I'm proud to announce that The Way of the Eagle: An Early California Journey of Awakening was named a Medal-Winning Finalist in the Novella category of the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.  

The competition is the largest not-for-profit awards program for independent publishers and is presented by 

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I wanted to say a bit about a category of fiction sometimes called "visionary fiction" and sometimes "spiritual fiction." There are also other variations such as "inspirational fiction" and "metaphysical fiction." My novella, The Way of the Eagle: An Early California Journey of Awakening, takes place in a historical Native American setting ...

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If you asked a person on the street who the original inhabitants of Los Angeles were, many would say the Spanish, and others the Mexicans. And some might say the film companies! None of these would be correct.

The original peoples of Los Angeles were a culturally rich tribe called the Gabrielino-Tongva, or just the Tongva, which means "People of the Earth." The name "Gabrielino" was used because so many Tongva lived ... << MORE >>

In my last post on this blog, Are We Really Living in the Matrix (also posted on my new blogsite, MagicalMysticalYou.com), I talked about the possibility that we can affect the physical universe around us through our intention.

A similar phenomenon is people's demonstration of "kinetic" psychic abilities - they can control movement at a distance (without physically touching an object). ... << MORE >>

Here's some food for thought - but it's not scary, as the title might suggest - rather, it's fascinating and empowering.

Everyone agrees that the physical universe is solid and real. It contains awesome levels of energy, unimaginable reaches of space, and immense solidity of matter. It also persists through infinite expanses of time. Most physical objects last indefinitely until ... << MORE >>

What do I mean by "a virtuous or spiritual life"?  I'm not here addressing holy sisters, priests, monks, apostles, or full-time religious devotees. Instead, I'm talking about most people — those who want to live a good, productive life in keeping with their dreams, goals and the spiritual and moral/ethical values they hold dear. In other words, possibly you! 

So, perhaps you've wondered, to live the best life I ... << MORE >>

Novels about magic, wizards, giants, vampires and other strange creatures, and the amazing worlds they all inhabit, are very popular these days, and their popularity has been growing for at least the last 3 or 4 decades, in my own observation. I have long believed that a part of this popularity is due to people's innate longing for and seeking of the spiritual truth about ...

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As the holidays approach, a little reminder that The Way of the Eagle: an Early California Journey of Awakening will make a great inspirational gift for the holiday season. Two readers expressed this so well:

       "This is a wonderful story that thoroughly entertains while teaching spiritual values and some history of an important culture in our world. I couldn't help thinking while reading this story that it should be in every school library; it's ...

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Inseparability of Native American Spirituality and Everyday Life I'm reposting this original article because I think it says best what I wanted to express on this subject. I did recently write a second article on this subject and you're welcome to check it out as well. I recently learned about this aspect of Native American life through the writing of Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman), a part Santee Sioux raised in a traditional Native American home, who later was educated as a doctor in American colleges. He wrote eloquently about Native American life in the early 20th century. He wrote that daily life and spirituality, as lived purely by original peoples, were not really even two elements tightly interwoven. Rather, the people viewed their existence and lived their lives AS a manifestation of spirituality and spiritual creation. To them, there was no difference; they were inseparable. << MORE >>

In the first article, I talked about the fact that Native Americans did not maintain any kind of separation between their spiritual life and their everyday life. Every activity, all work, play and their community activities were considered to be an expression of their spiritual existence. They had a certainty of their part in the great scheme of the world, and a certainty of their spiritual existence.

They ... << MORE >>

Very nice news!  Kirkus Reviews Indie selected my book as one of their Editor's Picks last week (July 18-24, 2011) and the book cover was displayed at the top of their Indie page with several other books. The book is no longer posted in the Editor's Picks area, but can be found in the Kirkus Indies book listings. Kirkus Indies.

    I was gratified to find a thoughtful review of my book on the Goodreads.com website written by Beth, an historian in England whose avocation is reviewing historical fiction and other genres. As a new fiction author, I very much appreciate Beth taking the time to formulate this review. I have excerpted some of the comments from her long piece:

        "....The story reminded me strongly of the Native American myths and legends I read as a child, it manages to capture the same spirit and essence, but the characters and the plot are all new, and Lamont adds a fresh twist to the tale by including elements of the modern ... Whilst the story implies that Europeans don’t arrive in the Tongva’s lands during Tacu’s lifetime, these little hints convey perfectly the steady encroachment into the Tongva’s consciousness, and later way of life, and best of all it’s done so subtly and without drawing undue attention to itself – for that is not the plot here, only the background setting.... [I]t is a joy to come across an author who draws such implications deftly and without breaking stride from the main plot of the novel, and Lamont implies more changes to come than sweeping doom and gloom.

    "Tacu’s story is reminiscent of the classic coming-of-age tales which have a popular place in Native American legend, and although it has a fresh twist to it, its foundation is grounded in the timeless story of a character in that awkward, transitional phase of life, struggling to find his or her place in the world.... 

    "It’s very clear that Lamont has done her research and knows her stuff, but as a writer she also knows how to employ it. Authentic details are used to garnish the setting and the plot, but Lamont does not allow them to distract from the plot or become the novella’s heart. The characters and the storyline are what bring The Way of the Eagle to life.
                                                 "-Beth, Goodreads.com"

                                                                        

Great news!  The Way of the Eagle is now available at the Barnes and Noble website for Nook e-readers, and on Amazon.com for Kindles, both priced very low to give you a great value and illustrated with six original pieces of artwork!  Here are the links: 

Buy at Amazon.com for your Kindle

Buy at Barnes and Noble for your Nook

Also look in the app stores on your Sony and Apple mobile devices to purchase it there!

