After examining questions of when people came to the Americas, who came, and from where did they come, I found the major issue in archaeology/anthropology: Clovis-First or Pre-Clovis? That means that 12,000 years ago is a dividing point over which Clovis-Firsts say that prior to that date no humans were in the Americas and that human intelligence evolved, while the Pre-Clovis group says there are over 400 sites in the Americas that pre-date 12,000 BC, sometimes up to 250,000 years ago or more, and that intelligence has remained constant over the ages dependent on environment and circumstances as to what it was applied and the base of information on which it started. A five year span of research still hasn't answered my questions, but there is much room for speculation. At the same time I encountered the recent research on Neanderthals. I chose to use fiction as a vehicle to speculate on an early peopling of the Americas and the Winds of Change series was born. In February 2013 the Smithsonian Magazine issued an article pushing back the date of the peopling of the Americas to 22,000 years ago, and suggesting that peopling occurred via small boats. Manak-na's Story, 75,000 BC launched in June 2013 and with it the story of travel from what is now China to Mexico and return will take place.

May 2, 2013, Ki'ti's Story, 75,000 BC, a coming of age story of the People's Wise One, was awarded First Place for Fiction by the Alaska Professional Communicators. The award explanation reads in part: "This book is worthy of first place award for many reasons beyond its ambitious scope and size. The work is highly imagined and even inspired beyond imaginings. This speaks of courage. Although primitive life is presented in real time, we don't lose our sense of historical connection." Judge was Grace Cavalieri, writer/producer: "The Poet and the Poem from the Library of Congress."

Ki'ti's Story, 75,000 BC has won another award but it cannot be revealed until the end of August.