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Anthem author uncovers a ‘Charmstone’
by Kathleen Stinson

ANTHEM – It is no accident that local author C.C. Harrison’s first novel, “The Charmstone,” is set in a remote area of a Navajo Reservation.

Harrison, a pen name, worked as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)volunteer a few years ago in the Four Corners area.

“The Charmstone” was released this week by Five Star Expressions‑Thomson Gale Publishers. A book launch party and signing is scheduled for 2‑6 p.m., Sunday, May 6, at J.D. Challenger Art Gallery in the Carefree Galleria in Carefree.

Harrison, who declines to reveal her real name, worked as a corporate writer for a number of years while publishing hundreds of articles and short stories. Harrison moved to Anthem a few years ago to live near her daughter who resides in Cave Creek.

“After working in stressful corporate jobs all my life, I am very stingy with my time now,” Harrison says. “I spend it reading, doing research, writing, or out in the desert or mountains.”

Harrison has written three books, but “The Charmstone” is the first to be released. The title is taken from a piece of jewelry she uncovered at an archeological dig while a VISTA volunteer. Her VISTA group discovered a Grand Kiva containing, among other antiquities, some Anasazi jewelry. A charmstone, or amulet, was one of these objects.

“The Charmstone” is set on the Navajo Reservation in contemporary times–a unique subject for literature.

In her mystery novel, “lapsed socialite Amanda Bell travels to this remote desert to fulfill her deceased father’s last wish–deliver and archive his Southwest literary collection, a gift to the fledgling Navajo Cultural Center,” as stated in a press release from Breakthrough Promotions.

“There aren’t many novels that take place in contemporary Navajo life,” Harrison says.

In fact, she says, a character in her novel is a Hollywood producer who is successful until he produces a documentary about Navajo life in which nobody is interested.

Harrison has written two other books not yet released: “Without Permission” and “Sage Cane’s House of Grace and Favor.” “Without Permission” was inspired by her experience as a guardian ad litem in Florida. The other work of fiction is set in the Old West and is a historical romance.

For more information, visit the author’s Web site at ccharrison‑author.com.

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