1
00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:05,920
Speaker 1: Hey, Bessie's Hello Sunshine.

2
00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:08,760
Speaker 2: Today on the bright Side, it's Indigenous People's Day and

3
00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,719
Speaker 2: we've got another edition of shelf Life lined up for you.

4
00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,240
Speaker 2: We're joined by Ka Cobell, the author of Looking for Smoke,

5
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,200
Speaker 2: which is the fall young adult pick for Reese's Book Club.

6
00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,840
Speaker 2: It's Monday, October fourteenth. I'm Danielle Robe.

7
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:23,960
Speaker 3: And I'm Simone Boyce, and this is the bright Side

8
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,800
Speaker 3: from Hello Sunshine, a daily show where we come together

9
00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,000
Speaker 3: to share women's stories, laugh, learn and brighten your day.

10
00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:32,320
Speaker 2: On My Mind Monday is brought to you by missus

11
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,720
Speaker 2: Myers Clean Day, inspired by the goodness of the Garden.

12
00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:41,360
Speaker 3: Happy on Monday. Danielle, you already know what time it is.

13
00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,040
Speaker 3: This is our opportunity to share what's inspiring us. To

14
00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:45,840
Speaker 3: kick off the week on the right foot.

15
00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,440
Speaker 2: Feels like a good way to combat a case of

16
00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,360
Speaker 2: the Mondays. So tell me what's on your mind.

17
00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:52,400
Speaker 3: Well, I'm so glad you asked, because I just read

18
00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,240
Speaker 3: this great piece in the New York Times by Chancey

19
00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,920
Speaker 3: Dunn about how to turn around a bad day, and

20
00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,080
Speaker 3: you might be thinking is even humanly possible? Well, it

21
00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,000
Speaker 3: turns out it is because this writer talked to a

22
00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,520
Speaker 3: clinical psychologist, a woman named Susan albers and she had

23
00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,160
Speaker 3: some very practical solutions for turning around the day. I

24
00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,839
Speaker 3: was actually pretty impressed. So one thing doctor Alberts says

25
00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,320
Speaker 3: Danielle is to change up your day and make what

26
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,319
Speaker 3: she calls a sensory change. So that can be anything

27
00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,720
Speaker 3: from a shower to changing your clothes or just working out.

28
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:26,880
Speaker 3: Have you ever tried that and has it worked for you?

29
00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:27,440
Speaker 1: Hell?

30
00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, you gotta like switch the energy up. I'm a

31
00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,520
Speaker 2: big if you're sad, take a shower. If you're sad,

32
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:35,640
Speaker 2: take a walk or a run kind of girl.

33
00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,119
Speaker 3: I feel like the power of the shower is so underestimated.

34
00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:44,160
Speaker 1: The power of the shower. It runs a shower.

35
00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,400
Speaker 3: Whenever I'm feeling some type of way, That's one of

36
00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,080
Speaker 3: the first things I do is just take a shower,

37
00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:53,280
Speaker 3: and it's like something about the water washing over me.

38
00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,920
Speaker 1: It's like I feel rejuvenated. It's good. Simon.

39
00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,760
Speaker 2: When I was in college, I found out that my

40
00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,880
Speaker 2: boyfriend was cheating on me, And by found out, I

41
00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,560
Speaker 2: mean like I hacked his email and went through everything

42
00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:06,280
Speaker 2: in his apartment.

43
00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:07,720
Speaker 1: It was like psycho.

44
00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,760
Speaker 2: Style, and I was so upset, and I was driving

45
00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,960
Speaker 2: back home and I called my dad and I was crying,

46
00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,160
Speaker 2: and he goes, Danielle, go for a run.

47
00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,280
Speaker 1: Excuse me, that's the advice. And in hindsight, I know

48
00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:24,800
Speaker 1: what he meant. He was right, go for a run.

49
00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:29,320
Speaker 3: He was echoing doctor Albert's advice to you know, pursue

50
00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,400
Speaker 3: a sensory change. Yes, okay, This next piece of advice

51
00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:34,680
Speaker 3: is one I can really get behind.

52
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:35,200
Speaker 1: Okay.

53
00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,120
Speaker 3: Doctor Albert says you should give yourself little rewards. She

54
00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,280
Speaker 3: suggests giving yourself intermittent rewards during an otherwise terrible day.

55
00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,079
Speaker 3: And she says it's better to get a dopamine hit

56
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,360
Speaker 3: now than wait for a dopamine hit later after the

57
00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,799
Speaker 3: horrible day has ended. I mean, anyone who's ever treated

58
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,480
Speaker 3: themselves to a bougie latte in the middle of a

59
00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:57,240
Speaker 3: bad day knows exactly what she's saying.

60
00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,679
Speaker 1: This sounds like you. You love a sweet treat, You

61
00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:02,280
Speaker 1: don't like rewards. You don't like treats, Danielle.

62
00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,360
Speaker 2: No, I'm masochistic and don't believe I deserve any treats.

63
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,200
Speaker 1: Oh my god, I like a cappuccino in the morning.

