My August guest at “Tell Me Your Story” is Jackie Sereno. Jackie is a retired educator and author of the wonderful Circling Eagle Mystery Series novels Breaking Ground and The Medford Remains. In her latest, The Wolves of September, she leaves the Wisconsin forests and the Arizona desert to return to her French roots in Sologne. The inspiration for the story is a document she came across while doing genealogy research in the land of her ancestors. She soon let her imagination wonder what it would be like for one of her little relatives to grow up during the reign of Louis XIV. I can personally vouch that Jackie’s mysteries are atmospheric, well-researched and well-plotted. She’s also been published in the Sisters in Crime’s Desert Sleuths Chapter’s 2013 Anthology SoWest: Crime Time. The inspiration for the Circling Eagle Series comes from her husband, a member of the Yaqui Tribe of Arizona who encouraged her to explore uniquely Native American issues, and from her fond memories of the state of Wisconsin. Born and raised in France, Jackie has lived in Germany, as well as Missouri and Wisconsin and currently makes Scottsdale, AZ, her home. Her books are available on Amazon.
Jackie Sereno
Like for many American writers, my author story begins with a passion for reading and a fertile imagination, but we differ in that English isn’t my native language, as I was born and raised in France. My village offering only primary school education, thanks to a scholarship I spent my secondary school years living in a boarding school for girls. I remember this as a traumatic event, at ten years old or so, taken from my somewhat chaotic but loving family of seven children to an emotionally sterile and very strict establishment where I spent most of my adolescence. I vividly recall comparing myself to young Jane Eyre, and thinking of ways to escape! I wrote quite a few poems to alleviate the loneliness of the institution. But it wasn’t all bad. We weren’t mistreated and it was actually quite luxurious compared to our rural homes. My favorite school subjects were French, English and German. I was very pleased to win first prize in a regional essay contest my French teacher entered my class into.
After graduation, marriage to a young American, and subsequent children, I spent most of the next decade in St Louis (Mo) as a homemaker. With the children in school, I attended classes at the local community college, until my husband transferred to a post in Wisconsin. I returned to my dream of writing but as you know, there’s more to creating a novel than putting words together and I ended up tearing up the manuscript!
During these early years I became aware that Native Americans were still struggling to keep the flame of their cultures going. Like most Europeans, I had heard many clichés about them and about their genocide and thought them pretty much locked-up on reservations!
But in the seventies, here in the United States, news popped up occasionally of tribes trying to assert their rights. I became aware of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and became interested to find out more about the status of these Indigenous People. I hadn’t lost my taste for reading and studied everything I could from various libraries. But I think the clincher for me was the controversial book In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen. The very basic gist of the story is that four members of AIM were indicted for the brutal murder in 1975 of a couple of FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Only one, Leonard Peltier, was imprisoned in spite of his claim of innocence of the murder, and was only recently released to home confinement by President Biden. The story is much more complex than these few words, however this is not the right platform for it.
Whatever we may think of this event and others involving the AIM movement and the decision of the Justice department, Matthiessen’s book detailed the horrific conditions of life on Indian Reservations, the profound corruption and racism the people were subjected to.
Most Americans know about the many past transgressions against Native Americans, the relocations, the wars, etc.… They may deplore all that, but the feeling is, the past is gone. I think what shocked me the most in “Spirit” was the modern government policy of forced sterilization of Indigenous women without their knowledge. A form of genocide so quiet that it wouldn’t make waves and disturb the conscience of well-meaning people of all races. As a young mom, I found it extremely disturbing!
After a divorce I moved to Arizona, returned to college and started writing, meeting other writers at the Scottsdale Library for critique sessions. I am very grateful to these folks for their encouraging words and their generous guidance, in particular authors Virginia Nosky and Deborah J. Ledford for their support. I joined the Sisters in Crime Organization and my first short story was published in the 2014 Anthology SoWest: Crime Time.
As the years passed I sharpened my English writing skills (I hope) and integrated my passion for the craft and Native American Issues. I felt too little was known “at large” about the tribes’ struggle.
My first novel, Breaking Ground, explored the complexity for tribes to navigate the world of casino gaming, a business known for its corrupting influence. My protagonist, Richard Circling Eagle, is a man who fights to preserve the cultural integrity and values of his people on the Lac Du Heron Indian Reservation in WI. His protests attract the attention of the Mob, who have a sweet deal with the chairman. In spite of the threats, Richard must see the governance corruption completely cleaned-up.
In my next novel, The Medford Remains, Richard is faced with an intriguing situation. He receives his late father’s wallet, that had been buried in a barn on a farm where he was employed. As a boy of twelve, he didn’t know what had happened but over the years he’d heard hints that Thomas Circling Eagle had committed suicide, a fairly common occurrence on reservations. And his mother had left to find work, placing her two children in the care of her sister and her husband, never to return. Now the objects in his wallet seem to unravel the suicide theory. Richard is determined to find out what exactly happened and starts his investigation by interviewing people who worked with Thomas. With the help of his sister and brother-in-law, the search for the truth uncovers multiple murders, shocking family secrets and deceit. An explosive ending to his quest is followed by a joyous surprise.
When asked if I will continue Richard’s saga, I’m not sure. A novel is an ambitious project. For now, I’m concentrating on short stories. One, “Mystery on The Verde River”, has been selected for publication this fall. I’m not sure I’m at liberty to announce the magazine yet.
I just finished self-publishing another short story close to my heart, “The Wolves of September”, inspired by actual events that happened in 1692 in the land of my ancestors. It’s available on Amazon, as are the novels.
The Wolves of September
In the Fall of 1692, a parish priest in the Sologne region of France, complains of “carnivorous wolves which for three years have come out of the forest night and day and killed, wounded and devoured persons of every sex and age they could.”
With great fanfare, King Louis XIV sends his heir, the crown prince, to the area intent on destroying the dangerous animals.
In the period known as the Little Ice Age, villagers are already plagued by diseases, starvation, wars, and being terrorized by rogue deserters from the King’s army. And now the wolves add to their misery.
The King’s hunters invade the villages and add to the peasants’ burden, with their demands on an already suffering population. The results of the wolf hunt are far from satisfactory, leading young men from the countryside to take desperate, illegal measures to accomplish what the prince could not.
How will a family– three generations of proud but defenseless women–survive this troubled period? Will the only male and protector return from the war against the Spanish?
Despite her many fears, courageous and resilient young Lisette leads the family through these events with hope, faith, and love as her guides.
The inspiration for “The Wolves of September” is a document Jackie Sereno came across while doing genealogy research in the land of her ancestors, the Sologne region of France. The author soon let her imagination wonder what it would be like for one of her little relatives to grow up in the reign of Louis XIV.
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