Wheezer and the Painted Frog

Wheezer and the Painted Frog
226 Pages
Little Buffalo Arts Publishing
ISBN 978-1-7321496-0-1

Ideal for mature middle grade readers to adult—anyone interested in Native American history.

Who killed Usti Yansa? Find out in Wheezer and the Painted Frog, Kitty Sutton's debut novel about the aftermath of the infamous Trail of Tears. Healthy little boys shouldn't grow weak and die when they have shelter, food and the care of their families, yet Sasa's little brother, the last of her family, sickens, mumbling the mysterious 'I didn't do it right, I didn't do enough. Why didn't it work?'

Left alone, mourning and trying to survive in a new place with new ways, Sasa seeks answers with the help of her new friend, Wheezer. The Jack Russell Terrier seems too wise, too fierce and too loyal to be just a dog. Did the Creator send Wheezer to Sasa and if so, how can a dog, albeit a smart one, help to solve a murder? From the time Europeans landed in North America, the People were forced out of the land they had known for generations. By the nineteenth century, the United States had pushed them into the remote and undeveloped area known as Indian Territory and promised them food and protection that never came. Plagued by the loss of their ability to farm and hunt, the lack of food and shelter, the disease brought by the White Man, every tribe suffered losses so great only the memories of the survivors could document the dead.

"Wheezer and the Painted Frog is at once joyous and heartbreaking. You will ache for the suffering, be outraged by the wrongs fascinated by the way of life, identify with Sasa and above all you will love Wheezer. You will look for his spirit in every dog you meet! Good luck and all best wishes Anne." —Anne Perry, Author of Acceptable Loss

Kitty Sutton

About Kitty Sutton (Springfield, Missouri Author)

Kitty Sutton

Kitty Sutton was born Kathleen Kelley to an Osage/Irish family. Both sides of her family were from performing families in Kansas City, Missouri and Kitty was trained from an early age in dance, vocal, art and musical instruments. Her father was a Naval band leader. During the Great Depression, her mother helped to support her family by tap dancing in the speakeasys even though she was just a child; she was very tall for her age but made up like an adult. Kitty had music and art on all sides of her family which ultimately helped to feed her imaginative mind and desire to succeed.

Kitty married a wonderful Cherokee artist from Oklahoma, in fact the very area that she writes about in her Wheezer series of novels. After raising her family, Kitty came to Branson, Missouri and performed in her own one woman show there for twelve years. To honor her father, she performed under the name Kitty Kelley. She has three music albums and several original songs to her credit and is best known for her comical, feel good song called, It Ain't Over Till The Fat Lady Sings. Kitty has been writing for many years and in 2011 Inknbeans published her historical Native American murder mystery. First in a line of stories featuring Wheezer, a Jack Russell Terrier and his Cherokee friend, Sasa, it is called, Wheezer And The Painted Frog. Following that first book she came out with Wheezer and the Shy Coyote and has named her series, Mysteries From the Trail of Tears. Her third book, Wheezer and the Golden Serpent was released in 2013. Her fourth book, Wheezer and the Giveaway Child, is being released by the end of 2016. Kitty lives in the southwestern corner of Missouri near Branson with her husband of 46 years, one rescued cat and her three Jack Russell Terriers, one of which is the real and wonderful Wheezer