64
00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,400
Speaker 1: It's a lot to unpact. That's there. We're gonna need

65
00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,440
Speaker 1: to bring doctor Albers on. I think, no, no, But

66
00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:18,200
Speaker 1: you love a millennial treat. I do love a millennial treat.

67
00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,000
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, Okay. Finally, here's the last one I want

68
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,840
Speaker 3: to leave y'all with. Doctor Albers recommends setting up an

69
00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:26,400
Speaker 3: emotional first aid kit.

70
00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:27,240
Speaker 1: Oh what's that?

71
00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:32,280
Speaker 3: So? That means keeping anything nearby that brings you joy, music, mementos,

72
00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,320
Speaker 3: or even just that group chat that makes you feel

73
00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,440
Speaker 3: less alone. This one is so huge too, Like, I

74
00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,280
Speaker 3: find that in the same way that a shower can

75
00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,960
Speaker 3: offer a sensory change, music does the same thing for me.

76
00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:46,440
Speaker 2: I also think it works the opposite way, Like when

77
00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,280
Speaker 2: I've been heartbroken, I make sure I don't watch sad

78
00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,880
Speaker 2: movies or listen to sad songs because it can really

79
00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,440
Speaker 2: affect your mood. I totally agree with this one. Okay,

80
00:03:57,480 --> 00:03:59,360
Speaker 2: I have a question for you based on this on

81
00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,440
Speaker 2: my mind Monday. I was just talking to a girlfriend

82
00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,640
Speaker 2: about this. If you're going through a hard time, does

83
00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,080
Speaker 2: buying things help your mood?

84
00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,360
Speaker 3: It does, but I don't do it. Sure it does,

85
00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,040
Speaker 3: but like I know that it's not. It's only a

86
00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,200
Speaker 3: temporary solution. It's only a band aid, and it's also

87
00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,160
Speaker 3: a very costly band aid, so I tend to not

88
00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,880
Speaker 3: do it. I've actually gotten a lot better about consumerism

89
00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,359
Speaker 3: in the past couple of years, Like I don't buy

90
00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:28,800
Speaker 3: as much stuff, and I'm happier because of it.

91
00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:33,080
Speaker 1: How about you. I totally agree. But sometimes.

92
00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,719
Speaker 2: Like, Okay, I've talked about this on the podcast before,

93
00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:39,160
Speaker 2: but like I went through a really brutal heartbreak like

94
00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,880
Speaker 2: four or five years ago, and it put it like

95
00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,680
Speaker 2: triggered childhood wounds. I was in such a bad spot,

96
00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,080
Speaker 2: and I remember my therapist at the time being like,

97
00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,359
Speaker 2: I think you should go buy yourself a leather jacket.

98
00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,919
Speaker 2: And I was thinking, what a dumb piece of advice,

99
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,600
Speaker 2: Like aren't you supposed to like console, Like you're supposed

100
00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:57,000
Speaker 2: to tell me something more meaningful.

101
00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,640
Speaker 1: But I kind of understand what she means me now,

102
00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:03,120
Speaker 1: Like I guess it's the sweet treat.

103
00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,160
Speaker 2: It's the millennial treat that I was joking about, Like

104
00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:07,120
Speaker 2: sometimes you do have to treat yourself, but there is

105
00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:07,960
Speaker 2: a fine line.

106
00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:09,440
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know.

107
00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:11,200
Speaker 2: So maybe you buy it for yourself and then when

108
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:12,440
Speaker 2: you feel better, you return it.

109
00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,599
Speaker 1: Great advice, Great advice, okay jokes aside.

110
00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,160
Speaker 2: One of the things that really does help me switch

111
00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:23,400
Speaker 2: up my mood is reading a book, because especially when

112
00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,040
Speaker 2: I read women's stories, I feel so validated by their

113
00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:30,520
Speaker 2: experiences and it kind of takes you into a different realm.

114
00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:32,120
Speaker 1: Do you feel that way?

115
00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,039
Speaker 3: One hundred percent? I find that fiction really does that

116
00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,920
Speaker 3: for me. And I like having almost like a book

117
00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,960
Speaker 3: ritual or reading ritual, like I love drawing a bath

118
00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:45,000
Speaker 3: and setting a candle on and maybe having my face

119
00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:47,320
Speaker 3: steamer on, and just like reading a book. There's something

120
00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,880
Speaker 3: about that ritualistic element that is really comforting whenever I'm

121
00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:52,640
Speaker 3: having a bad day.

122
00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,520
Speaker 1: It's such a great way to unwind.

123
00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,920
Speaker 2: And you know, speaking of great books, our guest today

124
00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:00,960
Speaker 2: is the author of Reese's book Clubs fall Ya Pick

125
00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,760
Speaker 2: Looking for Smoke. For her debut novel, Ka Cobell drew

126
00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,279
Speaker 2: inspiration from her own experience within the Blackfeet Nation, which

127
00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,800
Speaker 2: is a reservation in northwest Montana. In an interview with

128
00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:13,880
Speaker 2: The Nerd Daily, Ka said she wanted to write a

129
00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,360
Speaker 2: story featuring Blackfeet teens because it's something she never saw

130
00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,159
Speaker 2: growing up, and as a thriller writer, she wanted to

131
00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,799
Speaker 2: shed light on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous

132
00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,280
Speaker 2: women and its impact on the lives of those affected

133
00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:26,600
Speaker 2: by it.

