Nicholas VarnerNicholas Varner enjoyed a long career teaching students and athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds. His students and athletes shared their stories and dreams for the future, teaching Nicholas many valuable lessons. He was voted Southern Arizona Cach of the Year several times, building teams of young people from places as far apart as Bosnia and Somalia, one of whom still holds the Afghan men's 800-meter record.

As with most writers, Nicholas draws upon the landscapes and peoples which have had the greatest influence on him. As a young boy, he was heavily influenced by an Apache friend of his father's named Bill Russell. Apache Bill took Nicholas and others on long walks in the desert, pointing out pot sherds and arrowheads left by "the Old Ones." And Bill would make his bicep twitch, explaining he had trapped a frog there and would let it out when the rains came.

This novel is not meant to be an accurate depiction of any culture or belief. The important values that drive the novel were taught by Nicholas' parents, Apache Bill, the O'odham, and other indigenous peoples of the southwest. The smattering of Spanish pays homage to Mexican friends whose families have made the southwest their home for generations.

Nicholas, his wife Kate, and their two Malamutes now live in the mountains of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Read More Read Less