
If you’re addicted to scarves, you should know a lot about knots right?
That’s true for the main character of the adventure-mystery trilogy, SILKI, THE GIRL OF MANY SCARVES.
Silki’s favorite danger knot for tying her ever-present scarves end to end is the Double Overhand Stopper knot. In this example, on a very dark night, Silki and her best friend, Birdie, have fallen into an underground cavern on Concho Mountain. Silki is several feet below Birdie, and she is attempting to climb up to her.
“Hold on a minute, Birdie, while I do something.” I worked my scarf ends into Double-Overhead-Stopper knots, the strongest kind Grandfather ever taught me. He said they were strong enough to hold mountain climbers. With no light, I had to do my work by feeling. My grubby fingers felt like claws. How far up was Birdie? I double-dogged hoped I had enough scarves to reach from me to her—BOOK ONE, SUMMER OF THE ANCIENT
To honor a certain scarf, like the one her Marine brother Nick gave her, Silki wears it alone.
Now everyone except Grandmother stood in the doorway making sure the corners of their mouths pointed up, not down. My Hermes scarf was tied in a French-Twist knot around my neck. Being worn alone was the highest honor I could give any scarf—BOOK ONE, SUMMER OF THE ANCIENT
Sometimes, Silki’s grandfather—a Korean war veteran and former Marine—tests her “knot knowledge.”
“What kind of knot is that?” Grandfather asked.
I looked up into his brown face. “You know, Shi’cheii. it’s a Simple Overhand knot.
“Use a Palomar on the next one, okay?”
I giggled. “No way, Grandfather. That knot ties hooks to our fishing lines when we go to the White Mountains. I could never untie those knots in a hurry.”
“Then tie a Turk’s head knot in the scarf with the horses on it.”
“Birdie and I make bracelets with Turk’s head knots. They’re too crazy for soft scarves.”
Grandfather nodded and pulled the brim of his Phoenix Suns cap further down on his forehead. The crinkles in his eye wrinkles said he was pleased with my answers. He’d been teaching me knots since I’d learned to tie my shoelaces—BOOK TWO, CANYON OF DOOM
Desperate times . . .
An oath would be broken. Would Aunt Susan and the other keepers of the lion’s secrets understand? My brother Nick said desperate times called for desperate action. I was desperate. Once again, my scarves were the only weapon I had—BOOK TWO, CANYON OF DOOM
When Silki’s cousin Skye from Oregon visits, she decides it’s her duty to teach him about the ways of the Rez, especially about her own world.
I reined Smiles onto the path curving around the bottom of Red Rocks and halted. I untied my black scarf with the turquoise and silver thunderbird in the center. “Tie this scarf on your arm.”
“Tie a scarf on my arm? Why?”
I turned around to look at Skye and bit my lip to keep from laughing. I didn’t know him very well, but I guessed he’d feel awkward if I laughed at his questions. I slid off Smiles with my back to the fender . . . —BOOK THREE, VALLEY OF SHADOWS
In BOOK THREE, the girls are in their biggest danger yet. They have no weapons, and if they don’t do something, it might be too late.
I reminded Birdie she had to send the sand bombs up to me all in one scarf using a Barrel Hitch knot. It was a quick knot and worked great for heavy objects. She hated tying knots, but she was okay with it since the Barrel Hitch was a simple tuck maneuver—BOOK THREE, VALLEY OF SHADOWS
SILKI, THE GIRL OF MANY SCARVES novels will keep you turning the pages, guaranteed! Adventure after adventure with bad guys galore, oddities, mysteries, and always a shocking surprise or several at the end!
~ALL-AGE FICTION AS IT SHOULD BE~



AN ADVENTURE-MYSTERY TRILOGY YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS! SILKI, THE GIRL OF MANY SCARVES trilogy has no age limits.

A beautiful display of culture . . . I thoroughly enjoyed Silki, The Girl of Many Scarves. As a Middle School Spanish teacher, I am always excited to find culturally and linguistically relevant literature for our youth. You will fall in love with the characters, and appreciate how authentically the Navajo language and traditions are conveyed. This trilogy is a must read! ~ Tara Moore
Yet another brilliant book from a Storyteller. Note the Capital “S” . . .
Building on the first two books, Summer of the Ancient and Canyon of Doom, VALLEY OF SHADOWS brings the reader, further into the life, legends, and myths of the People and Reservation. Reading the part about Angel the mare, and her adopted foals . . . well, keep a tissue handy. The dust blew into my eyes, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Great read, as were the first books. Lots of mental pictures being painted by a superb storyteller. This trilogy might be rated YA, but we older YA’s (I’m 66) will love it as well. Hoping this won’t be the last we read of Silki but, if it is, I hope Silki, Birdie, Smiles, and the rest of her family enjoy their lives as much as I have enjoyed them. ~ Wayne Edgin
I absolutely loved this third book in the trilogy of ‘Sliki, the Girl of Many Scarves . . . The author, Jodi Lea Stewart, did not disappoint her readers as she brought us another adventure set in the Southwest. Her knowledge of the reservation and the Native American people is so vibrant and the sharing of that knowledge with her young adult readers is an extra bonus. I would highly recommend this trilogy to all parents, young adults, and especially to all those who have chosen to homeschool their children. ~ Katherine Russell

Jodi Lea Stewart is the author of a contemporary trilogy set in the Navajo Nation and two historical adventure-mysteries. More are on the way!
Trouble sneaks in one Oklahoma afternoon in 1934 like an oily twister. A beloved neighbor is murdered, and a single piece of evidence sends the sheriff to arrest a black man Biddy, a sharecropper’s daughter, knows is innocent. Hauntingly terrifying sounds seeping from the woods lead Biddy into even deeper mysteries and despair and finally into the shocking truths of that fateful summer.
“Beyond the humor and entertaining antics of the main character, Biddy Woodson, BLACKBERRY ROAD has depth and meaning as it explores stirring universal themes that we expect in great literature” ~ D.B. Jackson, acclaimed Historical and Western author
BLACKBERRY ROAD is engaging, entertaining, and a book that is sure to linger with you . . . the trip is well worth the time ~ Cyrus Webb, Host of ConversationsLIVE, president of Conversations Radio Network, tv show host, author, and publicist
COMING IN SEPTEMBER:
THE ACCIDENTAL ROAD
A teen and her mother escaping an abusive husband tumble into the epicenter of crime peddlers invading Arizona and Nevada in the 1950s. Stranded hundreds of miles from their planned destination of Las Vegas, they land in a dusty town full of ghosts and tales, treachery and corruption. Avoiding disaster is tricky, especially as it leads Kat into a fevered quest for things as simple as home and trust. Danger lurks everywhere, leading her to wonder if she and her mother really did take The Accidental Road of life, or if it’s the exact right road to all they ever hoped for.
Jodi Lea Stewart was born in Texas to an “Okie” mom and a Texan dad. Her younger years were spent in Texas and Oklahoma; hence, she knows all
about biscuits and gravy, blackberry picking, chiggers, and snipe hunting. At the age of eight, she moved to a large cattle ranch in the White Mountains of Arizona. Later, she left her studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson to move to San Francisco, where she learned about peace, love, and exactly what she DIDN’T want to do with her life. Since then, Jodi graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Business Management, raised three children, worked as an electro-mechanical drafter, penned humor columns for a college periodical, wrote regional Western articles, and served as managing editor of a Fortune 500 corporate newsletter. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, her delightful 90+year-old mother, a crazy Standard poodle named Jazz, a rescue cat, and numerous gigantic, bossy houseplants.