134
00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,320
Speaker 3: And that's honestly exactly what she did. In her first book,

135
00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:36,560
Speaker 3: Looking for Smoke follows fourteens on the Blackfeet Reservation, Maura, Lauren, Brody,

136
00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:41,000
Speaker 3: and Eli, who find themselves entangled in a murder investigation,

137
00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:43,760
Speaker 3: and it's up to them to clear their own names,

138
00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,760
Speaker 3: even though one of them may in fact be the murderer.

139
00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:49,760
Speaker 3: After the break, we're diving into it all with author

140
00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:50,679
Speaker 3: Ka Cobell.

141
00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:51,760
Speaker 1: Stay with us.

142
00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,760
Speaker 2: Thanks to our partners at missus Myers, you can learn

143
00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:57,200
Speaker 2: a lot about a person by their dish soap. Missus

144
00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,160
Speaker 2: Meyers's collection of household products are inspired by the guard

145
00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,400
Speaker 2: and pack a punch against dirt and grind. Visit missus

146
00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:10,840
Speaker 2: meyers dot com.

147
00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:16,640
Speaker 1: Welcome to the bright Side, Ka.

148
00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:18,920
Speaker 4: Hello, thank you for having me. I'm so excited.

149
00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:20,480
Speaker 1: Oh We're so happy to have you.

150
00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,000
Speaker 3: Congrats on being selected as Reese's Book Club's fall yapic

151
00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,760
Speaker 3: for your book entitled Looking for Smoke. So we know

152
00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:30,960
Speaker 3: that this story is deeply personal to you. It centers

153
00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,560
Speaker 3: around this main character, Mara, who struggles with coming to

154
00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,880
Speaker 3: terms with her mixed race identity, and this is something

155
00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:40,920
Speaker 3: that you've been open about as well. Would you take

156
00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:42,080
Speaker 3: us into that journey a bit.

157
00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:47,720
Speaker 4: I think it all started because even before I began

158
00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,400
Speaker 4: writing this book, I started having a lot of questions

159
00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,720
Speaker 4: and doubts in myself, Like I knew this story needed

160
00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:59,400
Speaker 4: to be told, but I started thinking, like who am

161
00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:03,640
Speaker 4: I to tell this story? Like? Am I talented enough

162
00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,240
Speaker 4: to tell the story? Am I Blackfeet enough to tell

163
00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,560
Speaker 4: the story? And I had to kind of grapple with

164
00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:16,520
Speaker 4: those questions in thinking about my identity, and I ultimately

165
00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:22,080
Speaker 4: found a place within myself where I realized that I

166
00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:26,600
Speaker 4: am enough and my experience as a Blackfeet author, a

167
00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,600
Speaker 4: Blackfeet woman is valid, and that is the only place

168
00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,920
Speaker 4: where I can tell this story from. And it's one

169
00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,000
Speaker 4: of the biggest honors of my life to be able

170
00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:42,480
Speaker 4: to open this window into the Blackfeet culture. It is

171
00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:46,040
Speaker 4: kind of a unique experience to have something in your

172
00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,000
Speaker 4: life that you have such deep pride for, such a

173
00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:54,000
Speaker 4: reverence for, and other people have never even heard of it.

174
00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,440
Speaker 4: Starting the story with that in mind and getting that

175
00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:01,000
Speaker 4: confidence to do it, I think naturally came out with Mara,

176
00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,920
Speaker 4: and she's having all these questions as well, does she

177
00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:09,200
Speaker 4: fit here? Does she belong? Is she enough? And it

178
00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:11,520
Speaker 4: was fun to explore that with her.

179
00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:15,520
Speaker 3: I hear that your father, who is Blackfeet, has helped

180
00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,400
Speaker 3: you navigate those feelings that you're talking about about your identity.

181
00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:23,400
Speaker 3: How has he helped you connect with your cultural pride?

182
00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,640
Speaker 4: I got all my cultural pride from him, I would say,

183
00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,840
Speaker 4: through my whole life. He's been so good at instilling

184
00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,720
Speaker 4: that pride in me and my siblings. He's just always

185
00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:39,200
Speaker 4: willing to share his memories and the stories he grew

186
00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,160
Speaker 4: up with. While I didn't grow up on the reservation,

187
00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,480
Speaker 4: he did, and my older siblings were born there, but

188
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:51,000
Speaker 4: he was always sure to bring us back to the reservation,

189
00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:55,680
Speaker 4: like we visit there for the tribes annual Indian Days

190
00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:00,600
Speaker 4: celebrations where there's pow wows and rodeos and dan horse

191
00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:05,200
Speaker 4: relay races. So what I think about most is sitting

192
00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:08,520
Speaker 4: there in the stands when they start the drum music.

