I am frequently asked where the inspiration for my characters comes from. Sometimes, my readers send it to me--as in the case of this young man, Asa Nocona Big Mountain. When he was 4-1/2 years old, his mother, who is one of my fans, graciously gave me permission to put his picture and story into my website so that I can share them with all of you. Here is a recent picture of Asa at 6!

     I think he is soooooo handsome, a future cover model for an Indian Romance. While I was writing Book #2 of my Mystic Indian Series, I kept his picture near my computer as inspiration for describing Stalking Wolf's son. Both photographs are still part of my office decor.

       In the Comanche language, "Asa" means "Star" and "Nocona" means "Wanderer." His father, a Native American Dancer, chose Wandering Star as Asa's Indian name. As you can see by this photograph, Asa is very proud of his heritage.

        Asa's ancestors include Chief Big Mountain, a full-blooded Comanche who was born in 1877 and died in 1954. Chief Big Mountain performed as one of the original riders in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, starting a tradition in which all of his descendants have followed. Late in his life, Chief Big Mountain married Princess White Dove, a young Apache maiden. Asa's grandfather, also called Big Mountain, was the eldest of their six children. Big Mountain, in turn, married a member of the Mohawk tribe, and their son was Little Deer, Asa Nocona's father. So, Wandering Star carries Comanche, Apache, and Mohawk blood on his father's side--while his mother is from England! This little boy reflects the best of both worlds.

       Even at four-and-a-half, Asa Nocona was already following in the Big Mountain family tradition. He has learned a simple version of the Eagle Dance, which he performed for his classmates at school, and is now working on mastering the Hoop Dance. He loves Native American music, and listens to his tapes and CD's frequently. Though his name is Comanche, there is no one to teach him the Comanche language which, Asa's mother believes, is one of the rarest spoken dialects left. However, Asa is learning to speak French at school!

       Don't be fooled by the "ceremonial face" Asa puts on when he is wearing his Indian regalia and posing for the camera. He is a little boy filled with joy and laughter--and mischief!

       Please don't ask me to give you more information on Asa; I promised his mother that I would protect the family's privacy. However, feel free to go to my Guestbook or email form and say hello to them! I will forward your comments to Asa and his mother.

       When informed that he would be on my website and might hear from some of my readers, Asa replied, "Cool!"