Linda Davison Stafford, also known as Crying Wind, April Knight, and Gwendlelynn Lovequist[1] is the author of several novels including Crying Wind and My Searching Heart which describe the experiences of a young Native American girl named "Crying Wind", and tell a story of Christian conversion.[2] Under the pseudonym Gwendlelynn Lovequist, she has written many love stories and romances, for publications such as Writer's Digest.[1]
Linda Stafford | |
|---|---|
| Pen name | Crying Wind |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Subject | American Indians |
 Literature portal | |
Education and businesses
Stafford attended the University of Colorado (1961), the University of Texas (1966), the University of New Mexico (1967), and the University of Alaska (1969).[1] She has run art galleries in Santa Fe, Anchorage, and Oklahoma City.[1]
Publication and exposure
Stafford was described as a Kickapoo author and a convert to Christianity when her book Crying Wind was published in 1977.[3] Soon, she was touring, promoting her book and giving her conversion testimony in churches and at conferences across the United States, dressed in Indian garb.[3]
Later editions of her books, which were published by Moody Press, included a disclaimer that said names, dates, and places had been changed.[2] In 1979, Moody Press took the books out of print due to concerns that the books were not presented as fiction.[2] Stafford said the problem arose due to "an unfortunate misunderstanding" between herself and Moody Press, connected to changes in staff and policies at Moody.[2] She maintained that Crying Wind "is still based on my life", and that her mother was indeed raised on a Kickapoo reservation.[2] Her next publisher, Harvest House, stated that it is honest to call Crying Wind a "biographical novel."[2]
Her book Crying Wind sold over 80,000 copies, and has been translated into over a dozen foreign languages.[2][1] Indian Life has published two of her other books, When the Stars Danced and Thunder in Our Hearts Lightning in Our Veins under their imprint, Sequoyah Editions.[4][5]
List of her books
- Wind, Crying (1977), Crying Wind, Moody Press, ISBN 978-0-8024-1676-6
- Wind, Crying (1980), My Searching Heart: A Biographical Novel, Harvest House, ISBN 978-0-89081-262-4
- Wind, Crying (2001), When the Stars Danced, Sequoyah Editions, ISBN 978-0-920379-19-6, OCLC 49222023
- Stafford, Linda (2007), Thunder in Our Hearts; Lightning in Our Veins, Intertribal, ISBN 978-0-920379-33-2
References
- ^ a b c d e Kievit, Joyce Ann. "Crying Wind" in Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, p. 79 (Bataille and Lisa, eds., Routledge, 2001).
- ^ a b c d e f g "'Crying Wind' is Back, but Not as a Biography This Time". Christianity Today, v. 25, p. 44 (January 23, 1981).
- ^ a b Veach, Tucker. "A Remarkable Life" The Times-News, p. 1 (April 20, 1978).
- ^ Uttley, Jim. "Native American World Indian Life Books Publishes Three New Titles" Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, ASSIST News Service (November 23, 2010).
- ^ Uttley, Jim. "NATIVE AMERICAN WORLD: Intertribal Christian Communications celebrates 30th anniversary" Archived 2014-04-16 at the Wayback Machine, ASSIST News Service (October 26, 2009).