Why Chief Red Cloud? – “Tom Named By Horse, behind the scenes in a writer’s mind-1”

Howdy Friends,

 

Why did I select Chief Red Cloud as a central figure for my Tom Named By Horse series? This is the first of a few Coffee Clutch posts where I’ll share a bit of my “behind the scenes in a writer’s mind,” about writing these three novels. First I’ve always been fascinated by the American Indians of the plains. Is it their connection with spirituality, horses, and nature? Perhaps. Do I credit them with more than is reality? Perhaps. However I have been, and remain so.

The vision for my Tom Named By Horse series came to me in a tsunami of rushing waves. His is not the only powerful spirit that guided my stylist on the keyboard, but from the first thoughts of the story, I felt he walked with me.

Chief Red Cloud was a visionary, a powerful and talented warrior, and also a very wise man. He gained his respect and honor during the Lakota and Crow wars, where he proved his tactical genius. He held that respect and honor until his death in 1903 at the Pine Ridge Agency. He visited with President Grant, who also respected this great leader’s wisdom, though failed to follow it.

The struggles Chief Red Cloud faced for me, I felt could, serve my story well, allowing me to weave in the parallels of his knowing peace would be best for his people, yet needing to stand for what he also understood was necessary. This is the same struggle Tom faced all through the years of the Plains Indian Wars, and beyond. Chief Red Cloud is the only Chief to ever have won surrender from the US Military, when after a year of bloody battles General Sherman was forced to surrender and abandon the forts along the Bozeman trail.

The Sioux believe all things must be done with respect. Battles, taking of buffalo and game, cutting trees for firewood and lodge poles, these must all be done with respect. Tom feels that as well, and struggles with the tasks asked of him by Red cloud, and finding his way in a strange new world.

Chief Red Cloud faced sweeping changes, he knew he could not control, for his people, their lands and beliefs. Tom confronts changes to his life, his beliefs and even his ignorance about life. Just as Tom is overwhelmed with learning the ways of the world away from the hider, so is Red Cloud often overwhelmed by managing the threat, changes and horrors brought to his people.

Red Cloud must find a way to preserve his people’s heritage, honor, and future, he knows fighting is often the only way, but he understand futility too. Tom understands killing, and is good at it, he struggles with understanding the need, but accepts it waiting for the lessons.

Chief Red Cloud also offers a unique perspective of weighing hostilities, cooperation, and managing his position as a respected leader. Not all of his people are so eager for a peaceful solution. This was a time in our country’s past laced with uncertainty, changes and upheaval, and Red Cloud was forced to deal with things never before imagined by him, his people or those forcing the changes. Tom never could imagine the changes he must face the day he killed the hider. Red Cloud, the country and Tom all change together.

I’ll leave you with the opening of “Tom Named By Horse.” These words are exactly as the first draft I ever wrote, as they came to me. Did Red Cloud speak to me? I don’t know, but never a word has been changed. — “The rolling grasslands spread before him as far as his eye could reach, as broad as the universe itself. Each rise gave way to the valley beyond it. Every valley was the beginning of the next hill. Rain, falling hard from the hands of Grandfather Mystery, soaked Grandmother Earth.

Chief Red Cloud sat on his favorite war pony all that dark day, and allowed the skies to beat him with raindrops pounding like rocks. He had told his uncle, Chief Smoke, of his terrifying vision. With sad eyes he looked into the rain. Today Red Cloud knew even Grandfather Mystery could not wash away the change about to sweep over their ancestral hunting grounds. His tears mixed with cold rain as he turned his faithful pony toward his village.”

 You can purchase Tom Named By Horse here on Amazon or email me dutchhenry@hughes.net to buy an autographed copy. 

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

"Tom Named By Horse" Available Now!

Howdy Friends! ~ YeeHaw!! ... Tom Named By Horse is now available on Amazon! I’m sorry it took so long, but by golly here ya go! You can now ride through history and across the prairie with Tom, Soft Cloud, Buck, Chief Red Cloud, Buffalo Horn and the others.

