The Dream Catcher: Did you know?
One fascinating tradition in Native American culture is a dream catcher. It is intended to protect the sleeper from negative dreams, while letting positive dreams slide down the feathers and enter the mind. The webbing is intended to capture bad dreams while the hole in the center functions to allow good dreams to pass. As the sun rose, the negative dreams in the web would incinerate. The hoop itself is a symbol of strength and unity. According to Native American lore, the night air is filled with both good and bad dreams. I believe this since I've experienced each type of dream myself.
"Hand-Carved Wolf," features a Native American as the male lead. There are many people who have devoted their entire lives to studying different tribes. I am no expert on Native American culture or politics, but I still wanted "Shade" to be Native American. I do have a little Cherokee blood and have considered petitioning the tribe for citizenship, but to this day, have not. Are there negative aspects in the Native American community? Sure there are just like in every community. I do not touch on these things because they are not my expertise and they are complicated. Do I think the Native American community has been done wrong? Yes, I do.
I write paranormal romance. I wanted to present Shade as an everyday male with only the beauty of his culture, as well as his physical beauty shining through, so that's what I did. In today's climate, racism is starkly evident. In my opinion, any person from any race is just like everyone else. We all put our pants on the same way, work, love, experience heartache, and try to live our lives to the fullest. This is what "Hand-Carved Wolf," is about. Shade is just a normal guy. He's a dad raising a child on his own who runs smack into love again. He just happens to be Native American.
The female lead, Lacey, is a Caucasian woman. She's hot-headed, sassy, and looking for love herself, although she doesn't realize it until she meets Shade. Lacey sees the beauty of Shade's heritage and the beauty of the man himself. A woman falls in love with a man. That's the bottom line.
If you read this book, I hope you read the blog as well. I want the Native American community as well as my readers to know, I am no expert. I do love the culture and find myself fascinated by it. The dream catcher itself is interesting. I used it as a way to bridge the gap between Lacey, who lived in Arizona, and Shade, who lived in South Dakota.
If you're interested in Native American culture, there is plenty of material online, television programs, and several books. It's always good to educate yourself!