Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Book 1
Rising Wind: The Thunder Beings (Book One)
Secora knows that the Mapinguari, a giant ground sloth that rivals King Kong for size, is probably just a local myth dreamed up by the indigenous tribes. Or is it?
Gideon Yellow Thunder is Montana’s top real estate broker and is perfectly content with his modern life, leaving behind his Lakota heritage to lead a life of wealth and success.
But when he starts having visions of bison on the open prairie, he feels compelled to act…Now two separate lives are on a collision course as Gideon sets off for the jungles of Brazil to find a woman he’s never met and protect the sacred beings he’d long given up believing in— the Thunderbirds.
Could they be real after all?
Or are they just a myth?
Gideon’s about to find out in the adventure of a lifetime, where everything he’d pushed aside is determined to leave its mark on his life.
Book 2
Rising Wind: Ice and Bone
As book 2 of the series of Rising Wind: Ice and Bone begins, paleontologist Dr. Secora James is still reeling from injuries sustained in the previous summer’s mountain top battle and the adoption of Monta, an Andean orphan. Her best friend, Gideon Yellow Thunder, has something important to discuss. Still, before she can listen, Secora receives a desperate call from a fellow paleontologist, Billy Riggins, under attack at a mammoth site in Western Washington.
Secora travels from Montana with Monta to find out if Billy is dead. Will her growing knowledge of his taboo discovery and the accumulation of indisputable proof also threaten her life and that of her tiny daughter?
Where is the skeleton?
Gideon, shaken by the realization Secora will always be rushing away from him, leaves town to help a client solve a mystery in remote Western Montana. There he meets Kamal, the owner’s son, and caretaker Jake Lansing. The three men are attacked by a dead-eyed assassin who wounds Kamal, then seals them inside a cold, wet mine. Jimmy Lizardeye, a Lakota Wichasha Wakan and Gideon’s close friend and mentor, asks Secora to meet him near West Glacier.
Jimmy is worried; he is unable to reach Gideon by phone or in spirit. If he and Secora can track the victims down but will any of them rebound from the cave-in and hypothermia?
A few days later, Secora hears from the university’s Anthropology department; her sister, Iris, and good friend Jane have disappeared with their team of students into the Peruvian Yungas. She must leave for South America with Jimmy and a university-sponsored team, including two treacherous companions. What about little Monta? Secora’s parents are away travel teaching, the babysitter can’t handle an extra child for an entire week, and she can’t leave the baby with a stranger.
They must embark on another dangerous journey together. Can Secora survive?
Will her baby be safe? Her circle of family and friends is critically important to her, yet they’ve all seemingly disappeared in a matter of days. Will she survive personal tests, assassins, and terror birds?
Can she manage the loss of those closest to her?
Thrilling events cause bonds to strengthen throughout her spiritually and culturally diverse extended family.
Book 3
Rising Wind: The Weeping God and The Book of Hope
Book three begins with the lead characters, Sage Dalton and L.W., who are the main character's parents in the other Rising Wind books. Although the characters are different and set in an earlier time period, the book's tone is very similar. This time they discover an ancient text in a Mexican desert tomb that leads Sage, L.W., and a group of fellow explorers to Tibet, where they find themselves in the middle of a war.
Even with danger at every turn, they still manage to discover secret caves that lead them toward an elusive yet powerful Book of Hope. First and foremost, her books have a superb cast of characters that readers can easily relate to. They care about each other, work together to achieve a common goal, laugh together, and cry together.
Second, her stories revolve around rare ancient discoveries found all around the world. Much like the great Indiana Jones films, each new discovery comes with an element of danger.
The third common theme is an embracing of all world religions. Religion is somehow intertwined with each rare find that the characters make. I appreciate the way Ms. Olsen always characterizes the religious elements in her stories in a positive light, as the hope of humanity rather than the way most works of fiction portray religion in a negative sense as humanity’s biggest problem.
A fun read filled with colorful characters and lots of action. I recommend it for fans of character-driven adventure who like to learn about science, ancient civilizations, and world religions along the way.
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12
Book 13
Book 14
Book 15
Book 16
Book 17
Book 18
Book 19
Book 20
Diane Olsen
Diane Olsen is a multi-award-winning author who gained recognition with her nonfiction book Ancient Ways: The Roots of Religion. Her book won a bronze medallion at the Christian Illuminations Book Awards and established her presence on readers' radars and the literary map.
The Rising Wind series was adapted from several screenplays she wrote years ago and turned into novels. Like 'Thunder Beings,' followed by 'Ice and Bone,' 'The Weeping God and The Book of Hope,' along with 'Like Feathers of a Wing,' and the book 'Rock My Soul,' with four of the novels receiving five-star ratings from Reader’s Favorite.
The novel series is a multicultural realistic mystery fiction read with loads of action and adventure thrill rides like no other! No matter their beliefs or cultural backgrounds, everyone will enjoy this 'Indiana Jones '-style saga, which rides the balance between science and religion, dares to share how all human beings are part of humanity in unity. With all her titles available on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and many other online bookstores and literary sites, she now engages and delights readers on her official author website, sharing captivating short stories, poems, shards, and excerpts, with more published works in the future.
Born and raised in Colorado, Diane is an Undergrad at Colorado State University, Fort Collins (pre-Vet med, Anthropology); she later earned her BA and MA at the University of Montana, Missoula (Anthropology, Archaeology, and Paleontology). Diane has proudly raised two grown sons, Andrew and Gavin, and has four grandsons, Dylan, Brayden, AJ, and Asher; when she is not writing,
Diane enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
A few of her favorite books are 'The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan), The Upanishads, and The Great Initiates.' Today she enjoys writing shorter stories and shards of her award-winning books and sharing them on her official website with readers and fans.
The author resides in the beautiful Pacific Northwest of Washington State.