Alone, Nadia Green sits in the shadows of the trees. The almost full moon shines overhead and she's starting to shake. She's not sure if it's nerves or the temperature dropping on the mountain.
She knows that her makeshift family is going to be worried sick about her, but she had to escape. It was only a matter of time before he came looking for her. She holds her legs close to her in hopes that it will keep her warm. As she looks to the right, she notices a pair of yellow eyes staring her down. Her heart begins to race and her spine begins to stiffen. The yellow eyes approach and she instantly becomes relaxed. The animal, a coyote, walks to her and sits beside her to keep her warm until help arrives. She nuzzles up to the coyote and whispers, "Andrew, I love you." The coyote looks up with his moonlit golden eyes as if to say, 'I love you, too.'
The novel Shadows features Nadia Green, the teen-aged granddaughter of Ellen Walker, a Cherokee Nation Elder in the mountains of North Carolina. Nadia has no idea how far back her roots go with the Cherokee people but she soon learns after her grandmother dies and leaves the cabin to Nadia and her parents. She meets Andrew Swimmer and his father Tsali and soon after her life takes a dramatic turn. She comes face to face with the animals in her dreams and learns about the underlying betrayal that has taken place on the Reservation.
The mountains of North Carolina have always felt like home to Elicia Seawell. During her late teens and early 20s, she spent several summers on the Cherokee Reservation. That’s where she got the inspiration for her book “Shadows: The Story of the Kayouta.”
Elicia M. Seawell was born in Darlington, South Carolina and is a mom to three children. She spent the majority of her career as a graphic artist but found that writing was her true passion. She started "Shadows: The Story of the Kayouta" in the summer of 2009 but put it on hold for two years while she attended college. She is a sophomore at Kaplan University and is majoring in Psychology. She is married to Michael Seawell and currently lives in Darlington, South Carolina.
The coyote has always been rich in the Cherokee legends. Elicia stated that she had plenty of reasons to write about the legends of the Coyote. “I just wanted an opportunity to show some of the coyote legend. There is so much more that could be explored. I just hope that young teens can relate to moving to a new town and trying to figure out where they belong. Nadia represents not only myself as a teenager but also I wanted to have a strong young woman represent a hero.”
“I still remember my first trip to Cherokee. As we pulled onto Highway 441, I knew I was entering into something sacred. The many summer days we spent on the reservation will be some that I’ll never forget. I loved floating down the Nantahala River, the many stores and just the feel of the Reservation. It has always felt like a second home to me,” said Seawell.
“I started writing another novel and put it on hold for a while. After much debate I fell out of love with that one and started Shadows. If it wasn’t for a couple of friends, and they know who they are, I probably would have given up on writing all together.” She also says that her kids were a big reason for her to continue the book. “My kids are a huge inspiration. They love to read and it excites me to see them so happy about books.”
So the question remains: will Nadia be able to continue her grandmother's work to uncover the truth or will her days be numbered as her new found "pack" of friends work to keep her safe? Will she be able to embrace her heritage and be the hero her boyfriend knows she can be, or will she fall victim to the viciousness of the secrets that haunt the Reservation?
Shadows: The Story of the Kayouta is currently available on Amazon Kindle as an ebook for only $2.99. A print copy is available by going to www.createspace.com/3627853 and is available for $7.99 and will soon be available on Amazon.com for print purchase. Seawell is also available for book signings and events. If you’d like to have her at your next book signing, book club or organization meeting, please email eliciaseawell@gmail.com or call at 980-200-4793.
