the universal link: https://books2read.com/u/3njQ7e

Along with this new book, I also have an audiobook bundle on sale.

The first three book in the Gabriel Hawke Novels, Murder of Ravens, Mouse Trail Ends, and Rattlesnake Brother.

Join Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke as he performs his duties with the Fish and Wildlife Division while finding a body with a wolf collar, tracking a lost child, and hunting down a poacher in the wilderness of Wallowa County.

Books 1-3 in the Gabriel Hawke Novels

Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is part of the Fish and Wildlife Division in Wallowa County. He not only upholds the law but also protects the land of his ancestors.

Murder of Ravens

Book 1

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is after poachers in the Wallowa Whitman National Forest. When he comes across a body wearing a wolf tracking collar, he follows the trail of clues.

Mouse Trail Ends

Book 2

Dead bodies in the wilderness. A child is missing. Oregon State Trooper Hawke is an expert tracker, but he isn’t the only one looking for the child.

Rattlesnake Brother

Book 3

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke encounters a hunter with an illegal tag. The name on the tag belongs to the Wallowa County District Attorney and the man holding the tag isn’t the public defender. 

You can purchase it direct from my website for $2.99: https://www.patyjager.net/product/gabriel-hawke-novels-box-set-1-3/

Or use a link provided at the https://indieaudiobookdeals.com/

Later this month, starting June 26th, the first three audiobooks of the Spotted Pony Casino Mysteries will be on sale. Use this link to get to the sale page: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com/

I’m excited to say I will be selling my books at two large events this year one is the Oregon State Fair on August 24th & 25th and the other will be at the Bruneau, ID Cowboy Christmas on Nov. 7th & 8th. So if you are in either of those areas, mark you calendar and come by to say hi.

‘etweyé-wise

‘etweyé-wise – The Return

I recently attended an art show in Joseph, Oregon at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture. The show was Bloodlines: Nez Perce Art Exhibit.

There was traditional weaving, sewing, beading, painting, and bronze work, all created by twelve Nez Perce artists. The variety of mediums were a good representation of not only cultural traditions, such as the beading and weaving, but to see history translated into art and current themes.

The show opened at noon on Saturday with a prayer and a song by artist Nakia Cloud. It was fun to see and listen to him and then study his “Art on a Ledger.” He’d drawn more traditional-looking subjects on used ledger paper.

Jacy Sohappy had traditional patterns in her weaving and had an elk tooth dress on display.

The youngest artist represented was Emma Chief a teenager. I listened in as she explained two of her paintings to other art enthusiasts at the show. She held a deep understanding of her culture and had paintings that reflected the strength of women.

She wasn’t the only one who had women’s strength portrayed. Ellen Taylor had some striking paintings of women and one of Prince, the singer, as a Native American and Marilyn Monroe as a Native American. I have to admit I was tempted to purchase one of her prints of a Native American woman. The colors and the woman’s strength drew me.

Center stage of the whole event was Doug Hyde’s bronze of a Nez Perce woman warrior. It was striking and showed the strength and resilience of women.

Doug also has a large bronze int he front of the building. It deals with the return of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) to Wallowa County. After the treaty of 1863, when the government reduced the size of the reservation taking away the walwa’ma band (Chief Joseph’s band) homeland given to the Nez Perce in the Treaty of 1855, Young Chief Joseph was moving his people to the Lapwai reservation when an altercation happened. The altercation set them and some other bands headed to Canada.

Many have heard of Chief Joseph’s surrender at Bearpaw Montana. But did you know that after they surrendered and were told they would return to Oregon, they were exiled to Kansas and Indian Territory? Many died from the heat and conditions. In 1885 they were finally allowed to return to the West, but not to Wallowa Valley. About half of them were sent to the Colville Reservation in Washington state, and the other half went to the Lapwai Reservation.

Many of the walwa’ma band remain at the Colville Reservation while others are spread among the Lapwai and Umatilla Reservations in Idaho and Oregon.

It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that other than participating in the Chief Joseph Day’s rodeo and parade that the Nez Perce were allowed back into Wallowa County. Now they have an interpretive center, powow grounds, a Wallowa Homelands, and more representation on the streets of Joseph with sculptures and they have an Nez Perce fisheries in the county.

Back to Doug Hyde’s bronze in the front of the Josephy center, which is named for a man who befriended the Nez Perce and wrote books showing their culture and language. The artwork titled: ‘etweyé-wise means The Return or specifically “I return from a hard journey.” It is the photo at the beginning of this piece.

Unfortunately, I was so busy looking at the artwork I didn’t take a photo of any of it. You can see some of the works at the website in the beginning of the post.

