Boozhoo Books | Blood Sisters

Blood Sisters

Vanessa Lillie

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A visceral and compelling mystery about a Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is summoned to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women…one of them her sister. There are secrets in the land.

As an archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Syd Walker spends her days in Rhode Island trying to protect the land's indigenous past, even as she’s escaping her own. While Syd is dedicated to her job, she’s haunted by a night of violence she barely escaped in her Oklahoma hometown fifteen years ago. Though she swore she’d never go back, the past comes calling.

When a skull is found near the crime scene of her youth, just as her sister, Emma Lou, vanishes, Syd knows she must return home. She refuses to let her sister's disappearance, or the remains, go ignored—as so often happens in cases of missing Native women. But not everyone is glad to have Syd home, and she can feel the crosshairs on her.

Still, the deeper Syd digs, the more she uncovers about a string of missing indigenous women cases going back decades. To save her sister, she must expose a darkness in the town that no one wants to face—not even Syd.

The truth will be unearthed.

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You may not have heard this, but Bindery Books signed a first look deal with Bad Robot. That’s super exciting news for the first four books coming out this October.\ \ It’s hard not to get excited about the possibility of an Indigenous Imprint. I read in every single genre, but I would be super excited about fantasy, thriller, horror and romance! The popularity of Stephen Graham Jones and the success of Never Whistle at Night is an undeniable force. White Horse by Erika T Wurth, Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris and Bad Cree by Jessica Johns are some of my favorite horror books!\ \ Indigenous romance is also on the rise! My book club is reading indie Indigenous romance Lizards Hold The Sun by Dani Trujillo in July and the first traditionally published Indigenous romance, The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava, will be out from Berkley this August. (Spoiler Alert: It will be the pick for book club in September!)\ \ Rebecca Roanhorse! Cherie Dimaline! Darcie Little Badger! Moniquill Blackgoose! all have had massive success in the fantasy arena.\ \ And I think Vanessa Lillie’s thriller would lend itself great to television!\ \ Speaking of television: Dark Winds and Rez Dogs are two Indigenous tv series that people can’t stop talking about.\ \ And I want to see Lily Gladstone IN LITERALLY EVERYTHING.\ \ I feel like a studio would JUMP at the opportunity to have the next big Indigenous tv show or movie with an already built in audience - and that’s US! Fans of the future Bindery published book (fingers crossed!)\ \ I know that there are Indigenous writers out there who are writing and waiting for the opportunity to be published and I know that their books are not getting prioritized like their contemporaries. We can help to change that.\ \ You are already helping by just being here.\ \ I saw Jenn Harper, Ceo of Indigenous makeup brand Cheekbone Beauty speak at an Indigenous women’s conference not long ago and she said, “I don’t come from generational wealth, I come from generational poverty” and that is something that has stuck with me and I repeat often, because I find it all too relatable.\ \ I come from poverty, so I want to make it clear, though I would love everyone to eventually become a paid subscriber, I know that is not feasible for everyone and I want to make sure I always have free content available. You being here supporting is important to me and I am happy to have you along on this journey to imprint.\ \ If you can afford to buy me a coffee once a month, please consider subscribing at the $5 level.\ \ If you can afford to buy me a lunch once a month (okay, you buy the salad, I will buy the Diet Coke LOL), please consider subscribing at the $12 level.\ \ Please don’t forget to join the Discord and come chat with others who are passionate about Indigenous books and making this Indigenous imprint with Bindery a reality. I have a channel in there now dedicated to the journey to imprint.\ \ https://discord.gg/7feMCgFEuK\ \ Miigwech,\ \ Naomi

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