Havasupai - Softcover

World War II, Korea, Vietnam. All wars massive in scope change society on the whole and yet really just one life at a time. Some choose their path, while others stumble onto it. All trails lead somewhere, all trials end. Do you know where your trail leads? This novel is one man's journey. Russ has been running all his life. His secrets and guilt have scarred him, hampering relationships with family, friends, and God. But to his nephew—someone Russ has never met, he is a mysterious hero. When his nephew tracks him down, Russ agrees to accompany him on a hike to ascend Mt. Humphreys and descend into the Havasupai region of the Grand Canyon—the highest and lowest geographical points in Arizona. Russ has always sought adventures, particularly those dangerous in nature. So when his nephew is injured on the return from Mt. Humphreys, Russ intends to hike solo into the canyon. The night before his planned hike, in a tavern alongside Route 66, Russ meets Chief, an elderly outcast from a Native American tribe whose own quest appears to be focused on beer. Havasupai, The People of the Blue Green Waters becomes the backdrop for a descent into wounded hearts. The old man may not be the drunken fool Russ had thought, but something altogether different, and so much more.

About the Authors William A. Wright (Bill) and Dale Ann Edmiston are a husband-and-wife writing team who live in Pennsylvania. Bill gets the ideas, discusses them with Dale, and writes up the draft; Dale then works on the content and line edits. Havasupai is not their only novel; a second (St. Croix) is completed; a third (Paper Alley) is three-fourths completed; and a short story (“Hitchers”) is awaiting expansion. Bill has won awards for his flash fiction. Most of Bill’s inspiration comes from life experience. Havasupai was inspired by his own solo excursion into the Havasupai region of the Grand Canyon; his friendship and interaction with Native Americans (including one he met at a bar the night before Havasupai who inspired the character of Chief); and time spent with his uncle, a Native American activist and former prison warden, who lived in Lake Havasu City. Both Bill and Dale are adventurers who have backpacked and motorcycled all over North America and Europe. And, like Havasupai’s Russ, Bill is no stranger to pain. The loss of his five-year-old son to cancer shaped his life. These experiences and others have given Bill’s writing depth and grit. Bill’s education is in nuclear quality assurance and electrical engineering technology, and he worked his way up from being a scrapyard worker and truck driver to controlling Pittsburgh’s electrical grid; he also worked for NASA. Dale is an Air Force veteran who performed maintenance on F-16s; currently, she’s an early childhood educator/preschool director at a high school. Combined, the couple have four living children and six grandchildren. As writers, the two of them have found a rhythm that works, and they continue to hone their skills. When not writing, they enjoy traveling, working on the dream home they designed, and gardening.