The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain

It is always a pleasure to welcome author Elaine Faber back to Thoughts in Progress and she always brings such intriguing new stories with her.

Today Elaine joins us to talk about how her latest release, THE SPIRIT WOMAN OF LOCKLEER MOUNTAIN, evolved into being.

First, a short synopsis on the book.

There are sightings of a woman and a mountain lion near Lockleer Mountain, seen at moment 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 living wild in the woods with a mountain lion, during the coming winter months.

          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?

THE SPIRIT WOMAN OF LOCKLEER MOUNTAIN

By Elaine Faber

*ASIN: 1940781272

*Publisher: Elk Grove Publications (December 31, 2020)

*Language: English

*Paperback: 266 pages

*ISBN-10: 4294245093

*ISBN-13: 978-4294245095

Now let’s give a warm welcome to Elaine. Welcome to Thoughts in Progress, Elaine.

I’ve published four cozy cat mysteries, starring Black Cat, who, with the aid of his ancestors’ memories, helps his ‘person’ solve mysteries and murder.

That was followed by three humorous historical fiction novels set during WWII. An elderly retired government undercover agent, Mrs. Odboddy, is now determined to fight WWII from the home front where she believes Nazi spies and conspiracies abound. She is determined to expose and bring the miscreants to justice.

Many of my short stories included cats, so I published an anthology of ‘cat stories,’ All Things Cat.

Thinking it was time to move on to something new, I remembered a short story I wrote several years ago (which also contained a cat). This was a somewhat humorous account of a man who owned a sewer truck called the Pooper Scooper. While pumping out a septic tank in a rural community one day, he stumbles upon a drug lab, is caught by the drug dealer, and uses his truck to facilitate his escape.

This story begged to be written. Sewer truck driver? Cozy mystery? Humor? Sounded like the theme for a full length novel, something right up my alley.

The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain takes place in the CA Sierra foothills where folks still have wells and septic tanks. As has happened so often in the past, despite my intention that the story should follow a certain direction, when I start to write, the characters often take over and send me in a completely different direction.

So, the story evolved. Lou Shoemaker owns a sewer truck, the Pooper Scooper, and her business takes her into the mountainous region servicing septic tanks. That’s when the characters took over. There ensues a budding romance with Lou and Deputy Sheriff, Nate Darling. Nate’s sister has mysteriously disappeared three months previously following a minor motor vehicle accident and has not been seen since.

The government is up to some shenanigans, pursuing plans to build a mysterious facility near the town without the knowledge of the city fathers, and the local businessmen aren’t happy. When a drug dealer starts selling drugs to the teens on the Native American reservation nearby, it seems their legendary Spirit Woman, said to protect the community, needs to take a hand in resolving the troubling issues. Sightings of her and her pet mountain lion are frequently seen at moments of crisis. Can she help Nate resolve his personal issues as well as solve the town’s troubles?

My novels do not follow the formula so often seen in today’s cozy mysteries. So, instead of the most common theme in cozy mysteries today with the typical widow and her unusual job, who gets involved with a murder and against all advice, pursues the typical killer, with her typical dog and quirky sidekick, Spirit Woman is a mystery with a paranormal figure determined to aid in resolving the most pressing issues a town or a budding romance can handle, with surprises and humor tucked in here and there.

It’s still a cozy, meaning no extreme violence, explicit sex, or profanity. We have wholesome characters (most of them with a few exceptions), an intriguing puzzle and a legendary figure that may or may not be real. What’s not to like? The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain   Amazon $3.99 e-book                                               http://tinyurl.com/y82t4xsh

Black Cat Mysteries: With the aid of his ancestors’ memories, Black Cat helps solve mysteries and crimes. Partially narrated by Black Cat, much of the story comes from a cat’s often humorous and poignant point of view.

Mrs. Odboddy Mystery/Adventures: Elderly, eccentric Mrs. Odboddy fights WWII from the home front. Follow her antics in these hysterical, historical novels as a self-appointed hometown warrior exposes malcontents, dissidents and Nazi spies…even when she’s wrong.

The Spirit Woman Mystery/Paranormal/Adventures

The Native Americans believe the legendary Spirit Woman ‘protects the community.’ When Govt. demands create social unrest in a small mountain town, and drugs threaten the lives of their youth, the Spirit Woman and her mountain lion companion come to their aid.

Black Cat’s Legacy    http://tinyurl.com/lrvevgm

Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer                http://tinyurl.com/q3qrgyu

Black Cat and the Accidental Angel http://tinyurl.com/y4eohe5n

Black Cat and the Secret in Dewey’s Diary  

NCPA Cover and Interior Design Silver award 2019 http://tinyurl.com/vgyp89s

All Things Cat (anthology of short stories)        http://tinyurl.com/y9p9htak

Mrs. Odboddy-Hometown Patriot    NCPA 1^st Fiction 2017   http://tinyurl.com/hdbvzsv

Mrs. Odboddy – Undercover Courier          NCPA 3^rd Cover and Design 2018  http://tinyurl/com/jn5bzwb

Mrs. Odboddy – And Then There Was a Tiger      NCPA 2^nd Fiction 2019   http://tinyurl.com/yx72fcpx

The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain     http://tinyrul.com/y82t4xsh

Elaine, thanks so much for joining us today and sharing this insight into how this story came to be. It’s always fun learning where stories come from.

For those who aren’t familiar with Elaine, here is some background on her. 

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 Artists. She volunteers at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Elk Grove. Her short stories have appeared in national magazines, have won multiple awards in various short story contests, and are included in at least 16 anthologies. She leads a critique groups in the Sacramento area.

Elaine’s Mrs. Odboddy and Black Cat Mystery series’ have won top awards with Northern California Publishers and Authors annual writers’ contests. Black Cat and the Secret in Dewey’s Diary and All Things Cat, an anthology of cat stories, won 2018 and 2019 Certificates of Excellence with Cat Writers’ Association.

Elaine enjoys speaking at public author venues and clubs sharing highlights of her novels and her writing experience. She is currently working on two fiction novels to be published in 2021 and 2022.

Thanks everyone for visiting today. Doesn’t this sound like a fascinating story? Who doesn’t love a good cozy mystery, especially when a cat is involved?