Set just after the War Between The States and before what some refer to as the Plains Indian Wars it’s the story of tumultuous and harsh times. Tom Named By Horse is, at its core a love story, and just as love can be powerful and at the same time confusing, so were those times. Parallels between Tom Named By Horse's awakening and brutal changes washing over the great plains weave together telling the story of a time of struggle, conflict and confusion. While most of the characters are fictional, the struggles, love, hate, confusion and desperation are true. Tom Named By Horse's birth on the day of Chief Red Cloud's powerful vision of terrifying change sweeping over Grandmother Earth bind the two together in powerful ways.

EXCERPT~ The rolling grasslands spread before him as far as his eye could reach, as broad as the universe itself. Each rise gave way to the valley beyond. Every valley was the beginning of the next hill. Rain, falling hard from the hands of Grandfather Mystery, soaked Grandmother Earth.

Chief Red Cloud sat on his favorite war pony all that dark day, and allowed the skies to beat him with raindrops pounding like rocks. He had told his uncle, Chief Smoke, of his terrifying vision. With sad eyes he looked into the rain. Today Red Cloud knew even Grandfather Mystery could not wash away the change about to sweep over their ancestral hunting grounds. His tears mixed with cold rain as he turned his faithful pony toward his village.

REVIEW ~ I was blessed to receive a free, review copy of Dutch Henry's new release 'Tom Named by Horse.' I was so excited as I had read his very first release 'We'll Have the Summer' and could not put that one down. 'Tom Named by Horse' met all my expectations and then some. Dutch does not disappoint!

The reality of the characters transcends mere physical descriptions as Dutch brings the reader into the heart and soul of every individual in this adventure. His depiction of daily life in the 1860s is as down-to-earth as it truly was. I am so invested in the struggles, strengths, and successes of Tom that I am greatly anticipating the next episode in this series. ~ Darlene C Hohensee

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Friends if you’re looking for adventure, history and emotions rolled together in a story please go to Amazon and order your copy! For the paperback CLICK HERE ..... For the Ebook Kindle CLICK HERE ...

Or you can order from me dutchhenry@hughes.net for an autographed copy. If you’d like we can have Kessy autograph it too!

Winter 2015 the next in the series From The Banks Of Little Bear Creek will be released.

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

"Horses Taught Me Emotional Writing, and Seeing"

Howdy Friends!

An editor once told me I am an emotional writer. She explained it was easy to "feel" the emotions of my characters, and indeed my story. Many of the reviews on Amazon about my novel We'll Have The Summer, have commented on being able to feel the emotions of Mary and Sam, and all the characters.

Kessy's emotions run deep.

One negative I do get is that I don't describe my characters physically often, or deeply enough. And that is true. I don't invest a lot of words on that. I don't really see my characters as what they are as much as who they are. I drop hints as I feel and see them, enough so that the reader can see and understand them, but their aura that is them is what I really see and guides me in my description.

It's the same way, and always has been, for horses with me. I never really notice conformation; I would make a lousy judge! I see them, and their aura as who they are, their emotions, attitudes and personalities. I may not even notice if they have one white sock or three, or none. Physical characteristics are so much less important to me than the spirit. And that's how I write.

Horses taught me to see their spirit and who they are, not what they are. That's how they talk to me. That's what they taught me, and that's how I write. And of course that's how I see people, too. Who they are, not what they are. I see their spirit, aura, personalities, emotions, and that's how I remember—and write.

Here is one of my all time favorite character descriptions I ever wrote for Anaba in my novel We'll Have The Summer.  "First, Sam removed Bullet’s saddle and bridle then turned him free to pick at the wiry grass. Then he simply folded his legs and squatted next to the fire, facing the old Navajo. He sucked a deep breath from the pipe handed him, held the rank smoke long enough to burn his mouth, puckered his lips, and allowed it to drift out. Sam looked across the fire at his dear friend and studied the faded shirt covering shoulders made uneven by the many years, and the deeply furrowed skin sagging around Anaba’s still keen eyes. Such a man was Anaba, that it was necessary to study his worn-out body closely to notice the wear of it. The spirit living in those rich black eyes created a cloaking aura which prevented all but the most determined examiner from seeing the toll the years had taken on the mortal Navajo. But even in the quickest glance, that vibrant spirit was abundantly obvious."