193
00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:11,719
Speaker 4: And it's really hard to explain, but like you get

194
00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:16,160
Speaker 4: this feeling in your chest. It's like it's this pull

195
00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,200
Speaker 4: and like this reverence, like this is where I belong,

196
00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,680
Speaker 4: Like this is my home, these are my people, and

197
00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:28,400
Speaker 4: I tried really hard to put that experience into the

198
00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,760
Speaker 4: opening of Looking for Smoke, where we have Maura and

199
00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:35,040
Speaker 4: her family sitting in the stands at the powow and

200
00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,640
Speaker 4: she feels that music like a calling. And that's the

201
00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:42,240
Speaker 4: feeling I get when I think about the reservation and

202
00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,719
Speaker 4: home and where my family is from, like we are

203
00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:49,320
Speaker 4: connected to the whole place, to the land.

204
00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,080
Speaker 3: Okay, I'm obsessed with book titles and unpacking the meaning

205
00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:57,000
Speaker 3: behind them and hearing how authors arrived at them, and

206
00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,920
Speaker 3: yours is really special and has a special history behind it.

207
00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:06,120
Speaker 3: So your fifth great grandfather, his Indian name, there's a

208
00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,760
Speaker 3: connection between that name and that title Looking for Smoke.

209
00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:11,959
Speaker 1: Would you elaborate on that for us?

210
00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:16,080
Speaker 4: So, as I was writing this book, I really wanted

211
00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,920
Speaker 4: it to be as authentic as possible. You know. I

212
00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:22,720
Speaker 4: put a lot of myself and my family into this

213
00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:26,319
Speaker 4: book with the memories and the stories. And another way

214
00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,480
Speaker 4: I wanted to do that was by using actual family

215
00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:34,240
Speaker 4: names throughout this book. And so as I was writing,

216
00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,760
Speaker 4: I was looking in my family trees and finding different

217
00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:42,000
Speaker 4: names of family members and ancestors. And one of the

218
00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,520
Speaker 4: names I saw was my fifth great grandfather and his

219
00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:50,680
Speaker 4: name was looking for smoke, and it just like matched

220
00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,960
Speaker 4: the vibe I was going for in this book. Yeah,

221
00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,240
Speaker 4: just you know, the elusive smoke, the feeling of like

222
00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:01,120
Speaker 4: chasing something you can't quite grab, something that slipped from

223
00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:05,160
Speaker 4: your fingers. And so it just made sense to use

224
00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,240
Speaker 4: that name in the book. And then it hit me

225
00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:10,320
Speaker 4: that it was also a perfect title.

226
00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,319
Speaker 3: Well, you have your own native name as well. How

227
00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:15,359
Speaker 3: did it feel when you got yours?

228
00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,320
Speaker 4: It is a very special experience for those of you

229
00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:24,320
Speaker 4: who don't know. Names are very powerful in the Black culture.

230
00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,880
Speaker 4: Back in the day, everyone just had their one name.

231
00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:32,480
Speaker 4: They had their name in black Feet, which was unique

232
00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:36,640
Speaker 4: to them, and today we all have our American names

233
00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,800
Speaker 4: first and last, but we are also given a name

234
00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,760
Speaker 4: in black Feet, and it's given to us by an

235
00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,480
Speaker 4: elder in the community who holds a lot of cultural

236
00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:51,320
Speaker 4: knowledge and speaks the language fluently and is very respected.

237
00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:56,760
Speaker 4: And they give you this name, and it's almost like

238
00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:00,559
Speaker 4: a possession, like it is given to you and it

239
00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,400
Speaker 4: belongs to you now. So receiving that name, it's like

240
00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,680
Speaker 4: this is now a piece of the culture that I hold.

241
00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,760
Speaker 4: Like when I got mine, which is under our woman,

242
00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,640
Speaker 4: I felt like I truly belonged, and I felt like

243
00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:16,439
Speaker 4: held by the community.

244
00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,559
Speaker 2: I want to ask you about the genre, because this

245
00:13:19,559 --> 00:13:22,679
Speaker 2: book is a thriller, but you explored sci fi and

246
00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:26,960
Speaker 2: some dystopian genres first. Why did you land on writing

247
00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:27,440
Speaker 2: a thriller.

248
00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:31,880
Speaker 4: I started with a fantasy and a little bit of dystopian,

249
00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,160
Speaker 4: and I tried to sci fi, and it wasn't until

250
00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,560
Speaker 4: I tried a thriller that I felt like I really

251
00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:43,000
Speaker 4: took ownership of my voice. It honed my craft. And

252
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,880
Speaker 4: I think it's because of the stakes that are there

253
00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,320
Speaker 4: with a thriller. It like got its claws in me

254
00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:54,240
Speaker 4: and it pulled it out of me. Like people are dying,

255
00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,679
Speaker 4: there are murders, you are in danger, and there's just

256
00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:03,719
Speaker 4: this immediacy when you're writing that it keeps me focused

257
00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:07,400
Speaker 4: and it keeps me wanting to find out what happened interesting.

