Stir Things Up: Paty Jager

Stir Things Up by Paty Jager

Boy, do I stir things up! But I think in a good way. Others may not think so.
The theme that runs through every book, every novella, every short story I write is justice or redemption. Life is messy. I don’t care who you are, you have been through something that you felt a victim and couldn’t get justice, or you did something that may or may not have been your fault, but you have to show that isn’t who you are.
There are too many predators, mean people, and jerks in this world that you can’t go unscathed if you’ve lived very long.

And because of this, I bring subjects to my books that some people may not like; but they are real and they happen every day to someone. I hope that my books and stories, even though they are mysteries and westerns both contemporary and historical, that they show lives can be turned around and justice can be found.

I read few historical westerns where they talk about the woman having a period, going to the bathroom, or what was used for contraceptives in the late 1800’s in the west. Because those are topics some people wonder about—How did they take care of that back then? I have used these scenarios in books. I have a curious mind, I wondered and researched. Then I used it.

The contemporary books deal more with abuse and people who are different, and someone finally takes the time to discover they are just the same as you and me.
My current Shandra Higheagle Mystery release deals with sexual harassment in a high school. I believe, as it is mentioned in my book, that there is always someone else who knows what is going on and could put a stop to it, but doesn’t for whatever reason. Again, this topic while it is hot in the media, wasn’t why I picked it.

I knew my main character Shandra Higheagle was volunteering at a high school, and I needed to come up with someone to die and a reason for his death. I thought back to my time in high school and the science teacher who gave all the girls who wore dresses and sat in the front row an A. It was common knowledge all over the school. Yet, no one, not another teacher or the principal said anything to the teacher. I made the murder victim more lecherous. And gave the principal a reason why he didn’t do anything when female teachers complained about him harassing them.

In the end, justice prevails. I won’t tell you how, because that would give away the story.

My next series starts with a human body found with a wolf collar on his neck in an area that is full of turmoil over the wolves returning in so many numbers to the area. Yes, I love to stir things up!

What about you? Do you like to write or read books that bring in things you don’t normally see in a book, or that could be controversial?

~

Artful Murder
Book ten in the Shandra Higheagle Mystery Series
Secrets… Scandal… Murder…
An autistic boy and his brother need potter Shandra Higheagle’s help when a teacher’s body is found after a confrontation with the older brother. Shandra knows the boy is innocent. Digging into the teacher’s life, she and Ryan turn up scandal.
Detective Ryan Greer has believed in Shandra’s dreams in the past, but she can’t always be right. When his investigation uncovers a principal on the take, females being harassed, and parents kept in the dark, he discovers more suspects than the brothers. Shandra’s time at the school is coming to an end, and the killer has struck again.

Universal buy link https://www.books2read.com/u/bapvjq

About Paty
Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 32 novels, 6 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. This is what Mysteries Etc says about her Shandra Higheagle mystery series: “Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read.”

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