The Executions
Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer
eBook
(RockHaven Publishing, April 24, 2015)
From an award-winning author and Choctaw storyteller comes a tale with the essence of a Native nation’s complex history while offering important lessons and renewed hope.Who would show up for their own execution? It’s 1892, Indian Territory. A war is brewing in the Choctaw Nation as two political parties fight out issues of old and new ways. Caught in the middle is eighteen-year-old Ruth Ann, a Choctaw who doesn’t want to see her family killed. In a small but booming pre-statehood town, her mixed blood family owns a controversial newspaper, the Choctaw Tribune. Ruth Ann wants to help spread the word about critical issues but there is danger for a female reporter on all fronts—socially, politically, even physically. But what is truly worth dying for? This quest leads Ruth Ann and her brother Matthew, the stubborn editor of the fledgling Choctaw Tribune, to old Choctaw ways at the farm of a condemned murderer. It also brings them to head on clashes with leading townsmen who want their reports silenced no matter what. More killings are ahead. Who will survive to know the truth? Will truth survive? “Among the many pleasures of Sarah Elisabeth’s writing are her attention to character, language, and period detail. In The Executions, a story grounded in history and the complexities of pre-statehood Oklahoma, she brings to life, with great heart, the compelling mix of cultures, faith, and political intrigue in the old Choctaw Nation. An intriguing read.”—Rilla Askew, author of The Mercy SeatExcerpt“He has to face Choctaw justice.” Ruth Ann had seen an execution by the Lighthorsemen when she was a little girl. It had been a simple affair, but not the kind she looked forward to seeing again. From his downcast expression, she knew Matthew wasn’t either. Centuries of feelings and thoughts brushed by her, and an ache placed itself in her heart in a way she knew would last a long, long while. “Matt.” She paused, trying to find words that meant something, something that compared to what she felt. “What are the old ways, and how long can we keep them?”Matthew patted the rump of his gelding and shook his head. “I can’t say for sure, Annie. I’m still figuring it out. But I have to make a decision soon. The newspaper is due out in two days.”About the Choctaw Tribune Series1. The Executions 2. TraitorsThe Choctaw Tribune series follows the journey of a fictional mixed-blood Choctaw family as they encounter the real events and real history in Indian Territory before Oklahoma became a state. A historical fiction series with a Western flare, these Native stories explore racial, political, spiritual, and social issues in the old Choctaw Nation—and beyond. The five (or more) novels in this series will release from 2016 through 2018. Scroll up to purchase your copy of THE EXECUTIONS.