258
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,320
Speaker 4: And I think if I'm not writing about life and death,

259
00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:14,600
Speaker 4: then it's hard for me to like hone it in.

260
00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,760
Speaker 4: It's like I kind of get lost in it. So

261
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:22,520
Speaker 4: that immediacy. In those steaks, they hit me hard, just

262
00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:24,920
Speaker 4: like they hopefully will hit the reader hard.

263
00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,520
Speaker 2: Do you think steaks are the secret to writing a

264
00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:29,720
Speaker 2: really epic thriller.

265
00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,840
Speaker 4: Absolutely, that is a huge part of it. Having the

266
00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:37,600
Speaker 4: stakes feel so real that a reader just can't stop

267
00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,880
Speaker 4: flipping pages because they feel like they're in that danger

268
00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:43,240
Speaker 4: with the characters.

269
00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:45,360
Speaker 1: How do you write that? How do you like create

270
00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:46,120
Speaker 1: stakes like that?

271
00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:49,400
Speaker 4: You know? I ask myself that every time I start

272
00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:53,960
Speaker 4: a new thriller. But I think, oh, for me, a

273
00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:57,600
Speaker 4: lot of it comes from the character. I really like

274
00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:02,240
Speaker 4: to start with my character and have them be really

275
00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:05,760
Speaker 4: fleshed out and have them bringing their own baggage into

276
00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,040
Speaker 4: the story before it evens starts, so we care about

277
00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:14,200
Speaker 4: them and what they're going through even before everything hits

278
00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,200
Speaker 4: the fan, so that we're rooting for them, and when

279
00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:21,320
Speaker 4: they're in danger, we feel it more. And another secret

280
00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:25,280
Speaker 4: I think is secrets. You want to give all these

281
00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:30,720
Speaker 4: characters these secrets that they want to hold to the death,

282
00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,240
Speaker 4: and as an author, I need to be able to

283
00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:37,920
Speaker 4: sit with them in those secrets and the lies they tell,

284
00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,720
Speaker 4: giving them reasons to keep these things from their friends,

285
00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,880
Speaker 4: or understanding where they're coming from.

286
00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:46,920
Speaker 2: We need to take a quick break, but we'll be

287
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,160
Speaker 2: right back to shelf Life with author Ka Cobell.

288
00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,040
Speaker 1: And we're back with author Ka Kobell.

289
00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,040
Speaker 2: This thriller tells the story of two missing girls, and

290
00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,320
Speaker 2: it highlights the missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic.

291
00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,600
Speaker 1: Why was this the issue that you wanted to center?

292
00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,200
Speaker 4: I really wanted to bring in the missing and murdered

293
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,960
Speaker 4: Indigenous women epidemic because it's such a serious issue and

294
00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:21,440
Speaker 4: not everyone knows about it. So, for those of you

295
00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:25,640
Speaker 4: who don't know, Native women are the victims of violent

296
00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:29,200
Speaker 4: crime far more often than any other group in our country.

297
00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:34,280
Speaker 4: Eighty four percent of Native women have experienced violence, fifty

298
00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:39,840
Speaker 4: six percent of them have experienced sexual violence, and Native

299
00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:44,440
Speaker 4: women are three times more likely to be murdered than

300
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:48,200
Speaker 4: white women, and in some location that murder rate is

301
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:52,160
Speaker 4: ten times the national average. And so these numbers, like,

302
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,840
Speaker 4: when you really think about it, they're staggering. And my

303
00:16:55,920 --> 00:17:00,760
Speaker 4: biggest hope for looking for Smoke is that non natives

304
00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,520
Speaker 4: will come away with a better understanding of the issue

305
00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:06,040
Speaker 4: and a desire to learn how they can help.

306
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,359
Speaker 3: There's a question or a theme that I've heard you

307
00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,040
Speaker 3: speak about. It's this idea of how far would you

308
00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,960
Speaker 3: go to seek justice? And you say that a lot

309
00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,240
Speaker 3: of us, a lot of people don't have to actually

310
00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:20,199
Speaker 3: think about what that looks like.

311
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:21,960
Speaker 1: What do you mean when you say that?

312
00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,719
Speaker 4: Something that I really wanted to explore in Looking for

313
00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,040
Speaker 4: Smoke where these family relationships. We have a lot of

314
00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:33,600
Speaker 4: sibling relationships Lauren and her grandmother, and they are all

315
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,480
Speaker 4: looking out for their family members in some way, and

316
00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,640
Speaker 4: they all feel this desperation to protect their family members

317
00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:46,760
Speaker 4: because they don't feel like anyone else is. They have

318
00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:51,359
Speaker 4: this distrust in the law enforcement officers. Are they really

319
00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:56,719
Speaker 4: looking for my sister? Are they truly trying to find

320
00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:00,240
Speaker 4: the killer of my best friend? Like? They have these

321
00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:05,639
Speaker 4: questions and these doubts, and they're so worried that no

322
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,399
Speaker 4: one else is going to find justice if they don't

323
00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,840
Speaker 4: do it themselves. And that's because cases are not being

324
00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:17,640
Speaker 4: solved and women are not being found. And it truly

325
00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:22,560
Speaker 4: brings out this desperation in these communities of what isn't

326
00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:26,879
Speaker 4: being done? Why is this happening? Why are our women

327
00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,200
Speaker 4: not being found? And I just really wanted to show

328
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,840
Speaker 4: that because it's something that other communities may not deal

329
00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,160
Speaker 4: with as much, or, like I said, haven't heard of it.

