J. B. Varney was born on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He is a member of the Sioux Tribe and grew up listening tribal members and elders telling the stories of his People and ancestors. The mixed-blood son of a Sioux father and a non-Indian mother with an equally rich ancestry, his love of history was nurtured in him from his earliest memories. His birthplace is not far from the final resting place of his Great-Great-Great Grandfather, the French-Canadian trader named August Traversie, who arrived in Indian Territory in 1831 and married one of the daughters of the Sioux Chief, War Eagle, who was honored with a park in Sioux City, Iowa. A statue commemorating his effort to maintain peace between the Americans and the Sioux stands overlooking the confluence of the Big Sioux River with the Missouri. Mr. Varney has spent his life pursuing a deeper knowledge of his own family lines and history, as well as the broader history of our world. He has researched and traced several of his family lines back into the mists of time. His Great-Great-Great Grandparents, Josiah & Margaret (Findley) Osborn, were Pioneers on the Oregon Trail in 1845 and survivors of the Whitman Massacre in 1847. Mr. Varney is also the descendant of the earliest recorded Shawnee Chief, Straight Tail, born to the Pekowi Band of Shawnee around 1630 in modern day Ohio. Straight Tail’s daughter, Sewatha, married the French-Canadian explorer, Martin Chartier, who had traveled the Great Lakes, Ohio, and Mississippi Valleys with both LaSalle and Joliet. Mr. Varney is descended from this couple. Born to so many explorers and nomadic tribesman it is not surprising that Mr. Varney has enjoyed traveling widely in both the New World and the Old. He weaves many of his true-life experiences, his love of travel, of mystery, and adventure, and his knowledge of history into many of his works. While he credits authors as disparate as Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan-Doyle, Robert Service, John Buchan, Daphne Du Maurier, Edgar Rice Burrows, and Lillian Jackson Braun with fueling his interest in reading, he credits his children in motivating him to begin writing. In his Sherlock Holmes "Resurgent Mystery Series" he works to provide readers with exciting new settings and mysteries for the world's most famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful friend, Dr. John Watson. Like Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Varney’s believes that “truth is stranger than fiction” and his stories are proof of this belief. He works to be historically accurate and true to the Victorian Era. His mysteries often showcase actual crimes and characters from that bygone age. Another unique aspect of his mysteries are the illustrations. A gifted artist and sculptor, he attempts to capture the essence of the original Sidney Paget illustrations, to provide his readers with a similar experience to that of the first readers of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries. Please dive into Mr. Varney's books...and enjoy every minute.Read more about this authorRead less about this author