A Roundtable Interview with

Judie Aitken

Interviewed by Jennifer Hill-Russell

JR:  Let's do a little background for any new readers who haven't read your previous releases (yet).  A LOVE BEYOND TIME was a labor of love for you, was it not?  How long after you wrote it did you have to wait before it was picked up by a publisher?
 
JA:  A LOVE BEYOND TIME had been completed about two months when I met my editor at a conference sponsored by my RWA chapter.  Within a month it was in her hands.   ALBT was published in 2000 and completely sold through.  Now it is only available through used book stores/dealers and there aren't many there, either.
 

JR:  The response to ALBT must have been overwhelming for you once it was released.   Were you surprised by how much people loved this book?
 
JA:  Surprised doesn't quite cover my feelings – I suppose that flabbergasted comes closer.  A new writer, well new to the publishing world, is always very apprehensive about how they will be accepted.  I couldn't have asked for a better reception and feel very blessed to have received such a grand response to the book.  ALBT also won numerous awards including the prestigious HOLT Medallion for Excellence in Romantic Fiction, it was a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award nominee for Best Historical Time Travel, and spent 6 weeks on the Borders Best Sellers list.  


JR:  In this time travel romance (ALBT), the heroine, Ryan, goes back in time to right before the Battle of the Little Big Horn, where she meets Wolf, a Lakota warrior.  Given the nature of this setting, how much time did you spend researching the battle and what made you decide on this setting for ALBT?
 
JA:  As a consummate student of Native American history, ethnographic issues and societal practices, I had already accumulated quite a bit of knowledge about the battle and the events that led up to it before beginning to write the story.  What research I did was fairly basic.  I developed a time line so that the days leading up to the battle were accurate and, of course, a crash course in the Lakota language was involved as well.  The Battle of the Little Big Horn has raised the emotions of people on both sides of the fight and it was these emotions and the ongoing results of the event that made this setting perfect for the story.
 

JR:  Your next book was completely contemporary.  A PLACE CALLED HOME is about a half Native American hero who fights to retain his land from greedy land developers. What made you decide to switch gears and stay in the present?
 
JA:  I wanted to show the struggles between the honor of heritage and the intrusion of the modern world.   Cody's story is all about discovering that material possessions – those that have belonged to your family and become part of your heritage – are not as important as being with the people you love.  This was a story line that lent itself to the contemporary genre more than a time travel or historical.   It was the only contemporary book that was bought and published in Berkley's Seduction line.  


JR:  In your latest release, DISTANT ECHOES, you use different quotes at the heading of each chapter, some from Native Americans, some from those who were sent to these schools and some from the white people who were involved with the schools.  Most of them are heartbreaking to me.  I can barely stand it.  How important was it to find the right quote to evoke the reader's understanding of the treatment of the Native American's during this time?
 
JA:  Collecting the quotes for the beginning of each chapter turned out to be a very difficult and emotional task.  Some are over 100 years old and others are less than ten years old, but all clearly show the wide separation between the red and white worlds.
 

JR:  I can't imagine being forced out of my home and shoved somewhere new.  Not only that, but being told that you can't speak your native language, you can't wear your clothes, and everything you owned or had from your life was taken and burned.  They (the Indian students) were stripped of their identity and forced to wear new clothes.  Of all the atrocities that have been committed against our fellow man in this country, I feel that the American Indian has suffered the most and been repaid the least.  To your knowledge, have any of the tribes you've researched been paid any kind of restitution for the crimes committed against them?
 
JA:  I guess the answer to this question is that it depends which tribe or who you are talking to.  Yes, some have received monies from the government but in many cases the money is still controlled by the government.  In other cases land allotments were made.  Monetary allotments were also made and many still receive small checks on a monthly basis.   In Canada a large portion of the North West Territories has been returned to the native people.  This area is now called Inuvit.  Some restitution has been made, and some tribes have even declined the money.
 

JR:  Being part Cherokee myself, I love learning anything new about my father's heritage.  For others, is there any advice you can give on how one can go about researching the Native American culture?
 
JA:  If you are seeking your own heritage, there are many ways to go about looking for your family.  In the late 1800s the American government conducted a census on the American Indians, which is referred to as the Dawes Rolls.  Today, many tribes use the Dawes to prove tribal status.  If your ancestor isn't listed in the Dawes, you can't claim tribal affiliation.
Degree of Indian blood varies per tribal acceptance.  Some tribes require the individual be no less than one quarter while others will accept much less.  Tribal offices also maintain detailed  records and this is another place to begin your search.
If your interest is just in learning about a specific tribe or aspect of the culture, numerous books are available.  The best place to find accurate and trustworthy books is from publishers like Oklahoma or Nebraska University Press or from dealers that specialize in Native American books.
 
JR:  The Indian schools were run by people who believed they were helping the American Indian assimilate into white society.  What school did you research for your book and what did you learn about them?
 