330
00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,080
Speaker 2: I think part of the unfortunate reality for people connected

331
00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:45,000
Speaker 2: to this issue is that you don't always get justice.

332
00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:50,240
Speaker 2: Oftentimes you don't get justice. I guess the question in

333
00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:52,400
Speaker 2: that is how do you make peace with the unknown?

334
00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,840
Speaker 4: We don't always get closure. But something else that I've

335
00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:58,840
Speaker 4: tried to show and looking for smoke, is that we

336
00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:04,080
Speaker 4: can get some closure in community. You know, we come together,

337
00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:08,919
Speaker 4: we rally around each other, and Native communities have so

338
00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:12,320
Speaker 4: much strength and they're so tight knit and supportive of

339
00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:15,600
Speaker 4: each other, and that is how we can find peace.

340
00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,240
Speaker 4: And another one of my goals for this book was

341
00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:24,280
Speaker 4: that the Native readers will see themselves in this story

342
00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:29,199
Speaker 4: and see their families and to feel some peace in

343
00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,720
Speaker 4: that community, and that we're in this together and we're

344
00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:36,000
Speaker 4: fighting together, and we all want to be heard and

345
00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,160
Speaker 4: we want more people to pay attention.

346
00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:43,080
Speaker 3: It's so important to discuss these aspects of the Native

347
00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:49,040
Speaker 3: experience seeking justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women. But

348
00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:51,560
Speaker 3: it's also really important to talk about the joyful parts

349
00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:56,560
Speaker 3: of the experience too, And I love that you incorporated

350
00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,480
Speaker 3: some of those joyful elements of what it means to

351
00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:02,639
Speaker 3: be Native American in this story. What are some of

352
00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:06,480
Speaker 3: those joyful experiences for you? Like, what does native joy

353
00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:07,600
Speaker 3: look like to you?

354
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,840
Speaker 4: When I think of the Native experience. The first thing

355
00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,159
Speaker 4: that always comes to mind is the humor, Like you

356
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,480
Speaker 4: get in a group of Native people. You will be

357
00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:22,639
Speaker 4: laughing so much. They're so hilarious in every situation, like

358
00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:25,879
Speaker 4: they will always bring in humor. And I feel like

359
00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:28,800
Speaker 4: that is one of my weaknesses in writing. It's hard

360
00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,080
Speaker 4: to write humor, but I try to show pieces of that,

361
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:38,399
Speaker 4: and I also think about just the traditions that brings

362
00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,600
Speaker 4: a lot of joy too, So that's why I wanted

363
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:45,679
Speaker 4: to center it around a powwow where we see natives

364
00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:50,680
Speaker 4: experiencing their culture in its truest form. They are doing

365
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:55,199
Speaker 4: the dancing, the traditional ceremonies, and another one of my

366
00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:59,879
Speaker 4: favorite things is to watch Indian relay races where we

367
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:04,480
Speaker 4: have a bareback rider racing three horses around a track,

368
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,600
Speaker 4: jumping off one jumping onto the next. And I wanted

369
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,080
Speaker 4: to show that in the book as well, because we

370
00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,720
Speaker 4: are still here, We're still experiencing the culture together and

371
00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:16,720
Speaker 4: celebrating it.

372
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:19,919
Speaker 3: Oka we have come to the part of our show

373
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,720
Speaker 3: where we ask authors to read us a passage from

374
00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:26,439
Speaker 3: their book. There's this one scene that we have in

375
00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,399
Speaker 3: mind that's a reflection of a real life moment with

376
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,560
Speaker 3: your dad. What's going on in this scene?

377
00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:35,760
Speaker 4: So this book is written from multiple povs, so it

378
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:40,440
Speaker 4: switches between four different main characters. And this scene is

379
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:47,120
Speaker 4: from eli first Kills perspective, and he's coming to apologize Tomara,

380
00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:51,640
Speaker 4: who has felt like an outsider and Eli was one

381
00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,840
Speaker 4: of the colder students. To her, I bust out my

382
00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:59,720
Speaker 4: wise indigenous voice, looking into the distance. You have a

383
00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:04,560
Speaker 4: head presence. I feel it. You're quiet, but you're there observing,

384
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:09,800
Speaker 4: like a hawk surveying its land. You're good medicine. She

385
00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:13,080
Speaker 4: playfully bumps my knee. I'm gonna take that as a compliment.