Great Deals and Fun Times

I had a fabulous time at the Left Coast Crime conference in Denver, Colorado last month. I was lucky enough to be on two panels. One was about Animal Sidekicks. Here’s a photo of that panel.

Me, Lori Roberts Herbst, Meredith Taylor, Kate Lansing, C.B. Wilson

You can bet I talked about Dog, Mugshot, Sheba and the equines, Dot, Jack, Horse and Jethro.

I didn’t get a photo of the other panel titled Crime in Small Towns: Setting, Secrets, Scandal. The panel for that one was Glen Erik Hamilton, Rodney Carpentier, Becky Clark, and Tony Wirt. We had a lively discussion about why we liked to write about small towns and how they made our stories work better than a large city would. I always find it interesting to learn about other writers worlds and who they see them.

And there was fun time. The Sisters in Crime Colorado put on a Mystery Merge Carnival Extravaganza. I met up with some of my Ladies of Mystery blog pals and participated in some of the games and frivolity. Here is a photo of Pam Beason and myself in the mugshot booth.

BOOK DEALS

This month I have a lot of different book deals going on.

My Isabella Mumphrey books in ebook and print (when purchased from me) are 25% off. They are Romantic Suspense with an Indiana Jones/MacGyver heroine. Check them out here: ​https://www.patyjager.net/romantic-suspense/​

As part of the Indie Audiobook Deals, I have the Audiobook box set of the first three books in the Gabriel Hawke Novels on sale for $4.99. It’s a steal! ​https://www.patyjager.net/product/gabriel-hawke-novels-box-set-1-3/​ or use the IAD link for a couple of other vendors: ​https://indieaudiobookdeals.com​

And if you are a Kobo AUDIOBOOK listener, the first books of each of my Mystery Series are on sale this month at Kobo. ​https://kobo.com/p/stock-up-audiobook-deals

Good things ahead!

April 12th and 13th, I’ll be at the Warner Grange in Canby, Oregon with over 40 authors. It’s the Spring into Reading event. We’ll be there from 11 am -5 pm. I’d love to see some of my readers.

Book Info

The audiobook for Wolverine Instincts finally passed inspection and is now uploaded for purchase. You can purchase it directly from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/wolverine-instincts-audiobook/ for $9.99 or use the universal ink to purchase at your favorite audio vendor: https://books2read.com/u/m2yARG

In the heart of the wilderness, the hunter becomes the hunted.

Gunshots shatter the quiet of Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness, drawing Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke into action. Following the sound, he stumbles upon a shredded cage, the sharp musk of a wolverine, and a dead hiker.

Tracking footprints through the rugged terrain, Hawke uncovers a second victim. It’s clear—he’s hunting a killer who’s hunting humans.

With Dog by his side, Hawke’s search leads to two brothers, one gravely injured. Enlisting the help of pilot Dani Singer, he gets the injured man to safety before returning to the wilderness.

Teaming up with a reclusive, disabled veteran who knows the Eagle Cap as well as he does, Hawke pieces together the killer’s twisted game. They suspect a poacher—one as ruthless and elusive as the wolverine he’s still chasing.

In a deadly wilderness where survival is the only rule, Hawke must outsmart a predator who knows no bounds.

SPOTTED PONY CASINO

I’m currently working on book 7 Crap Shoot. It was slow going until I received information. Now I’m making my fingers fly and my story move along so I can get the book out by my deadline.

CUDDLE FARM MYSTERIES

Book 1, Merry Merry Merry Murder in the new Cuddle Farm Mysteries had come back from my beta readers and there are some things I need to fix. Two thought the beginning slogged, and two thought there should be more contention between my main character and the sheriff, and there were a couple of timeline things to fix. But overall, they all loved it! Good news for my readers!

I’ll have a “Christmas in July” event to promote the release of the book on July 15th. As soon as my PA gets the event set up, I’ll have a link here for you to join the fun! I’ll have gifts and fun times.

SHORT STORY

I also have a short story that will be coming out in the next Windtree Press anthology- Navigate. The story is about a character from my Spotted Pony Casino Mystery series. The title of the short story is: Changing Course.

GABRIEL HAWKE NOVELS

I have been brainstorming the next Gabriel Hawke book which I’ll start writing when I finish Crap Shoot. My brother knows the person in charge of the dog sled race that happens in Wallowa County. I’ll be interviewing that person and hopefully someone in the county who participates in the race. If you couldn’t tell by this info, the next book will be set during and about the dog sled race that happens in Wallowa County in February.

FUN FOR ME

That’s about it for writing information. On the creative front, I’m getting ready to take another pieced top in to be quilted, and I’m busy cutting 5″ by 5″ squares for a pastel colored quilt for the granddaughter who graduates next year. When I’m not writing, I’m quilting. I love discovering fabric and bringing them together in an attractive pattern.