Deborah J Ledford

Deborah J Ledford is the award-winning author of the Native American Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran Series, and the Smoky Mountain Inquest Series. Part Eastern Band Cherokee, she is an Agatha Award winner, The Hillerman Sky Award Finalist, and two-time Anthony Award Finalist for Best Audiobooks Crescendo and Causing Chaos. Ledford lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and an awesome Ausky.

Book 1 of the author’s Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran Native American thriller is Redemption.

My Q&A with Ledford:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

Quite a lot, actually. I love titles of one descriptive word. I tend to choose a word that could have several meanings. Best is one that concisely defines an aspect of my lead character, or an overall aspect of what their journey will be throughout the novel. For Redemption, my protagonist Eva and her best friend, Paloma, work to redeem their past behavior in order to regain approval from the people of their Taos Pueblo tribe.

What's in a name?

Most of the characters featured in Redemption are Native Americans living on the Taos Pueblo reservation. I’ve been fortunate to find a wealth of information at the 1929-40 census rolls for the. All of those surnames, and many first names, continue onward generationally. Also, for first names I research quite a lot in order to assign a name based on what I envision as each character’s psychological aspects. It’s fun to hear about when readers take the time to look up the meaning of the character names I’ve assigned. Doing this research also keeps me as the writer on track to make certain I am adhering to my original intent in order to convey the people and their lives and circumstances I’m creating throughout their journeys.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

In order to make sure I’ll be able to sustain my original concept, I always know the first 5 chapters, main plot and subplot, do exhaustive character bios, and am certain about the ending. I tend to tweak the first chapter as I’m composing the first draft—primarily to make sure the motivating intent is concise so that the reader has somewhat of an overall roadmap of what to expect on the following pages.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I suppose each character I’ve created for Redemption features bits and pieces of myself. Life experience certainly plays a big part. The art of listening is key when working with my Native contacts on the Taos Pueblo. It took a long time to cultivate these relationships. Although none of my characters are based on “real” people, the key is to always be respectful of all Native cultures and traditions.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I started out as an oil and canvas painter and also a photographer, and later became a professional scenic artist and carpenter for theatre, commercials and industrial films. I believe this background experience has helped me to convey what I present with words for the reader. My intent is to put the reader in the shoes of my characters—to take every step of the journey with them visually. To not only paint the picture of the location, but also every sensory aspect along the way.

Visit Deborah J Ledford's website.

--Marshal Zeringue