Posted on by Caridad

Liz Fichera’s CAPTIVE SPIRIT

I’m on a jet plane on my way to Orlando for the RWA National Conference, so I have one of my friends and fellow Carina Press authors dropping by to help me out on this Wicked Wednesday! Give a big hand to Liz Fichera who is here to chat with us about her new release, CAPTIVE SPIRIT.

Without further ado, here’s Liz!

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I believe that we can thank Stephenie Meyer and the jaw-droppingly successful TWLIGHT SAGA franchise for the growing popularity of Native Americans in mainstream books and film. And unless you’ve been hiding underneath a rock, you’ve probably heard of the very talented and supremely hawt, Taylor Lautner (aka Jacob Black), who claims some Native American ancestry (specifically Ottawa and Potawatomi) through his mother. Definitely add me to the ranks of Team Jacob!

I adore books with Native American characters, legends, epic themes, rugged settings and, of course, a love story. These are also the type of books that I love to write.

CAPTIVE SPIRIT is my historical romance debut from Carina Press. It’s very much a modern-day love story set in the Sonoran Desert at the dawn of the sixteenth century among people known as the Hohokam Indians. I’m very pleased to be able to share a first chapter excerpt and a cool book trailer on Caridad’s blog today. I’d love to know what you think.

But first, here’s a tease:

Aiyana isn’t like the other girls of the White Ant Clan. Instead of keeping house, she longs to compete on the Ball Court with her best friend Honovi and the other boys. Instead of marriage, she daydreams of traveling beyond the mountains that surround her small village. Only Honovi knows and shares her forbidden wish, though Aiyana doesn’t realize her friend has a secret wish of his own…

When Aiyana’s father arranges her marriage to a man she hardly knows, she takes the advice of a tribal elder: Run! In fleeing, she falls into the hands of Spanish raiders and finds herself being taken over the mountains against her will. Now Aiyana’s on a quest to return to the very place she once dreamed of escaping. And she’ll do whatever it takes to survive and find her way back to the people she loves.

Click here to read the first Chapter Excerpt for CAPTIVE SPIRIT

Do you think there are enough Native American characters in books and films? Too much, not enough? Do you have a fav Native American actor? P.S. I harbor a secret crush on Adam Beach of SMOKE SIGNALS fame. Feel free to comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of CAPTIVE SPIRIT.

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About Liz: Liz Fichera is an author from the American Southwest by way of Chicago. She likes to write stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things, oftentimes against the backdrop of Native American legends. When she’s not plotting her next novel, you can find her on Facebook or her blog, discussing writing, books, hunks du jour, LOST reruns or the best brands of chocolate. Please visit her web site because it can get real lonely in the desert: http://www.lizfichera.com/.

CAPTIVE SPIRIT is available through Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever digital books are sold.

For more information on Liz and her books, check out these links:

Liz’s web site: http://www.lizfichera.com/
Click here to purchase CAPTIVE SPIRIT

Take a moment to watch the book trailer down below or if you can’t see the video, please cut and paste this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZBockaqWas

13 Replies to “Liz Fichera’s CAPTIVE SPIRIT”

  1. It’s in fact very complicated in this full of activity life to listen news on Television, thus I only use web for that purpose, and take the most up-to-date information.

    1. Hi Caridad,

      Thanks so much for having me! And we have a winner for the digital copy of CAPTIVE SPIRIT! I used the cool gizmo tool at random.org to randomly select the winner. And the winner is… *drum roll*

      MARY!

      Mary, please contact me via my web site at http://www.lizfichera.com and I will be honored to send you a copy of my novel.

      Thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment! I really appreciated all of your kind words and questions.

      Best,

      Liz Fichera

  5. Hi Liz. Your book sounds fantastic. I love the trailer. It really makes me want to sit right down and get into it. I can’t wait to download it and get started. How much research did you have to do and where did the names from the main character come from? Are they authentic? Great luck with your book!

    1. Hi Mary,

      Thanks for your kind comments! I did a lot of research for the book, much of it at the Phoenix Heard Museum. The characters are Hohokam Indians. They vanished mysteriously from the Sonoran Desert around 1500 AD after having first arrived around 300 BC. The fascinating thing is that no one really knows what happened to them.

      All of the characters’ names are Native American names. I chose them based on their meanings. Aiyana, for example, means “Eternal Blossom.” Honovi means “Strong Deer.”

      Hope you enjoy the book! 🙂

  6. I have to admit that I have only a very small percentage of books with Native American characters… there are some great authors and books out there… I love to read Karen Kay… have to really look for more…

    1. Hi Colleen,

      They are few and far between. One of my fav Native American authors is Sherman Alexie. He writes very contemporary, very authentic Native American characters.

  7. Thanks for visiting Liz. I have always liked Native American stories because I am part Cherokee. I live just off the Reservation and most of my friends are Cherokee. It is a wonderful heritage. I wish more people would write about the Cherokees. I like all genre of books and read all the time. Thanks for shaing your work with us, Have a great day.

    1. Hi Fannie!

      Thanks so much for your kind comments! It’s interesting that you mention Cherokee too. I just wrote a contemporary romance involving a part-Cherokee male character. 🙂 I loved reading Cherokee legends involving cedar trees and how they were protected and revered. I’m fortunate to live close to the Phoenix Heard Museum–it’s got one of the most comprehensive Native American collections in the whole world. I’ve learned so many cool things there. If you’re ever in Phoenix, you must check it out!

  8. I always enjoyed the Tony Hillerman books because of both the Native American part and the location of the stories. He is probably the first one people think of when asked about Native American stories. But, don’t forget, there were Native Americans here in the East also. What about stories about them?

    1. Hi Karin,

      I’d love to see more stories of Native American characters, regardless of tribe or location. I choose to write about those in the Southwest because I’m surrounded by their culture and histories. One of my fav books, though, is LAST OF THE MOHICANS and that involved tribes on the Eastern coast. Do you have any fav tribes/stories?

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