The Spirit Woman of Locklear Mountain
Paranormal Mystery
1st book in 2 book series
Publisher : Elk Grove Publications (December 27, 2020)
Print length : 252 pages
Synopsis
There are sightings of a woman and a mountain lion near Lockleer Mountain, seen at moments of crisis. Is she the legendary Native American’s Spirit Woman, sent to protect the community? Nate is convinced his sister, missing for three months, and surely suffering from amnesia, is the elusive woman. He fears she will not survive the coming winter months, living wild in the wood with a mountain lion.
While Deputy Nate Darling pursues a relationship with Lou Shoemaker, he and Sheriff Peabody pursue a drug dealer, selling to the youth at the Native American reservation. Things are even more complicated by civil unrest regarding the government’s secret plans to build a mysterious facility, a big box store, and a housing tract close to Lockleer Mountain, threatening the livelihood of the local merchants.
Is there any hope that the Spirit Woman, real or imaginary, can bring harmony to the troubled community? Will Nate be able to apprehend the drug dealer, locate his missing sister, maintain his budding romance, and guarantee the financial future of Lockleer Mountain?
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Guest Post
Evolution of The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain
When I began to think about writing my latest novel, I remembered a short story I wrote several years ago about the owner of a sewer truck. While pumping out a septic tank in a rural community, he stumbles upon a drug lab, and is forced to use his imagination to ensure his safety.
Sewer truck driver? Cozy mystery? Humor? Sounded like a concept that begged to become my next novel. I placed the story in the CA Sierra foothills where folks still have wells and septic tanks. I thought the concept of a woman owning a septic tank business could be the perfect foil for a humorous cozy mystery.
With full intentions to write that type of story, the characters sent me in a completely different direction. So, the story concept: Lou Shoemaker owns a sewer truck, the Pooper Scooper. She begins a relationship with Deputy Sheriff, Nate Darling, whose sister, Suzanna, mysteriously disappeared three months previously following a minor motor vehicle accident. Enter the government, up to some shenanigans, pursuing plans to build a mysterious facility near the town without the knowledge of the city’s businessmen. Needless to say, this sends the city fathers into a frenzy with disastrous results.
When a drug dealer starts selling drugs to the teens on the nearby Native American reservation, frequent sightings of a woman and a mountain lion are seen at moments of crisis. Is she the legendary Native American Spirit Woman, said to protect the community?
Nate is convinced the mysterious woman is his missing sister, living wild with a mountain lion and suffering from amnesia. Is the Spirit Woman real, or a figment of mass hysteria? Where is Suzanna? How does Lou’s septic tank business relate to an attempted murder, drugs sold to teenagers, a missing woman, and an undesirable government takeover? You’ll have to read the novel to find out.
The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain is fictional, and not related to any particular Native American tribe, reservation, or legend. The novel explores relationships, the concept of a Native American spirit woman who may or may not be real, concerns for some of today’s most disturbing societal issues, humor, and surprises too numerous to mention. I hope you’ll enjoy reading Spirit Woman as much as I enjoyed writing it.
About the Author
Elaine Faber lives in Elk Grove with her husband and four feline companions. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Cat Writers Association, and Northern California Publishers and Authors. Her short stories have appeared in national magazines, have won multiple awards in various contests, and are in at least 16 anthologies. She leads a local writer’s critique group.
Elaine’s ‘Mrs. Odboddy’ mystery series has won annual awards with Northern California Publishers and Authors. Black Cat and the Secret in Dewey’s Diary, and All Things Cat, an anthology of cat stories, won Cat Writers’ Association 2018 and 2019 Certificates of Excellence.
Elaine enjoys speaking at author venues sharing highlights of her novels and her writing experience. She is currently working on two fiction novels to be published in 2021 and 2022.
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Giveaway
So happy to have you here Elaine!
I appreciate the opportunity to share my story with your readers.