JA:  I did a great deal of research on Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, Riverside in Anadarko Oklahoma and others, including Red Cloud, Haskell, and Hampton.  I also looked into some of Jesuit-run schools such as Spanish, which was in Ontario Canada.  I was very fortunate to have access to over 300 of the newsletters put out by the Indian students at Carlisle throughout the period of my book.  This helped me a great deal in some of the details of the story.
Degrees of discipline, curriculum and recreational activities were different from school to school.  Not all were bad – not all were good.  Although a great many of the students were taken from their families by force, in many cases, families did volunteer to have their children go to these schools.  Quanah Parker, the famous and highly respected war chief of the Comanche people, insisted that his children go to Carlisle.   A progressive thinker, he knew that his people would need the same education as the whites in order for the Comanche to survive.  


JR:  DISTANT ECHOES tells the story of Jesse Spotted Horse, a Native American who is trying to make a documentary about the Indian Schools of the late 1800s.  He clearly has his own opinions about the schools from his own heritage and life.  How much of your own personal experience and family background did you base Jesse's life on?
 
JA:  Jesse's life is very typical of a lot of people who grew up on reservations.  Family history plays a very important role in the molding of their lives.  Many of the stories I've been told by our old people who were at some of these schools, went into shaping the story.  It is interesting to realize that Indian people are very aware of their ancestors, who they were and what they did.  Few white people can say as much without checking into all the genealogy information they can find.
 

JR: I'm very sorry about the loss of your mother.  What was the most important thing she taught you about your heritage?
 
JA:  Perhaps her teachings can best be described in one simple phrase:  self-respect.  She was also a great teacher.  When she married she moved away from her Comanche people but she never forgot who she was.  She spent most of her adult life working on Indian issues.  She was Director of the American Indian Center in St. Louis for over 10 years and following that was 
the Assistant Director of Indian Affairs for the State of Illinois.  Throughout all of her life, she shared her Indian culture with those who were interested in learning.   She worked diligently to enable the Native American inmates in the federal penal systems to be allowed to practice their religions and she was recognized by her Comanche tribe as an honored elder.
 

JR:  In DISTANT ECHOES, Kathleen is the descendant of the founder of the school that Jesse plans to film.  She has her own thoughts, which completely contradict Jesse's story.  How important was it to give both sides of the story?
 
JA:  Ah…great question.  Kathleen's view of the schools was unrealistic, but so was Jesse's.  Kathleen's life was totally absorbed by DuBois Indian School and her determination to keep the honor of the school.  Jesse's determination to tell what he perceived as the truth was just as stubborn.  But it took both of them working together to discover the truth – to discover who was right and who was wrong.  


JR:  What do you feel would be the best way to preserve our American Indian heritage?
 
JA:  Seek the truth.  Show respect.  Enjoy the differences between the cultures.  Read.  Learn with an open mind.  Put prejudice aside.  Put stereotypes out of your mind.  Be tolerant.
 
JR:  Have the living conditions on the reservations improved any over the course of the last century? Is there anything our government can do to improve these conditions?
 
JA:  There have been improvements, and depending on which reservation you're referring to; it may look no different than a middle class neighborhood.  But, there are still totally impoverished communities.  Suicide, murder and drug abuse is on the rise and the poverty level is way below the national median.  Education in self-governance is an excellent place for the government to begin helping the tribes.
 

JR:  If there is one thing you would like the reader to know after reading DISTANT ECHOES, what would that be?
 
JA:  Many wonderful things have come to the white world from the Indians.  The idea and format of confederation came from the Iroquois people.  Many medicines we use today are based on knowledge gained from Native peoples.  Cities, states and rivers have been given Indian names.  Sports teams, although some find this insulting, are given Indian names.  Certain foods that grace your tables came from Indian foods.  Assimilation has happened not only from red to white, but white to red.  But as people we are different in many, many ways.  Respect our differences, understand the pride Indians take in their culture, allow them their religious beliefs – we are all God's creations and family.  


JR:  You are also an artist and some of your work is displayed on your website.  Do you have any artwork for the buying public and how could one purchase some of your work?
 
JA:  Unfortunately my writing has been taking up a great deal of my painting time but I occasionally get out the brushes.  My work is available by contacting me – my e-mail address is on my website.  I have a couple of paintings in limited edition prints and will always consider taking commissions.  


JR:  I thank you so much for talking with me and being our Author of the Month at Roundtable Reviews.  I hope that the readers will gain some insight to your work and learn a little about the Native American culture.  I look forward to picking up the next Judie Aitken book – and hope it is soon! 

JA:  Jennifer, many thanks to you and Roundtable Reviews for inviting me to be your Author of the Month, and thank you for your insightful questions.  It is the readers that keep writers inspired and it is through the gracious words, such as those in your review of DISTANT ECHOES that keep my fingers on the keyboard. Much success with your new website and again, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
 

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