A love triangle, the consequences of war, and a social time bomb in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision declaring segregation in schools unconstitutional. These are the foundational conflicts that make Blue Wild Indigo (ISBN: 979-8-9907945-0-4; November 15, 2024, $16.99, Original Trade Paperback) by James Jennings an epic novel, spanning two tumultuous decades in rural Oklahoma. Jennings expertly crafts tense scenes that threaten to boil over if not for the thin layer of restraint his characters are able to maintain. All the while the author poses a fundamental question: How far will one man go for justice?
As early as his teen years Harry True knew that Bliss was the girl he was meant to marry. When the draft board called in 1942, Harry left for Europe with a promise from his love that gave him the strength to survive when he was captured during the Battle of the Bulge. Harry was finally able to return to Oklahoma, a bruised but not yet broken man. However, he was dismayed and angered to find out that his best friend and blood brother had taken Harry’s intended bride as his own.
Harry and Bliss were destined to be together, and they were unable to fight their connection once he returned. They often escaped to a secret trysting place only a couple of people knew existed. When Woody Coats, a young Black man from their town, was blamed for the rape of a Mexican girl, Harry and Bliss were the only two people who could prove his innocence. They saw him miles away from the scene of the crime while they were in the midst of their affair. As the real perpetrators managed to throw the blame on Woody, Bliss and Harry were devastated by their choices—destroy their lives and those of the people they loved or allow citizen justice to mete out a vicious punishment to an innocent man.
James Jennings has deep roots in Oklahoma and uses his extensive knowledge of horsemanship and ranching to bring the dry and rocky terrain, hot sun, dusty air, and tremendous colors of the prairie to life. His ability to capture both setting and character so well gives Blue Wild Indigo a richness that, according to award-winning author Charles Salzberg, “is steeped in the tradition of Southern and Southwestern writers like Larry McMurtry and Harper Lee.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Jennings is a writer and trial lawyer. He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is a fifth-generation Oklahoman and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. His ancestors traveled west on the Trail of Tears to what is now known as the Sooner State. He is descended from tribal chiefs, warriors, ranchers, horse breeders, scholars, lawyers, judges, and men of the cloth. Blue Wild Indigo is his third novel.
Blue Wild Indigo
A novel by James Jennings
Plum Bay Publishing
Publication Date: November 15, 2024
ISBN: 979-8-9907945-0-4
Original Trade Paperback
Price: $17.99 | Pages: 367