I thank my teachers, horses I've met, for showing me how to be an emotional writer.

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

Update on my novel, "Tom Named By Horse"

Howdy Friends!

"Tom Named By Horse" is coming soon, I promise. Sorry for the delay. A few hic-ups and missed lassos but we're gettin' there. Our dear friend Bobbie Jo is giving it a read through/final edit and Troy Locker Palmer is working on the cover.

Kessy always eager to help me write

How about a little Excerpt – "Tom finished his meal and took a long drink from the water skin, then left her to find a sunny spot on a rise to watch the horses, and think. The hider must die, not only because Red Cloud asked, but for his own reasons, too. But he’d rather sit with the horses than kill another man. Why can’t he just stay here where it is safe and peaceful? Why can’t he just forget the hider? He’d heard an old man say, ‘‘If a man looks hard enough for trouble, he’s bound to find it.’’ He never understood what that meant, but today, he wondered if that was what he was fated to do. Look for trouble. He turned from the horses to look back over the village. The sounds of running, playing children floated out to him. For them? For their safety, must he look for trouble?"

~ Gitty Up, Dutch

To read more about "Tom Named By Horse" CLICK HERE -  

"Building A Horse's Confidence – and Fictional Characters"

Howdy Friends,
 

Let's see if I can tie two emails that are worlds apart (are they really), together. One a horse question and one about writing. A facebook friend emailed and asked how I build confidence in a horse. Another facebook friend asked how I build a character in a story. Both emails used the word, build, and they came within 5 minutes of each other!

Kessy and me writing - she has the confidence to guide me!

The writing question came first so … When I'm thinking of creating a character, at first of course I'll need to establish gender. Maybe. But I don't really care about any other physical characteristics, unless something jumps out and yells at me, "Hey I'm tall and very athletic." I might store that for future references. But mostly I'll address the physical characteristics as the story unfolds. I may set the stage with a brief hint such as, "With a delicate, quivering hand, she flipped open her phone, gazed at the tiny screen and carefully considered her next move."

I've never been real big on a horse's conformation, either. I see a horse from within. I believe every horse can perform at the highest level its body will allow. It's our responsibility to make that possible. So I guess, as with my fictional characters, I don't really care about physical characteristics of horses either. We can address them as need be, as we go along.

The first thing I might do with a horse who lacks confidence is ask for her to take a single step forward or back. I'll store how she took that step in mind for future reference.

After I establish in my mind my fictional character is tall, athletic and worried, I can paint a bigger picture. I look at the whole scene, like a painting on the wall. But I notice the little things in the picture. The big things will always take care of themselves, if you address the little things, such as how she enters a room boldly with long strides, but fidgets with her hands and dislikes eye contact during tense conversations. I can use these later when I need to add tension, or slow the reader down.

I notice the little things about a horse's confidence. How does she stand, walk, hold her head. How does she respond to requests? Does she focus on me, or look far away? Just as in creating a character, I'll keep them in mind as we move ahead into her story. I can use these foundations to build her confidence.

Now that I've laid the groundwork for my character, I can move ahead in the story and continue to add layer upon layer as I write the scenes in which she interacts with other characters or tackles situations, or thoughts, on her own. As I build the character I can always go back to the basics the reader already knows. She's tall, can be bold, but can be nervous, is athletic and thinks deeply. It's important, as I continue building the character, to keep the basics in mind to fall back on in times of impact or excitement. It's important to the reader to have characters they can rely on. Fundamentals matter.

When building a horse's confidence, after I've noticed her basic characteristics, thought process, what she's worried about, things she can tolerate and most importantly, things she really enjoys and looks forward to, I can begin building her confidence, one layer at a time. I do this by spending a lot of time asking her to do the things she already has a liking for, and the confidence to be able to handle. As we work together, adding layer upon layer of confidence by adding new challenges, I'll keep going back to those basics she understands and enjoys. Those basics are the foundation on which all else is built. They are the things the horse can rely on.

So there you have it, I guess … Whether I'm building a fictional character for a novel or building confidence in a horse, it's a matter of seeing the solid foundation and carefully adding layers until I have the picture I see in my mind established for the reader, or the horse. One little step at a time.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry