A treasure hunter in debt to a vicious crime boss organizes an expedition in a quest for gold in Canyon de Chelly. This is the stuff stories are made of, and former Cortez physician and author Dr. Marcus Higi hopes his story Navajo Gold will feed readers interests.
In Higis debut novel, Billy Payton, a treasure hunter in debt to El Jefe Esperanza , a vicious crime boss, organizes an expedition with the bosss nephew Manuel and his brother Grant, a professor of Southwestern archaeology, in a quest for gold in Canyon de Chelly. They nearly succeed when Agent Donald McFadden ambushes their secret expedition in a bungled heist, injuring Billy and killing Manuel. In order to save himself and Billy, Grant must help Agent McFadden recover the gold to save himself and his brother, but McFadden gets called by Detective Mary Begay to investigate his own crime.
When Dr. George Hatcher, a Navajo surgeon, helps an injured woman searching for her missing father, he connects her to a mythical treasure. They get caught in the crossfire when the law and Esperanzas goons close in on McFaddens quest for the gold.
Higi moved to Albuquerque, N.M., last year to be closer to his wifes elderly parents. The doctor, who specialized in holistic health for five years at his private practice in Cortez, now works in family practice for Presbyterian Medical Group. Prior to private practice, Higi did Locums work on the reservation, where he said he gained his inspiration and experience, as well as exposure to the Navajo culture.
I primarily worked part time in Chinle, Tuba City and Shiprock and the rest of the time was working on the book, Higi said.
The novel began as a medical thriller until Higi talked with veteran reporter, Bill Donovan, in Gallup, N.M. Donovan told Higi he thought the story was a bit cliche.
He mentioned there was a lot of stories of lost treasure on the reservation and that led me to start researching Spanish gold, Higi said. It took the novel in a different direction when I rewrote it.
The course of the rewrite took three years and Higi admitted the first couple of drafts were pretty horrible. He said he rewrote the book about 10 times before it became what it is today.
Higi recently released Navajo Gold in digital format and hopes to garner interest in the book before he seriously approaches a publisher or agent.
Im hoping through word of mouth it will get out there, he said.
Writing is a creative outlet for Higi, and he has already started working on a sequel.
Im still struggling to figure out how to find time for it, but I do intend to continue writing, he said. Ive always wanted to write something or create something. At one time I thought Id want to write movies, but you really have to have a whole system behind it if you actually want to get something like that to fruition.
Higi said he eventually plans on publishing Navajo Gold in hard copy, but for now readers can purchase the digital book at a promotional price of 99 cents by going to www.navajogold.com. Within a month it will be available on Amazon.com.
While Higi enjoys fueling his creativity and imagination by writing, he said he has no plans on becoming the next Tony Hillerman, a best-selling author whose novels take place in Navajo land.
Its certainly a hobby, and I have no delusions of grandeur, Higi said. Im going to keep my day job.
Reach Paula Bostrom at paulab@cortezjournal.com.