Surgeon Karen Anderson dreams of a world without rules or boundaries ... until the fateful day her antique bed transports her a hundred years into the past. Swept into the sensual arms of a Sioux warrior, she denies her destiny. Standing Deer vows, against the endless horizon of binding dimensions, to win the spirited passion of her heart. Torn between the familiarity of the present and the serenity of the life on the Plains, Karen and Standing Deer must fight for their lives in one of the most controversial battles in history--Custer’s Last Stand. Together they fight for yesterday and seek the promise of tomorrow. She was spiraled into the mid 1800's by the mystical antique four-poster bed. At first, Karen thought she was dreaming but the threats of the menacing look on the man's face seemed just too real to ignore. One minute she was reeling in the luxury of the soft bed and the next, she was staring at an extremely handsome and virile looking Indian. As she watched his face, she could see a look of complete astonishment that had quickly turned to anger. Standing Deer was quite perturbed. He was just getting ready to eat his morning meal when out of the blue heavens this white woman appeared. All of a sudden, there she was. This white woman had long wavy hair with curls cascading down from her shoulders to her waist, like a waterfall. The sun made it sparkle like the rays of sunshine through the clouds and sky. There were so many streaks of colors in it that he wasn't sure what color to call it. It appeared to have all the colors of autumn leaves one saw in the mountains just before the winter snows. How ironic that she would appear just when he thought the whole trip was a waste of his valuable time. He had been scouting for days and had not seen any Pawnee war parties or scouts. This woman was dressed in clothing he had never seen before. Quite different from the clothing of other white women he had seen. What has the Great Spirit planned for him by bringing this woman to him? Where did she come from? How did she get here without him seeing her? There was no horse that he could see and no possible way she could have entered the campsite without him seeing her. He didn't move, nor did Standing Deer want to move. If he scared her, she might leave in the same way she arrived. From his own experiences and those of others, he knew white women were cowards. They tended to get very skittish when they were around Indians. He did not want to scare her away. He wanted answers to his questions. The training of a Hunkpapa warrior prepared Standing Deer to be ready for anything. This was different. It was magical how she appeared before his eyes. She was a very beautiful woman. Standing Deer could feel his palms sweating, and his heart beating faster. He felt an attraction he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years. What kind of spell had she cast over him? Standing Deer was thorough as he stood silently admiring and observing her. She was a little woman just barely able to reach his shoulders. She was indeed in strange attire, with practically nothing covering her body. This woman with the colorful hair and strange clothes did not appear to be shaken by his presence. Grinning, her attire did not leave much to the imagination. She was quite striking; her body was well formed and well endowed. She appeared to be strong and healthy for a white woman. It pleased him to see the muscles throughout her arms and legs. Yes, she was quite a specimen. This woman was a strong one. She would be able to work hard, stand her own ground among the other captives and possibly even among the Indian women of the tribe. She would surely bring him good fortune and many horses when he traded her to the Cheyenne. Maybe he is to take this white woman back to camp with him. He could keep her for himself. He decided that he would definitely like to keep her for himself. Standing Deer hadn’t felt this kind of desire for a woman for too long a time. His body was starting to react to the beauty before him. He closed his eyes for a brief second as he fought to gain control of his thoughts of taking her. Was that lust he saw in her eyes too? The Great Spirit has brought him a jewel from the skies of the Pawnee country.

Professional Reviews
Outstanding!
In this outstanding read we meet a lovely woman named Karen. Karen is a doctor, a woman who deals with facts, why then were the dreams she was having changing her life? How could a dream turn into reality? How could the past and future be as one?

In this exceptional novel we are taken into the life of Karen, who after purchasing a bed begins to dream, but her dreams have substance, a life of their own, as they take her into the world of the past. In her sleep she meets an Indian named Standing Deer and begins to live in his world, which becomes as much a reality as her own. What mystic powers are hidden in this bed of dreams that call forth the present into the past? And what part does Karen play in the master plan that is weaving its web around her? Fascinating!

The author has woven a story that takes you from present to past, and back again, as Karen struggles to make sense of what is happening. As she becomes more and more involved with Standing Deer and the Indian people of her dream, you wonder where do the answers lie and what will the outcome be? The challenges become immense as Karen falls deeply in love with her Indian Warrior, and he with her. How can a love like this survive? Will Karen leave the world she knows forever to join her true love or will he choose to stay in hers? These decisions hang heavily upon Karen along with the knowledge of the history of the time she is thrust into. Does she dare to alter that history?

Not only does Ms. Ackerson write an outstanding work of fiction, but she incorporates facts of the plight and living conditions of the Native American Indians, and their struggle to survive. Her description of the plains, the countryside, and the respect they had for all life was excellent and drew you deeply into the meat of the story. In this work we are given morsels of history, suspense, romance, and the supernatural. It is a love story like none other; one that transcends time and space and stirs within us the unquenchable hope for a better tomorrow. If we could travel in the past, could we make things better for the future or would we dare to tamper with history? A top of the notch read! Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Shirley Priscilla Johnson author of Whispers of Life and Children's Storybooks



Blue Ribbon Rating

Karen buys an antique bed, and the first night that she sleeps in it she is transported into the past and into an Indian's camp. Believing she is just having a vivid dream, Karen is not at all concerned to find she is facing an extremely handsome Indian with a menacing expression on his face. He claims to be Standing Deer, a Hunkpapa warrior from the Lakota, Sioux tribe. The attraction is instant and mutual. But her dreams have never seemed this real before. When he grabs her and plops her on his horse in front of him she begins to worry. Immediately after thinking that she wishes she were anywhere but here, magically she is transported to the base of a waterfall.

Here she finds an injured warrior and tries to nurse his wounds in a cave. She wishes she had her modern medical supplies and they appeared, now the cave was a modern hospital room. As the warrior regains consciousness he tells her that he is Jumping Bull, the chief of the Lakota tribe. When Jumping Bull falls asleep from the medications, Karen also sleeps.

Waking up from a deep sleep, Karen remembers her dream and how vivid it seemed. Then she realized that her hair was wet and her t-shirt was missing. She had washed her hair in the pool at the base of the waterfall and used her t-shirt on Jumping Bull's wounds. But how could her hair get wet from a dream? And she could not find the t-shirt anywhere so where could it be?

Thus begins an unbelievable adventure with Karen shifting back and forth between present times and past times. She grows to love the Indian ways, and one Indian in particular. Knowing what the future holds for the Indian tribes, she is torn, one moment wanting to do something to change history and help the Indians survive but also knowing it would be a big mistake to do this.

From meeting Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, to knowing that General Custer was going to attack them, it is a tumultuous time for Karen. She lives their life, shares their sorrows and heals their injured.

This sweeping novel is quite an undertaking for a first time author and she does a fine job with it. She shows us how hard it was for the Indians when the white men decided they wanted their land and how the Indians revered their land and all of nature. It is certainly a new way to learn some history lessons but also an interesting and very personal way. If you enjoy time travel, Indians or love stories, this book has it all.

Reader Reviews for "Home of the Braves"

Reviewed by Richard Kallao	2/17/2008
That was wonderful , finally meeting another Floridian to , I live in Davenport . But only recently took up writing , now I have to buy your books to catch up on everything or see what haooens next , brilliantly done . Rkallao.aol.com
Reviewed by Janet Bellinger	2/19/2006
I love the idea of the bed as time travel vehicle

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