Good reading!  D.E. Lamont

I know it can be hard to know whether a story will interest you and decide whether or not to read it. I thought I'd let you know a little more of this story's "inside story." 

The thing that I believe is most unusual about my story is first, that it concerns a time period in the history of the west coast of North America (before the European explorers arrived), and an entire culture (that of the Tongva), which have been almost entirely omitted from literature.  To the best of my knowledge, very little has been written about Southern California's original peoples. 

Because my book is about a culture which was all but wiped out, relatively little has generally been known about the Tongva as they existed then. Yet some of their place names have survived right up to the present in the names of streets and locations I heard all my life.  Cahuenga (Blvd.) came from Kawengna, Tujunga Canyon from Tuhungna, and Topanga Canyon from Topangna. There are many others.  I really wanted to bring back the reality of this rich original culture to people through my story, and bring some of its people - even though imaginary - alive. 

To help you envision the details better, I took care to describe the locations, natural plant life, and wildlife accurately.  Most of the locales in the story are real, because they are the places I frequented as I grew up. The final scene in the book takes place at an actual place high in the Santa Monica Mountains - which is a coastal range just north and west of Los Angeles. I won't reveal where it is - but I am sure that some of you may be able to figure that out. It is a indeed a magical place. I went back there over the years a number of times to show it to special friends.  (The last time I was up there, I took a boyfriend to impress him - but afterward I scared the living daylights out of him by zooming down the winding canyon roads too fast in my VW bug. I had thought all men liked speed - I was wrong!)

The story, seen from Tacu's viewpoint, is about many things, one of which is learning from your environment and what you see and encounter around you. It is also about becoming aware of more than just the physical objects, and about being able to take what life brings you and turn it to the best. I think you could say that Tacu learns to live life as a Tongva brave in a better, fuller, and more courageous way than he previously was able. 

Lastly, the book is a 136-page novelette - longer than most short stories, but not nearly as long as a novel.  I do hope you will get it and let me know what you think.

Incidentally, The Way of the Eagle is now available both on Kindle and in softcover - priced low to enable more people to be able to get it.  All versions, including the e-books, contain beautiful illustrations to help you enjoy Tacu's journey and see a little of what he saw, all those centuries ago.  I'm very happy at the appearance of both the softcover and the Kindle versions.  In the Kindle e-book, the illustrations are big enough to see, and the cover is too!  The book will also soon be available for Apple mobile devices, Sony, Kobo, and others.

Have a great day - see if you can make it more and better!    D.E. Lamont

Welcome to the first article of my Journal. Or, as the Tongva, the First People of Los Angeles, say in greeting, Nachochan!  That means literally "My eyes see your eyes, my hands are open."

I've updated and reposted this article in celebration of having just published my novelette, The Way of the Eagle: An Early California Journey of Awakening. It's now available on my website, at Amazon.com in both print and Kindle, and very soon will be in many mobile e-stores like Apple, Sony, and more. This Journal blog is also visible now on my pages at the Goodreads and Smashwords websites. 



First, to clarify, I am not of Native American descent. I had grandparents on one side who were Spanish/Mexican from Los Angeles, and on the other Russian/East European from New York. My website page, About the Author, describes how I first became interested in the Native American Indian culture as a child. 

Over the last couple of months, I've begun writing about subjects here relating to the book that are of great interest to me and, I hope, will be to you as well. A few of these include Native American spirituality, culture, and building bridges of understanding between Native and non-Native individuals. I'd welcome comments on these subjects from readers.

One special interest of mine is in showing how people have innate common spiritual qualities and abilities, no matter their specific background, religious or philosophical beliefs. These qualities are sacred in several senses of the word. What I mean is that, if anything about humanity is sacred and valuable, it is our inborn or native qualities and abilities, which I believe have their source in our spiritual nature.  They are then expressed through our human identity. Lots of these qualities are everyday things most people might not even describe as spiritual.  

One of my reasons for writing my book, The Way of the Eagle, has been to make Native American viewpoints and beliefs better known to non-Natives. Understanding is the basis of all progress and improved relations between people of good will. I hope to bring alive one narrow slice of the original Southern Californian Tongvan way of life and make it easier to imagine and understand what they may have thought, felt, understood, and experienced...and the spiritual knowledge and abilities they may have possessed. 

Fortunately the current American and European cultures have largely moved beyond automatically considering all native cultures "primitive," as was almost universal in the 19th century and before. The amazing and profound speeches and statements of great Native American chiefs, leaders and orators show, in contrast, how enlightened and advanced their thought and beliefs were.

Therefore, in this website, I will find excerpts of great American Indian orators of the past and present that are legally OK to quote, so that others can begin to understand the beautiful way of life, thought and expression that preceded our own here in America. There is a huge amount we can learn from them, admire, and add to our own lives to make them better.

I'd love to hear from you via the comments box on my website Journal page, or my website Guestbook.  Please check back often to catch future Journal entries (or subscribe to receive the Journal via email by filling in the "Subscribe" window).   

My best until next time!
D.E. Lamont