RED WILLOW’S QUEST: INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

The following interview took place at Heidi Skarie’s home in Minnesota. In celebration of the recent ebook release of Red Willow’s Quest, we are reprinting it for you here.

Q: I understand the area around your home is special in how it relates to Red Willow’s Quest.

Heidi: That’s true. We’re near Lake Minnetonka and the land surrounding this lake was sacred burial ground to many Native Americans.

Q: The Bloomsbury Review said Red Willow’s Quest was “. . . mystical and spiritual writing . . . action, adventure, and romance (brought) together into one powerful epic.” I know you’ve written several books and I understand the inspiration for each one is different for you. How did Red Willow’s Quest come about?

Heidi: Each book I write comes to me in a unique way. The first one came to me in a series of six dreams; it was like watching a movie over a period of six nights and writing down what I saw. I ended up with a 90-page dream journal entry that became the novel.

In writing Red Willow’s Quest, ideas just kept coming at first about a young woman going on a spiritual quest. As I continued to write I realized the story was based on my past life as a Native American studying to be a medicine woman. Out of respect for Native American spirituality, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write it from the perspective of a Native American woman.

Q: But then you received a spiritual sign from out of the blue.

Heidi: It was quite special. I had just read the first page of a manuscript about a woman who remembered her past life as a Native American and was walking to my mailbox when I found a hawk feather in perfect condition. For the next two days I found another hawk feather each day. For me, finding three hawk feathers in a row was a significant spiritual sign that I should write the book as a Native American story, as some Native Americans believe the hawk’s cry means clear spiritual vision and flying above the mundane world.

Q: How were you able to offer the reader such deep insights about what it was like to live as a Native American in the early 1800s?

Heidi: As the story of my past life unfolded, I did extensive research to figure out where I had lived and what tribe I associated with based on what I remembered. To make this as vivid a glimpse into history as possible, I traveled to places near the area where the book takes place.

When I researched the history of the time and the Rocky Mountains, it became more apparent that this was a rugged time and place to set out alone on a vision quest! Red Willow faces tribal opposition, wild animals, enemy warriors and dangerous white trappers. Red Willow’s only companion is Wind Chaser, her dog-wolf companion. Later a Kootenai warrior named Masheka shows up to guide and protect her.

Q: I noticed a review at Amazon.com said “The author does not flinch at (showing the) rigors of the Old West, yet the book is uplifting throughout thanks to Red Willow’s ability to rise to her higher purpose. The realistic writing really transported me back to Red Willow’s time.” I understand you had another interesting confirmation early on in your research as well.

Heidi: Yes, part of my research for the story took me to the Rocky Mountains in Montana. Originally I started to write the book as a fantasy and “made up” terms. Although I hadn’t heard of the Kootenai Indians in my research, I used that term for one of the tribes in the story. Then, while in Montana, I purchased a book at a store. When I flipped it over, the back cover copy said it was about a Kootenai Indian girl. I took this as another sign that I was on the right track in writing about it as a past life.

Regardless of whether you believe in past lives or not, this book gives a glimpse into life in a Shoshoni tribe the year after Lewis and Clark completed the first American expedition, exploring territories between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean.

Q: Red Willow calls upon her inner strength and shows great determination to fulfill her destiny in the story. You’ve written her story in a way that’s inspiring to anyone. To whom is your book most accessible?

Heidi: The story is popular with people of all ages, although moderately adult themes are featured. Red Willow is quite young when the story takes place so there are exciting issues for younger readers. In fact, the book was popular with both mothers and daughters in a mother-daughter book club that studied it! They loved the story! It provided a chance for them to talk about issues and values in an indirect way and relate them to their own lives in ways they normally wouldn’t.

Q: Another reviewer on amazon.com said it was “Refreshing to find a book where mysticism is more than just a prop and love is more than just a feeling.” Despite the challenges Red Willow faces in this life-and-death, action-adventure tale, I found a wonderful love story in the book as well.

Heidi: That’s true! Red Willow does face a dilemma and has to balance her feelings for another character with her duty to the tribe.

By the way, one of my favorite authors, Harold Klemp, the spiritual leader of Eckankar says, “The highest truth is not written in any book. It’s written in your heart. All the books in the world are useless unless they can help open your heart.” As an author, my mission is to write books that help open the reader’s heart.

Q: I understand you give workshops that encourage people to follow their own spiritual quest.

Heidi: Yes, the workshops strive to help attendees take the next step spiritually on their own personal mission or quest. Mark Twain once said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I share the idea that we are Soul. I also give people insights into their life purpose and goals by sharing some tools to help achieve them. The workshops usually include at least one exercise, a discussion and short readings from the book. For instance, at a recent Women’s Spirituality Conference, we discussed listening to your inner voice and how dreams and past lives can help you find your path. A guided visualization exercise featured going on an inner quest to overcome fear and bring more joy into your life.

Q: I noticed Red Willow sings a sacred song that helps her meet with her Spirit Guide, among other benefits: “Hu-nai-yiee.” Isn’t this similar to a sacred song you sing in this lifetime?

Heidi: Yes, I sing “HU” as a love song to God as part of my spiritual practice. HU is an ancient name for God. Red Willow first learns her purpose of becoming a Medicine Woman when she sings HU-nai-yiee. I believe regardless of beliefs or religion, you can sing HU to become happier and more secure in life.

Red Willow’s story is a parable that inspires each of us to find the courage to follow our dreams and inner guidance, to discover our special purpose or quest in life. The story is designed to inspire and compel the reader to partake in life’s opportunities, which are part of our purpose in every lifetime

Q: Tell me a little about your study of past lives before writing this book and why it’s beneficial to remember past lives.

Heidi: I studied esoteric subjects for many years, starting in college. I searched for the greater meaning in life and the idea of reincarnation made a lot of sense to me. It explained why some people are born poor or handicapped while others are rich or brilliant. Basically we as Soul need to have many different kinds of experiences and it’s impossible to get them all in one life. So we’re born many times in different countries and different circumstances. We’ve been rich and poor, ugly and beautiful with hard and easy lives. From this, we gain a deeper understanding of who we are in this life.

A fear of heights might be based on past-life experiences. Just remembering a past life can help overcome the fear. We also have affinities for people or places based on past-life preferences. Many qualities get developed in a past life. For example, a child who is good artistically or musically may have learned it in a past life.

Remembering past lives also helps us to be less fearful of dying and we can better accept death as a natural part of life. The brother of a friend of mine died and within a year was reborn as her child. Many signs told her that he was her brother and she shares a close bond with him. Plenty of stories abound about people remembering their past lives — now more than ever before.

Q: If a person is interested in learning about past lives, how can they go about it?

Heidi: I recommend starting with what you have: strong attractions for or dislikes of certain things. These things can be persons or places. Ask for inner guidance to help you remember why this place or person is familiar to you. Go visit the place as this will often bring up past-life memories. Pay attention to your dreams. Often you’ll get glimpses of past lives in your dreams.

Q: What can readers look forward to seeing from you next?

Heidi: Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge will soon be released. It is the first in a science fiction series about a female undercover agent who is sent on a mission to overthrow the military tyrant of a distant country. In 2015, I plan to publish another historical novel entitled Annoure and the Dragon Ships about a young woman who is stolen by Vikings off the coast of what is now England.

Q: It’s been a pleasure talking with you today. Any parting thoughts?

Heidi: Our lives are so much more than what we see here in the physical world. Don’t be afraid to go for your dreams and take the next step. There’s great joy in becoming all you have the potential to be, so don’t hold back. Ultimately, you are a spark of God, rich in potential and powerful beyond measure. And we are all here because God loves us.