386
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:17,920
Speaker 4: I drop the voice. It is when she smiles again,

387
00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:20,800
Speaker 4: I realize our faces are only a foot apart, and

388
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,440
Speaker 4: I find myself noticing the curves of her lips as

389
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,520
Speaker 4: her smile fades. If I'm a hawk, what are you?

390
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:32,240
Speaker 4: Were already established I'm mad bear? She laughs. No, you're

391
00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,680
Speaker 4: not a bear, You're more like a buffalo. I bite

392
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:39,600
Speaker 4: my tongue to hide my surprise. Sometimes you're quiet, too,

393
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,840
Speaker 4: but you have a big presence. Everyone knows if they

394
00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:46,600
Speaker 4: cross you, you could end them. You seem calm, but

395
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:51,040
Speaker 4: your power is very apparent. She cocks her head and nods,

396
00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,439
Speaker 4: just like a buffalo. You're not going to understand why.

397
00:22:55,600 --> 00:23:00,119
Speaker 4: But that's the most I've felt seen in my entire life.

398
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,879
Speaker 4: That's all I've tried to do. Keep out of trouble

399
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,760
Speaker 4: and take care of Sherry. Be the buffalo, ready to

400
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:10,240
Speaker 4: defend her if anyone bothers us good. Her smile is

401
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,720
Speaker 4: bright in the moonlight, and I can't help but smile back.

402
00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:16,960
Speaker 4: I thought you'd hate me, I would. Her gaze drifts

403
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,960
Speaker 4: to the cracked sidewalk. The thing is, I didn't expect

404
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,399
Speaker 4: to fit in with less than three months of school left.

405
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,840
Speaker 4: Her mouth presses into a grimace. I knew I wouldn't

406
00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,040
Speaker 4: have any friends for a while, and I didn't try

407
00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:30,640
Speaker 4: that hard to make any Everyone is so tight here.

408
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,320
Speaker 4: Most of you have known each other your whole lives.

409
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,320
Speaker 4: You've got a bunch of family everywhere. I'm the odd

410
00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:38,960
Speaker 4: one who doesn't. I knew i'd be thought of as

411
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,639
Speaker 4: this newcomer who hasn't been a part of anything. What

412
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,160
Speaker 4: hurt was that I felt like my identity wasn't accepted,

413
00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:49,160
Speaker 4: Like I couldn't just own it. I had to prove

414
00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,639
Speaker 4: I deserved it or something that's not what it was,

415
00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,480
Speaker 4: she barrels on. It was like, I'm not full, so

416
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:58,879
Speaker 4: I don't count. I didn't grow up here, and my

417
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,720
Speaker 4: family isn't very true, so I must not know any

418
00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:04,800
Speaker 4: of the culture. I haven't been here with you, so

419
00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:08,400
Speaker 4: I'm not one of you. I shake my head. I'm

420
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,960
Speaker 4: not full either, that's not I think everyone just thought

421
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,560
Speaker 4: you didn't want to be one of us. We didn't

422
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:15,280
Speaker 4: mean any of that.

423
00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:17,000
Speaker 5: Well.

424
00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:19,560
Speaker 4: I already worried about where I fit in with everything,

425
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,760
Speaker 4: so it just got worse moving here. I know who

426
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,199
Speaker 4: I am, but if I have to prove it to

427
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:28,359
Speaker 4: someone else, it makes me doubt myself. I guess I

428
00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:30,840
Speaker 4: don't have all the same experiences as you guys, but

429
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,600
Speaker 4: being black Feet is still a huge part of my identity.

430
00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:36,760
Speaker 4: She raises her chin when she looks at me, still

431
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,840
Speaker 4: proud even when she's doubting herself. The faint light from

432
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,960
Speaker 4: the big sky makes her high cheekbones glow. She knows

433
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,440
Speaker 4: who she is. She just wanted us to know too.

434
00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:50,679
Speaker 4: Your black feet, Mara Ressett. Nobody can take that from you.

435
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:52,840
Speaker 1: Thank you for that.

436
00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,879
Speaker 3: So that last line, Ka that says your black feet,

437
00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:00,680
Speaker 3: Maria Risidet nobody can take that from you. I hear

438
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:03,840
Speaker 3: that there's a deeper story behind that. Where does that

439
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:04,680
Speaker 3: line come from?

440
00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,439
Speaker 4: It goes back to what I was saying before, where

441
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,640
Speaker 4: I was having a lot of questions and doubts when

442
00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:15,320
Speaker 4: I got the idea for this story, thinking am I

443
00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,240
Speaker 4: black feet enough? Am I the right person to tell

444
00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:22,399
Speaker 4: this story? And of course my dad came in. I

445
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,840
Speaker 4: laid down all my doubts for him, and he he's

446
00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,720
Speaker 4: the one who helped me shut them down and he

447
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,200
Speaker 4: said to me, I will always remember he said, your

448
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,320
Speaker 4: black feet, my girl, Nobody can take that from you.

449
00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:40,280
Speaker 4: And that was so powerful to me, and I wanted

450
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,639
Speaker 4: to put that into a scene because it resonated so

451
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:48,280
Speaker 4: much with me, and I just I think everyone deserves

452
00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:54,160
Speaker 4: to hear that that you are enough, You belong who

453
00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,119
Speaker 4: you are, Nobody can take that from you.

