Shawnee Tracks

North American Indian Author

Books are like fast trains or grand ships of adventure because they always take you to far away places and introduce you to fascinating people. My heritage has a wonderfully interesting mix of miscellaneous lineage and rich blends of North American Indian ancestry. Most of my life decisions have been guided by old ways of thinking. When I write, I always listen to the Ancient People whose blood still flows through my veins. My favorite hobbies are traveling and reading, and spending time with friends. By the way, if you are a student and your teacher suggests you read a work of "American Literature," why not read something written by a Native American? Wouldn't that be authentic "American Literature?"

Make a wish

Wishes and Windmills

Paperback
Hats Off Books, October 2003
ISBN: 1587362481
Description

Hilarious. Haunting. Spooky.

Joan Leslie Woodruff delivers short storytelling at its best while forever weaving you into the lives of her irresistible characters.

"Joan Leslie Woodruff somehow manages to combine in her writer's persona many distinct worlds, including those of American Indians, independent women, ranchers, urbanites, cops, criminals and, above all, the hardscrabble folk who perpetually stand on the outside looking in. Her characters are often the weak, the persecuted, the left-out, who almost magically manage to transform their fallibility into moral muscle. They live outside the social matrix because they want it that way. With these characters, Woodruff has managed to create a world that belongs uniquely to her, one that forces us to see the world through new eyes--and that is what literature is all about."
--Wally Gordon, publisher and editor of The Independent Newspaper, Edgewood, New Mexico.

"Woodruff's palate of colorful imagery ranges from the horrific to the sacred, with bits of humor and surprises on the edges. She sees tinges of light in the darkest of lives. Her stories portray facets of Native American culture, and they evoke empathy for all who are downtrodden. It's a great read for those unafraid to look beneath society's veneer."
--Laura L. Klure, writer/editor, Riverside, California

"Joan Leslie Woodruff's characters fill this book's pages with their foibles, abilities, skills, disabilities, charms, and dysfunctions. [Her] characters make the stories a delightful read. Savor these stories like a fine wine. You'll be glad you did."
--Sandy Schauer, Montanita Publishing Inc., Los Lunas, New Mexico.

GHOST IN THE RAINBOW. Copyright 2002. Hats Off Books. ISBN 1587361477. Thriller/mystery about demons, internal and external. Myra Whitehawk is a scientist, a journalist, and a substance abuser who regularly turns her own life upside down. Find out why confronting a psychotic killer becomes easier for her than facing the woman in the mirror. This novel is featured in Wal-Mart bookstores in nine states, at Page One Books in Albuquerque NM, and at many online sites such as: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Buy.com, or Borders Books. Reviews on the book's jacket are by best selling author Timothy Wyllie, actor Miles O'Keeffe, and G. Mitchell Baker, a former Assistant District Attorney/Senior Prosecutor from the largest District in New Mexico. Miles O'Keeffe's production company is currently at work on a movie based on this book.

TRADITIONAL STORIES AND FOODS. Copyright 1990. Esoterica Press. ISBN 094355702X. American Indian folklore/stories about where foods came from. Educational to all ages.

NEIGHBORS. First Edition 1993, Second Edition 1995. University of California. ISBN 0943219086. North American Indian Literary Fiction. Historical and humorous. A woman who lives and works in the heart of L.A. suddenly recognizes there is nothing more isolating than being surrounded by masses of people. Read online Star reviews (Amazon and Barnes & Noble).

SHILOH RENEWAL. Copyright 1998. Black Heron Press. ISBN 090773500. Kirkus gave this literary novel a star review and it was a contender for the WESTAF award. Explores life and death, and why memories are the only things which never die. Read online Star reviews (Amazon and Barnes & Noble).

Storytellers

GHOST IN THE RAINBOW
Haggis leaned into the table now and lowered his voice, "This is where you can help me, girlfriend. Your write about this. You write that Beau Haggis is innocent, and this Wyatt Earp wannabe's got the wrong man. You tell the public the killer's out there."
Both deputies gave Haggis looks of disapproval. The short one stepped forward and pulled Haggis back from the table.
"Sit upright," the deputy instructed.
Haggis obeyed. I expected less cooperation; but Haggis was polite and agreeable. I couldn't figure him.
I did guess he was playing with me. Cat and mouse.
Unexpectedly, a woman's voice yelled from a speaker suspended on a chain near the ceiling. "This is a pod lock down drill! All guards! Lock down your pods!"
"That's it!" the tall deputy said, moving to release Haggis's cuffs from the table, then securing them to the chain which hung from Haggis's waist.

TRADITIONAL STORIES & FOODS
Kwanokash, the medicine maker
He is a small man, about the size of a child. His name is Kwanokash and he is a medicine spirit who lives in a cave in a part of the country that is rough and rocky. Now, Kwanokash is very smart, and he knows all about little children, and how they sometimes run away from home when they are not happy. Kwanokash waits for them in the woods. There he grabs their hands and takes them to his spirit home. Once in the spirit home, the child is greeted by three ancient spirits. First Spirit offers the child a sharp knife. Second Spirit offers the child poisonous herbs. Third Spirit offers the child medicinal herbs and spices. They watch the child make a choice. Which will the child take? If the child takes the knife, he will become a bad person. If the child takes the poisonous herbs, he will never help others. but if he accepts and keeps the medicinal herbs and spices, Kwanokash will teach him the secrets of healing, and he will become a medicine person in his tribe. The child must remain with the ancient spirits for three days, and when he is returned home, he cannot reveal where he has been, nor what he has learned. Choctaws know that most children are not patient enough to wait for the third offering. Choctaws know most children will accept the first or second offering. That is why there are so few good medicine people.

NEIGHBORS
"Death came quickly. One morning I woke up and went outside my house. 'Come and see the new day,' I told Kopeki. But he didn't hear me. When I went to wake him, I could see myself still sleeping beside him. I touched my face and it was cold, my skin was stiff. I had become only the spirit. I sat down and waited for my husband. When he awoke he was very upset. He shook my body for a long time. I kept telling him, 'Your wife is not a live person any more.'"
(If you enjoyed NEIGHBORS, your favorite ghosts are back in: GHOST IN THE RAINBOW.)

SHILOH RENEWAL
"Water! Please, some water!" their voices cried until They heard them and the sky opened and They poured rain across the ghastly scene.
I coveted Kat close to my chest and tightly clutched my new horse's rein while making my way over the dying and dead. We followed Lick Creek as we journeyed to the Tennessee River. The rain fell hard and we passed several thousand stragglers who took cover beneath the river's bluffs. They all appeared panicked and beaten, regardless of their uniform color. Once we came upon a general who was busy berating his troops, trying to bully them into battle. He threatened to have gunboats from the river turn their shells upon these bluffs but the soldiers ignored him. I was surprised he thought they would care since the shells of gunboats were only shells, and already they had more than plenty overhead.

New Paths

Culture and Tradition
Recommended Reading
Ghost in the Rainbow

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