About
My name is Michael Wescott Loder, but I am usually called Wes. I was born and grew up in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. I have hiked, climbed and caved my way across the United States, been an Air Force officer, photographer, park naturalist—and an academic librarian for more than 30 years. I have worked in eight different states, but am now retired and live with my wife next to the family farm in a passive-solar, off-grid house we designed ourselves. I am the author of eight books that range in topic from a history of Nikon cameras to novels for middle grade and young adult readers. I write at home, play the highland bagpipe and occasionally weave rugs.
Featured Work
Can Skinwalkers Swim?
The discovery of three bodies by the shore of Lake Mead triggers a murderous vendetta aimed at sixteen-year-old Darby Donati, the snarky, self-indulgent daughter of the owner of one of Las Vegas’ casinos. As the body count grows, Darby flees to Piñon, Arizona, a remote chapter in the middle of the Navajo Nation. There she discovers a different world from the glitz of the city, one filled with a deep sense of the land and holding a family willing to accept and share their lives with her. The friendship and care of her equally-threatened great-grandmother and aunt leads her to question not only her identity but her entire previous way of life.
Shedding her recent past and accepting her real identity leads Darby to commit acts of courage and to sacrifice her own safety to save others.