454
00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,160
Speaker 2: Kay, I felt you get emotional when you we're reciting

455
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 2: it to us. Where did those almost tears come from?

456
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,720
Speaker 4: It's just like I wish everyone could have a support

457
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:15,520
Speaker 4: like that, like my dad. I'm patting emotional. He will

458
00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:19,639
Speaker 4: always affirm who I am, like it's the cultural pride

459
00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:23,280
Speaker 4: comes from him, like the confidence in myself comes from

460
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,880
Speaker 4: him like you are who you are and I love

461
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:29,080
Speaker 4: you for it, And I just wish that everyone could

462
00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:30,880
Speaker 4: hear that, no matter who they are.

463
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:36,199
Speaker 1: Well, that's the power of writing. Right now, everybody can

464
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,240
Speaker 1: hear it when they pick up your book. Are you

465
00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:39,520
Speaker 1: up for a listener question?

466
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:40,399
Speaker 4: Yeah?

467
00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:45,240
Speaker 2: Sure, Okay, fantastic. This question is from Naomi Hi.

468
00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,240
Speaker 5: I'm Naomi, I'm Ojibwe. I live in San Francisco. I'm

469
00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:53,000
Speaker 5: a book content creator. I use my platform to highlight

470
00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,040
Speaker 5: and uplift native authors. It is so important to me

471
00:26:56,359 --> 00:26:59,000
Speaker 5: that when we go into a bookstore, we have more

472
00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,480
Speaker 5: than just a couple of options on books written by

473
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:06,000
Speaker 5: people who share our identities and lived experience. So I

474
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,320
Speaker 5: would love to know more about how or what you

475
00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:11,360
Speaker 5: struggled with the most as you worked to explore such

476
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,840
Speaker 5: a serious topic as MMIW, and the steps you took

477
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,399
Speaker 5: to remain respectful to the very real life experiences that

478
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:19,280
Speaker 5: people have had.

479
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,879
Speaker 4: That is an awesome question. I truly did struggle before

480
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:28,359
Speaker 4: I started writing this book because I knew I would

481
00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:34,919
Speaker 4: need to find a very fine line in crafting a

482
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:41,240
Speaker 4: propulsive thriller myth for entertainment and bringing in this very

483
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:46,160
Speaker 4: sensitive and very real issue that is affecting communities today.

484
00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:50,240
Speaker 4: And I was afraid to start writing because I knew

485
00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,800
Speaker 4: how hard it would be. But I think I found

486
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,480
Speaker 4: the line to walk through my characters while I was

487
00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:02,800
Speaker 4: writing these fictional cases. The feelings that the characters are

488
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:09,359
Speaker 4: experiencing are real. I'm bringing in that true grief, the

489
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:14,879
Speaker 4: feelings of betrayal, this deep sadness, this angry grief. Like

490
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,640
Speaker 4: I'm bringing in feelings that are so real and feelings

491
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,679
Speaker 4: that we've all experienced in some way. And if we

492
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,000
Speaker 4: can sit in those feelings with the characters, I think

493
00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,960
Speaker 4: it will help us to relate to the crisis in

494
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,800
Speaker 4: a more personal way if we don't already have a

495
00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:39,040
Speaker 4: personal reason. And yeah, the characters just helped me to

496
00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:43,240
Speaker 4: find the path to walk in being sensitive to the

497
00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:48,840
Speaker 4: communities while also hopefully having a page turning story. Fantastic.

498
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:50,920
Speaker 2: Well, thank you so much for your time and for

499
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:52,200
Speaker 2: sharing your story with us.

500
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,520
Speaker 4: Thank you, Ka, of course, thank you so much. This

501
00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:56,320
Speaker 4: has been awesome.

502
00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,560
Speaker 2: Kay Hey Kobell is the author of Looking for Smoke,

503
00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:02,440
Speaker 2: which is the fall young adult pick for Reese's book Club.

504
00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:08,680
Speaker 1: That's it for Today's show.

505
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,560
Speaker 3: Tomorrow, Comedian and actor Leanne Morgan joins us to talk

506
00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,520
Speaker 3: about our new memoir What in the World, A Southern

507
00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,920
Speaker 3: Woman's Guide to laughing at life's unexpected curveballs and beautiful blessings.

508
00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:23,880
Speaker 3: Join the conversation using hashtag the bright Side and connect

509
00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:27,160
Speaker 3: with us on social media at Hello Sunshine on Instagram

510
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:30,360
Speaker 3: and at The bright Side Pod on TikTok oh, and

511
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:33,000
Speaker 3: feel free to tag us at simone Voice and at

512
00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:34,120
Speaker 3: Danielle Robe.

513
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:37,600
Speaker 2: Listen and follow The bright Side on the iHeartRadio app,

514
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,320
Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

515
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:48,760
Speaker 3: See you tomorrow, folks, Keep looking on the bright side.